Deserts Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A coastal desert in western South America lies beside the Pacific Ocean yet receives very little rain. Which factor helps explain this?
Warm ocean water continuously removes moisture from the air.
Dense forests intercept all precipitation before it reaches land.
A cold offshore current helps stabilize the air and suppress rainfall.
Tides push rain clouds away from the coast each day.
2. Following an uncommon desert rain, annual plants germinate, flower, and produce seeds within a short period. What strategy does this demonstrate?
Depending on year-round surface water for growth
Completing the life cycle quickly while moisture is available
Avoiding reproduction until several wet years occur in a row
Replacing roots with leaves during dry conditions
3. Why is much of Antarctica classified as a desert?
Its surface consists mainly of frozen sand dunes.
Its soil loses water rapidly through intense heat.
It receives very little precipitation despite being covered by ice.
Its vegetation absorbs nearly all available groundwater.
4. A well-formed sand dune has a long, gentle slope on one side and a short, steep slip face on the other. What is the best inference?
The prevailing wind generally moves sand up the gentle slope toward the slip face.
The dune was created entirely by an earthquake.
The strongest winds usually blow from the slip face toward the gentle slope.
A river regularly flows down the steep side.
5. Why are many deserts found near subtropical latitudes on both sides of the equator?
These latitudes receive no sunlight during part of the year.
Descending air in global circulation patterns tends to be dry and discourages cloud formation.
All subtropical land lies behind high mountain ranges.
Ocean tides remove precipitation from every subtropical coast.
6. On which continent is the Sahara located?
South America
Asia
Africa
Australia
7. Where is the Namib Desert located?
Along the eastern coast of North America
Across the interior of northern Europe
On islands in the western Pacific
Along the southwestern coast of Africa
8. A dryland loses plant cover through repeated pressure, and its soil becomes less productive and more vulnerable to erosion. What is this process called?
Desertification
Oasis formation
Glacial deposition
Coastal upwelling
9. A desert mammal rests underground by day and forages after sunset. What is the main advantage of this pattern?
It prevents the animal from needing shelter during sandstorms.
It allows the animal to obtain energy directly from moonlight.
It ensures that the animal encounters freezing temperatures.
It reduces exposure to daytime heat and limits water loss.
10. Rare rain fills a closed desert basin, but the water later evaporates and leaves a pale mineral crust. Which process produced the crust?
Evaporation concentrated dissolved salts at the surface.
Wind converted the basin sediment into limestone.
Glacial ice ground the basin floor into white powder.
Plant roots released minerals while absorbing rainfall.
11. A desert location heats quickly after sunrise but becomes much cooler after sunset. Which condition best supports this large daily temperature range?
Thick cloud cover traps equal amounts of heat day and night.
Constant heavy rainfall keeps the surface temperature stable.
Dry, often clear air permits strong daytime heating and rapid nighttime heat loss.
Dense vegetation stores solar energy in a closed canopy.
12. After a rare rain, a cactus stem expands without splitting its surface. Which adaptation best explains this?
Broad leaves that release stored heat
A pleated stem that can swell as it stores water
Shallow bark that absorbs salt from the air
Flowers that remain open throughout the drought
13. Hikers enter a dry desert wash while a thunderstorm is occurring many kilometres upstream. What hazard should concern them most?
A sudden flash flood arriving from upstream
A permanent rise in the local groundwater table
A glacier advancing through the wash
A salt crust forming before they leave
14. Which feature is most useful for identifying deserts across both hot and cold environments?
They remain hot during every season.
They contain almost no living organisms.
They are covered mainly by loose sand.
They have a persistent shortage of precipitation relative to moisture demand.
15. Moist air rises over a mountain range, drops rain on one side, and descends warmer and drier on the other. What is most likely to form on the drier side?
A tropical wetland shaped by frequent storms
A glacier fed by warm descending air
A coastal delta built by ocean tides
A rain-shadow desert
16. A patch of palms and other vegetation grows in an otherwise arid region where underground water reaches close to the surface. What feature is this?
A moraine
An oasis
A tundra bog
An estuary