Hard Questions

Question 1

Ben Franklin is one of our nation's most colorful historical figures. He was a statesman, inventor, philosopher and yes, even a meteorologist of sorts. As you might expect, his volumes of writings contain more than one insight into the way the weather works. Which of the following weather concepts are attributed to Ben Franklin:

a) movement of storms
b) existence of air pressure
c) invention of the hygrometer
d) classification of clouds

Question 2

In the last 25 years, perhaps the single greatest advancement in observing our atmosphere is the use of weather satellites. These weather eyes in space give us constant surveillance of the development and movement of cloud systems over the entire globe. These days, some satellites can even sense the structure of the winds and temperature in the atmosphere. Indeed weather satellites have come a long way from their first fuzzy pictures. What was the name of the first weather satellite?

a) Sputnik
b) Early Bird
c) Tiros
d) Sentinel

Question 3

During the summer time, we often greet people with the words "Hot enough for you?" "It's not the heat, it's the humidity" is one of the more weatherwise replies. When relative humidity is high, our perspiration doesn't evaporate readily. Since evaporation of skin moisture is how our bodies keep cool in the summer time, we feel uncomfortable in hot, muggy weather. Generally speaking, the higher the relative humidity in the summer time, the more uncomfortable we're likely to feel. At what time of day is the relative humidity its highest on a typical summer day? Is it:

a) noon
b) 6 p.m.
c) midnight
d) 6 a.m.

Question 4

Sir Edmund Halley, the distinguished discoverer of the popular Halley's Comet, was a man of extraordinary scientific talent. With a little help from his friend, Sir Isaac Newton, Halley determined that the orbit of this comet was elliptical and that it would reappear every 76 years. Now most folks do not realize that besides his keen interest in astronomy, Sir Edmund was also a dabbler in early 18th Century weather. What meteorological breakthrough is credited to Sir Edmund Halley? Was Halley the first to:

a) track a hurricane
b) map the trade winds
c) describe warm and cold fronts
d) discover the Gulf Stream near England

Question 5

A clever meteorologist once said "The solution to pollution is dilution. The truth behind this witticism is that pollution from smokestacks and the like becomes a great problem only when the great mixing and therefore, diluting powers of the atmosphere are restricted by certain weather conditions. Which of the following situations is associated with severe pollution episodes?

a) temperatures increasing with height
b) temperatures decreasing with height
c) relative humidity increasing with height
d) relative humidity decreasing with height

Question 6

How far can you see on a clear day, provided that you are six feet tall, and standing on level ground?

a) 3.2 miles
b) 6.2 miles
c) 11.5 miles
d) 15 miles

Question 7

In winter, spiders have an extraordinary way of keeping warm. What do they do?

a) spin an extra thick web around their bodies
b) manufacture their own "antifreeze"
c) turn black to absorb more sunlight
d) encase themselves in a protective layer of ice

Question 8

Which U.S. President's motorcade had a near miss with a tornado?

a) John F. Kennedy
b) Gerald Ford
c) Jimmy Carter
d) Richard Nixon

Question 9

Which of the following has NOT been implicated by research in causing global climate change?

a) termites
b) plankton
c) smoke from ocean vessels
d) spacecraft launches

Question 10

Which chemical element is the basis for the natural fertilizers formed by lightning?

a) carbon
b) oxygen
c) nitrogen
d) hydrogen

Question 11

Which of the following cities ranks among both the 10 windiest and also the 10 coldest towns in the lower 48 states. Is it:

a) Billings, Montana
b) Fargo, North Dakota
c) Marquete, Michigan
d) Caribou, Maine

Question 12

The highest temperature ever recorded on the face of the earth, 136 degrees, was measured near the house of an infamous head of state... he was:

a) Ferdinand Marcos of the Phillipines
b) Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran
c) Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua
d) Muammar Kaddafi of Libya

Question 13

Officially, how many tornadoes visited Pennsylvania in the six hour outbreak of May 31, 1985?

a) 12
b) 21
c) 38
d) 88

Question 14

Which of the following world capitals has the lowest average winter temperatures?

a) Moscow, U.S.S.R.
b) Reykjavik, Iceland
c) Helsinki, Finland
d) Ottawa, Canada

Question 15

In 1970, a Notre Dame engineer proposed the following way to study tornadoes:

a) Shoot a missile into a funnel cloud
b) Drive a tank into a twister
c) Seed a tornado with chemicals
d) Build an indestructible instrument tower

Question 16

What is the unique characteristic of Mt. Erebus in Antarctica?

a) It is surrounded by frozen methane clouds
b) The pressure rises as you climb the peak
c) The wind always is lower at the top than the bottom
d) There is no snowcover at the summit

Question 17

Name the British word for a type of weather gear that was in Scotland in 1823 and that appears in one of the lyrics in the Beatle’s song, "Penny Lane".

a) Hour Glass
b) Machine
c) Fire Engine
d) Macintosh

Question 18

If molecules were added to the atmosphere to make it denser what color would first start to appear?

a) yellow
b) purple
c) red
d) black

Question 19

How many average-sized cloud droplets are needed to make one average-sized raindrop?

a) One million
b) One billion
c) 100 billion
d) One trillion

Question 20

Which of the following is an indisputable success story in weather modification?

a) Dissipating ice fog
b) Reducing winds in hurricanes
c) Increasing windfall in desert areas
d) Preventing waterspouts

Question 21

For the "water on the road" mirage to appear....

a) the sun must be shining
b) the road must be over 100 degrees
c) the temperature must decrease rapidly as you ascend from the road
d) all of the above

Question 22

Which of the following combinations of temperature and relative humidity have never been measured at a weather station:

a) temp 0°F, humidity 100%
b) temp 25°F, humidity 25%
c) temp 75°F, humidity 5%
d) temp 95°F, humidity 95%

Question 23

In 1975, which country's meteorologists were ordered to change the forecast because of a state funeral?

a) Spain
b) Italy
c) Bulgaria
d) Greece

Question 24

Iniki was the worst hurricane to strike the Hawaiian Islands. What does Iniki mean in the Hawaiian language?

a) fierce wind
b) strike or hit
c) sharp or piercing
d) dark cloud

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