Ch 10 - Exploring the Weather

Question 1

What is weather?

Answer 1

The condition of the air in the atmosphere.

Question 2

What is the layer of air that surrounds the earth called?

Answer 2

atmosphere

Question 3

What three things cause weather?

Answer 3

heat, water, and wind

Question 4

What does the earth absorb during the day?

Answer 4

The sun’s heat

Question 5

What happens to the heat the earth has absorbed once night falls?

Answer 5

It radiates from the earth.

Question 6

Define absorb

Answer 6

to soak up

Question 7

Define radiate

Answer 7

to give off

Question 8

What protects the earth from the dangerous rays of sunlight?

Answer 8

the atmosphere

Question 9

Why is the sun the main cause of weather?

Answer 9

It heats the air, which rises, causing wind,
and it heats water, which forms water vapor, causing precipitation.

Question 10

What does evaporate mean?

Answer 10

to change from a liquid into a gaseous state called vapor

Question 11

In what three forms is water found in the air?

Answer 11

solid, liquid, and gas

Question 12

Why does warm air rise?

Answer 12

It is lighter than cold air.

Question 13

What is moving air called?

Answer 13

wind

Question 14

Rain, snow, sleet, and hail are called…

Answer 14

precipitation

Question 15

The earth and the air are always exchanging water with each other. This is called the…

Answer 15

water cycle

Question 16

Why doesn’t rainwater that is evaporated from the ocean taste salty?

Answer 16

Only the water is evaporated. The salt stays in the ocean.

Question 17

How do raindrops form?

Answer 17

Raindrops form when warm, moist air in a cloud meets cold air.

Question 18

Is every raindrop the same size?

Answer 18

No

Question 19

What is a raindrop first called?

Answer 19

a droplet

Question 20

What does rain help to wash from the air?

Answer 20

dust, dirt, and pollen

Question 21

What is frozen rain called?

Answer 21

sleet

Question 22

What must happen before snowflakes can begin to form?

Answer 22

A water droplet must build around a tiny bit of dust.

Question 23

What shape is a raindrop?

Answer 23

round

Question 24

How do droplets grow large enough to form raindrops?

Answer 24

They bump into each other, forming larger droplets until they are large enough to fall as raindrops.

Question 25

What forms when rain falls through freezing air?

Answer 25

sleet

Question 26

Sleet ususally falls in what kind of weather?

Answer 26

cold weather

Question 27

In what two seasons does hail fall?

Answer 27

spring and summer

Question 28

Hail falls in what kind of storm?

Answer 28

a thunderstorm

Question 29

What are the three most widely known storms in the United States?

Answer 29

thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes

Question 30

What does humid mean?

Answer 30

There is a large amount of water vapor in the air.

Question 31

How do you feel in humid weather?

Answer 31

sticky

Question 32

What jumps from cloud to cloud or from a cloud to the earth to form lightning?

Answer 32

electricity

Question 33

What is the sound that follows lightning called?

Answer 33

thunder

Question 34

What is a windstorm that begins over the ocean, bringing very strong winds and heavy rains?

Answer 34

a hurricane (in Australia we call them cyclones)

Question 35

What is the name of a windstorm that builds up over hot land and looks like a spinning, black funnel?

Answer 35

a tornado

Question 36

What are the two safest places to be in a thunderstorm?

Answer 36

a building or a car

Question 37

Explain what happens at each stage of the water cycle shown in the picture.

Answer 37

1. The sun heats the water in the ocean
2. The water evaporates
3. The warm, moist air rises
4. The air cools, forming a cloud
5. The cloud cools, causing rain to fall
6. The water is used on earth and returns to the ocean to beging the cycle again