ATOC 1050 EXAM || 260 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS (GRADED A+)
1. How does atmospheric pressure change with altitude?
a. Pressure decreases linearly with altitude.
b. Pressure increases linearly with altitude.
c. Pressure decreases exponentially with altitude.
d. Pressure increases exponentially with altitude. - ANSWER-C
True/False: Reflection is the process whereby light encounters an object and leaves in a
larger number of weaker rays, traveling in different directions.
a. True
b. False - ANSWER-B False
How does the saturation vapor pressure of an air parcel relate to its temperature?
a. As the temperature increases, the saturation vapor pressure decreases.
b. As the temperature increases, the saturation vapor pressure increases.
c. They are independent of each other. - ANSWER-B
An air parcel is unsaturated. The relative humidity of this parcel is _____.
a. There is not enough information to answer this question.
b. more than 100%
c. 100%
d. less than 100% - ANSWER-D
One would expect near-ground temperatures to be coldest when the night is _____.
a. cloudy
b. clear and windy
c. clear and calm - ANSWER-C
Assuming the day and night are clear and calm, when would you expect the minimum
daily temperature to occur?
a. At midnight
b. At noon
c. Just before sunrise
d. In the late afternoon - ANSWER-C
Which cloud form appears as globular individual cloud masses with flat bases and fluffy
tops?
a. Cumulus
b. Stratus
c. Cirrus - ANSWER-A
,Which of the following phase changes warm the atmosphere? a. Melting, evaporation
and sublimation
b. Freezing, condensation and deposition
c. Sublimation and deposition
d. Melting and freezing - ANSWER-B
In which layers of the atmosphere does temperature generally decrease with height? a.
In the troposphere and the stratosphere
b. In the troposphere and the mesosphere
c. In the stratosphere and the thermosphere - ANSWER-B
True/False: As temperature increases, kinetic energy increases.
a. True
b. False - ANSWER-A
Which of the following mechanisms enhances the stability of the atmosphere?
a. General lifting of air due to processes such as orographic lifting, frontal wedging, and
convergence.
b. The heating of an air mass from below as it moves over a warm surface.
c. Radiative cooling of the Earth's surface after sunset. - ANSWER-C
What would happen to the average surface temperature of the Earth if we decreased
the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
a. The average surface temperature of the Earth would decrease.
b. The average surface temperature of the Earth would increase.
c. The average surface temperature of the Earth is not affected by the amount of
greenhouse gases. - ANSWER-A
Which type of fog forms when an air mass is blown over a cold surface and cools down
to its dew point temperature, where condensation occurs?
a. Radiation fog
b. Frontal fog
c. Upslope fog
d. Advection fog - ANSWER-D
City A is located at 1,000 feet above sea level and City B is located at 5,000 feet above
sea level. All other temperature controls aside, which city will have a colder yearly
average temperature?
a. City A
b. City B
c. The yearly average temperature does not depend on altitude. - ANSWER-B
The air parcel above has a temperature of 30°C. Its dew point temperature is 10°C.
Assume a dry adiabatic lapse rate of 10°C/km. At which height will the base of a
cumulus cloud form?
a. 0 km
,b. 1 km
c. 2 km
d. No cloud will form. - ANSWER-C
What is the process by which ice crystals in a cloud grow at the expense of the
surrounding water droplets?
a. The Moist Adiabatic Process
b. The Collision-Coalescence Process
c. The Bergeron Process - ANSWER-C
What is 298.15 K in degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit?
a. 25°C and 0°F
b. 0°C and 32°F
c. 25°C and 77°F
d. 35°C and 95°F - ANSWER-C
The figure above shows the temperature (top line) and the dew point temperature
(bottom line) observations from the Duane weather station in Boulder on September
27th, 2016. At what time was the relative humidity at a minimum?
a. 00:00
b. 05:00
c. 18:00
d. 23:00 - ANSWER-C
In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone located that absorbs most of the Sun's
ultraviolet light and protects us from sunburns?
a. Troposphere
b. Stratosphere
c. Mesosphere
d. Thermosphere - ANSWER-B
Increasing the amount of water vapor in an air parcel will increase the ____________ of
the air parcel.
a. relative humidity
b. water vapor pressure
c. Both a and b are correct - ANSWER-C
Which of the following statements is true (assuming that the water vapor content of an
air parcel remains constant)?
a. As the temperature of an air parcel decreases, its relative humidity increases. b. As
the temperature of an air parcel decreases, its relative humidity decreases. c.
