Pop Quiz

How are air masses formed?

• A) When warm air rises and cools at the poles
• B) When a large body of air acquires characteristics from the surface it moves over
• C) When winds move over mountain ranges
• D) When ocean currents change temperature

What is the main factor in the formation of an air mass?

• A) The Earth's rotation
• B) The type of surface (land or water) it passes over
• C) The Earth's magnetic field
• D) The time of year

Which type of air mass would form over a warm ocean?

• A) Continental polar
• B) Maritime tropical
• C) Continental tropical
• D) Maritime polar

What causes air masses to move?

• A) Gravity
• B) Ocean currents
• C) Wind patterns
• D) Earth’s magnetic forces

Which wind pattern primarily moves air masses across the United States from west to east?

• A) Polar easterlies
• B) Trade winds
• C) Westerlies

Where are the warmest areas of Earth typically located?

• A) Near the poles
• B) Near the equator
• C) At the higher altitudes
• D) At the poles during summer

What effect do ocean currents have on coastal temperatures?

• A) They cool the temperature by absorbing heat from the air
• B) They warm the temperature by transferring heat from the ocean
• C) They have no effect on temperatures
• D) They make the air colder in winter and hotter in summer

What would happen to an air mass if it moves over a warm ocean?

• A) It would cool and become drier
• B) It would warm and pick up moisture
• C) It would lose moisture and cool
• D) It would become more unstable

If an air mass is being pushed by the polar easterlies, which direction would it typically move?

• A) Northward
• B) Southward
• C) Eastward
• D) Westward

What happens to an air mass when it is pushed by the westerlies?

• A) It moves to the east
• B) It moves to the west
• C) It stays in one place
• D) It moves northward