What sets a region's climate

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Sunbeams striking the equator straight on and the poles at a slant.

2. 1.

   Why does the equator get more solar energy per square meter than the poles, by Ari's reading (NASA)?

   • The equator is closer to the Sun
   • The poles sit in the Sun's shadow
   • Sunlight strikes more directly there, so it spreads out less
   • The poles are dark year-round
3. 2.

   NASA: compared with the equator, about how much energy does 45° latitude get at an equinox, by Bo's reading?

   • About 70%
   • About 150%
   • About 90%
   • About 40%
4. 3.

   Climate graph for two cities. Where are tropical (A) climates, with every month above 18 °C, by Kira's reading (NOAA)?

   • High on mountains
   • At 60° to 70° latitude, in the cold polar zones
   • From the equator to about 15° to 25° latitude
   • Near the poles
5. 4.

   A mountain with temperatures dropping up its side. NWS: the normal lapse rate is 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet. How does temperature change as you climb, by Jun's reading?

   • It drops 35 °F per 1,000 feet
   • It stays the same
   • It rises 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet
   • It drops about 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet
6. 5.

   A town at the foot of a mountain is 70 °F. About how warm is a spot 2,000 feet higher, using NWS's normal lapse rate, by Luz's math?

   • About 0 °F
   • About 63 °F
   • About 77 °F
   • About 66.5 °F
7. 6.

   A mountain with temperatures dropping up its side. Why can high mountains near the equator be cold, by Milo's reading (NOAA, NWS)?

   • Ocean currents freeze them
   • They are closer to the Sun
   • Elevation lowers the temperature, giving a highland climate
   • They lie at a high latitude
8. 7.

   A, on a coast, 10 °C, 20 °C; B, far inland, −5 °C, 27 °C. NOAA: day-night temperature swings are much greater over land than over water. Why, by Noah's reading?

   • Water heats faster than land
   • Sunlight heats only the top inches of soil but reaches deep into water
   • Land holds its heat longer than water
   • Water reflects most sunlight
10. 8.

    What is a rain shadow, by Tala's reading (NOAA)?

    • The dry leeward side of a mountain range
    • The wet windward side
    • A shadow cast by rain clouds
    • A rainy valley floor between two mountain ranges
11. 9.

    Why does the windward side of a mountain get more rain, by Zee's reading (USGS)?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Wind carries the rain uphill and away
    • Air sinks and dries there before it reaches the peak
    • Moist air rises, cools and drops its rain there
    • The leeward side blocks the Sun
12. 10.

    USGS: Kauai's summit gets more than 435 inches of rain a year; many leeward coasts get less than 40. About how many times more is 435 than 40, by Esme's math?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • About 11 times
    • About 4 times
    • About 1.1 times
    • About 395 times