GY 101 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026
A parcel of air at the surface is heated which expands the air and increases the parcel's volume. If the
same number of air molecules occupy the greater volume, density decreases. The increase in volume
results in lower pressure. What will happen to the air surrounding this parcel? - Answers denser air
flows in to replace the rising air
Sea breezes - Answers result from the fact that water warms more slowly than land
The heterosphere - Answers comprises different layers of gases
Ozone is found primarily in the _______ and is important because of ______. - Answers stratosphere;
its interaction with ultraviolet radiation
The single factor that determines how a blackbody radiates is - Answers temperature
The greatest seasonal change in the period of daylight is experienced at the - Answers North and
South poles
The Equation of State (Ideal Gas Law) gives a relationship between - Answers pressure, density, and
temperature
For a surface receiving a given amount of solar radiation, which combination of thermal properties
would result in the highest surface temperature? - Answers low albedo, low conductivity
Which of the following statements is true regarding high or low pressure for a parcel of air at the
surface? - Answers lower temperature, higher density, cold air sinks, higher pressure at surface
The most important greenhouse gas for retaining a variety of outgoing longwave radiation is -
Answers H20
Convection - Answers involves mixing in a fluid
Insolation is - Answers k↓
Energy transfer processes include - Answers conduction, convection, and radiation
The earth's axis of rotation is tilted roughly this number of degrees away from a line perpendicular to
the plane of the earth's orbit - Answers 23.5
The ITCZ - Answers receives a lot of rain
Radiation, as an energy transfer mechanism, is especially important because - Answers radiation
energy can travel without an intervening medium, everything radiates, and radiation provides us with
visible light
The single-cell model for general atmospheric circulation - Answers demonstrates the effect of
thermally direct circulations
The largest energy transfer in the solar spectrum occurs in the - Answers visible part of the spectrum
The Northern Hemisphere has its maximum tilt toward the Sun on the - Answers June solstice
The Ferrel Cell is associated with the - Answers mid-latitudes
The northeast trade winds - Answers are the result of air flowing from the subtropical high to the
ITCZ
Land heats and cools more rapidly than oceans because of - Answers lack of mixing in soil or rock
layers
In the electromagnetic spectrum, visible light is bounded by these two types of radiation - Answers
ultraviolet and near infrared
The atmospheric window - Answers allows certain wavelengths of longwave radiation to pass
through the atmosphere
What would be the correct sequence of prevailing winds on a transect from the North Pole to the
South Pole? - Answers easterly, westerly, northeast, southeast, westerly, easterly
This is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere - Answers nitrogen
At about what latitude (north or south) can you find most of the world's deserts? - Answers 30
degrees
The four layers of the atmosphere from the top down are - Answers thermosphere, mesosphere,
stratosphere, troposphere
The Tropic of Capricorn is directly under the Sun during the - Answers December solstice
The sky is blue because - Answers air molecules scatter blue light more readily than other colors of
visible light
This was probably the predominant gas in Earth's earliest atmosphere - Answers hydrogen
The "geographic perspective" that distinguishes geography from other fields of study means that -
Answers geographers examine how the spatial features affect and are affected by non-spatial issues
A parcel of air at the surface is heated which expands the air and increases the parcel's volume. If the
same number of air molecules occupy the greater volume, density decreases. The increase in volume
results in lower pressure. What will happen to the air surrounding this parcel? - Answers denser air
flows in to replace the rising air
Sea breezes - Answers result from the fact that water warms more slowly than land
The heterosphere - Answers comprises different layers of gases
Ozone is found primarily in the _______ and is important because of ______. - Answers stratosphere;
its interaction with ultraviolet radiation
The single factor that determines how a blackbody radiates is - Answers temperature
The greatest seasonal change in the period of daylight is experienced at the - Answers North and
South poles
The Equation of State (Ideal Gas Law) gives a relationship between - Answers pressure, density, and
temperature
For a surface receiving a given amount of solar radiation, which combination of thermal properties
would result in the highest surface temperature? - Answers low albedo, low conductivity
Which of the following statements is true regarding high or low pressure for a parcel of air at the
surface? - Answers lower temperature, higher density, cold air sinks, higher pressure at surface
The most important greenhouse gas for retaining a variety of outgoing longwave radiation is -
Answers H20
Convection - Answers involves mixing in a fluid
Insolation is - Answers k↓
Energy transfer processes include - Answers conduction, convection, and radiation
The earth's axis of rotation is tilted roughly this number of degrees away from a line perpendicular to
the plane of the earth's orbit - Answers 23.5
The ITCZ - Answers receives a lot of rain
Radiation, as an energy transfer mechanism, is especially important because - Answers radiation
energy can travel without an intervening medium, everything radiates, and radiation provides us with
visible light
The single-cell model for general atmospheric circulation - Answers demonstrates the effect of
thermally direct circulations
The largest energy transfer in the solar spectrum occurs in the - Answers visible part of the spectrum
The Northern Hemisphere has its maximum tilt toward the Sun on the - Answers June solstice
The Ferrel Cell is associated with the - Answers mid-latitudes
The northeast trade winds - Answers are the result of air flowing from the subtropical high to the
ITCZ
Land heats and cools more rapidly than oceans because of - Answers lack of mixing in soil or rock
layers
In the electromagnetic spectrum, visible light is bounded by these two types of radiation - Answers
ultraviolet and near infrared
The atmospheric window - Answers allows certain wavelengths of longwave radiation to pass
through the atmosphere
What would be the correct sequence of prevailing winds on a transect from the North Pole to the
South Pole? - Answers easterly, westerly, northeast, southeast, westerly, easterly
This is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere - Answers nitrogen
At about what latitude (north or south) can you find most of the world's deserts? - Answers 30
degrees
The four layers of the atmosphere from the top down are - Answers thermosphere, mesosphere,
stratosphere, troposphere
The Tropic of Capricorn is directly under the Sun during the - Answers December solstice
The sky is blue because - Answers air molecules scatter blue light more readily than other colors of
visible light
This was probably the predominant gas in Earth's earliest atmosphere - Answers hydrogen
The "geographic perspective" that distinguishes geography from other fields of study means that -
Answers geographers examine how the spatial features affect and are affected by non-spatial issues
