GEOG210: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Review Questions for Quiz 1
1. Which of
the following statements does not represent the main focus of physical
understanding the natural components of the earth, namely: atmosphere,
hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere
interactions of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere in
determining the varied environmental settings on the globe
understanding man's increasing impact on the natural environment
undestanding market forces shapening the world's economy
undestanding geomorphic processes operating at or beneath the earth
Geography is important to all of us because:
improves our understanding of man's environment
B. it helps
us in the discovery of natural resources
C. it helps
us to better recognize and predict areas of natural hazards and potential
provides a guide in planning and environmental management
E. all of
the above answers.
3. Which of
the following planets is not a terrestrial planet?
Venus B. Earth C.
Uranus E. Mars
contrast with Jovian planets, terrestrial planets are:
and very dense (>3gm/cm3)
D. slower in
E. all of
the above answers.
oblate spheroidal shape of the earth is best supported by
A. the fact
that the polar diameter of the earth is shorter than the equatorial
diameter by 27 miles
evidences from photographs obtained by orbiting satellites
C. a relatively lower value of gravity at the equator which increases slightly towards the poles
centrifugal force generated by earth's rotation
E. A and C
plane of the ecliptic is:
associated with the measurement of the angle of inclination of the earth's
primarily related to the determination of the longitude of a place
in the construction of certain types of map projections
D. useful in
defining time zones
important in measurement of latitude
7. Lines of
B. run east
C. are used
in measuring time changes
at the poles
the incorrect statement concerning parallels:
A. they are
lines of latitude
B. they are
all of the same length
measure angular distances north and south of the equator
cross meridians at right angles
represent true east-west directions
66½oS is called:
equator B. Tropic of
C. Tropic of
Capricon D. Arctic Circle
10. Which of
the following statements about great circles is not true?
A. a plane
passing through a great circle divides the earth into 2 equal halves
B. a great
circle drawn to join two points is always the shortest route between them
C. the Prime
Meridian and Long. 180o together form a great circle
equator is the only parallel that qualifies as a great circle
located on the same great circle experience mid-day (noon) at the same
11. If it is
6.00 A.M. Monday in Tokyo (140o E), what time is it in Rio de
Janeiro (40o W)?
A. 6.00 P.M.
B. 6.00 P.M. Sunday
C. 6.00 A.M.
Tuesday D. 6.00 A.M. Monday
12. The sun's
rays are vertical over the Tropic of Capricon on:
A. March 21 B. June 22
22 D. September 21
13. If one
were to travel directly southward from the equator to the Antarctic Circle
on December 22, the length of daylight in a 24-hour period would:
A. grow longer
B. grow shorter
longer to the Tropic of Capricon and then shorter to the poles
14. In the
earth's orbit around the sun, the point where the earth is farthest from
the sun is called the:
equinox B. ecliptic C.
solstice E. perihelion
15. What is
the angle measured from the earth's axis to the plane of ecliptic?
The location of the subsolar point during the month of August is
A. north of the equator
B. south of the equator
C. at the equator
D. north of the equator but close to
the Tropic of Cancer
E. at the poles
17. The imaginary line that marks the
northernmost limit on the earth surface that receives vertical rays of the
sun is called the:
equinox B. albedo
C. circle of
illumination D. summer solstice
E. Tropic of Cancer
18. In July, the Los Angeles area is
warmer than in December because
A. the earth is closer to the sun in
B. the sun gives off more heat in July
C. the atmosphere is denser in December
D. the sun's rays strike at a higher
angle in July
E. sun spot fluctuations are greater
19. Which of the following statements is
A. all places north of the Tropic of
Cancer record their highest angle of the sun's rays at noon during the
summer solstice in the northern
B. all places north of the Arctic
Circle enjoy 24-hr of continuous sunlight during the summer solstice in
the northern hemisphere
C. the north pole leans towards the sun
during summer solstice in the northern hemisphere
D. all places north of the Tropic of
Cancer record their longest length of daylight during the winter solstice
E. all places enjoy equal hours of day
and night during the equinoxes
20. Which of the following is not a
B. Long 130o C. Long. 105o
D. Long. 165o
E. Long. 180o
21. The standard meridian for the
central time zone of the United States is
A. Long. 75oW
B. Long. 105oW C. Long. 165oW
D. Long. 90oW
E. Long. 150oW
22. Which of the following statements about earth's revolution is incorrect
A. earth's axis always points towards
Polaris during revolution
B. earth moves in counterclockwise
direction during revolution
C. the path of earth's revolution is
called the orbit which elliptical in shape
D. the earth completes a full
revolution in 365 days
E. earth's revolution together with
the inclination and polarity of earth's axis cause the sun's rays to
strike the earth at different angles at noon during the cause of one year
23. During the Vernal equinox, the
subsolar point is located at
A. the equator in its southward journey
to the Tropic of Capricon
B. the equator in its northward
journey to the Tropic of Cancer
C. the Tropic of Capricon in its return
journey to the equator
D. the Tropic of Cancer in its return
journey to the equator
E. none of the above answers
24. The latitude of New Orleans directly
south of Edwardsville is lat. 30o N. What is the distance in
kilometers between New Orleans and Edwardsville, if the latitude of
Edwardsville is lat. 38o N? (1o = 111km).
