Question 1

Which of the following statements concerning alluvial fans is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Water that seeps into the surface may reemerge as a spring at the base of a fan. 
B)  Alluvial fans form because streams usually travel for long distances in deserts. 
C)  The size of an alluvial fan is proportional to the size of its drainage basin. 
D)  Alluvial fans may contain enough water to irrigate the adjacent desert area for cultivation. 
A)  Water that seeps into the surface may reemerge as a spring at the base of a fan. 
B)  Alluvial fans form because streams usually travel for long distances in deserts. 
C)  The size of an alluvial fan is proportional to the size of its drainage basin. 
D)  Alluvial fans may contain enough water to irrigate the adjacent desert area for cultivation.

Question 2

What is the name for a global wind pattern blowing east to west at low latitudes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Trade winds. 
B)  Northeasterly winds. 
C)  Southeasterly winds. 
D)  Westerlies. 
A)  Trade winds. 
B)  Northeasterly winds. 
C)  Southeasterly winds. 
D)  Westerlies.

Question 3

In which of the following locations would a dune be most likely to form?

Accepted Answer

A)  Where a barren flat area provides a stable surface for sand accumulation. 
B)  Where a wind shadow has developed due to a change in wind direction. 
C)  Where a bush interrupts the flow of saltating sand. 
D)  Where a blowout alters the flow of the wind. 
A)  Where a barren flat area provides a stable surface for sand accumulation. 
B)  Where a wind shadow has developed due to a change in wind direction. 
C)  Where a bush interrupts the flow of saltating sand. 
D)  Where a blowout alters the flow of the wind.

Question 4

Which of the following statements concerning wind transport is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Wind does not need as high a velocity as a stream to transport particles. 
B)  Vegetation and coarse sediment create a layer of dead air on the ground. 
C)  The driving force of the wind and a particle's inertia are opposing forces in particle movement. 
D)  Wind does not lift a loose particle directly from the surface. 
A)  Wind does not need as high a velocity as a stream to transport particles. 
B)  Vegetation and coarse sediment create a layer of dead air on the ground. 
C)  The driving force of the wind and a particle's inertia are opposing forces in particle movement. 
D)  Wind does not lift a loose particle directly from the surface.

Question 5

What is the process involving the removal of loose Earth materials by wind?

Accepted Answer

A)  Abrasion. 
B)  Infiltration. 
C)  Evaporation. 
D)  Deflation. 
A)  Abrasion. 
B)  Infiltration. 
C)  Evaporation. 
D)  Deflation.

Question 6

What is the term for streamlined desert ridges produced by wind erosion?

Accepted Answer

A)  Inselberg. 
B)  Ventifact. 
C)  Pediment. 
D)  Yardang. 
A)  Inselberg. 
B)  Ventifact. 
C)  Pediment. 
D)  Yardang.

Question 7

What is the term for a thin coating of oxide staining exposed rock surfaces in deserts?

Accepted Answer

A)  Arroyo. 
B)  Desert varnish. 
C)  Desert pavement. 
D)  Ventifact. 
A)  Arroyo. 
B)  Desert varnish. 
C)  Desert pavement. 
D)  Ventifact.

Question 8

Dust sediment in the wind's suspended load:

Accepted Answer

A)  can travel in the upper atmosphere for a distance of thousands of kilometers. 
B)  travels at about twice the height and distance of the bed load. 
C)  travels in a narrow layer of dead space along the surface of the ground. 
D)  travels at about the same height and distance as the bed load. 
A)  can travel in the upper atmosphere for a distance of thousands of kilometers. 
B)  travels at about twice the height and distance of the bed load. 
C)  travels in a narrow layer of dead space along the surface of the ground. 
D)  travels at about the same height and distance as the bed load.

Question 9

Why is it dangerous to be caught in an arroyo during desert thunderstorms?

Accepted Answer

A violent desert thunderstorm can drop 5

Question 10

Which of the following statements correctly describes sand grains after they become airborne?

