PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY PRACTICE QUIZ:
AIR MASSES AND FRONTS
1. Which of the following is most likely to be the source region for an air mass?
- A
- A mountainous region with high relief
- B
- In the path of the westerlies in the middle latitudes
- C
- A large, fairly uniform region
- D
- Over one of the Great Lakes
- E
- Just about anywhere
2. Which of the following is most likely to be true of a continental polar (cP) air mass?
- A
- It is cold and humid
- B
- It was formed over the Rocky Mountains
- C
- It developed in a cold, very rainy region
- D
- It is cold and dry
- E
- It is not able to move as far south as the U.S.
3. Which of the following is most likely to be true of an air mass forming in the Gulf of Mexico?
- A
- It is classified as a cT air mass
- B
- It is warm and dry
- C
- It is a maritime tropical air mass
- D
- It is bringing hot, dry weather to the southern part of the U.S.
- E
- It is cold and stable
4. Which of the following is most likely to be true of a maritime polar air mass forming in the North Atlantic?
- A
- It is bringing cool, wet weather to Europe
- B :: It is the most common and important source of rain and snow for the east coast of the U.S.
- C
- It is cold and dry
- D
- It could never affect the east coast of the U.S.
- E
- It is an mT air mass
5. Which of the following is most likely to be true of a continental tropical (cT) air mass in North America?
- A
- It is hot and very humid
- B :: It formed over the deserts in northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S.
- C
- It is bringing intense precipitation to the southeastern U.S.
- D
- It is cold and dry
- E
- It could not develop, because there is no suitable source region
6. What is most likely to occur when a mass of cold air moves into a region occupied by warmer air?
- A
- A warm front will form, and there will be intense precipitation
- B :: The air masses will mix rapidly, forming an air mass of intermediate temperature
- C :: The boundary between the two air masses will be a zone of intense high pressure
- D
- A cold front will form, as warm air is forced upward
- E
- All of the above
7. A front that is characterized by stratus clouds and gentle precipitation for a long time is what kind of front?
8. A front is depicted on a weather map by a line with triangles pointing in the direction the front is moving. What kind of front is pictured below?
9. Which of the following is least likely to occur as a cold front passes?
- A
- A decrease in air pressure
- B
- Intense precipitation from cumulonimbus clouds
- C
- A shift in wind direction
- D
- A drop in temperature
- E
- An extended period of steady precipitation that covers a wide region
10. After a cold front has passed, what would we expect?
- A
- Cold temperatures and rain that lasts several days
- B
- Cool, humid conditions, and strong winds
- C
- Cold temperatures and clear skies
- D
- Low pressure over a wide region
- E
- Warm temperatures and clear skies
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