Question 1

The earth emits infrared radiation ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  only at night 
B)  only during the day 
C)  at variable times 
D)  continuously

Question 2

In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the shortest number of daylight hours occurs on ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  June 21 
B)  December 21 
C)  September 22 
D)  January 1

Question 3

The transfer of heat from molecule to molecule within a substance is called ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  conduction 
B)  convection 
C)  radiation 
D)  latent energy

Question 4

Radiation is made of discrete packets of energy called ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  thermals 
B)  convective cells 
C)  photons 
D)  microns

Question 5

What is responsible for the cold feeling that you experience after leaving a swimming pool on a hot, dry summer day?

Accepted Answer

A)  heat transport by conduction 
B)  heat transport by convection 
C)  heat transport by radiation 
D)  heat transport by latent heat

Question 6

The wavelength of radiation is ____ proportional to the energy carried per wave.

Accepted Answer

A)  directly 
B)  not 
C)  slightly 
D)  inversely

Question 7

Between Christmas and January, at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the length of the day ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  increases 
B)  decreases 
C)  does not change 
D)  is 12 hours long

Question 8

What provides a measure of the average speed or kinetic energy of the atoms and molecules in air?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What provides a measure of the average...

Question 9

In the discussion of the earth's annual energy balance, we saw that the earth absorbed approximately 51 units of solar energy but emitted 117 units of infrared energy. What prevents the earth from getting colder and colder?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the discussion of the earth's annual...

Question 10

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair of selections. Which is a better reflector of solar energy, WATER or ICE?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair...

Question 11

Explain why sunrises and sunsets typically have colors of red, orange, and yellow.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why sunrises and sunsets typically have...

Question 12

The wavelengths of radiation that an object emits depend primarily on the object's ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  temperature 
B)  photons 
C)  density 
D)  reflective surfaces

Question 13

Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature of the earth would be ___.

Accepted Answer

A)  higher than at present 
B)  lower than at present 
C)  the same as it is now 
D)  much more variable than it is now

Question 14

The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  latent heat of evaporation 
B)  latent heat of sublimation 
C)  latent heat of vaporization 
D)  latent heat of condensation

Question 15

Which region of the sun's electromagnetic spectrum is most responsible for human skin cancer?

Accepted Answer

A)  infrared 
B)  ultraviolet 
C)  visible 
D)  near infrared

Question 16

The earth's surface receives about twice as much energy from the atmosphere than from the sun as a result of ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the release of latent heat during condensation 
B)  conduction of heat upward from the surface 
C)  convection 
D)  absorbed infrared energy radiated back to earth 
E)  direct absorption of sunlight by the atmosphere

Question 17

If the amount of snow and ice in the polar regions of the earth were to decline due to global warming, how would you expect this to affect the radiation budget of the earth?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If the amount of snow and ice...

Question 18

The formation of ice releases heat and warms the surroundings.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Seasons on earth are regulated by ___.

Accepted Answer

A)  only the length of daylight hours 
B)  both the length of daylight hours and the angle sunlight strikes the earth's surface 
C)  only the angle sunlight strikes the earth's surface 
D)  only the earth's nearness to the sun

Question 20

Airline routes are sometimes changed as a result of solar storms.

Accepted Answer