1. What is the primary role of continents in shaping the paths of major ocean currents?
- A. They cause currents to speed up due to underwater mountain ranges.
- B. They act as physical barriers that deflect the flow of water.
- C. They absorb the energy of the current, causing it to stop completely.
- D. They cool the water, causing it to sink and reverse direction.
2. An ocean current is flowing eastward across the Atlantic Ocean. What is the most likely outcome when this current reaches the west coasts of Europe and Africa?
- A. The current will stop and dissipate its energy as large waves.
- B. The current will reverse its direction and flow westward back across the Atlantic.
- C. The current will be redirected, with parts of it flowing north and south along the coastlines.
- D. The current will flow underneath the continents through massive underwater caves.
3. What scientific term describes the process of an ocean current being forced to turn after encountering a landmass?
- A. Refraction
- B. Deflection
- C. Subduction
- D. Convection
4. If Earth were a planet covered entirely by a single, deep ocean with no continents, how would the paths of major surface currents likely differ from their paths today?
- A. Currents would flow in straighter lines, primarily influenced by wind and the Earth's rotation.
- B. Currents would not exist at all because there would be no land to push against.
- C. Currents would be much colder and slower everywhere on the planet.
- D. Currents would flow in much smaller and more chaotic circular patterns.
5. When a major ocean current encounters a coastline, it is typically forced to change direction. What is the fundamental reason for this change?
- A. The water temperature changes dramatically near the coast.
- B. The Earth's magnetic field is stronger over landmasses.
- C. The solid landmass physically blocks the forward movement of the water.
- D. The wind patterns that drive the current weaken near the shore.
6. What is the primary force responsible for creating most surface ocean currents?
- A. The rotation of the Earth
- B. Differences in water salinity
- C. Consistent, prevailing winds
- D. The gravitational pull of the Moon
7. How do prevailing winds transfer energy to the ocean's surface to create currents?
- A. Through the process of evaporation, which lifts the water
- B. By creating friction as the moving air drags against the water's surface
- C. By changing the water's temperature, causing it to expand and flow
- D. Through magnetic forces between the atmosphere and dissolved iron in the ocean
8. A scientist studying a map of global prevailing wind patterns would find that it most closely resembles a map of which other global phenomenon?
- A. Major surface ocean currents
- B. Areas of high volcanic activity
- C. Annual rainfall totals on continents
- D. The location of tectonic plates
9. The process of wind creating an ocean current is best described as a transfer of what type of energy?
- A. Chemical energy
- B. Kinetic energy
- C. Potential energy
- D. Thermal energy
10. A sailor notices that the surface water in her location is consistently moving eastward. Based on the primary driver of surface currents, what is the most likely cause?
- A. The Earth is rotating eastward.
- B. A prevailing wind is blowing eastward.
- C. The water is colder in the west.
- D. The moon is pulling the water eastward.