Abeka Grade 8 Science Test 8

Front 1

Which of the following is considered a high-level cloud?

Back 1

cirrostratus

Front 2

Which of the following is considered a mid-level cloud?

Back 2

nimbostratus

Front 3

Cooling air becomes saturated at a temperature called the __?__.

Back 3

dew point

Front 4

What type of drought occurs when precipitation cannot supply enough moisture to the ground to support an area's crops?

Back 4

agricultural drought

Front 5

Which type of drought is based on water shortage's effect on people?

Back 5

socioeconomic drought

Front 6

Which type of cloud forms a flat, gray layer of heavy clouds not far above the ground?

Back 6

stratus

Front 7

Which type of front forms when a warm air mass moves into a region occupied by a cold air mass?

Back 7

warm front

Front 8

Which type of front forms a Y shape?

Back 8

occluded front

Front 9

Precipitation made of ice crystals that fall to the ground is called __?__.

Back 9

snow

Front 10

Which type of air mass brings cool, wet weather?

Back 10

maritime polar

Front 11

Which type of air mass brings warm, moist weather?

Back 11

maritime tropical

Front 12

The process of liquid becoming a gas is __?__.

Back 12

evaporation

Front 13

When the temperature of air rises, relative humidity will __?__.

Back 13

decrease

Front 14

The year-round atmospheric conditions typical of a certain place are its __?__.

Back 14

climate

Front 15

The movement of water from the earth's surface, into the air, and back to the surface is the __?__ cycle.

Back 15

water

Front 16

An almond-shaped cloud is a __?__.

Back 16

lenticular cloud

Front 17

An __?__ air mass brings very cold and dry weather.

Back 17

Arctic

Front 18

A low that forms along a front is called a __?__.

Back 18

frontal cyclone

Front 19

Which type of front forms when two air masses push against each other but neither advances?

Back 19

stationary (front)

Front 20

What is a mixture of smoke and fog called?

Back 20

smog

Front 21

What is the amount of water vapor in the air called?

Back 21

humidity

Front 22

What phenomenon occurs when an area receives an abnormally low amount of precipitation over a long period?

Back 22

drought

Front 23

What is rain that freezes before it hits the gound?

Back 23

sleet

Front 24

What is the study of weather and of the atmospheric conditions that produce weather?

Back 24

meteorology

Front 25

What phenomenon occurs when air mass remains stationary over a region for a long time?

Back 25

air-mass weather

Front 26

List the three factors that affect the density of an air mass.

Back 26

temperature, humidity, and pressure

Front 27

A substance going from a solid to a liquid is __?__.

Back 27

melting

Front 28

Water vapor in the air that touches the ground and turns to ice is __?__.

Back 28

frost

Front 29

Water vapor in the air that touches the cooler ground and turns to a liquid is __?__.

Back 29

dew

Front 30

Ice crystals in clouds that grow large enough to fall to the ground are __?__.

Back 30

snowflakes

Front 31

Layered balls of ice are called __?__.

Back 31

hailstones

Front 32

White, billowy clouds that resemble piles of cotton puffs are __?__.

Back 32

cumulus

Front 33

What type of fog is found along the slopes of mountains?

Back 33

upslope fog

Front 34

Drops of liquid water that have a diameter of 0.5 millimeter or greater and fall from the clouds to Earth are called __?__.

Back 34

rain

Front 35

Snowflakes with white, feathery branches forming a leaf-or star-shaped pattern are __?__.

Back 35

dendrites

Front 36

Air that is completely full of water vapor and can hold no more is considered __?__.

Back 36

saturated

Front 37

The most frequent type of cloud is the __?__.

Back 37

stratocumulus

Front 38

Which of the following statements is true?

Back 38

All of the above.

Front 39

The ratio comparing the actual humidity to the humidity of saturated air under the same conditions is __?__.

Back 39

relative humidity

Front 40

A large body of air with relatively uniform properties is a(n) __?__.

Back 40

air mass

Front 41

Airborne water vapor cannot turn into liquid without a small particle called a(n) __?__.

Back 41

condensation nucleus

Front 42

The three major factors that determine the earth's weather are __?__,__?__, and __?__.

Back 42

heat energy, uneven distribution of heat energy, and water vapor

Front 43

A thick, brownish haze that results from complex molecules released into the air by vehicles and some factories and plants is __?__.

Back 43

photochemical smog

Front 44

ESSAY: List and explain the two processes that form rain.

Back 44

Answers should include the following ideas:

In the Bergeron process (or cold-cloud process), water vapor in portions of a cloud below freezing nuclei. The ice crystals absorb water vapor from the cloud and stick to each other, growing large enough to be snowflakes. The snowflakes fall through the cloud, melting in warmer air near the ground to form rain.

In the collision-coalescence process, larger-than-normal condensation nuclei in regions of the cloud above freezing cause the formation of "giant" cloud droplets, which grow larger by colliding with smaller droplets. When they become too big to remain suspended in the air, the droplets fall to the earth as rain.