Multiple Choice/True-false (Knowledge/Recall/Comprehension)

1. The hydrologic cycle refers to

A) all forms of precipitation,
B) the flow of water to the surface of the earth as in springs,
C) the recharge of groundwater by precipitation,
D) the continuous circulation of earth's water supply,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

2. The energy that drives the water cycle comes from _____.

A) the earth's own internal heat,
B) the sun,
C) the energy of rotation, combined with the Coriolis effect,
D) the heat energy created by friction as the earth spins upon its axis,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

3. A hidden type of energy in the atmosphere that drives many atmospheric processes is _____.

A) kinetic energy,
B) radiational energy,
C) latent heat energy,
D) sensible heat energy,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

4. The process whereby water vapor becomes solid water (ice) is called ____.

A) sublimation,
B) vaporization,
C) condensation,
D) freezing,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

5. The process whereby ice (solid water) becomes a water vapor is called  ____.

A) sublimation,
B) vaporization,
C) condensation,
D) freezing,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

6. The process whereby a liquid water becomes ice (solid water) is called ____.

A) sublimation,
B) vaporization,
C) condensation,
D) freezing,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

7. The process whereby water vapor becomes liquid water is called ____.
 
A) sublimation,
B) vaporization,
C) condensation,
D) freezing,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

8. The general term for the transfer of moisture from the earth's surface to the atmosphere is _____.

A) evapotranspiration
B) vaporization
C) evaporative cooling
D) dew point,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

9. The higher latitudes receive much less intense insolation than tropical zones, and experience much less evapotranspiration because of _____.

A)  the higher specific heat of water,
B) the greenhouse effect,
C) the angle of incidence of the sun's rays,
D) albedo,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

10. Water is unusual in the earth's environment because no other common substance occurs in _____.

A) solid form
B) liquid form
C) gaseous form
D) all three forms in the atmosphere
 

11. The simplified Hydrological (water) Cycle traces the pathways of water from its source in the greatest storehouse of water, the ______, to the ______, then to the _______, and then by runoff back to the _______.

A) ocean, atmosphere, land, ocean,
B) atmosphere, ocean, land, atmosphere,
C) land, atmosphere, ocean, land,
D) ocean, land, atmosphere, ocean,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

12. The vast majority of the world's water is located in ____.

A) rivers and streams,
B) lakes,
C) groundwater,
D) oceans,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

13. Of all of the world's fresh water, most can be found in ____.

A) glaciers,
B) rivers,
C) lakes,
D) ground water deposits,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 
 

14. The term "hydrosphere" describes one of the Earth's major environmental spheres. It includes _____.

A) all of the water above and below the continents,
B) all of the fresh water on the planet,
C) all of the liquid water on the earth,
D) all of the water on the planet,
E) All of these,
F) None of these

 
Multiple Choice/True-false, Open Format (Analysis/Synthesis/Evaluation)

15. Evaporation of water from the surface of the ocean not only mobilizes the water, but stores heat as latent heat, which can later be released by condensation to help power storms.

True  or  False
 

16. Which of these is not true about water?

A) water has a great heat capacity,
B) water is chemically inert,
C) water is the only natural earth material that is a liquid at room temperature,
D) the solid form of water, ice is less dense than the liquid form of water,
E) All of  these,
F) None of these

 
17. The specific heat of water is greater than that of land. This means _____.

A) water is warmer than land,
B) land is warmer than water,
C) water heats and cools more slowly than does land,
D) land heats and cools more slowly than does water,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

18. The potential energy gained by evaporation of water from the surface of the ocean is used up as flowing water does work on the landscape as the water flows back to the surface of the ocean.

True  or  False
 

19. Potential evapotranspiration is _____.

A) usually not as great as actual evapotranspiration
B) very small when the atmosphere is warm
C) usually about the same as actual evapotranspiration
D) can never be exceeded by actual evapotranspiration,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

20. A diagram of the water budget system (Thornthwaite system) for a dry area or a semi-arid area would show the largest deficit to be during late summer (August-September), when ____.

A) the PET is very high and the AET and precipitation are very low,
B) the PET, precipitation, and the AET are very low,
C) the PET (potential evapotranspiration), precipitation, and the AET (actual evapotranspiration) are all about the same,
D) the PET, precipitation, and AET are all very high,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

21. If an area receives less water in a year than can potentially be evaporated away during the same time, it will be an arid area. Arid regions of the world occupy more territory than any other climate grouping - what do people in these areas do to make up this water deficit?

