Exam study

Question 1

What does geography literally mean?

Answer 1

To write about Earth.

Question 2

What are the five themes of geography?

Answer 2

Location, Place, Movement, Regions, Human-Environment Interaction.

Question 3

What is spatial analysis?

Answer 3

The study of spatial patterns and relationships in geography.

Question 4

What are the permanent gases in Earth’s atmosphere?

Answer 4

Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%).

Question 5

Name a variable gas in the atmosphere.

Answer 5

Water vapor, Carbon dioxide, or Ozone.

Question 6

In which layer of the atmosphere does weather occur?

Answer 6

Troposphere.

Question 7

What is the significance of the stratosphere?

Answer 7

It contains the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful UV radiation.

Question 8

What are the three main types of lapse rates?

Answer 8

Normal, Dry Adiabatic, and Moist Adiabatic.

Question 9

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Answer 9

Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions; climate is long-term patterns.

Question 10

Which climate zone experiences high rainfall near the equator?

Answer 10

Tropical climate zone.

Question 11

What forces drive atmospheric circulation?

Answer 11

Pressure gradient force, Coriolis effect, and friction.

Question 12

Define relative humidity.

Answer 12

The ratio of water vapor in the air to the air’s water vapor capacity.

Question 13

What happens to relative humidity when temperature increases?

Answer 13

It decreases if the amount of water vapor remains constant.

Question 14

What is albedo?

Answer 14

The reflective quality of a surface, expressed as a percentage.

Question 15

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 15

The process by which Earth’s atmosphere traps heat from the Sun.

Question 16

What is the hydrologic cycle?

Answer 16

The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration.

Question 17

What is an aquifer?

Answer 17

A permeable layer of rock or sediment that stores and transmits groundwater.

Question 18

What is the difference between the zone of saturation and the zone of aeration?

Answer 18

The zone of saturation is fully water-filled, while the zone of aeration is partially water-filled.

Question 19

What is aggradation?

Answer 19

The accumulation of sediment in a stream when the load exceeds its capacity.

Question 20

What is a U-shaped valley?

Answer 20

A valley carved by glacial activity.

Question 21

What is the primary cause of a V-shaped valley?

Answer 21

River erosion.

Question 22

What is a moraine?

Answer 22

A depositional landform made of glacial till.

Question 23

What is a positive feedback loop?

Answer 23

A process that amplifies the effects of an initial change.

Question 24

What is a negative feedback loop?

Answer 24

A process that stabilizes a system by counteracting changes.

Question 25

What are Milankovitch cycles?

Answer 25

Orbital changes that affect Earth's climate, including eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession.

Question 26

What is the ultimate base level for streams?

Answer 26

Sea level.

Question 27

What is the significance of relative humidity in weather?

Answer 27

It determines the likelihood of condensation and precipitation.

Question 28

What is insolation?

Answer 28

The amount of solar radiation reaching a given area.

Question 29

What is the role of the ozone layer in the atmosphere?

Answer 29

It absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Question 30

What is the difference between conduction, convection, and radiation?

Answer 30

Conduction transfers heat through direct contact, convection through fluid movement, and radiation through electromagnetic waves.

Question 31

What is evapotranspiration?

Answer 31

The combined process of water evaporation and transpiration from plants.

Question 32

What is a watershed?

Answer 32

An area of land where all water drains into a common body.

Question 33

What is frost wedging?

Answer 33

A physical weathering process where water freezes and expands in cracks.

Question 34

What is frost wedging?

Answer 34

A physical weathering process where water freezes and expands in rock cracks.

Question 35

What is oxidation in chemical weathering?

Answer 35

The reaction of minerals with oxygen, often leading to rust formation.

Question 36

What is a braided river?

Answer 36

A river with multiple channels separated by sediment bars.

Question 37

What is a meandering stream?

Answer 37

A river with a winding course caused by erosion and deposition.

Question 38

What is a glacial erratic?

Answer 38

A large boulder transported and deposited by glacial ice.

Question 39

What is a sinkhole?

Answer 39

A circular depression formed by the collapse of a cave roof or dissolution of limestone.

Question 40

What are the main greenhouse gases?

Answer 40

Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and water vapor.

Question 41

What are indicators of climate change?

Answer 41

Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and increased global temperatures.

Question 42

What happens when insolation is absorbed by a surface?

Answer 42

The surface temperature increases.

Question 43

What is an example of a depositional glacial landform?

Answer 43

A drumlin or an outwash plain.

Question 44

What is the lifting condensation level?

Answer 44

The altitude at which rising air cools to its dew point and condensation begins.

Question 45

How does the Coriolis effect influence wind?

Answer 45

It causes winds to deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 46

What is a rain shadow?

Answer 46

A dry area on the leeward side of a mountain, caused by orographic lifting.