Temperature changes do not affect relative humidity. - ANSWER-A
Dew is an example of what kind of phase change?
a. Deposition
b. Evaporation
, c. Condensation - ANSWER-C
When is it appropriate to use the dry adiabatic lapse rate?
a. When an air parcel is saturated.
b. When the temperature of an air parcel equals the dew point temperature.
c. When the water vapor pressure of an air parcel is less than the saturation vapor
pressure. - ANSWER-C
Why do sunsets and sunrises often appear red?
a. The sunlight that passes through the atmosphere heats it up and this radiation
causes the atmosphere to
appear red.
b. When the Sun is low on the horizon, only the longwave radiation from the Sun can
pass through the atmosphere.
c. When the sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the blue light is scattered, leaving
only the red light. - ANSWER-C
What is 40°C in degrees Fahrenheit and in Kelvin?
a. 104°F and 313.15 K
b. 104°F and 377.15 K
c. 22.2°F and 22.2 K
d. 40°F and 313.15 K - ANSWER-A
The atmosphere above is a/an ____ atmosphere.
a. Unstable
b. Stable
c. There is not enough information to answer this question. - ANSWER-A
Where is the ozone hole located?
a. Above the North Pole
b. Above Antarctica
c. Above Siberia
d. The ozone hole does not exist. - ANSWER-B
Which of the following has the highest albedo?
a. A dense forest
b. A snow-covered field
c. The Pacific Ocean
d. An asphalt parking lot - ANSWER-B
The diurnal range of temperature is greatest _____.
a. 100 m above the ground
b. 2 m above the ground
c. 10 m below the ground
d. 500 m above the ground - ANSWER-B
AND ANSWERS (GRADED A+)
1. How does atmospheric pressure change with altitude?
a. Pressure decreases linearly with altitude.
b. Pressure increases linearly with altitude.
c. Pressure decreases exponentially with altitude.
d. Pressure increases exponentially with altitude. - ANSWER-C
True/False: Reflection is the process whereby light encounters an object and leaves in a
larger number of weaker rays, traveling in different directions.
a. True
b. False - ANSWER-B False
How does the saturation vapor pressure of an air parcel relate to its temperature?
a. As the temperature increases, the saturation vapor pressure decreases.
b. As the temperature increases, the saturation vapor pressure increases.
c. They are independent of each other. - ANSWER-B
An air parcel is unsaturated. The relative humidity of this parcel is _____.
a. There is not enough information to answer this question.
b. more than 100%
c. 100%
d. less than 100% - ANSWER-D
One would expect near-ground temperatures to be coldest when the night is _____.
a. cloudy
b. clear and windy
c. clear and calm - ANSWER-C
Assuming the day and night are clear and calm, when would you expect the minimum
daily temperature to occur?
a. At midnight
b. At noon
c. Just before sunrise
d. In the late afternoon - ANSWER-C
Which cloud form appears as globular individual cloud masses with flat bases and fluffy
tops?
a. Cumulus
b. Stratus
c. Cirrus - ANSWER-A
,Which of the following phase changes warm the atmosphere? a. Melting, evaporation
and sublimation
b. Freezing, condensation and deposition
c. Sublimation and deposition
d. Melting and freezing - ANSWER-B
In which layers of the atmosphere does temperature generally decrease with height? a.
