Met

GSTO AVIACONS
Air Masses, Fronts & Thunderstorms
Read the Instructions carefully

1. Do not write or mark on the question paper.
2. Some questions contain multiple answers and all the answers should be written.
3. Read questions carefully and answer to the question
4. Data insufficient and wrong questions should be mentioned in the answer sheet.
1. What is the approximate maximum diameter of a microburst?
a. 20 km
b. 50 km
c. 4 km
d. 400 m
2. What are the requirements for the formation of a thunderstorm?
a. A stratocumulus cloud with sufficient moisture

b. A cumulus cloud with sufficient moisture associated with an inversion
c. An adequate supply of moisture, conditional instability and a lifting action
d. Water vapour and high pressure
3. A microburst
a. occurs only in tropical areas

b. has a diameter up to 4 km
c. has a life time of more than 30 minutes
d. is always associated with thunderstorms
5. Which of the following statements describes a microburst?
a. A high speed downdraft of air with a higher temperature than its surroundings
b. An extremely strong wind gust associated with a tropical revolving storm
c. A small low pressure system where the wind circulates at high speed
d. A high speed downburst of air with a generally lower temperature than its
surroundings
6. Which thunderstorms move forward the fastest?
a. Thunderstorms formed by lifting processes.

b. Thermal thunderstorms.
c. Orographic thunderstorms.
d. Frontal thunderstorms
7. In addition to a lifting action, what are two other conditions necessary for
thunderstorm formation?
a. Stable conditions and low atmospheric pressure
b. Unstable conditions and low atmospheric pressure
c. Unstable conditions and high moisture content
d. Stable conditions and high moisture content
8. Which thunderstorms generally develop in the afternoon in summer over land in

moderate latitudes?
a. Airmass thunderstorms
b. Warm front thunderstorms
c. Cold mass thunderstorms
d. Occlusion thunderstorms
9. How long does a typical microburst last?
a. 1 to 2 hours.
b. About 30 minutes.
c. 1 to 5 minutes.
d. Less than 1 minute.
10. Which of the statements is true concerning squall lines?
a. Severe squall lines always move from northwest to southeast

b. For severe squall lines a SIGMET is issued
c. Severe squall lines only occur in the tropics
d. For severe squall lines a TAF is issued
11. What are the meteorological prerequisites, at low level, for thunderstorms formed
by lifting processes, over land?
a. High air pressure (> 1013 hPa), high temperatures.

b. Low temperatures, low humidity.
c. Subsidence, inversion.
d. High temperatures, high humidity.
12. What is a microburst?
a. A small low pressure system where the wind circulates with very high speeds.
b. A concentrated downdraft with high speeds and a lower temperature than the
surrounding air.
c. A concentrated downdraft with high speeds and a higher temperature than the
surrounding air.
d. An extremely strong wind gust in a tropical revolving storm.
13. The initial phase of a thunderstorm is characterized by
a. continuous up draughts
b. continuous downdraughts
c. frequent lightning
d. rain starting at surface
14. In which stage of the life cycle of a single thunderstorm cell occur both up- and
downdrafts simultaneously?
a. Cumulus stage
b. Dissipating stage
c. In all stages
d. Mature stage
15. What weather condition would you expect at a squall line?
a. Fog
b. Strong whirlwinds reaching up to higher levels
c. Thunderstorms
d. Strong steady rain
16. Thunderstorms reach their greatest intensity during the
a. period in which precipitation is not falling.

b. mature stage.
c. cumulus stage.
d. dissipating stage.
17. A microburst phenomenon can arise in the
a. up draught of a cumulonimbus at the mature stage.

b. downdraught of a cumulonimbus at the formation stage.
c. up draught of a cumulonimbus at the growth stage.
d. downdraught of a cumulonimbus at the mature stage.
18. During the life cycle of a thunderstorm, which stage is characterized

predominantly by downdrafts?
a. Anvil stage
b. Dissipating stage
c. Cumulus stage
d. Mature stage
19. Continuous up draughts occur in a thunderstorm during the
a. period in which precipitation is falling.

b. cumulus stage.
c. mature stage.
d. dissipating stage.
20. Where is a squall line to be expected?
a. In front of a cold front occlusion at higher levels.

b. At the surface position of a warm front.
c. In front of an active cold front.
d. Behind a cold front.
21. A gust front is
a. normally encountered directly below a thunderstorm

b. characterized by heavy lightning
c. another name for a cold front
d. formed by the cold air outflow from a thunderstorm
22. During which stage of thunderstorm development are rotor winds characterized
by roll clouds most likely to occur?
a. Cumulus stage and mature stage.

