IT Basics Block 4, Comprehensive Quiz

What National Weather Service office provides meteorological forecasts, and advice to ARTCCs and other FAA facilities regarding weather impact on their missions? A. Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) B. Weather Forecast Office (WFO) C. Meteorological Watch Office (MWO) D. Aviation Weather Center (AWC) - correct answer A. Center Weather Service Unit (CWSU) Within which layer of the atmosphere does temperature increase with altitude, making it a stable layer, generally devoid of significant weather? A. Tropopause B. Troposphere C. Stratosphere D. Mesosphere - correct answer C. Stratosphere Precipitation formation requires water vapor, lift, and ___. A. a growth process B. frontal pressure C. a stable temperature D. a steep pressure gradient - correct answer A. a growth process What type of air mass produces stable air that is associated with smooth air, poor visibility, and stratiform clouds? A. A warm air mass moving over a cold surface B. A cold air mass moving over a warm surface C. Any warm air mass D. Any cold air mass - correct answer A. A warm air mass moving over a cold surface Which gas constitutes only a small percentage of the earth's atmosphere and varies widely in both time and space, ranging from trace amounts to 4 percent by volume? A. Oxygen B. Carbon Monoxide C. Carbon Dioxide D. Water vapor - correct answer D. Water vapor Virtually all aircraft fly in which two layers of the atmosphere? A. Mesosphere and stratosphere B. Troposphere and mesosphere C. Thermosphere and stratosphere D. Troposphere and stratosphere - correct answer D. Troposphere and stratosphere When the ___ is greater than zero, the air is unsaturated. A. condensation point B. temperature-dew point spread C. temperature D. dew point - correct answer B. temperature-dew point spread A sinking parcel of air compresses and ___ as it encounters increasing pressure; this causes a cloud to quickly. A. warms, form B. warms, dissipate C. cools, form D. cools, dissipate - correct answer B. warms, dissipate What type of clouds look like fluffy cotton balls or heaps, indicate upward vertical motion or thermal uplift of air, and can produce severe turbulence, icing, and other hazards? A. Cirriform B. Nimboform C. Cumuliform D. Stratiform - correct answer C. Cumuliform Air flow around a high diverges in a ___ motion and ___, causing the air to compress and warm, which tends to dissipate clouds. A. clockwise, rises B. clockwise, sinks C. counterclockwise, rises D. counterclockwise, sinks - correct answer B. clockwise, sinks Standard atmosphere is NOT used for ___. A. pressure altimeter calibrations B. aircraft performance calculations C. weather observations D. aircraft design - correct answer C. weather observations The ratio of water vapor in the air compared to the amount of water vapor the air can hold at a particular temperature and pressure is the definition of ___. A. barometric surface pressure B. relative humidity C. dew point D. saturated air - correct answer B. relative humidity Which front is associated with poor visibility, smooth air, and steady precipitation? A. Warm B. Occluded C. Cold D. Stationary - correct answer A. Warm What type of precipitation occurs when there is a shallow layer aloft with above freezing temperatures, with a deep layer of below freezing air based at the surface? A. Rain B. Snow C. Ice pellets D. Freezing rain - correct answer C. Ice pellets Which of the following is a characteristic of a temperature inversion? A. They cannot form along frontal zones B. Decreased temperatures with increased altitude C. Increased temperatures with increased altitude D. They never occur at or near the surface of the earth - correct answer C. Increased temperatures with increased altitude When de-icing or anti-icing equipment fails to reduce or control the icing hazard, the icing is categorized as ___. A. extreme B. severe C. moderate D. heavy - correct answer B. severe A sudden wind shift, even at low speeds, can be hazardous on takeoff and landing because it can ___. A. cause engine failure B. cause wing failure C. cause the plane to bounce on the runway D. quickly become a crosswind or tailwind - correct answer D. quickly become a crosswind or tailwind Which airplane would be most at risk from a 25-knot crosswind on landings? A. General aviation, single propeller B. Corporate business jet C. Commercial jetliner D. Military cargo transport - correct answer A. General aviation, single propeller Water vapor, lift, and unstable air are necessary for the formation of ___. A. a thunderstorm cell B. wind shear C. icing D. hail - correct answer A. a thunderstorm cell Low-level wind shear is a change in wind speed of ___ knots or more within ___ feel AGL. A. 25; 1,000 B. 10; 2,000 C. 25; 2,000 D. 10; 1,000 - correct answer B. 10; 2,000 Airplane performance gradually degrades and directional control of the aircraft becomes increasingly difficult, as the wind ___. A. turns perpendicular to the runway B. decreases suddenly C. passes over a mountain range D. is trapped in a valley - correct answer A. turns perpendicular to the runway Severe damage can occur if ___ is ingested into an engine. A. snow B. volcanic ash C. smoke D. mist - correct answer B. volcanic ash An area as large as 10 miles or more of strong damaging winds reaching speeds as high as 120 knots, on or near the ground, is a ___. A. wind shear B. microburst C. downburst D. funnel cloud - correct answer C. downburst Which stage of a thunderstorm is characterized by updrafts exceeding 3,000 feet per minute? A. Towering cumulus B. Mature C. Virga D. Dissipating - correct answer A. Towering cumulus What type of turbulence is caused by any obstruction to the wind, such as buildings or mountains? A. Physical B. Mechanical C. Convective D. Clear air - correct answer B. Mechanical What type of turbulence causes occupants to be forced violently against seat belts or shoulder straps, unsecured objects to be tossed about, and makes food service and walking impossible? A. Light B. Moderate C. Severe D. Trace - correct answer C. Severe Which effect occurs to airplanes on departure during a high density altitude condition? A. A longer takeoff roll is required B. A shorter takeoff roll is required C. A higher rate of climb D. An increase in thrust - correct answer A. A longer takeoff roll is required Which of the following is not true regarding fog? A. Fog reduces horizontal visibility to less than 5/8 SM B. Fog forms slowly, allowing pilots to avoid this hazard C. Fog forms when the temperature and dewpoint spread is at or near zero D. Fog is a cloud with its base at the earth's surface - correct answer B. Fog forms slowly, allowing pilots to avoid this hazard Light turboprop aircraft are more susceptible to icing than commercial jet aircraft because they typically fly ___. A. during the daytime B. at higher speeds