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9th grade What sets a region's climate worksheet

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What sets a region's climate

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  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?

    • Correct; peaks are warmer
    • Correct; a few km closer to the Sun matters
    • 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
  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 are millions of km farther
    • Correct; the poles get no sunlight
    • No; the poles are cold from ocean currents alone, not sunlight
    • No; sunlight arrives there at a low angle and spreads out
  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?

    • Correct; leeward slopes catch the moist air
    • No; the windward side gets the rain, and the leeward side is in a rain shadow
    • Correct; rain shadows are the wet side
    • No; both sides get equal rain
  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. 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 0.57 times
    • About 30 times
    • About 2.5 times
    • About 1.75 times
  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 91%
    • About 11%
    • About 9%
    • About 250%
  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?

    • City 2, with a large range and little rain
    • City 1, with a small range and heavy rain
    • Neither, since their latitude matches
    • City 2, in a rain shadow by the sea
  8. Four evidence cards, labeled A to D. Which evidence best shows elevation shapes a place's climate, by Ren's reading?

    • 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
    • Two coastal towns at different latitudes differ
  9. Which summary of mountains and rain fits NOAA and USGS, by Ari's reading?

    • Sinking air rains on the windward side
    • The leeward side is the wettest
    • Rising air rains on the windward side, and sinking air dries the leeward side
    • Rising air warms and dries
  10. Climate graph for two cities. Which summary of climate itself fits NOAA, by Bo's reading?

    • The average weather of a place over about 30 years
    • The hottest day on record
    • This week's forecast
    • Today's weather at a single spot, measured hour by hour
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9th grade What sets a region's climate worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Explain what sets a region's climate. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can explain how latitude sets the Sun's angle and so the energy a place receives.
  • I can use NWS lapse rates (3.5 °F per 1,000 feet normal; 5.5 °F dry) to find temperatures at height, and explain highland climates.
  • I can explain how oceans and currents even out temperatures, how mountains make rain shadows, and read Köppen groups.

Standard: supports HS-ESS2-4

Words to know

latitude: Distance north or south of the equator, which sets the Sun's angle

lapse rate: How fast air cools with height

rain shadow: The dry leeward side of a mountain range

windward: The side facing the wind

climate normal: A 30-year average of weather

Common mistakes

Your child misread latitude. NASA: sunlight strikes the tropics more directly; toward the poles it arrives at a low angle and spreads out, so less energy reaches each square meter.

Your child had higher places warmer. NWS: air cools about 3.5 °F per 1,000 feet as you climb (normal lapse rate).

Your child reversed the ocean's effect. NOAA: sunlight heats only the top few inches of land but reaches deep into water, so coasts swing less in temperature than inland places.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with what sets a region's climate?

Your child misread latitude. NASA: sunlight strikes the tropics more directly; toward the poles it arrives at a low angle and spreads out, so less energy reaches each square meter.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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