Table
of Contents

The Weather Book by Michael Oard

Unit Two Quiz

(pp. 20–47)

Textbook

The Weather Book, by Michael Oard

Questions

1. Describe the path that a drop of water takes as it cycles through the atmosphere.




2. What are the three basic cloud types?




3. Under what conditions are most clouds and precipitation formed?




4. What is the difference between fog and clouds?




5. From which cloud type does a thunderstorm develop?




6. How is ‘thunder’ created?




7. What three conditions are needed to cause a thunderstorm to develop?




8. During the formation of hail inside a cloud, what processes are happening to the water drop as it travels to the top of the cloud?




9. How is lightning similar to static electricity?




10. Name one reason that a flash flood occurs.




11. What is the difference between tornadoes and hurricanes?




12. What does a 'tornado watch' indicate?




13. What does a 'tornado warning' indicate?

Answer Key

1. The water drop cycles from the ocean to the land to the ocean again.
2. The three basic cloud types are cumulus, cirrus, and stratus.
3. Most clouds and precipitation are formed in areas of rising air in the atmosphere.
4. Fog is a cloud that forms on the ground.
5. A thunderstorm develops from a cumulus cloud.
6. Thunder is created when a lightning bolt splits the air. The temperature causes the air to expand at a rapid rate causing the sound we hear.
7. The three conditions needed are warm earth, moist air, and a trigger.
8. As the drop of water travels upward, it collides with other super-cooled drops, all the while growing bigger.
9. Both lightning and static electricity involve electrons that travel from a negative to a positive area, liberating energy.
10. Flash floods occur from:
    1. Slow moving thunderstorms drop an unusual amount of rain on a small area that cannot be absorbed into the ground.
    2. Two or more gully-washing thunderstorms hit the same spot, one after another.
    3. Heavy rain falls on rapidly melting snow.
11. The difference between tornadoes and hurricanes is that tornadoes are small, while hurricanes cover hundreds of miles.
12. A tornado watch means conditions are right for a tornado to form.
13. A tornado warning means one has been spotted or detected from Doppler radar.