Nautical Sciences, Unit Three, Chapter Four: Fronts and Storms
This is an Closed Book, Multiple-choice exercise.
Use your mouse to click the box next to the most correct answer. If you fail to select the correct answer you must try again until you select the correct answer.
What action is responsible for the development of fronts?
The collision of air masses of different temperatures.
The collision of air masses of roughly the same temperatures.
The breaking up of air masses of different temperatures.
The breaking up of air masses of roughly the same temperatures.
The fusion of two air masses of different temperatures.
What is the difference in actions between a Warm Front and a Cold Front?
Cold fronts push warm air ahead of it upward while warm fronts move upward over a cold air mass.
Cold fronts push cold air ahead of them upward while warm fronts move upward over a cold air mass.
Cold fronts push warm air ahead of them upward while warm fronts move under a cold air mass.
Warm fronts push warm air ahead of it upward while cold fronts move upward over a warm air mass.
There is no difference. They are simply named differently because the relative temperatures of the air they contain.
A complex frontal system that occurs when a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass is known as what?
An Occluded Front
A Warm Front
A Cold Front
A Polar Front
An Arctic Front
Which of the following is NOT one of the world's primary frontal zones?
The Prevailing Westerlies Zone
They are all primary frontal zones.
The Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Arctic Frontal Zone
The Polar Frontal Zone
A band of unstable weather encircling the Earth in the doldrums is located in which of the Earth's frontal zones?
The Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Arctic Frontal Zone
The Polar Frontal Zone
The Prevailing Westerlies Frontal Zone
The Polar Easterlies Convergence Zone
Brief, violent, windstorms that occur at sea when war air rises, resulting in sudden, intense rainfall of short duration are called what?
Squalls
Hurricanes
Waterspouts
Typhoons
Willy-willies
Which of the Earth's frontal zones has the greatest effect on weather in the temperate zones?
The Polar Frontal Zone
The Arctic Frontal Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Prevailing Westerlies Frontal Zone
The Polar Easterlies Convergence Zone
Which of the following is NOT an indication of the passage of a cold front?
Poor visibility
A drop in temperature
A rise in pressure
A wind shift
Rapid clearing of the sky
Which of the following is NOT an indication of the passage of a warm front?
Rapid clearing
A wind shift
A temperature rise
Steady or slowly falling pressure
These are all indicators of the passing of a warm front.
Which type of frontal movement is the fastest?
Cold front
Warm front
Occluded front
Polar front
Arctic front
Cloud sequences occurring as much as 1,000 miles in advance of a front is seen with which type of frontal development?
Warm fronts
Cold fronts
Occluded fronts
Polar fronts
Arctic fronts
Which stage of thunderstorm development is characterized by both updrafts and down-drafts?
The mature stage
The cumulus stage
The dissipating stage
The anvil stage
The first stage.
Which of the following is a result of the leading gust of wind, or microburst, preceding a thunderstorm?
Wind shear
Lightning
Tornadoes
Thunder
Dust devils
What is considered to be the most intense and violent of localized storms?
A tornado
A hurricane
A willy-willie
A thunderstorm
A baguio
What is the name given to a tornado that forms over water?
A waterspout
A willy-willy
A microburst
A squall
A wind shear
What part of the world sees the most tornadoes?
The Midwest United States
The northwest United States
The Russian steppes
The Florida panhandle
The Gobi Desert
Which direction do tropical cyclones spin?
Counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
Clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
Counterclockwise in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Clockwise in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
They are unpredictable in direction.
A tropical cyclone with maximum winds between 34 and 63 knots, falls into what category?
Tropical storm
Tropical depression
Hurricane
Typhoon
Willy-willy
What is the only tropical ocean area that does not see the formation of tropical cyclones?
The South Atlantic
The North Atlantic
The South Pacific
The Gulf of Mexico
The South China Sea
Today, hurricanes and typhoons are given men and women's names. What was used prior to 1978?
Only women's names
Only men's names
They have always had men and women's names
The names of the Greek Gods
The names of the Roman Gods
Which weather phenomena is considered to be of the greatest concern to the oceangoing sailor?
Tropical cyclones
Tornadoes
Waterspouts
Squalls
Microbursts
Why do tropical cyclones never begin on the equator?
They require the twisting Coriolis forces of the Earth's rotation.
They routinely do form at the equator.
There is not enough lifting action to build the clouds there.
There is not enough moisture content around the equator.
Because the spin of the Earth is too fast for them to form there.
What causes an Atlantic hurricane to lose intensity and dissipate over time?
The cooler waters it moves into as it travels northwards.
It loses intensity because it never reaches a land mass.
Intense downdrafts carry away the moisture it needs to stay active.
The lessening of the Coriolis effect as it travels northwards.
The increasing strength of the "eye" at the middle of the hurricane.
What quadrant of an Atlantic hurricane has the strongest winds and rain.
The right front
The right rear
The left front
The left rear
They are all equally strong
What is usually the cause of the greatest damage to coastal areas during an hurricane?
The effect of the storm surge.
The effect of the heavy rain.
The effect of strong winds.
The damage caused by lightning storms.
Tidal wave action.
What months see the highest number of hurricanes?
September and October
July and August
May and June
November and December
March and April
What area of the Earth has more tropical cyclones than any other?
The southwestern part of the North Pacific.
The Midwest U.S.
The Gulf of Mexico
The eastern seaboard of the U.S.
The South Atlantic
What was the name of the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere?
Hurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gracie
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Donna
The "navigable semicircle" of a hurricane is located in which quadrant?
The left front
The right front
The left rear
The right rear
The eye or center
Two red pennants displayed by day indicate what type of warning?
Gale warning
Small craft warning
Storm warning
Hurricane warning
Tornado warning
Two square red flags with black centers flown by day indicate what type of storm warning?
Hurricane Warning
Storm Warning
Gale Warning
Small Craft Warning
Tornado Warning
A red light placed over a white light at night indicates what in the storm warning system?
Small Craft Warning
Gale Warning
Storm Warning
Hurricane Warning
Tornado Warning
What is the signal at night to indicate a storm warning?
Two red lights
A red light over a white light.
A white light over a red light.
A white light between two red lights.
Three red lights.
What was set up in 1938 in order to provide advance warning of hurricanes?