What makes climate, and the world's biomes

Grade 9 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Water and mountains

   Place and measure	Value
   San Francisco, coolest month	51°F
   San Francisco, warmest month	65°F
   Minneapolis, coolest month	16°F
   Minneapolis, warmest month	74°F
   Hilo, windward coast, rain a year	about 120 in.
   Kauai, summit, rain a year	over 435 in.
   Kauai, windward slopes, rain a year	over 275 in.
   Kauai, many leeward coasts, rain a year	under 40 in.

   Note: NOAA 1991-2020 normals and USGS figures. San Francisco lies on the Pacific coast at about 38°N; Minneapolis lies far inland at about 45°N. Water heats and cools more slowly than land, so it evens out nearby temperatures. On Hawaii's Big Island, Hilo faces the trade winds on the windward coast. Kauai is a small island about 30 miles across. Moist air rising over mountains drops rain on the windward side, leaving a dry rain shadow on the leeward side.

2. 1.

   San Francisco and Minneapolis lie only 7 degrees of latitude apart, yet San Francisco's warmest and coolest months differ by 14°F and Minneapolis's by 58°F. What does the note offer Ari?

   • Mountains: San Francisco lies in a rain shadow that keeps its months alike
   • Water: the ocean heats and cools quickly, so it widens San Francisco's range
   • Water: the ocean evens out San Francisco's temperatures, while Minneapolis lies far inland
   • Latitude: Minneapolis is farther north, so its range must be larger
3. 2.

   San Francisco's months run from 51°F to 65°F, Minneapolis's from 16°F to 74°F. Which pattern shows the effect of water, Bo?

   • San Francisco's warmest month is cooler (65°F against 74°F) and its coolest warmer (51°F against 16°F)
   • San Francisco is cooler in both its warmest and its coolest month than Minneapolis
   • San Francisco is warmer in both months, since water warms coasts in each season
   • San Francisco's range is smaller because its warmest month is lower; its coolest month does not matter
4. 3.

   Esme says inland places are warmer than coastal places. Test that with the two cities.

   • It holds in summer and winter, since Minneapolis is warmer in its warmest month
   • Not in winter: Minneapolis's coolest month averages 16°F, against San Francisco's 51°F
   • It is false because Minneapolis is farther north than San Francisco
   • It is false in summer, since San Francisco's warmest month is 65°F
5. 4.

   Which statement about rainfall on Kauai does Jun support?

   • Windward places get about 120 inches a year, as Hilo does, wherever on an island they lie, summit or coast
   • The summit is drier than the slopes, since the air is thin and holds little water for rain
   • Leeward coasts get over 275 inches, since the trade winds blow toward them from the sea
   • Rain rises from under 40 inches on many leeward coasts to over 275 on windward slopes, over 435 at the summit
6. 5.

   Kauai's summit gets over 435 inches and many leeward coasts under 40. Kira says the summit gets more than ten times as much. Is that right?

   • No: the ratio is about 4, since 435 is about four times the 120 inches at Hilo on the Big Island
   • Yes: 435 divided by 40 is about 11, and the summit gets over 435 while the coasts get under 40
   • Yes, and it is exactly eleven times, since 435 divided by 40 is eleven, a whole number
   • No: the summit is a different place from the coasts, so the two cannot be compared by rainfall
7. 6.

   Kauai is about 30 miles across, yet its rainfall differs tenfold. Luz says latitude explains it. What fits the cards better?

   • The summit is closer to the sun, so it gets more rain than the coasts
   • Latitude explains it, since the north coast is farther from the equator than the south
   • Latitude barely changes across 30 miles, so the gap fits mountains and the wind direction
   • Water explains it, since the ocean surrounds the island and heats the leeward coasts
8. 7.

   Which pair of factors from the note explains why Kauai's leeward coasts are dry but its summit is wet, Milo?

   • Water evens out temperatures, and the sea cools the leeward coasts more than it cools the summit
   • Latitude gives the summit more sunlight, and sunlight brings the extra rain to the summit
   • Moist air rises on the leeward side and drops its rain there, so the summit ends up the drier place of the two
   • Moist air rises over mountains and drops rain on the windward side, leaving a dry rain shadow leeward
9. 8.

   Hilo gets about 120 inches a year. Ren says that is about 10 inches every month. Is that a fair statement?

   • It is what Hilo gets in each month, since a yearly figure splits into equal months
   • It is about 20 inches a month, since 120 divided by 6 gives the wet season's rate
   • It is the monthly average, 120 divided by 12, but rain is not spread evenly
   • It is not a fair statement, since a yearly figure cannot be turned into months
10. 9.

    Tala averages Kauai's summit (435) and leeward coasts (40) to say the island gets about 237 inches. What is wrong?

    • The midpoint should be nearer 40, since leeward coasts are more common than summits
    • The figures use different years, so the two cannot be averaged together
    • The midpoint is right, since the summit and the coasts are the two ends of the island's range
    • They are extremes, not typical values, so their midpoint is not the island's average
11. 10.

    Zee says San Francisco is warmer than Minneapolis all year. Check the warmest months.

    • Yes: San Francisco's coolest month, 51°F, is warmer than Minneapolis's, so each month is
    • Yes: San Francisco's months average 58°F against Minneapolis's 45°F, so it is warmer
    • No: Minneapolis's warmest month, 74°F, is warmer than San Francisco's, 65°F
    • No: Minneapolis is warmer throughout the year, because it lies far inland