AD
« Back

STEPCAI

« All free sample lessons

Weather and Climate Basics: Practice Questions with Answers

Curriculum: Weather And Climate BasicsGrades: 6–8Questions: 12Mode: Practice

These are the real questions from this STEPCAI practice lesson. Read each question, pick your answer, then open Show the answer to check yourself and read why it is right. On STEPCAI the same lesson runs interactively: you click an answer and get instant feedback, and a free account keeps your scores.

Practice this lesson free with instant feedback

Free. New visitors accept the Software License Agreement first.

1. What is the main difference between weather and climate?

  1. Weather only ever happens during the cold winter months, while climate only happens during the warm summer months of the year
  2. Weather is the day-to-day condition of the atmosphere, while climate is the average weather pattern over many years
  3. Weather and climate are really nothing more than two different names for the exact same thing in the study of the atmosphere
  4. Climate changes from one hour to the next, while weather instead stays the same for many decades at a time
Show the answer
Answer: B. Weather is the day-to-day condition of the atmosphere, while climate is the average weather pattern over many years
Weather describes short-term conditions like today's temperature or rain, while climate describes the long-term average of those conditions in a region over 30 years or more.

2. Which instrument is used to measure air temperature?

  1. Barometer
  2. Rain gauge
  3. Anemometer
  4. Thermometer
Show the answer
Answer: D. Thermometer
A thermometer measures temperature, which is how hot or cold the air is.

3. What is humidity?

  1. The temperature of ocean water
  2. The amount of water vapor present in the air
  3. The speed at which wind is blowing
  4. The pressure exerted by the atmosphere
Show the answer
Answer: B. The amount of water vapor present in the air
Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor, or moisture, that is in the air at a given time.

4. What causes wind?

  1. The moon's gravity pulling on the atmosphere
  2. Water evaporating from lakes
  3. Air moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
  4. The rotation of the sun
Show the answer
Answer: C. Air moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
Wind is simply air in motion, and it flows from regions of higher air pressure toward regions of lower air pressure as the atmosphere tries to balance itself out.

5. Which layer of the atmosphere is closest to Earth's surface and where most weather occurs?

  1. Troposphere
  2. Exosphere
  3. Stratosphere
  4. Thermosphere
Show the answer
Answer: A. Troposphere
The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere, and almost all weather, including clouds and storms, occurs within it.

6. What are clouds made of?

  1. Carbon dioxide gas
  2. Smoke from wildfires only
  3. Tiny droplets of water or ice crystals
  4. Solid pieces of frozen dust
Show the answer
Answer: C. Tiny droplets of water or ice crystals
Clouds form when water vapor condenses into tiny liquid water droplets or, at colder temperatures, tiny ice crystals that float together in the air.

7. What is precipitation?

  1. The process of liquid water evaporating from lakes and oceans into the air as vapor
  2. Water that falls from clouds to the ground, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
  3. A sudden drop in air temperature that happens when a cold front moves into an area
  4. The measurement of wind speed and direction using instruments at a weather station
Show the answer
Answer: B. Water that falls from clouds to the ground, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
Precipitation is any form of water, liquid or solid, that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface, including rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

8. What is an air mass?

  1. The exact boundary line between two weather fronts
  2. A layer of ozone in the stratosphere
  3. A single storm cloud
  4. A large body of air with fairly uniform temperature and humidity throughout
Show the answer
Answer: D. A large body of air with fairly uniform temperature and humidity throughout
An air mass is a huge volume of air that has similar temperature and moisture characteristics all the way through because it formed over one region and picked up that region's properties.

9. What happens at a weather front?

  1. All wind stops completely, leaving the air calm and still until the next day begins
  2. Two different air masses meet, often causing changes in weather like clouds or storms
  3. The sun sets earlier than usual because thick clouds block the light in the afternoon
  4. Air pressure becomes perfectly constant, so the weather stays the same for several days
Show the answer
Answer: B. Two different air masses meet, often causing changes in weather like clouds or storms
A front is the boundary where two air masses with different temperatures and moisture levels meet, and this clash often produces clouds, precipitation, or storms.

10. Which type of cloud is typically flat, gray, and covers the sky, often bringing light steady rain?

  1. Cirrus
  2. Stratus
  3. Cumulonimbus
  4. Cumulus
Show the answer
Answer: B. Stratus
Stratus clouds form in flat, gray layers that often blanket the whole sky and are associated with overcast conditions and light, steady precipitation.

11. What is the water cycle?

  1. The way water is stored only in underground wells and aquifers until people pump it up to use for drinking and farming
  2. The yearly process of rivers and lakes freezing in winter and thawing again in spring as temperatures change
  3. The daily rise and fall of ocean tides as the moon's gravity pulls water toward and away from the shore
  4. The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation between Earth's surface and the atmosphere
Show the answer
Answer: D. The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation between Earth's surface and the atmosphere
The water cycle describes how water continuously moves between the oceans, land, and atmosphere through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

12. What does a barometer measure?

  1. Atmospheric pressure
  2. Rainfall amount
  3. Cloud height
  4. Wind speed
Show the answer
Answer: A. Atmospheric pressure
A barometer measures atmospheric pressure, which is the weight of the air pressing down on a given area, and changes in pressure often signal changing weather.
Practice this lesson free with instant feedback

Free. New visitors accept the Software License Agreement first.

More free middle school sample lessons

See all free sample lessons »
AD
AD
Free Sample Lessons  •  Free Homeschool Curriculum  •  Privacy Policy  •  Terms of Use  •  Contact Us