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Quizzes > Science > Earth & Space Science

Take the Meteorology Quiz and Test Your Weather Knowledge!

Ready for a weather quiz? Put your climate and atmosphere knowledge to the test!

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Amy EckenrodeUpdated Aug 23, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for a meteorology quiz with climate and atmosphere questions on a teal background

This meteorology quiz helps you practice weather basics, from reading fronts and clouds to spotting pressure systems and storms. Work through this quiz to get instant feedback, fix weak spots before class or a test, and pick up quick facts about climate and the atmosphere.

The troposphere contains about 75 to 80 percent of the atmosphere's mass.
False
True
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The dew point can never be higher than the air temperature.
False
True
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A warm front usually brings colder air advancing into warmer air.
False
True
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The Intertropical Convergence Zone is generally found near the equator.
True
False
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A sea breeze typically occurs at night when land cools faster than water.
True
False
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The Coriolis force causes winds to deflect to the left in the Northern Hemisphere.
True
False
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The stratosphere is characterized by decreasing temperature with height.
True
False
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El Niño typically involves warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.
True
False
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The dry adiabatic lapse rate is about 9.8 degrees Celsius per kilometer.
False
True
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Virga refers to precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground.
True
False
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Geostrophic wind results from a balance between the pressure gradient force and friction.
True
False
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Tornadoes rotate only counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
False
True
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Katabatic winds flow upslope at night due to surface cooling.
False
True
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What is the primary mechanism for precipitation growth in cold clouds (below 0 °C)?
Bergeron-Findeisen process (ice-crystal growth at the expense of supercooled droplets)
Sublimation of water vapor directly to rain
Condensation on dust without ice nuclei
Collision-coalescence among warm droplets only
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Which process primarily forms hailstones in severe storms?
Repeated accretion of supercooled droplets during multiple passes through a strong updraft
Evaporation followed by condensation
Direct freezing of raindrops at the ground
Deposition of vapor onto snowflakes near the surface
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The ozone layer is primarily located in the troposphere.
True
False
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What are Rossby waves in the atmosphere?
Planetary-scale meanders in the midlatitude westerlies due to Earth's rotation and vorticity gradients
Standing waves over mountain ranges at the surface
Gravity waves created by thunderstorms only
Sound waves traveling through the stratosphere
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Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are important because they:
Enhance hurricane formation in the tropics
Provide surfaces for reactions that deplete ozone in polar spring
Reflect sunlight and warm the polar stratosphere
Cause most midlatitude thunderstorms
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At approximately what temperature can pure water droplets freeze without ice nuclei via homogeneous nucleation?
0 °C exactly
Around -10 °C
Around -5 °C
Around -40 °C
undefined
In meteorology, positive relative vorticity in the Northern Hemisphere typically corresponds to:
Zero spin
Counterclockwise spin
Vertical wind shear only
Clockwise spin
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0

Study Outcomes

  1. Understand Key Weather Concepts -

    After completing the meteorology quiz, you will be able to define and explain essential terms like pressure systems, fronts, and precipitation types.

  2. Analyze Atmospheric Data -

    You will interpret weather maps and data charts to identify patterns in temperature, humidity, and wind direction.

  3. Differentiate Climate and Weather -

    You will distinguish between short-term weather phenomena and long-term climate trends, enhancing your grasp of climate quiz topics.

  4. Apply Meteorological Principles -

    You will use foundational atmospheric science concepts to predict basic weather events in hypothetical scenarios.

  5. Identify Knowledge Gaps -

    By reviewing instant quiz feedback, you will pinpoint areas for further study and improve your meteorology trivia performance.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Atmospheric Composition and Layers -

    Earth's atmosphere is composed of roughly 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and trace gases like argon and CO₂ (NOAA). Remember "N-O O" to recall nitrogen, oxygen, others. These layers - troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere - each have unique temperature and pressure profiles (AMS).

  2. Thermodynamic Principles in Weather -

    The First Law of Thermodynamics (ΔQ = ΔU + ΔW) governs heat exchange in rising and sinking air parcels (University of Illinois). When air expands adiabatically, temperature drops ~9.8°C per kilometer (dry lapse rate), a key formula for predicting cloud base level. Mnemonic: "R.I.C.E." - Rising, Isentropic, Cooler, Expands.

  3. Pressure Systems and Wind Dynamics -

    High- and low-pressure systems drive wind patterns as air moves from highs to lows (NOAA). The gradient force (ΔP/Δx) and Coriolis effect shape wind speed and direction; faster changes in pressure yield stronger winds. Practice by sketching isobars on weather maps to spot cyclones and anticyclones.

  4. Cloud Classification and Formation -

    Clouds form when moist air cools to its dew point, leading to condensation on nuclei (NASA). Know the ten main cloud types - cirrus, cumulus, stratus families - and associate height: "Ci" and "Cs" are high, "Cu" mid, "St" low. This visual cue helps anticipate weather changes quickly.

  5. Coriolis Effect and Large-Scale Patterns -

    The Coriolis force, arising from Earth's rotation, deflects winds right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern (IPCC). This mechanism underlies trade winds and jet streams, essential for forecasting storm tracks. A fun mnemonic: "Right turn in the North, Left in the South" to lock in direction shifts.

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