Accepted Answer

A)  Grains overcome by gravity may nudge forward other grains they strike. 
B)  Grains overcome by gravity strike other grains, setting them in motion. 
C)  Particles move forward in curved, parabolic paths. 
D)  All of the above. 
A)  Grains overcome by gravity may nudge forward other grains they strike. 
B)  Grains overcome by gravity strike other grains, setting them in motion. 
C)  Particles move forward in curved, parabolic paths. 
D)  All of the above.

Question 11

The primary sculptor of desert landforms is:

Accepted Answer

A)  ice. 
B)  water. 
C)  wind. 
D)  gravity. 
A)  ice. 
B)  water. 
C)  wind. 
D)  gravity.

Question 12

A desert is an area in which:

Accepted Answer

A)  potential precipitation is four times greater than evaporation. 
B)  potential evaporation is four times greater than precipitation. 
C)  the total precipitation is less than 25 millimeters per year. 
D)  evaporation is greater than precipitation. 
A)  potential precipitation is four times greater than evaporation. 
B)  potential evaporation is four times greater than precipitation. 
C)  the total precipitation is less than 25 millimeters per year. 
D)  evaporation is greater than precipitation.

Question 13

List the factors that determine the height of a wind- transported bed load.

Accepted Answer

A wind- transported bed load moves only

Question 14

Deserts that result from their location on the leeward side of mountain ranges are:

Accepted Answer

A)  continental interior deserts. 
B)  deserts near cold ocean currents. 
C)  rain shadow deserts. 
D)  subtropical deserts. 
A)  continental interior deserts. 
B)  deserts near cold ocean currents. 
C)  rain shadow deserts. 
D)  subtropical deserts.

Question 15

Mechanical weathering processes in deserts include which one of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  Salt crystal growth in rock fractures. 
B)  Saltation. 
C)  Deflation. 
D)  All of the above. 
A)  Salt crystal growth in rock fractures. 
B)  Saltation. 
C)  Deflation. 
D)  All of the above.

Question 16

All of the following statements are clues to past, more severe droughts that occurred in the Great Plains of North America EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  salt- dependant diatoms are found in lake- sediment cores. 
B)  tree rings record evidence of past dry spells. 
C)  evidence of forest expansion from river valleys. 
D)  there is evidence of periods when sand dunes were expanding. 
A)  salt- dependant diatoms are found in lake- sediment cores. 
B)  tree rings record evidence of past dry spells. 
C)  evidence of forest expansion from river valleys. 
D)  there is evidence of periods when sand dunes were expanding.

Question 17

Which of the following statements concerning Martian winds is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Storms usually start in the northern hemisphere. 
B)  Because of Mars' lower gravity, dust particles are carried four times as high as those carried by comparable winds on Earth. 
C)  They are caused by temperature differences that produce different air pressures. 
D)  They are caused by seasonal melting of the ice cap. 
A)  Storms usually start in the northern hemisphere. 
B)  Because of Mars' lower gravity, dust particles are carried four times as high as those carried by comparable winds on Earth. 
C)  They are caused by temperature differences that produce different air pressures. 
D)  They are caused by seasonal melting of the ice cap.

Question 18

Which of the following statements concerning dune migration is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Small dunes migrate at about the same rate as larger dunes. 
B)  Large dunes migrate on the order of a few meters per year. 
C)  Coastal dunes may migrate seaward rather than inland. 
D)  Dunes migrate when sand saltates up the windward side and is deposited on the leeward side. 
A)  Small dunes migrate at about the same rate as larger dunes. 
B)  Large dunes migrate on the order of a few meters per year. 
C)  Coastal dunes may migrate seaward rather than inland. 
D)  Dunes migrate when sand saltates up the windward side and is deposited on the leeward side.

Question 19

In the hottest places on Earth, the temperatures can reach as high as:

Accepted Answer

A)  140° to 150°F. 
B)  120° to 130°F. 
C)  130° to 140°F. 
D) 110° to 120°F. 
A)  140° to 150°F. 
B)  120° to 130°F. 
C)  130° to 140°F. 
D) 110° to 120°F.

