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Waves, Currents, Tides Post

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

 1. 
Surface currents are pushed along by the prevailing winds.  What can make them change directions?
a.
gyres
c.
the waves
b.
the tides
d.
continental deflection
 

 2. 
High spring tides generally result from
a.
mild earthquake activity.
b.
heavy spring rains.
c.
the alignment of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun.
d.
thawing polar ice caps.
 

 3. 
The Gulf Stream delivers warm water to what region?
a.
Western Europe
c.
the East Coast of North America
b.
Hawaii
 

 4. 
What type of currents will flow along the ocean floor?
a.
surface currents
c.
density currents
b.
gyres
d.
prevailing winds
 

 5. 
What causes the tides?
a.
wind
c.
the pull of gravity between the Earth, Moon, and the Sun
b.
coriolis effect
 

 6. 
What is a tide?
a.
the point at which waves break on shore
c.
the amount of water that seeps into the sand
b.
the daily rise and fall of ocean water levels
 

 7. 
Which of these are true about the tides?
a.
they are caused by the wind
b.
they can happen at any time and are unpredictable
c.
they are caused by the Moon and change every 6 hours
d.
there is one high tide and one low tide every 24 hours
 

 8. 
Which of these causes ocean waves?
a.
density differences
c.
the moon's gravity
b.
the Sun’s Gravity
d.
the wind
 

 9. 
Waves are caused by
a.
the Moon’s gravity
c.
rivers flowing into the ocean
b.
the wind
d.
changes in temperature
 

 10. 
What is the cause of most ocean surface currents?
a.
gravity
c.
the moon
b.
the wind
d.
upwellings
 

 11. 
What is the main force that drives surface currents?
a.
geothermal energy
c.
the Moon
b.
the wind
 

 12. 
What do you call the distance between two wave crests?
a.
amplitude
c.
frequency
b.
wavelength
 

 13. 
Which term refers to the area at the seashore that is underwater during high tide and exposed during low tide?
a.
intertidal zone
c.
open-ocean zone
b.
neritic zone
d.
mid-ocean zone
 

 14. 
The ocean's tides are caused by
a.
heat from the Sun.
c.
vibrations within Earth.
b.
the Moon's gravity.
d.
strong winds.
 

 15. 
How deep do surface currents extend?
a.
all the way to the ocean floor
c.
one hundred to two hundred meters
b.
one or two kilometers
 

 16. 
Which of these statements about currents is true?
a.
all currents are caused by the wind
b.
all currents are caused by the sun
c.
some currents are caused by a difference in either density or temperature
d.
all currents move in the same direction
 

 17. 
If the Sun is bigger than the Moon, why does the Moon have a greater effect on the tides?
a.
the Sun’s gravity does not affect water
c.
the Moon is actually almost as big as the Sun
b.
the Moon is much closer than the Sun
 

 18. 
Tropical seas have a high rate of evaporation. Because of this, the water in tropical seas will have higher:
a.
wave crests.
c.
daily temperatures.
b.
amounts of algae.
d.
salt concentrations.
 

 19. 
What is a gyre?
a.
a slow-moving current several kilometers deep
c.
a large circular surface current
b.
a kind of wind that blows all the time
 

 20. 
How many high tides happen to the same spot each day?
a.
one
c.
four
b.
two
 

 21. 
What causes the Corriolis effect?
a.
the Earth’s rotation
c.
the global conveyor belt
b.
the wind
 

 22. 
Which letter on this wave is the crest?
mc022-1.jpg
a.
A
c.
C
b.
B
 

 23. 
mc023-1.jpg
In this picture, the country at letter A has a mild climate but it should be much colder.  Why?
a.
because of the frequent spring tides
c.
because of the North Atlantic Gyre
b.
because of the coriolis effect
d.
because it is close to the equator
 

 24. 
What is the main cause of ocean tides?
a.
energy from the sun
c.
change in water temperature
b.
rotation of the earth
d.
gravitational pull of the moon
 



 
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