NOTE THIS IS ONLY A SAMPLE.  THE QUESTIONS MAY NOT COINCIDE WITH THE ACTUAL MATERIAL COVERED IN CLASS


NATS 101 SAMPLE QUIZ#1.      Name/#:____________________________________ 
Please circle your response on the attached answer key. 

1. The greenhouse gas that has been increasing in concentration, at least 
partly due to fossil fuel combustion: 
a. chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 
b. carbon dioxide (CO2) 
c. water vapor (H2O) 
d. ozone (O3) 
2. The unit of pressure most commonly found on a surface weather map: 
a. millimeters of mercury (Hg) 
b. inches of mercury (Hg) 
c. millibars 
d. pounds per square inch 
3.
In 1978, the United States banned the non-essential use of 
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This was because: 
a. CFCs are a primary component of photochemical smog 
b. CFCs are a toxic gas 
c. CFCs reduce the ozone concentration in the stratosphere 
d. CFCs react with water vapor to form acid rain 
4. Which of the following processes acts to remove carbon dioxide from the 
atmosphere? 
a. photosynthesis 
b. deforestation 
c. burning fossil fuels 
d. lightning 
5. What gas is produced naturally in the stratosphere and is also a 
primary component of photochemical smog in polluted air at the surface? 
a. nitrogen dioxide 
b. hydrocarbons 
c. carbon monoxide 
d. carbon dioxide 
e. ozone 
6. Which of the following weather elements always decreases nearly 
exponentially as we climb upward in the atmosphere? 
a. moisture 
b. pressure 
c. wind 
d. temperature 
e. all of the above
7. Typically, water vapor occupies about what percentage of the air's 
volume near the earth's surface? 
a. about 78% 
b. close to 10% 
c. about 21% 
d. less than 4% 
8. Where warmer surface air is replacing colder air, the boundary 
separating the different bodies of air is termed a: 
a. parallel of latitude 
b. tornado 
c. high pressure area 
d. warm front 
e. cold front 
9. Meteorology is the study of: 
a. outer space 
b. the atmosphere 
c. extraterrestrial meteoroids that enter the atmosphere 
d. landforms 
e. the oceans 
10. The order of the layers of the atmosphere from lowest to highest is: 
a. mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere, thermosphere 
b. stratosphere, troposphere, thermosphere, mesosphere 
c. thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere 
d. troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere 
11. Which of the following are considered to be weather elements? 
a. air temperature 
b. wind 
c. air pressure 
d. humidity 
e. all of the above 
12. Looking at the surface station model below, atmospheric pressure and 
wind speed are, respectively: 
a. 1012.3 mb, 15 knots 
b. 912.3, 15 knots 
c. 1230 mb, 15 knots 
d. 123 mb, 10 knots 
e. 912.3 mb, 30 knots
13. Generally, weather in the middle latitudes tends to move from _____to 
_____. 
a. north to south 
b. east to west 
c. west to east 
d. south to north 
14. Which below is not considered a greenhouse gas? 
a. oxygen (O2) 
b. water vapor (H2O) 
c. nitrous oxide (N2O) 
d. carbon dioxide (CO2) 
e. methane (CH4) 
15. The earth's first atmosphere was composed primarily of: 
a. carbon dioxide and water vapor 
b. hydrogen and helium 
c. argon and nitrogen 
d. oxygen and water vapor 
16. In the stratosphere, the air temperature normally: 
a. decreases with increasing height 
b. increases with increasing height 
c. cannot be measured 
d. both increases and decreases depending on the season 
17. Which relates to weather rather than climate? 
a. The average temperature for the month of January is 28°F 
b. I like the warm, humid summers 
c. the foggiest month of the year is December 
d. the lowest temperature ever recorded in Frozenlake, Minnesota is 
-57°F 
e. Outside it is cloudy and snowing 
18. Water vapor is: 
a. a cloud droplet 
b. a snowflake 
c. a gas 
d. a rain drop
19. The gas that shows the most variation from place to place and from time 
to time in the lower atmosphere: 
a. water vapor (H2O) 
b. carbon dioxide (CO2) 
c. argon (Ar) 
d. ozone (O3) 
e. methane (CH4) 
20. Which of the following is the most abundant gas in the earth's present 
atmosphere? 
a. argon 
b. oxygen 
c. helium 
d. nitrogen
 ********* EXTRA CREDIT ********** 
21. Since the turn of this century, CO2 in the atmosphere has: 
a. been increasing in concentration 
b. disappeared entirely 
c. been decreasing in concentration 
d. remained at about the same concentration from year to year 
22.
About 97% of all ozone in the atmosphere is found in the: 
a. troposphere 
b. thermosphere 
c. mesosphere 
d. exosphere 
e. stratosphere
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Answer Key
b 
c 
c 
a 
e 
b 
d 
d 
b 
d 
e 
a 
c 
a 
b 
b 
e 
c 
a 
d 
a 
e