km B. 1000 km
km E. 2300 km
25. If it is 10.00 A.M. GMT on Monday,
what is the longitude of Town B if its time is 8.00 P.M. on Monday?
A. Long. 140oW B.
Long. 150oW C. Long. 160oW
D. Long. 150oE
26. The polar diameter is shorter than
the equatorial diameter by 27 miles
27. Except for the equator, the circles
of latitude are all great circles
28. The continental United States has
six standard time zones
29. On January 3, the earth is at its
30. A Tropical Year is 365¼ days
A. has no winds
B. has constant temperature throughout its depth
C. is below the troposphere
D. destroys ozone
warmer at the top (stratopause) than at the bottom
Most of what we call “weather” occurs in the:
Troposphere B. Stratosphere C.
Mesosphere E. Ozonosphere
Atmospheric particles (such as dust and ash):
aid in cloud formation B. absorb sunlight C.
reflect sunlight E. all of the above
The part of the atmosphere that shields earth’s surface from
harmful ultraviolet radiation is:
Troposphere B. Tropopause C.
Mesosphere E. None of the above
The aurora borealis and aurora australis (northern and southern
lights) are caused by
Troposphere B. Mesosphere C.
Ionosphere E. Stratosphere
Which atmosphere zone is characterized by gases which are not well
Troposphere B. Mesosphere C.
Homosphere E. Heterosphere
Which of the following circles has a center that does NOT coincide
with Earth's center?
Great Circle B. The Small Circle C. The
meridian E. The Prime Meridian
Only one half of the earth can receive sunlight at any one time. At
the time of the June
A. extends from North Pole to South Pole
B. lies between the Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle
C. includes the area lying equatorward of the Antarctic circle
D. excludes the areas lying poleward of the Arctic and Antarctic circles
of the above
Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is some _____ light years in
