01
True or false
1 point
The Coriolis effect is weakest near the equator and stronger toward the poles.
Free Practice Quiz Question List
2 Air Pressure and Wind Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 2 Air Pressure and Wind, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
A weather map shows isobars very close together in one area. What does this most strongly suggest about winds in that area?
- A
The pressure gradient is weak, so winds are usually lighter.
- B
The pressure gradient is strong, so winds are usually stronger.
- C
The pressure gradient is strong, so winds are usually lighter.
- D
The spacing shows that air pressure does not change across the map.
03
Written response
1 point
What is the name of the force that pushes air from higher pressure toward lower pressure?
04
Choose one
1 point
On a sunny day, a coastal area develops a sea breeze. Which process best explains the wind’s direction?
- A
Warm air over the water sinks and pushes air toward the land.
- B
Warm air over the land rises, and cooler air from over the water moves inland.
- C
Cool air over the land rises, drawing warmer air from the water inland.
- D
Land heats more slowly than water, causing air to move from land to water.
05
Choose all
1 point
Select all statements that correctly describe influences on wind.
- A
The pressure-gradient force pushes air toward lower pressure.
- B
A steeper pressure gradient generally produces faster winds.
- C
The Coriolis effect is strongest at the equator.
- D
Surface friction makes near-surface winds faster and more strongly deflected by the Coriolis effect.
06
True or false
1 point
Trade winds, westerlies, and polar easterlies are unchanging surface winds that are unaffected by continents, mountains, or shifting pressure systems.
- A
True
- B
False
07
Written response
1 point
What is the name of the prevailing wind belt that generally blows from west to east across the middle latitudes?
08
Choose one
1 point
How do winds above the layer strongly affected by surface friction often move relative to isobars?
- A
They cross isobars toward low pressure because friction slows them more strongly aloft.
- B
They cross isobars outward from low pressure because the Coriolis effect disappears.
- C
They flow roughly parallel to isobars because surface friction has less influence.
- D
They stop flowing because pressure differences no longer affect the air.
09
Choose all
1 point
Select all statements that correctly describe typical air movement around surface pressure centers.
- A
Surface air converges and rises around a low.
- B
Surface air converges and sinks around a low.
- C
Surface air diverges and air tends to sink around a high.
- D
Surface air diverges and rises around a high.
10
Choose one
1 point
Which prevailing wind belt generally blows from east to west near the poles?
- A
Westerlies
- B
Polar easterlies
- C
Trade winds
- D
Sea breezes
11
Open ended
1 point
A weather map shows closely spaced isobars around a low-pressure center. Explain what the isobar spacing suggests about the pressure gradient and likely wind strength. Then compare near-surface wind with wind above the layer strongly affected by friction, and describe how air typically moves around the low and may affect cloud formation.
12
Choose one
1 point
A weather system is moving through the middle latitudes, where the prevailing wind belt generally carries air from west to east. Which wind belt is most likely helping steer it?
- A
Trade winds
- B
Westerlies
- C
Polar easterlies
- D
Land breezes
13
Choose one
1 point
On a weather map, what do widely spaced isobars generally indicate about the pressure gradient and wind strength?
- A
A strong pressure gradient and usually stronger winds
- B
A weak pressure gradient and usually lighter winds
- C
A pressure gradient that always produces rising air
- D
A pressure gradient that means pressure is equal everywhere
14
Written response
1 point
At night, a coastal wind reverses and blows from the cooler land toward the relatively warmer water. What is this wind called?
15
Choose one
1 point
A weather map adjusts pressure measurements from mountain towns and coastal cities to sea level. What is the main purpose of this adjustment?
- A
To account for differences in wind direction between locations.
- B
To make pressure increase with altitude on weather maps.
- C
To compare pressure readings taken at different elevations.
- D
To remove the effects of Earth’s rotation from pressure readings.
16
True or false
1 point
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis effect turns moving air to the right.
- A
True
- B
False
17
Choose one
1 point
Near the ground, wind crosses isobars toward a low-pressure center rather than flowing nearly parallel to them. Which process best explains this difference from winds above the surface-friction layer?
- A
The slowed wind is deflected less and crosses isobars toward low pressure.
- B
The slowed wind is deflected more and flows farther from low pressure.
- C
Friction makes the wind flow exactly parallel to isobars at the surface.
- D
Friction reverses the pressure-gradient force so air moves toward high pressure.
18
Written response
1 point
What is the singular name for a weather-map line connecting locations with the same air pressure?
19
Fill in the blank
1 point
In the broad circulation pattern, air rises near the equator and flows poleward high in the atmosphere. It then sinks in the .
20
Fill in the blank
1 point
When broad global circulation redistributes energy and water among regions, it transports and , influencing regional weather and climate.