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

   Which statement about rainfall on Kauai does Jun support?

   • The summit is drier than the slopes, since the air is thin and holds little water for rain
   • Windward places get about 120 inches a year, as Hilo does, wherever on an island they lie, summit or coast
   • Rain rises from under 40 inches on many leeward coasts to over 275 on windward slopes, over 435 at the summit
   • Leeward coasts get over 275 inches, since the trade winds blow toward them from the sea
4. 3.

   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
   • No: the summit is a different place from the coasts, so the two cannot be compared by rainfall
   • 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
5. 4.

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

   • Latitude barely changes across 30 miles, so the gap fits mountains and the wind direction
   • The summit is closer to the sun, so it gets more rain than the coasts
   • Water explains it, since the ocean surrounds the island and heats the leeward coasts
   • Latitude explains it, since the north coast is farther from the equator than the south
6. 5.

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

   • Latitude gives the summit more sunlight, and sunlight brings the extra rain to the summit
   • Moist air rises over mountains and drops rain on the windward side, leaving a dry rain shadow leeward
   • Moist air rises on the leeward side and drops its rain there, so the summit ends up the drier place of the two
   • Water evens out temperatures, and the sea cools the leeward coasts more than it cools the summit
7. 6.

   San Francisco's small temperature range fits one factor in the note, and Kauai's dry leeward coasts fit another. Noah pairs them. Which pairing is right?

   • San Francisco's range fits water; Kauai's dry coasts fit mountains and the wind
   • San Francisco's small range fits mountains nearby; Kauai's dry leeward coasts fit the ocean water
   • Both fit water, since both places lie next to the ocean and share its evening effect
   • Both fit mountains, since both places have hills near the coast that shape the weather
8. 7.

   Hilo lies on an island's windward coast and next to the ocean. What does Pia predict for Hilo from the two factors?

   • A large temperature range and little rain, because the windward side lies in the rain shadow of the mountains
   • A small temperature range and little rain, because the ocean dries the coast it borders
   • A small temperature range, from the ocean, and heavy rain from the windward side, about 120 inches
   • A large temperature range and heavy rain, because heavy rain widens the range of the seasons
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 the monthly average, 120 divided by 12, but rain is not spread evenly
   • It is about 20 inches a month, since 120 divided by 6 gives the wet season's rate
   • It is what Hilo gets in each month, since a yearly figure splits into equal months
   • 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
    • They are extremes, not typical values, so their midpoint is not the island's average
    • 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
11. 10.

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

    • 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
    • Yes: San Francisco's months average 58°F against Minneapolis's 45°F, so it is warmer
    • Yes: San Francisco's coolest month, 51°F, is warmer than Minneapolis's, so each month is