TEST 5: GEOGRAPHY

Syllabus : composition and structure of atmosphere and solar radiation, heat balance and temperature

Q1. Which one of the following gases constitutes the major portion of the atmosphere?

a.Oxygen

b. Argon

c. Nitrogen

d. Carbon dioxide

Q2. Atmospheric layer important for human beings is:

a. Stratosphere

b. Troposphere

c. Mesosphere

d. Ionosphere

Q3. Sea salt, pollen, ash, smoke soot, fine soil — these are associated with:

a. Gases

b. Water vapour

c. Dust particles

d. Meteors

Q4. Oxygen gas is in negligible quantity at the height of atmosphere:

a.90 km

b.100 km

c.120 km

d.150 km

Q5. Which one of the following gases is transparent to incoming solar radiation and opaque to outgoing terrestrial radiation?

a. Oxygen

b. Helium

c. Nitrogen

d. Carbon dioxide

Q6. Consider the following statements about troposphere

1. It contains approximately 99% of atmosphere’s water vapour and aerosols.

2. It is deeper in the tropics up to 12 miles and shallower near the Polar Regions, at 4.3 miles in summer and indistinct in winter.

3. Tropopause is the region of temperature inversion.

Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

c. 1 and 3

d.All of these

Q7. Consider the following statements:

1. The incoming solar radiation on earth is known as insolation

2. The farthest distance of the earth from the Sun is 152 million Km on 4th July

3. The position of the earth when it is nearest to the Sun is called Aphelion

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a. 1 only

b. 1 and 2 only

c. 1, 2 and 3

d. 2 and 3 only

Q8. Which of these factors are responsible for variation in Insolation?

1. The angle of inclination of the sun’s rays

2. The length of the day

3. The transparency of the atmosphere

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a. 1 only

b. 1 and 2 only

c. 1, 2 and 3

d. 2 and 3 only

Q9. Consider the following statements:

1. The transfer of heat through horizontal movement of air is called Advection

2. The short wave radiation on earth are absorbed by the carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases where as long wave radiation pass through them without any heating

3. The Earth as a whole doesn’t accumulate or loose heat and its temperature has remained constant

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a. 1 only

b. 1 and 2 only

c. 1, 2 and 3

d. 1 and 3 only

Q10. The amount of visible radiation reflected by the earth is called as its _______.

a. Albedo

b. Scattering

c. Refraction

d. Dispersion

Q11. With respect to Heat budget of the Earth, consider the following statements:

1. The surplus heat energy from the tropics is redistributed towards the pole as tropics do not get progressively heated up and high latitudes get permanently frozen.

2. Roughly 55 percent of insolation are reflected back to space even before reaching the earth’s surface.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. 1 and 2

d. None of these

Q12. Which of the following can influence the temperature of a place?

1. latitude of the place

2. altitude of the place

3. distance from the sea

4. air-mass circulation

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a. 1, 2 and 4 only

b. 1 and 2 only

c. 1, 2 and 3 only

d. 1, 2 , 3 and 4

Q13. Consider the following statements:

1. Normally temperature decreases with increase in elevation, called as normal Lapse rate

2. A long winter night with clear skies and still air can have Inversion of temperature i.e. temperature increases with increase in the height

3. Over polar areas temperature inversion is normal throughout the year

Select the correct answer using the code given below

a. 1 only

b. 1 and 2 only

c. 1, 2 and 3

d. 1 and 3 only

Q14. With respect to isotherm, consider the following statements:

1. The Isotherms are lines joining places having equal temperature.

2. In January the isotherms deviate to the south over the Ocean and to the north over the continent in the northern hemisphere.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a. 1 only

b. 2 only

c. 1 and 2

d. None of these

Q15. Identify correct pairs from the following two columns.

1. Insolation (a) The incoming solar radiation

2. Albedo      (b) the percentage of visible light reflected by an object

3. Isotherm    (c) the lines joining the places of equal temperature

4. Annual range (d) the difference between the mean temperature of the warmest and the coldest months

a. 1 and 2

b. 2 and 3

c. 1,2 and 4

d. 1,2,3 and 4

Answers 

1.C

 

 

 

 

 

2.B

• The troposphere is the lowermost layer of the atmosphere. Its average height is 13 km and extends roughly to a height of 8 km near the poles and about 18 km at the equator.
• Thickness of the troposphere is greatest at the equator because heat is transported to great heights by strong convectional currents. This layer contains dust particles and water vapour. All changes in climate and weather take place in this layer.
• The temperature in this layer decreases at the rate of 1°C for every 165m of height. This is the most important layer for all biological activity.

3.C

• Atmosphere has a sufficient capacity to keep small solid particles, which may originate from different sources and include sea salts, fine soil, smoke-soot, ash, pollen, dust and disintegrated particles of meteors.
• Dust particles are generally concentrated in the lower layers of the atmosphere; yet, convectional air currents may transport them to great heights.

4.C

• The proportion of gases changes in the higher layers of the atmosphere in such a way that oxygen will be almost in negligible quantity at the height of 120 km. Similarly, carbon dioxide and water vapour are found only up to 90 km from the surface of the earth.

5.D

• Carbon dioxide is meteorologically a very important gas as it is transparent to the incoming solar radiation but opaque to the outgoing terrestrial radiation.

6.D

• The troposphere is the lowest portion of Earth’s atmosphere. It contains approximately 80% of the atmosphere’s mass and 99% of its water vapour and aerosols. The border between the troposphere and stratosphere, called the tropopause, is a temperature inversion region.

7.B

• The energy received by the earth is known as incoming solar radiation which in short is termed as insolation.
• During its revolution around the sun, the earth is farthest from the sun (152 million km on 4th July). This position of the earth is called aphelion. On 3rd January, the earth is the nearest to the sun (147 million km). This position is called perihelion

8.C

• The amount and the intensity of insolation vary during a day, in a season and in a year. The factors that cause these variations in insolation are :
• the rotation of earth on its axis;
• the angle of inclination of the sun’s rays;
• the length of the day;
• the transparency of the atmosphere;
• The configuration of land in terms of its aspect.

9.D

• The transfer of heat through horizontal movement of air is called advection.
• The long wave radiation is absorbed by the atmospheric gases particularly by carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases. Thus, the atmosphere is indirectly heated by the earth’s radiation.
• The atmosphere in turn radiates and transmits heat to the space. Finally the amount of heat received from the sun is returned to space, thereby maintaining constant temperature at the earth’s surface and in the atmosphere.

10.A

11.A

• There is a surplus of net radiation balance between 40 degrees north and south and the regions near the poles have a deficit. The surplus heat energy from the tropics is redistributed pole wards and as a result the tropics do not get progressively heated up due to the accumulation of excess heat or the high latitudes get permanently frozen due to excess deficit.
• Roughly 35 units are reflected back to space even before reaching the earth’s surface.

12.D

• The temperature of air at any place is influenced by (i) the latitude of the place; (ii) the altitude of the place; (iii) distance from the sea, the airmass circulation; (iv) the presence of warm and cold ocean currents; (v) local aspects.

13. C

• The temperature generally decreases with increasing height. The rate of decrease of temperature with height is termed as the normal lapse rate. It is 6.5°C per 1,000 m.

14.A

• The Isotherms are lines joining places having equal temperature.
• In January the isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent. This can be seen on the North Atlantic Ocean. The presence of warm ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic drift, make the Northern Atlantic Ocean warmer and the isotherms bend towards the north.

15.D