MESA Charter High School

Earth Science
Unit 4 Exam - Climate
4.1 I can describe the effects of different factors on the climate of a region
4.2 I can analyze how mountains have impacted the climate of a given area. (Orographic Effect)
4.3 I can identify the impacts of glacial activity on a landscape
4.4 I can summarize the causes and effects of large-scale events such as Climate Change and El
Nio/La Nia on the Earth
1. Which diagram best illustrates how air rising over a mountain produces precipitation?

Base your answers to questions 2 through 4 on the

map below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The map shows a retreating valley glacier
and the features that have formed because of the
advance and retreat of the glacier.

2. Describe one piece of evidence likely to be

found on the exposed bedrock surfaces that
could indicate the direction this glacier moved.

3. Describe one difference between the

arrangement of sediment in the moraines,
which were deposited by the glacier and
the arrangement of sediment in the outwash
plain, which was moved by running water
melting off the glacier. (Answer both parts of
this Q)

4. Describe the most likely shape of the valley being formed due to erosion by this glacier.

5. Which graph best represents the average monthly temperatures for one year at a location in

the Southern Hemisphere?

6. Provide one piece of evidence for your

answer to question 5.

7. An increase in the amount of which

atmospheric gas is thought to cause global warming?
8. State one reason for the increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere
during the last 100 years.
9. State one way that the recent increase in average global temperature can cause changes in
ocean water level.
10. State one possible change humans could make to significantly reduce the amount of
greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere each year.
11. Compared to the climate conditions of dry inland locations, the climate conditions of
locations influenced by a nearby ocean generally result in
1. hotter summers and colder winters, with a larger annual range of temperatures
2. hotter summers and colder winters, with a smaller annual range of temperatures
3. cooler summers and warmer winters, with a larger annual range of temperatures
4. cooler summers and warmer winters, with a smaller annual range of temperatures
12. Compared to the climate conditions on the leeward
side of this mountain range, the conditions on the
windward side are usually
1. cooler and wetter
2. cooler and drier
3. warmer and wetter
4. warmer and drier
Base your answers to the following questions on the
four climate graphs shown. Each graph represents data for a different city in North America. The line
graphs connect the average monthly temperatures in degrees Celsius. The bar graphs indicate the
average monthly precipitation in millimeters.

13. Which city is most likely a

coastal city?
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
14. Which city has a continental
(inland) climate?
1. A only
2. A and B
3. B only
4. C

15. Which statement best

summarizes the general effects of
ocean currents at 20 S
latitude on coastal regions of
South America?
1. The east coast and west
coast are both warmed.
2. The east coast and west
coast are both cooled.
3. The east coast is warmed and the west coast is cooled.
4. The east coast is cooled and the west coast is warmed.
16. Which statement best explains why climates at continental shorelines generally have a
smaller yearly temperature range than inland climates at the same latitude?

water.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Land is a poor absorber and a poor conductor of heat energy.

Land changes temperature rapidly, due to the high specific heat and lack of transparency of land.
Ocean water is a good absorber and a good conductor of heat energy.
Ocean water changes temperature slowly, due to the high specific heat and transparency of

17. What will be the most probable arrangement of rock particles deposited directly by a
glacier?
1. sorted and not layered
2. sorted and layered
3. unsorted and not layered
4. unsorted and layered

18. Which two ocean currents are both warm currents that primarily flow away from the
equator?
1. Guinea Current and Labrador Current
2. Brazil Current and Agulhas Current
3. Alaska Current and Falkland Current

4. Canaries Current and Gulf Stream Current

19. Which surface ocean current transports warm water to higher latitudes? (Towards the
Poles)
1. Labrador Current
2. Gulf Stream 3. Falkland Current 4. West Wind Drift
20. A high air-pressure, dry-climate belt is located at which Earth latitude?
1. 0
2. 15N
3. 30N
4. 60N
21. According to your Earth Science Reference Tables, which wind belt has the greatest effect on
the climate of New York State? (THINK: What latitudes is NYS in?)
1. Prevailing northwesterlies
2. Prevailing southwesterlies
3. Northeast trades
4. Southeast trades
22. Which climate condition generally results from both an increase in distance from the
equator and an increase in elevation above sea level?
1. cooler temperatures
2. warmer prevailing winds
3. increased precipitation
4. increased air pressure

23. Which process of change is

best represented by the

sequence shown in the
diagram?
1. deposition
2. metamorphism
3. condensation
4. weathering

strea
m

24. Which cross

section best
represents the
pattern of sediments deposited
on the bottom of a lake as the
velocity of the entering the
lake steadily decreased?

25. The cross section right represents a portion of a

meandering stream. Points X and Y represent two
positions on opposite sides of the stream.
Based on the cross section, which map of a
meandering stream best shows the positions of
points X and Y?
1
2

Sandb
ar

Base your answers to questions 26 and 27 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth science.
The diagram represents the water cycle. Letters A through C represent different processes in the water
cycle.

26. In order for process A to occur, liquid water must (ESRT page 1 Properties of Water)
1. gain 334 Joules per gram
3. lose 334 Joules per gram
2. gain 2260 Joules per gram
4. lose 2260 Joules per gram
27.Which process is represented by letter B?
1. capillarity
3. infiltration
2. transpiration
4. precipitation

28. Which statement best describes the planetary wind belts that produce the winds
represented in the cross section above?
1. Southwest and northwest winds diverge at the equator and blow toward the west.
2. Southwest and northwest winds diverge at the equator and blow toward the east.
3. Northeast and southeast winds converge at the equator and blow toward the west.
4. Northeast and southeast winds converge at the equator and blow toward the east.
29. Compared to non-El Nio years, which climatic conditions exist near the equator on the
western and eastern sides of the Pacific Ocean during an El Nio event?
1. The western Pacific is drier and the eastern Pacific is wetter.
2. The western Pacific is wetter and the eastern Pacific is drier.
3. The western and the eastern Pacific are both wetter.
4. The western and the eastern Pacific are both drier.