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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
- C :: A large, fairly uniform region
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.
- D :: It is cold and dry
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
- C :: It is a maritime tropical air mass
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
- A :: It is bringing cool, wet weather to Europe
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
- B :: It formed over the deserts in northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S.
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
- D :: A cold front will form, as warm air is forced upward
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
- 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
- C :: Cold temperatures and clear skies
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