Year 8 Geography Semester Exam – Water in the World, Place & Liveability, Geographic Skills

Single-fact flashcards for the Year 8 Geography semester exam (Term 4). Covers geographic skills (climate graphs, weather maps, latitude and longitude, area and grid references, map and stimulus interpretation), all Water in the World content (water cycle, catchments, factors affecting water availability, scarcity, contamination, virtual water, values of water, Aboriginal groundwater knowledge, Hunter River, natural hazards), and Place & Liveability (liveability, community, push and pull factors, migration). Also includes exam verbs and PEEL paragraph structure for short answers.

A climate graph shows average monthly temperature as a _______ graph.

Line graph

A climate graph shows average monthly precipitation as a _______ graph.

Column (bar) graph

What colour is conventionally used for the temperature line on a climate graph?

Red

What colour is conventionally used for the precipitation columns on a climate graph?

Blue

Which vertical axis of a climate graph usually shows the temperature scale?

The left axis

Which vertical axis of a climate graph usually shows the precipitation scale?

The right axis

In what unit is temperature shown on a climate graph?

Degrees Celsius (°C)

In what unit is precipitation shown on a climate graph?

Millimetres (mm)

What do the letters J F M A M J J A S O N D along a climate graph's base represent?

The months of the year

Apart from the place name, what location data is shown in a climate graph's heading?

Its latitude and longitude

When drawing a climate graph, where do you plot each month's temperature dot?

In the centre of that month's column

How do you calculate a place's annual temperature range?

Hottest month temperature minus coldest month temperature

How do you calculate total annual rainfall from a climate graph?

Add all twelve monthly precipitation columns together

The month with the tallest precipitation column is called the _______ month.

Wettest

If a place's hottest months are December to February, which hemisphere is it in?

Southern Hemisphere

If a place's hottest months are June to August, which hemisphere is it in?

Northern Hemisphere

Which three months are summer in the Southern Hemisphere?

December, January, February

Which three months are winter in the Southern Hemisphere?

June, July, August

A temperature line that stays almost flat all year suggests the place is near the _______.

Equator

Why do places near the equator have a small annual temperature range?

The sun's rays strike them almost directly all year

In which season does Perth receive most of its rainfall?

Winter

In which season does Darwin receive most of its rainfall?

Summer (the wet season)

Which Australian capital city has a distinct wet season and dry season?

Darwin

Define weather.

Short-term conditions of the atmosphere at a place

Define climate.

The long-term average of atmospheric conditions (e.g. temperature and precipitation) at a place

What is another name for a weather map?

Synoptic chart

What does a synoptic chart show?

Atmospheric conditions across an area at one point in time

Synoptic charts are mainly used to forecast _______-term weather.

Short

Define air pressure.

The weight of air pressing down on the Earth's surface

In what unit is air pressure measured?

Hectopascals (hPa)

What are isobars?

Lines joining places of equal air pressure

What is the average air pressure at sea level?

1013 hPa

A pressure reading above 1013 hPa usually indicates a _______ pressure system.

High

A pressure reading below 1013 hPa usually indicates a _______ pressure system.

Low

What is another name for a high pressure system?

Anticyclone

What is another name for a low pressure system?

Cyclone (depression)

Is air rising or sinking in a high pressure system?

Sinking

Is air rising or sinking in a low pressure system?

Rising

Warm air rises and expands, creating _______ pressure at the surface below.

Low

Cool air contracts and sinks, creating _______ pressure at the surface below.

High

In the Southern Hemisphere, winds circulate around a high pressure system in which direction?

Anticlockwise

In the Southern Hemisphere, winds circulate around a low pressure system in which direction?

Clockwise

What weather is typically associated with a high pressure system?

Stable air, clear skies, gentle winds, little rain

What weather is typically associated with a low pressure system?

Unstable air, cloud, strong winds and rain

What do isobars that are close together indicate?

Strong winds

What do isobars that are widely spaced indicate?

Light winds

Wind always blows from _______ pressure towards _______ pressure.

From high pressure towards low pressure

Winds are named after the direction they blow _______.

From

A southerly wind blows from which direction?

The south

A westerly wind blows towards which direction?

The east

On a weather-map wind symbol, what shows wind speed?

The feathers (barbs)

On a wind symbol, more feathers means _______ wind.

Stronger

On a weather-map wind symbol, the shaft points towards where the wind is coming _______.

From

What does a double circle symbol mean on a wind key?

Calm (no wind)

What must you check before reading a wind speed from a weather map symbol?

The map's key (it shows the units and values)

On a synoptic chart, what do areas of diagonal lines or shading show?

Rain that fell in the previous 24 hours

What letter marks the centre of a high pressure system?

H

What letter marks the centre of a low pressure system?

L

In which general direction do pressure systems move across Australia?

West to east

What is a cold front?

Cold, dense air pushing in under warm air, forcing it to rise and cool

What symbol shows a cold front on a weather map?

A line with triangles pointing in the direction of movement

What symbol shows a warm front on a weather map?

A line with semicircles pointing in the direction of movement

What usually happens to temperature after a cold front passes?

It drops

What weather often follows a cold front?

Rain

What is a warm front?

Warm air overtaking a colder, denser air mass

How common are warm fronts in Australia?

Rare

What are lines of latitude?

Imaginary east–west lines measuring distance north or south of the Equator

What are lines of longitude?

Imaginary pole-to-pole lines measuring distance east or west of the Prime Meridian

What is the latitude of the Equator?

0°

What is the longitude of the Prime Meridian?

0°

The Prime Meridian passes through _______, London.

Greenwich

What is the highest possible degree of latitude?

90° (at the poles)

What is the highest possible degree of longitude?

180°

What is the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn?

About 23.5°S

Which tropic passes through Australia?

The Tropic of Capricorn

One degree of latitude or longitude is divided into how many minutes?

60

In a coordinate, which is written first: latitude or longitude?

Latitude

The Equator divides the Earth into which two hemispheres?

Northern and Southern

In the Southern Hemisphere, a smaller latitude number means a place is further _______.

North

In the Eastern Hemisphere, a larger longitude number means a place is further _______.

East

Which Australian capital city is the most northerly?

Darwin (about 12°S)

Of Sydney (33°52'S) and Adelaide (34°57'S), which is further north?

Sydney

Define absolute location.

The exact position of a place, e.g. latitude and longitude or a grid reference

Define relative location.

The position of a place described in relation to other places (direction and distance)

How many digits are in an area reference?

4

How many digits are in a grid reference?

6

What does an area reference identify?

A whole grid square

What does a grid reference identify?

A precise point within a grid square

What are eastings?

Vertical grid lines numbered increasing towards the east

What are northings?

Horizontal grid lines numbered increasing towards the north

In an area or grid reference, which number is written first?

The easting

What memory phrase helps you order a grid reference?

Along the corridor, then up the stairs

For an area reference, which easting line do you use?

The line on the left (western) edge of the square

For an area reference, which northing line do you use?

The line along the bottom (southern) edge of the square

In a six-figure grid reference, what does the third digit represent?

Tenths of the square east of the easting line

In a six-figure grid reference, what does the sixth digit represent?

Tenths of the square north of the northing line

A square with easting 34 and northing 72 has what area reference?

3472

A point 6 tenths east of easting 34 and 3 tenths north of northing 72 has what grid reference?

346723

In the map acronym BOLTS, what does B stand for?

Border

In the map acronym BOLTS, what does O stand for?

Orientation (north point)