Extreme Weather Explained

by Vocafy Terverifikasi

Inggris (AS) B2 12 pertanyaan Science

Discover what drives storms, floods, and extreme heat—and how weather conditions affect everyday life.

1. 1. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

   Why do you see the lightning before hearing the thunder?

   During a storm, you see a flash of lightning. A few seconds later, you hear thunder.

   • Thunder begins only after the lightning has ended.
   • Light travels much faster than sound.
   • The lightning occurs much closer to you than the thunder does.

   Think about how the two signals reach you.

   Show solution

   • Light travels much faster than sound.

   Lightning heats the surrounding air so suddenly that it expands, producing the sound we call thunder.

2. 2. Isi bagian yang kosong.

   Inside a thundercloud, layers of ice build up around small frozen drops. The resulting large balls of ice fall as ___.

   • sleet
   • snow
   • hail

   These ice balls grow inside the storm cloud before falling.

   Show solution

   Inside a thundercloud, layers of ice build up around small frozen drops. The resulting large balls of ice fall as hail.

   Strong upward air currents can hold hailstones inside a cloud while more water freezes onto them.

3. 3. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

   What is this period of weather called?

   For several days, temperatures remain far above what is usual for this area.

   • A heat wave
   • A heat index
   • A drought

   The term names a lasting hot period, rather than a measurement or a water shortage.

   Show solution

   • A heat wave

   What counts as a heat wave depends on the location: a temperature that is ordinary in one region may be unusually hot in another.

4. 4. Isi bagian yang kosong.

   Intense rain sends water rushing through a dry inland valley within minutes. This rapid flooding is called a ___.

   • tidal flood
   • flash flood
   • storm surge

   Notice both the speed of the flooding and its inland location.

   Show solution

   Intense rain sends water rushing through a dry inland valley within minutes. This rapid flooding is called a flash flood.

   Rain falling upstream can cause a flash flood farther down a valley, even where the sky is clear.

5. 5. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

   How does the ocean help power a hurricane?

   Hurricanes usually develop over warm ocean water and often weaken after moving over land.

   • Cold water forces the surrounding air to rise and supplies the storm's energy.
   • Ocean currents directly transfer their circular motion to the air.
   • Warm water supplies heat and moisture to the air.

   Consider what passes from the ocean surface into the atmosphere.

   Show solution

   • Warm water supplies heat and moisture to the air.

   When water vapor turns into cloud droplets, it releases heat that can help the storm grow.

6. 6. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

   Which process helps explain why the city stays warmer?

   After a sunny day, a city remains warmer than the nearby countryside long after sunset.

   • Buildings and pavement release heat stored during the day.
   • Trees release stored daytime heat more slowly than concrete does.
   • Pavement continues reflecting sunlight into the air after sunset.

   A surface can stay warm after its energy source disappears.

   Show solution

   • Buildings and pavement release heat stored during the day.

   This urban heat island effect is often noticeable at night, when nearby rural areas cool more quickly.

7. 7. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

   What could make these conditions a blizzard?

   No new snow is falling, but wind blows loose snow across an open road.

   • A large amount of snow on the ground, even with calm winds.
   • An unusually low temperature, even with clear air.
   • Strong winds and severely reduced visibility lasting several hours.

   Consider what blowing snow does to a driver's view.

   Show solution

   • Strong winds and severely reduced visibility lasting several hours.

   A ground blizzard involves snow already on the ground; new snowfall is not required.

8. 8. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

   Why can high humidity make it harder to stay cool?

   On a hot, humid day, sweat stays on your skin instead of drying quickly.

   • Sweat cools the body mainly by remaining on the skin as liquid.
   • Humid air slows the evaporation that removes heat from the skin.
   • Sweat releases heat into the skin as it changes from liquid to vapor.

   Changing liquid water into vapor requires energy.

   Show solution

   • Humid air slows the evaporation that removes heat from the skin.

   Evaporation uses heat from your skin. Simply having wet skin does not guarantee effective cooling.

9. 9. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

   What is the main cause of this rise in sea level?

   A hurricane approaches the coast. Seawater rises above its normal level near the shore, even before heavy rain arrives.

   • Strong winds push seawater toward the shore.
   • Rain from the hurricane rapidly fills the nearby ocean.
   • The storm makes the regular high tide arrive several hours early.

   Show solution

   • Strong winds push seawater toward the shore.

   This rise is called storm surge. Low air pressure also contributes, but wind usually drives most of the rise.

10. 10. Isi bagian yang kosong.

    Liquid raindrops pass through a shallow layer of freezing air. They remain liquid until they hit a cold road and freeze into a smooth coating. This is ___.

    • sleet
    • hail
    • freezing rain

    The important detail is where the drops become ice.

    Show solution

    Liquid raindrops pass through a shallow layer of freezing air. They remain liquid until they hit a cold road and freeze into a smooth coating. This is freezing rain.

    Sleet freezes into pellets before landing. Freezing rain can leave a clear, hard-to-see layer of ice on roads.

11. 11. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

    How can this wind pattern help a tornado develop?

    A thunderstorm forms where wind speed and direction change with height.

    • It creates an empty space that pulls air downward from the cloud.
    • It can create rotation that a strong upward air current tilts upright.
    • It makes warm air sink rapidly through colder air.

    Think about how changing winds interact with rising air.

    Show solution

    • It can create rotation that a strong upward air current tilts upright.

    Changes in wind with height are called wind shear. They can support rotating storms, but not every rotating storm produces a tornado.

12. 12. Pilih jawaban yang benar.

    What can this extra moisture help explain?

    Warmer air can contain more water vapor before becoming saturated. A storm may therefore have more moisture available.

    • Some storms can produce heavier rainfall when other conditions allow.
    • Every storm must produce more rain whenever air temperature rises.
    • Rain must continue until all water vapor has left the atmosphere.

    Show solution

    • Some storms can produce heavier rainfall when other conditions allow.

    Rising and cooling air helps form rain clouds, so storm conditions matter as well as the amount of available moisture.