In the troposphere and the stratosphere
b. In the troposphere and the mesosphere
c. In the stratosphere and the thermosphere - ANSWER-B
True/False: As temperature increases, kinetic energy increases.
a. True
b. False - ANSWER-A
Which of the following mechanisms enhances the stability of the atmosphere?
a. General lifting of air due to processes such as orographic lifting, frontal wedging, and
convergence.
b. The heating of an air mass from below as it moves over a warm surface.
c. Radiative cooling of the Earth's surface after sunset. - ANSWER-C
What would happen to the average surface temperature of the Earth if we decreased
the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
a. The average surface temperature of the Earth would decrease.
b. The average surface temperature of the Earth would increase.
c. The average surface temperature of the Earth is not affected by the amount of
greenhouse gases. - ANSWER-A
Which type of fog forms when an air mass is blown over a cold surface and cools down
to its dew point temperature, where condensation occurs?
a. Radiation fog
b. Frontal fog
c. Upslope fog
d. Advection fog - ANSWER-D
City A is located at 1,000 feet above sea level and City B is located at 5,000 feet above
sea level. All other temperature controls aside, which city will have a colder yearly
average temperature?
a. City A
b. City B
c. The yearly average temperature does not depend on altitude. - ANSWER-B
The air parcel above has a temperature of 30°C. Its dew point temperature is 10°C.
Assume a dry adiabatic lapse rate of 10°C/km. At which height will the base of a
cumulus cloud form?
a. 0 km
,b. 1 km
c. 2 km
d. No cloud will form. - ANSWER-C
What is the process by which ice crystals in a cloud grow at the expense of the
surrounding water droplets?
a. The Moist Adiabatic Process
b. The Collision-Coalescence Process
c. The Bergeron Process - ANSWER-C
What is 298.15 K in degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit?
a. 25°C and 0°F
b. 0°C and 32°F
c. 25°C and 77°F
d. 35°C and 95°F - ANSWER-C
The figure above shows the temperature (top line) and the dew point temperature
(bottom line) observations from the Duane weather station in Boulder on September
27th, 2016. At what time was the relative humidity at a minimum?
a. 00:00
b. 05:00
c. 18:00
d. 23:00 - ANSWER-C
In which layer of the atmosphere is the ozone located that absorbs most of the Sun's
ultraviolet light and protects us from sunburns?
a. Troposphere
b. Stratosphere
c. Mesosphere
d. Thermosphere - ANSWER-B
Increasing the amount of water vapor in an air parcel will increase the ____________ of
the air parcel.
a. relative humidity
b. water vapor pressure
c. Both a and b are correct - ANSWER-C
Which of the following statements is true (assuming that the water vapor content of an
air parcel remains constant)?
a. As the temperature of an air parcel decreases, its relative humidity increases. b. As
the temperature of an air parcel decreases, its relative humidity decreases. c.
Temperature changes do not affect relative humidity. - ANSWER-A
Dew is an example of what kind of phase change?
a. Deposition
b. Evaporation
, c. Condensation - ANSWER-C
When is it appropriate to use the dry adiabatic lapse rate?
a. When an air parcel is saturated.
b. When the temperature of an air parcel equals the dew point temperature.
c. When the water vapor pressure of an air parcel is less than the saturation vapor
pressure. - ANSWER-C
Why do sunsets and sunrises often appear red?
a. The sunlight that passes through the atmosphere heats it up and this radiation
causes the atmosphere to
appear red.
b. When the Sun is low on the horizon, only the longwave radiation from the Sun can
pass through the atmosphere.
c. When the sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the blue light is scattered, leaving
only the red light. - ANSWER-C
What is 40°C in degrees Fahrenheit and in Kelvin?
a. 104°F and 313.15 K
b. 104°F and 377.15 K
c. 22.2°F and 22.2 K
d. 40°F and 313.15 K - ANSWER-A
The atmosphere above is a/an ____ atmosphere.
a. Unstable
b. Stable
c. There is not enough information to answer this question. - ANSWER-A
Where is the ozone hole located?
a. Above the North Pole
b. Above Antarctica
c. Above Siberia
d. The ozone hole does not exist. - ANSWER-B
Which of the following has the highest albedo?
a. A dense forest
b. A snow-covered field
c. The Pacific Ocean
d. An asphalt parking lot - ANSWER-B
The diurnal range of temperature is greatest _____.
a. 100 m above the ground
b. 2 m above the ground
c. 10 m below the ground
d. 500 m above the ground - ANSWER-B