B. 100 C. 1000 D. 10000 E. 100000
One thing parallels and meridians have in common is
they converge as they approach the poles
they are great circles
the planes of both always pass through the center of the Earth
D. they are imaginary circles drawn on the earth
E. the distance between adjacent lines is constant
Review Questions for Quiz 2
1. Wind speed is determined
Review Questions for Quiz 3
1. The altitude
at which the dew point is reached is the
2. Warm air
moving over a cold lake or cold ocean surface will result in a(n) _____ type
3. If air's
capacity for holding water vapor is diminished at night because of lowered
temperature, then the relative humidity will
4. The thin
clouds of ice crystals at very high altitudes and with cloud base at 6 km
5. Heat is
released to the surrounding air when
6. Which of the following is unrelated to the base of a cloud?
7. The saturation point of air containing water vapor is most likely to be reached by
8. Instrument used for measuring relative humidity is called
thermometer B. thermostat C. anemometer
9. When wet bulb depression is zero
humidity is zero
10. When the
lapse rate of the surrounding air is greater than the dry adiabatic lapse
A. stable B. unstable C. conditionally unstable D. highly stable
11. Which of the following statements is incorrect about adiabatic processes?
process occurs without gain or loss of heat
12. Cloud seeding involves
A. a change of
adiabatic cooling to adiabatic warming
13. The mass of water vapor contained in a unit mass of air is Called
B. relative humidity
C. specific humidity
difference in readings between a dry-bulb thermometer and a wet-bulb
depression B. relative humidity depression
15. Which of the following statements is not correct about acid rain
A. it is more of
a washout process
16. Which of the following statements about climate is not correct?
A. It is the
average characteristics of the atmosphere of a given place
B. components of weather are similar to those of climate
C. departures from the average weather conditions are not important
D. the climate of a place is more predictable than weather conditions
E. operates over a large area and large time span
17. The three climatic regions recognized by ancient Greek scholars include:
equatorial, and frigid zones
18. The ancient
Greek method of climate classification that was used for over 1000
A. it was too
19. In which climatic types is winter the season of precipitation maximum?
savanna climates B. Tundra
20. According to Koppen, ET climate means
A. tropical wet
climate B. Mediterranean climate
21. Which of
the following is not a control or characteristic of Koppen Cfb and Cfc
A. located on
the western sides of continents in middle latitudes
22. Which of the following represents the warmest climate?
A. Cfa B. Cfb C. Cfc D. ET
23. The term
used in the United States for small raindrops that freeze while falling
A. Snow B. Hail C. Sleet D. Fog E. Hoar frost
24. The critical temperature at which saturation is reached is called __________.
humidity B. relative humidity
25. When air is heated enough so that it is warmer than the surrounding air, it is ____.
A. unstable B. stable C. convective D. saturated E. none
Review Questions for Quiz 4
1. In the food pyramid, humans
2. The flow of energy through an ecosystem is accomplished through the:
A. food chain B.
biogeochemical cycle C. hydrological cycle
3. The flow of materials through an ecosystem is accomplished through the:
A. food chain B. biogeochemical cycle C. Food web D. Food pyramid
4. Which of the following measures net primary productivity of an ecosystem?
A. Ecotone B. Biome C. Biomass D. Carbon cycle E. None
5. Which of the following ecosystems has the greatest biomass?
grassland B. Tropical grassland C. Boreal forest
6. The natural vegetation replacement of a meadow by a forest is called:
succession B. extirpation C. ecosystem
7. Which of the following ecosystems is not a major biome?
A. forest B. woodland C. tundra D. desert E. grassland
8. Which of the following organisms is a producer?
A. fungus B. rabbit C. fox D. oak tree E. wolf
9. The driving force behind all life cycles in the entire biosphere is
A. the sun B. Water C. Nitrogen D. hydrogen E. oxygen
10. The world's biomes are bounded by zones of transitions called __________.
A. benthos B. phyla C. ecotones D. nekton E. binomials
11. Of the main
nutrients in the biosphere, the one that is "fixed" inside certain plants
A. carbon B. nitrogen C. oxygen D. hydrogen E. calcium
12. Carbon is fixed in the biosphere through __________ into carbohydrate compounds.
C. photosynthesis D. denitrification
13. The response of an organism to the amount of light it receives in a day is termed?
B. photoperiodism C. edaphic D.
14. In the language of the food chain, herbivorous animals are called __________.
B. primary consumers C. tertiary
15. The effects of soil on flora and fauna are called __________.
A. topographic B. ecotone C. edaphic D. biotic E. transitory
16. Which of the following is NOT an example of climatic influence on the biosphere?
B. edaphic conditions C. temperature D. wind
17. An ecotone is a __________ zone.
18. An ecosystem is a(n) __________ that functions as a community.
A. plant group
B. association of plants and animals
19. Animal wastes on the ground form a part of the __________ cycle.
A. oxygen B.
carbon C. phosphorous D. nitrogen
20. Atmospheric nitrogen which can be assimilated by plants is __________ nitrogen.
A. legume B. dentrified C. juvenile D. fixed E. liberated
21. A soil with 10% silt, 50%
clay and 40% sand is
22. The smallest particle in soil
23. What type of soil are
common in tropical humid climates?
24. Which of the following
soil water is most available for plant use?
25. What percentage of the soil is