Science STAAR Released Questions

Some scientists measured and recorded local rainfall amounts and water levels at several local lakes over the summer. They compared their measurements with data from the past 30 years. What characteristic of the area are the scientists studying?

• Climate, because they are making more than one type of measurement

• Climate, because they are comparing rainfall amounts over a long period of time

• Weather, because they are tracking changes only to their local environment

• Weather, because they expect rainfall amounts and water levels to continue to decrease

Each school year for 30 years, the amount of rain that fell at a school was measured and recorded. Tracking rainfall over a long period provides the most information about which characteristic of an area?

• Climate

• Temperature of one day

• Weather

• Type of soil

Which of these best describes climate rather than weather?

• Wind speed is changing as a storm moves through an area.

• The temperature is decreasing in a slow-moving cold front.

• Annual high temperatures in the summer have increased over many decades.

• The rainfall during one year was greater than the rainfall during the following year.

Climate and weather are different concepts, though they are related. How are the concepts of weather and climate different? 

• Weather refers to conditions nearer to the ground than climate.
• Climate is related to the amount of sunlight; weather is not.
• Weather conditions include precipitation, but climate does not.
• Climate covers larger areas and longer times than weather. 

Which of the following is a description of climate?

• Today it is hot and sunny in Phoenix, Arizona.

• Summers are usually mild in Lansing, Michigan.

• Last week it rained every day in San Antonio, Texas.

• Yesterday was cold and windy in Anchorage, Alaska.

Which of the following is an example of weather data?

• The average high temperature in May is 21°C in the Midwest of the United States.

• Central Australia usually receives less than 110 mm of rainfall all year.

• The relative humidity was 24% at noon on July 23 in Tempe, Arizona.

• On average, there is 88 mm of rain in the Gulf Coast region in July.

Which of the following is a description of weather data? 

• The Sahara desert gets very little rainfall.
• The average daytime high in the Amazon is 25°C.
• Temperatures in the Arctic are usually below freezing. 
• It rained two inches in Miami, Florida on May 5th. 

Weather is best described as which of the following?

• How fast the wind is blowing
• The amount of water in the air
• How much air is pressing down on a particular area
• The condition of the atmosphere at one particular time and place

What is the difference between weather and climate?

• Weather can be predicted, climate cannot
• Weather can change, climate cannot
• Weather is short-term, climate is long-term
• Weather is long-term, climate is short-term

What is the weather conditions in an area over a long period of time?

• climate
• temperature
• elevation
• precipitation