SC.5.E.7.3

Teacher GuideForm A

1. Deserts in the temperate zones can be extremely hot in the afternoon and below freezing at night.Which answer best explains why this happens?

  1. Temperate deserts are found at high elevations, where the Sun and the wind are much stronger. This creates more extreme temperature changes.
  2. Temperate deserts lack trees and grass. With no trees, the Sun shines directly down and causes it to get hot in the day, and with no grass, the heat escapes at night.
  3. Temperate deserts have very little cloud cover and no humidity. This means that more energy from the Sun reaches the desert in the day, but that heat can escape quickly at night.
  4. Temperate deserts have higher rainfall than other kinds of deserts. Warm rain during the day produces warm breezes in the desert. Cooler rains at night draw warm air away from the desert.

Explanation:
Clouds are formed in places where lots of evaporation takes place. Clouds trap heat. Without clouds, energy from the the sun heats up the atmosphere quickly during the day and heat is lost just as quickly at night.

2. Many rainforests are found in the tropics, but only a few are found in cooler temperate zones. What makes a forest a rainforest?

  1. They always contain very large rivers or lakes.
  2. They produce more oxygen than normal forests.
  3. They have a canopy of trees and a great deal of precipitation.
  4. They have a large variety of animals that are not found elsewhere.

Explanation:
A tropical rainforest has a lot of trees and plants with much precipitation. Rainforests can be found in both the Tropic and Temperate Zones, and are characterized by high rainfall and many different species of plants and animals. Tropical rainforests are found mainly around the equator and are warm all year round. Temperate rainforests are farther from the equator and experience cold winters and hot summers.

3. The Sun shining on the surface of a lake can heat up the air just above the water. What happens if this air gets warmer than the air above it?

  1. The amount of waves on the surface of the lake will increase.
  2. The warm air will evaporate and condense into rain above the lake.
  3. The movement of air will decrease above the lake as the warm air rises.
  4. The warmer air will rise and increase the movement of air across the lake.

Explanation:
When warm air rises, cooler air rushes in to take its place and causes wind.

4. Which climate zone experiences the greatest variety of weather with the seasons of the year?

  1. polar
  2. tundra
  3. temperate
  4. tropical

Explanation:
The temperate zone has the greatest variety of weather. It has extremes of heat and cold because of its location.

5. Which answer choice lists the weather conditions that would most likely result in snow?

  1. warm temperature, light winds, low humidity
  2. low humidity, freezing temperature, light clouds
  3. freezing temperature, light clouds, heavy winds
  4. freezing temperature, heavy clouds, high humidity

Explanation:
Snow is precipitation falling from the clouds in the form of ice crystals. That means that it has to be cold, cloudy, with high humidity.

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