Vocabulary #2

Question 1

Elevation

Answer 1

The height of a land surface above the level of the sea

Question 2

Peninsula

Answer 2

A portion of land nearly surrounded by water

Question 3

Isthmus

Answer 3

A narrow strip of land that connects 2 larger land areas

Question 4

Continental Shelf

Answer 4

The part of a continent that extends out underneath the ocean that is fairly flat, but then drops sharply to the ocean floor.

Question 5

Desalination

Answer 5

A process that makes salt water safe to drink

Question 6

Mantle

Answer 6

A thick layer of hot dense rock surrounding the earth’s core

Question 7

Tectonic plate

Answer 7

One of the largest pieces of the Earth’s crust that floats on the mantle

Question 8

Fault

Answer 8

An extended break in a body of rock, marked by movement of rock on either side

Question 9

Earthquake

Answer 9

When the ground shakes/trembles because of a collision of tectonic plates

Question 10

Weathering

Answer 10

The process of wearing away or breaking down rocks into smaller pieces

Question 11

Erosion

Answer 11

Process when weathered bits of rock are moved elsewhere by water, wind, or ice

Question 11

Weather

Answer 11

The condition of the atmosphere in one place during a short time

Question 11

Revolution

Answer 11

A complete trip of Earth around the Sun

Question 12

Climate

Answer 12

Weather patterns typical for an area over a long period

Question 12

Axis

Answer 12

An imaginary line that runs through the center of the Earth between the poles

Question 12

Solstice

Answer 12

1 of 2 days of the year when the sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost point

Question 12

Equinox

Answer 12

1 of 2 days each year when the sun is directly above the equator

Question 13

Precipitation

Answer 13

The water that falls on the ground as rain, snow, sleet, hail, or mist

Question 14

Rain Shadow

Answer 14

An area that receives reduced rainfall, because it is on the side of a mountain facing away from the ocean