Question 20

Continental interior deserts are a result of:

Accepted Answer

A)  the rain- shadow effect of high mountain ranges. 
B)  the assembly of continental plates landlocks the region. 
C)  great distance from moisture- laden winds. 
D)  All of the above. 
A)  the rain- shadow effect of high mountain ranges. 
B)  the assembly of continental plates landlocks the region. 
C)  great distance from moisture- laden winds. 
D)  All of the above.

Which of the following statements concerning alluvial fans is NOT true?

What is the name for a global wind pattern blowing east to west at low latitudes?

In which of the following locations would a dune be most likely to form?

Which of the following statements concerning wind transport is NOT true?

What is the process involving the removal of loose Earth materials by wind?

What is the term for streamlined desert ridges produced by wind erosion?

What is the term for a thin coating of oxide staining exposed rock surfaces in deserts?

Dust sediment in the wind's suspended load:

Why is it dangerous to be caught in an arroyo during desert thunderstorms?

Which of the following statements correctly describes sand grains after they become airborne?

The primary sculptor of desert landforms is:

A desert is an area in which:

List the factors that determine the height of a wind- transported bed load.

Deserts that result from their location on the leeward side of mountain ranges are:

Mechanical weathering processes in deserts include which one of the following?

All of the following statements are clues to past, more severe droughts that occurred in the Great Plains of North America EXCEPT:

Which of the following statements concerning Martian winds is NOT true?

Which of the following statements concerning dune migration is NOT true?

In the hottest places on Earth, the temperatures can reach as high as:

Continental interior deserts are a result of:

A First Look at Planet Earth - Its Origins, Systems, and Tectonic Plates

Minerals

Igneous Rocks and Processes

Volcanoes and Volcanism

Weathering - the Breakdown of Rocks

Sedimentary Processes, Environments, and Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Telling Time Geologically

Earth Structures - Folds, Faults, and Fabrics

Earthquakes

The Earths Interior - Whats Going on Down There

Plate Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Oceans

Continental Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Continents

Mass Movement

Streams and Floods

Groundwater

Glaciers and Ice Ages

Shores and Coastal Processes

Human Use of the Earths Resources Appendices Glossary

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Exam 18: Deserts and the Work of Winds

Which of the following statements concerning alluvial fans is NOT true?

What is the name for a global wind pattern blowing east to west at low latitudes?

In which of the following locations would a dune be most likely to form?

Which of the following statements concerning wind transport is NOT true?

What is the process involving the removal of loose Earth materials by wind?

What is the term for streamlined desert ridges produced by wind erosion?

What is the term for a thin coating of oxide staining exposed rock surfaces in deserts?

Dust sediment in the wind's suspended load:

Why is it dangerous to be caught in an arroyo during desert thunderstorms?

Which of the following statements correctly describes sand grains after they become airborne?

The primary sculptor of desert landforms is:

A desert is an area in which:

List the factors that determine the height of a wind- transported bed load.

Deserts that result from their location on the leeward side of mountain ranges are:

Mechanical weathering processes in deserts include which one of the following?

All of the following statements are clues to past, more severe droughts that occurred in the Great Plains of North America EXCEPT:

Which of the following statements concerning Martian winds is NOT true?

Which of the following statements concerning dune migration is NOT true?

In the hottest places on Earth, the temperatures can reach as high as:

Continental interior deserts are a result of:

A First Look at Planet Earth - Its Origins, Systems, and Tectonic Plates

Minerals

Igneous Rocks and Processes

Volcanoes and Volcanism

Weathering - the Breakdown of Rocks

Sedimentary Processes, Environments, and Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Telling Time Geologically

Earth Structures - Folds, Faults, and Fabrics

Earthquakes

The Earths Interior - Whats Going on Down There

Plate Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Oceans

Continental Tectonics and the Formation of the Earths Continents

Mass Movement

Streams and Floods

Groundwater

Glaciers and Ice Ages

Shores and Coastal Processes

Human Use of the Earths Resources Appendices Glossary

Filters