A) they can sometimes make it up by drilling into and pumping out of groundwater reservoirs,
B) they can trap water from a time of surplus, such as the spring, save the water in reservoirs and use it later in the summer during times of deficit,
C) they can irrigate using "exotic" rivers - those that arise in well-watered territory and then flow through the arid regions,
D) they can adjust crops and lifestyles to make do with the amount of water they DO receive,
E) All of these,
F) None of these

Multiple Choice/True-false (Knowledge/Recall/Comprehension)

 22. In general terms, ocean currents closely follow the global circulation system pattern.

True  or  False
 

23. Although wind is the chief initiator of ocean currents, there are other causes. Density differences in seawater, caused by _____, can result in currents.

A) salinity or pressure,
B) salinity or temperature,
C) temperature or pressure,
D) pressure or temperature,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 
Multiple Choice/True-false, Open Format (Analysis/Synthesis/Evaluation)

24. Because of deflection of ocean currents by continents, large "gyres" or rotating masses of water are present in the world's major oceans. In the Northern Hemisphere, these gyres rotate to the ____ because the Trade Winds and the Westerlies push them.

A) left,
B) right,
C) both of these,
D) neither one of these
 

25. Cold currents, such as the Humbolt current off of the west coast of South America, often bring nutrients to tropical latitudes.

True  or  False

Multiple Choice/True-false (Knowledge/Recall/Comprehension)

 26. A 100-year flood ____.

A) is guaranteed to come once every 100 years,
B) is the largest flood you can expect on any stream or river,
C) cannot be predicted with only 50 years of stream-flow data,
D) always causes mass destruction,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

27. Many insurance companies and municipalities use the ____ year floodplain as a standard. This means that no new buildings or new insurance policies will be allowed in the area likely to be covered during this event.

A) 20,
B) 50,
C) 100,
D) 500,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

28. Flood gauges on most major streams and rivers are maintained by _____.
 
A) the United States Waterworks Division,
B) the United States Hydrological Survey,
C) the United States Geological Survey,
D) the national Flood Prevention Program,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

29. The discharge formula for a river is Discharge = Width X Depth X Velocity. Essentially this formula is looking at the velocity of water  ____.

A) as it varies with depth,
B) as it passes through a cross-sectional area,
C) as it varies with time,
D) as it varies with the width of the stream,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

Multiple Choice/True-false, Open Format (Analysis/Synthesis/Evaluation)

30. Many urban areas are adjacent to streams and waterways, a fact that puts them at risk for flood damage. If this is so dangerous, why do the communities stay where they are?

A) mostly this is due to historical settlement patterns as people settled where there was easily obtainable water for drinking and irrigation, and where they could use waterways for transportation,
B) early settlers didn't know any better, and their descendants are simply stubborn,
C) it was the only land available at the time,
D) fishing was good next to the waterways, and fish provided a major source of food,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

31. The 50-year flood has ____ of occurring in any one year.

A) 50 chances out of 100,
B) 1 chance out of 50 of occurring in any one year,
C) a 50-50 chance of occurring in any one year,
D) a zero chance,
E) All of these,
F) None of these

Multiple Choice/True-false (Knowledge/Recall/Comprehension)

32. The term "Biomass" refers to _____.

A) the total mass of dead plant and animal material that has accumulated on the ocean bottom,
B) the total mass of living matter that any one particular environment can support,
C) the biological waste materials from food processing operations,
D) the weight of biological organisms that can float in sea water,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

33. Phytoplankton concentrations are much higher in equatorial waters than polar latitudes.

True  or  False
 

34. Even though the oceans of the world cover approximately 70% of the surface, most life in the oceans is concentrated:

A) close to continental coasts and in the upper few meters of the water,
B) in the depths of the oceans far from the influence of land,
C) in the upper few meters in the centers of the gyres,
D) close to continents at great depths,
E) All of these,
F) None of these

Multiple Choice/True-false, Open Format (Analysis/Synthesis/Evaluation)

35. Pigment concentrations shown on satellite images are correlated with phytoplankton concentrations. These satellite data indicate that concentrations are highest in _____.

A) the Northern Hemisphere in the summer,
B) the Northern Hemisphere in the winter,
C) the Southern Hemisphere in the winter,
B) the Southern Hemisphere in the summer,
E) All of these,
F) None of these
 

36. Phytoplankton are important to people because _____.

A) a healthy population of phytoplankton indicates that the oceans are in good shape,
B) plankton form the basis of the ocean food chain,
C) humans rely more and more on fish protein, and fish, in turn, depend upon a food chain beginning with plankton,
D) All of these,
E) None of these