Spring Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Why does daylight generally increase between the March equinox and June solstice in the Northern Hemisphere?
Clouds become thinner, allowing daylight to last longer.
Earth's daily rotation takes more than 24 hours in spring.
The Northern Hemisphere becomes increasingly tilted toward the Sun.
Earth moves close enough to the Sun to extend each day.
2. A student in the Northern Hemisphere notices that the noon Sun appears higher in April than it did in January. What best explains this change?
Earth's tilt gives that hemisphere more direct sunlight as it moves toward summer.
The Sun produces more light during April.
Earth is much closer to the Sun in April.
Earth rotates more slowly during spring.
3. What defines an equinox in terms of the Sun's position relative to Earth?
Earth's axis temporarily stops being tilted.
Earth is at its closest point to the Sun.
The Sun's direct rays are over one of the polar circles.
The Sun's direct rays are over the equator.
4. A woodland pool fills with spring rain and snowmelt but often dries later in the year. Why can this habitat be valuable to some amphibians?
Its temporary nature often prevents fish populations that would eat eggs and larvae.
Its fast current carries young amphibians into larger rivers.
Its salt content protects eggs from freshwater predators.
Its deep water remains at a constant temperature year-round.
5. Researchers record that the same plant species consistently flowers earlier than it did in past decades at the same location. What are they tracking?
A change in the plant's position in the food web
A daily weather forecast based on flower color
A change in the mineral classification of the soil
A shift in phenology, the timing of recurring biological events
6. Why do many migratory birds travel toward higher northern latitudes in spring?
Earth's magnetic field becomes stronger only in northern regions during spring.
Thinner spring air makes long-distance flight require less energy.
All northern predators leave their habitats during spring.
Increasing daylight helps cue migration as seasonal food and breeding opportunities develop.
7. During a spring shower, where should the Sun and raindrops generally be relative to you for you to see a rainbow?
Both the Sun and raindrops should be behind you.
The Sun should be ahead of you, with raindrops behind you.
The Sun should be behind you, with raindrops ahead of you.
Both the Sun and raindrops should be directly overhead.
8. Someone with seasonal pollen allergies is choosing between a warm, windy afternoon and the period just after steady rain for a walk. When is airborne pollen often temporarily lower?
During the warm, windy afternoon, because wind neutralizes pollen
Just after the rain, because rainfall can wash pollen from the air
Before the rain, because rising humidity makes pollen disappear
The level is necessarily identical because weather does not affect airborne pollen
9. A tulip shoot begins growing before it has opened enough leaves for substantial photosynthesis. What mainly supplies its early energy?
Heat collected by the outer petals
Minerals newly absorbed from the soil
Pollen carried from nearby flowers
Food reserves stored in the bulb
10. After a mild spring afternoon, the forecast calls for clear skies and very light winds overnight. Why might gardeners still watch for frost?
The ground can lose heat rapidly to the clear sky, cooling air near the surface.
Light winds cause plants to release enough moisture to freeze the ground.
Clear skies trap cold air descending from the upper atmosphere.
Mild afternoons make plant cells generate frost after sunset.
11. While gardening, you hear thunder even though the rain still appears distant. What is the safest immediate response?
Lie flat in an open area away from buildings.
Shelter beneath the tallest nearby tree until the rain arrives.
Go into a substantial building or enclosed hard-topped vehicle.
Continue gardening until lightning is visible directly overhead.
12. Why can the timing of spring flowering matter to bees and other pollinators?
Flowers provide nesting sites that replace all other shelter.
Pollinators rely on petals to regulate their body temperature overnight.
Flowering can provide nectar and pollen when pollinators become active.
Spring flowers prevent pollinators from migrating too early.
13. Which season begins around the September equinox in the Southern Hemisphere?
Autumn
Spring
Winter
Summer
14. What actually causes the especially large tidal range known as a spring tide?
The Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned so lunar and solar tidal effects reinforce one another.
Spring snowmelt adds water to the oceans.
Warmer spring temperatures expand seawater each day.
Seasonal winds pull ocean water toward both poles.
15. Which combination is most likely to increase the chance of spring flooding in a snowy region?
Slow snowmelt, dry soil, and several weeks without rain
Rapid warming and heavy rain over deep snow, especially where the ground cannot absorb much water
Light rain after the snow has already melted and rivers have receded
Cold nights that preserve the snowpack and a gradual daytime thaw
16. A gardener wants to transplant frost-sensitive seedlings outdoors in spring. Which information is most useful for choosing an appropriate time?
The calendar date of the March equinox alone
Local frost guidance, the forecast, and the soil and air temperatures the crop needs
The time of that month's full moon alone
The number of flowers already open in neighboring gardens alone