Name Class Date
Assessment
Study Guide- Currents, Waves and Tides
The Movement of Ocean Water
Multiple Choice
Write the letter of the correct answer in the space provided.
1. Surface ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream
a. move warm water from higher latitudes to lower latitudes.
b. transport many times more water than all the rivers in the world.
c. are formed in parts of the ocean where water density is great.
d. move in straight paths across the oceans.
2. In which direction do global winds blow ocean currents near the equator?
a. from east to west c. counterclockwise
b. from west to east d. away from the poles
3. Trying to roll a ball straight across a turning merry-go-round is a demonstration of what happens in the
a. movement of global winds across the surface of the ocean.
b. flow of currents and countercurrents at the equator.
c. Coriolis effect.
d. deflection of a current against a continent.
4. Which surface current is deflected by the continent of South America?
a. California Current c. Brazil Current
b. Labrador Current d. North Equatorial Current
5. Compared with surface currents, deep currents are
a. colder and less dense. c. warmer and denser.
b. warmer and less dense. d. colder and denser.
Chapter Test A continued
6. When the air above water gets cold, what happens to water molecules?
a. The water molecules evaporate, decreasing the water’s density.
b. The molecules slow down and move closer together, increasing the water’s density.
c. The water’s volume increases as molecules move closer together.
d. The denser water floats on top of the chilled water.
7. Which of the following causes water from deep currents to rise to the surface to replace warm currents?
a. the flow of warm currents from the equator toward the poles
b. freezing of the surface of the water
c. mixing of cold and warm water near shore
d. squeezing solids out of the ice down into the water below
8. How do warm-water currents affect the coastal areas along which they flow?
a. They create greater rainfall along the coast.
b. They create unusually cool climates for the latitude.
c. They create unusually warm climates for the latitude.
d. They make the coastal climate cooler than the inland climate.
9. Which statement describes the negative effects of El Niño?
a. El Niño appears every 2 to 12 years.
b. Rain, flash floods, and mudslides occur in places where there is usually little rain, while usually wet areas suffer from drought.
c. Sometimes El Niño is followed by La Niña, during which ocean temperatures become cooler.
d. Upwelling along the coast of South America occurs after an El Niño.
10. It is important for scientists to learn as much as possible about ElNiño because the weather pattern
a. has so far been completely unpredictable.
b. affects North America more than any other continent.
c. has so many effects on organisms and land.
d. can only be studied out in the open ocean.
Chapter Test A continued
Matching
Match the correct definition with the correct term. Write the letter in the space provided. Some terms will not be used.
11. the lowest part of a wave
12. the highest part of a wave
13. the vertical distance between the highest and lowest points of a wave
14. the vertical difference between two adjacent high points or two adjacent low points of a wave
Multiple Choice
Write the letter of the correct answer in the space provided.
15. Why do waves increase in height as they approach the shore?
a. The waves are forced into narrow inlets of land.
b. The water particles speed up as they approach land.
c. The water’s density decreases because it’s warmer near the shore.
d. The waves begin to interact with the ocean floor.
16. An earthquake causes a tsunami because force from the quake
a. pushes a large body of water up from the ocean floor.
b. pulls water down toward the source of the quake.
c. blows surface water away from the shore.
d. meets the force of currents flowing in a different direction.
17. Which statement describes what is happening at high tide?
a. The moon is revolving more quickly than the Earth is rotating.
b. The moon’s gravity is dragging water away from the equator.
c. The moon’s gravity is pulling ocean water into a bulge.
d. The sun’s gravity pulls with more force than the moon’s gravity.
Chapter Test A continued
18. Which statement explains why the moon’s gravity is able to create high and low tides?
a. The moon is revolving more quickly than the Earth is rotating.
b. The moon is revolving more slowly than the Earth is rotating.
c. Some parts of the Earth never face directly on the sun and moon.
d. The moon is revolving at the same speed that the Earth is rotating.
19. Spring tides and neap tides occur in patterns governed by
a. changes in the force of the Earth’s gravity.
b. the type of ocean currents near where the tides occur.
c. whether the gravity of the sun or moon exerts a stronger pull.
d. the relative positions of the Earth, moon, and sun (the phases of the moon).
20. From what is known about spring tides and neap tides, you can conclude that
a. the sun’s gravity exerts the most power when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun.
b. the height of high tides varies with the phases of the moon.
c. spring tides and neap tides affect the phases of the moon.
d. the moon revolves around the Earth every 14 days.
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Holt Science and Technology 51 The Movement of Ocean Water