b. Mature stage.
c. Cumulus stage.
d. Dissipating stage.
23. Large hail stones
a. only occur in frontal thunderstorms

b. are typically associated with severe thunderstorms
c. only occur in thunderstorms of mid-latitudes
d. are entirely composed of clear ice
24. In which of the following areas is the highest frequency of thunderstorms

encountered?
a. Temperate
b. Tropical
c. Polar
d. Subtropical
25. Isolated thunderstorms of a local nature are generally caused by
a. frontal lifting (warm front).

b. frontal lifting (cold front).
c. frontal occlusion.
d. thermal triggering
26. In a polar front depression, an occlusion is called a warm occlusion when the cold
air
a. behind is colder than the cold air in front.

b. behind is colder than the cold air in front, with the warm air being at a high
altitude.
c. behind is less cold than the cold air in front, with the warm air at a high
altitude.
d. in front of the surface position of front is only at a high altitude.
27. The polar front is the boundary between:

a. polar air and tropical air.
b. arctic air and polar air.
c. arctic air and tropical air.
d. maritime polar air and continental polar air.
28. What characterizes a stationary front?
a. The warm air moves at approximately half the speed of the cold air
b. The weather conditions that it originates is a combination between those of an
intense cold front and those of a warm and very active front
c. The surface wind usually has its direction parallel to the front
d. The surface wind usually has its direction perpendicular to the front
29. What type of front / occlusion usually moves the fastest?
a. Warm occlusion.
b. Cold front.
c. Warm front.
d. Cold occlusion.
30. How do air masses move at a warm front?
a. Cold air overrides a warm air mass

b. Cold air undercuts a warm air mass
c. Warm air undercuts a cold air mass
d. Warm air overrides a cold air mass
31. How are the air masses distributed in a cold occlusion?
a. The coldest air mass behind and the less cold air in front of the occlusion; the
warm air mass is above ground level.
b. The coldest air in front of and the less cold air is behind the occlusion; the warm
air mass is above ground level.
c. The coldest air in front of and the warm air behind the occlusion; the less cold air
is above ground level.
32. Thunderstorms can occur on a warm front if the
a. warm air is moist and the environmental lapse rate exceeds the saturated
adiabatic lapse rate
b. cold air is moist and the environmental lapse rate is less than the dry adiabatic
lapse rate
c. warm air is moist and the environmental lapse rate is less than the saturated
adiabatic lapse rate
d. cold air is moist and the environmental lapse rate exceeds the saturated adiabatic
lapse
rate
33. What is the relative movement of the two air masses along a cold front?
a. Cold air slides over a warm air mass
b. Warm air pushes under a cold air mass
c. Cold air pushes under a warm air mass
d. Warm air pushes over a cold air mass
34. What cloud formation is most likely to occur at low levels when a warm air mass
overrides a cold air mass?
a. Nimbostratus.
b. Cumulus.
c. Altostratus.
d. Cumulonimbus.
35. The approximate inclined plane of a warm front is:
a. 1/150
b. 1/50
c. 1/300
d. 1/500

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GSTO AVIACONS

Air Masses, Fronts & Thunderstorms

Read the Instructions carefully

2. What are the requirements for the formation of a thunderstorm?

a. A stratocumulus cloud with sufficient moisture

a. occurs only in tropical areas

5. Which of the following statements describes a microburst?

6. Which thunderstorms move forward the fastest?

a. Thunderstorms formed by lifting processes.

8. Which thunderstorms generally develop in the afternoon in summer over land in

9. How long does a typical microburst last?

10. Which of the statements is true concerning squall lines?

a. Severe squall lines always move from northwest to southeast

a. High air pressure (> 1013 hPa), high temperatures.

12. What is a microburst?

13. The initial phase of a thunderstorm is characterized by

15. What weather condition would you expect at a squall line?

16. Thunderstorms reach their greatest intensity during the

a. period in which precipitation is not falling.

17. A microburst phenomenon can arise in the

a. up draught of a cumulonimbus at the mature stage.

18. During the life cycle of a thunderstorm, which stage is characterized

19. Continuous up draughts occur in a thunderstorm during the

a. period in which precipitation is falling.

20. Where is a squall line to be expected?

a. In front of a cold front occlusion at higher levels.

21. A gust front is

a. normally encountered directly below a thunderstorm

a. Cumulus stage and mature stage.

23. Large hail stones

a. only occur in frontal thunderstorms

24. In which of the following areas is the highest frequency of thunderstorms

25. Isolated thunderstorms of a local nature are generally caused by

a. frontal lifting (warm front).

a. behind is colder than the cold air in front.

27. The polar front is the boundary between:

28. What characterizes a stationary front?

29. What type of front / occlusion usually moves the fastest?

30. How do air masses move at a warm front?

a. Cold air overrides a warm air mass

31. How are the air masses distributed in a cold occlusion?

32. Thunderstorms can occur on a warm front if the

35. The approximate inclined plane of a warm front is:

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