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Multiple Choice Quiz
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To help you master concepts from Chapter 13 (Deserts and Wind Action), take this sample examination.

1
The defining characteristic of a desert is:
A)shifting sand dunes.
B)high temperature
C)low rainfall.
D)precipitation exceeds evaporation.
2
Which of the following is a common feature of desert regions?
A)internal drainage.
B)flash floods
C)slow chemical weathering.
D)all of these
3
The primary difference between a mesa and a butte is one of:
A)shape.
B)size.
C)elevation.
D)rock type.
4
The Basin and Range Province of North America covers almost all of:
A)Utah
B)Texas
C)Nevada
D)Colorado
5
A very flat surface underlain by a dry lake bed of hard, mud-cracked clay is called:
A)playa
B)bajada
C)mesa
D)plateau
6
Rocks with flat, wind-abraded surfaces are called:
A)barchans
B)blow-outs
C)pediments
D)ventifacts
7
The erosion of sand, silt, clay from the land surface is called:
A)abrasion
B)deposition
C)deflation
D)depletion
8
Which of the following is not a type of sand dune?
A)parabolic
B)barchan
C)transverse
D)mobyus
9
A broad ramp of sediment formed of coalesced alluvial fans is:
A)bajada
B)playa
C)arroyo
D)wahdi
10
A surface layer of closely packed pebbles found in desert areas is:
A)desert pavement
B)desert varnish
C)bajada
D)ventifact
11
Plants living in desert regions:
A)are adapted to low water levels.
B)are doomed to die.
C)are all type of cactus.
D)are not able to survive when it rains.
12
Deserts centered on 30 degrees north and south latitude owe their origins to:
A)the occurrence of mountains at these latitudes worldwide.
B)the distribution of the continental landmasses.
C)the global atmospheric circulation
D)none of these.
13
Flash floods are caused by:
A)rapid melting of snow in mountain regions.
B)discharge of groundwater to playas.
C)lack of vegetation in desert areas.
D)high run-off associated with short but intense rainfall.
14
Flash floods in desert areas:
A)are more common than in humid areas.
B)are almost non-existent.
C)are less common than in humid areas.
D)none of these.
15
Arroyos are:
A)narrow, steep-sided stream valleys in desert regions.
B)large, wedge-shaped deposits of gravel and sand at the foot of mountains in desert areas.
C)epehemeral lakes in desert areas.
D)great places to escape desert heat.
16
A sand dune that is convex in the downwind direction is:
A)a longitudinal dune
B)a barchan dune
C)a parabolic dune
D)a transverse dune.
17
Sand dunes have been observed on:
A)Venus
B)The Moon
C)Uranus
D)Mars
18
Deposits of windblown silt and clay are called:
A)silt
B)clay.
C)loess.
D)dunes.
19
Mesas form as a result of:
A)flash floods in desert regions.
B)continuous, long-term erosion of mountains in desert regions.
C)wind erosion of mountains in desert regions.
D)none of these.
20
In the United States, Death Valley is a desert because:
A)It is in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
B)it is below sea-level.
C)it is very hot.
D)it is the location of a secret flying saucer base.







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