What sets a region's climate

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   A mountain with temperatures dropping up its side. A classmate says mountaintops should be warmer because they are closer to the Sun. Which reply fits NWS, by Esme's reading?

   • No; air cools about 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet as you climb
   • No; the peaks are cold because they sit at a high latitude
   • Correct; a few km closer to the Sun matters
   • Correct; peaks are warmer
2. 2.

   Sunbeams striking the equator straight on and the poles at a slant. A student says the poles are cold because they are farther from the Sun. Which reply fits NASA, by Jun's reading?

   • Correct; the poles get no sunlight
   • Correct; the poles are millions of km farther
   • No; sunlight arrives there at a low angle and spreads out
   • No; the poles are cold from ocean currents alone, not sunlight
3. 3.

   A student says the leeward side of a mountain range is the rainy side. Which reply fits NOAA and USGS, by Kira's reading?

   • No; both sides get equal rain
   • No; the windward side gets the rain, and the leeward side is in a rain shadow
   • Correct; leeward slopes catch the moist air
   • Correct; rain shadows are the wet side
4. 4.

   Air at 75 °F rises 5,000 feet up a windward slope at the dry rate of 5.5 °F per 1,000 feet (NWS). What temperature does it reach, by Luz's math?

   • About 47.5 °F
   • About 57.5 °F
   • About 69.5 °F
   • About 102.5 °F
5. 5.

   Sunbeams striking the equator straight on and the poles at a slant. NASA: at an equinox, 45° gets about 70% of the equator's energy and the polar circles about 40%. How many times more does 45° get than a polar circle, by Milo's math?

   • About 30 times
   • About 2.5 times
   • About 1.75 times
   • About 0.57 times
6. 6.

   USGS: windward slopes get more than 275 inches a year. If a rain-shadow island gets 25 inches (model), about what share of the windward rain is that, by Noah's math?

   • About 11%
   • About 91%
   • About 250%
   • About 9%
7. 7.

   Climate graph for two cities. Model data, 40° N: city 1 has an 8 °C range and 1,500 mm of rain; city 2, a 30 °C range and 300 mm. Which is on a windward coast, by Pia's reading?

   • Neither, since their latitude matches
   • City 2, in a rain shadow by the sea
   • City 2, with a large range and little rain
   • City 1, with a small range and heavy rain
8. 8.

   Four evidence cards, labeled A to D. Which evidence best shows elevation shapes a place's climate, by Ren's reading?

   • Two coastal towns at different latitudes differ
   • Near the equator, a high town is much cooler than a low town nearby
   • A coastal town has milder winters than an inland one at a similar latitude
   • A windward slope gets more rain than a leeward one
9. 9.

   Climate graph for two cities. Which summary of what sets a region's climate fits NASA, NWS and NOAA, by Zee's reading?

   • Water makes bigger swings, and mountains wet both sides
   • Latitude sets sunlight; elevation cools; water evens out swings; mountains make rain shadows
   • Distance from the Sun sets it, and elevation warms the air
   • Latitude by itself sets the climate
10. 10.

    Which summary of mountains and rain fits NOAA and USGS, by Ari's reading?

    • Rising air rains on the windward side, and sinking air dries the leeward side
    • Rising air warms and dries
    • Sinking air rains on the windward side
    • The leeward side is the wettest