____ 1.

The energy that drives surface ocean

currents comes from ____.
a. salinity variations c. temperature differences
b. wind d. wave action
____ 2. Because of the Coriolis effect, ocean
currents in the Northern Hemisphere are deflected to
the ____.
a. right c. north
b. left d. south
____ 3. Which force is involved in the development
of surface currents?
a. gravity c. friction
b. inertia d. none of the above
____ 4. Ocean currents that move toward the poles
are ____.
a. warm
b. cold
c. warm in the Northern Hemisphere and cold in the
Southern Hemisphere
d. cold in the Northern Hemisphere and warm in the
Southern Hemisphere
____ 5. What is true about an ocean current that is
moving toward the equator?
a. It is warm. c. It is cold.
b. It is fast. d. It is slow.
____ 6. The Gulf Stream affects the climate of ____.
a. California c. Alaska
b. Great Britain d. Africa

____ 7. What causes surface ocean currents to be

deflected?
a. deep currents c. Earths revolution
b. the Coriolis effect d. global winds
____ 8. The rising of cold water from deeper layers
to replace warmer surface water is called ____.
a. the Coriolis effect c. upwelling
b. a surface current d. reflection
____ 9. Which process does NOT decrease the
salinity of water?
a. runoff from land c. precipitation
b. formation of sea ice d. melting of sea ice
____ 10. Which of the following can cause an
increase in the density of ocean water?
a. a decrease in temperature c. a decrease in ocean
circulation
b. an increase in salinity d. both a and b
____ 11. According to the conveyor belt model of
ocean circulation, what happens when water
reaches the poles?
a. The salinity of the water increases. c. The density
of the water decreases.
b. The salinity of the water decreases. d. The
temperature of the water increases.
____ 12. Most oxygen enters the ocean from
a. underwater volcanoes. c. the atmosphere.
b. streams and rivers. d. sea life.

____ 13. Ocean water temperature depends on the

solar energy an area receives and the waters
a. movement. c. salinity.
b. organisms. d. mineral content.
____ 14. As deep ocean water becomes colder, it
also becomes
a. saltier. c. clearer.
b. denser. d. lighter.
____ 15. The layer in a body of water in which
temperature drops with increased depth faster than
it does in other
layers is called the
a. pelagic zone. c. carbon sink.
b. thermocline. d. abyssal zone.
____ 16. The process of removing salt from ocean
water is called
a. desalination. c. purifying.
b. freshening. d. aqua filtering.
____ 17. As the temperature changes, the ocean
and atmosphere are continuously exchanging
a. moisture. c. gases.
b. pollutants. d. chemicals.
____ 18. Oceans are often referred to as a carbon
sink. How many times more carbon is contained in
the ocean than in
the atmosphere?
a. 20 times c. 60 times
b. 40 times d. 80 times

____ 19. When surface ocean water is warmed by

solar energy, its density
a. increases. c. is unchanged.
b. decreases. d. triples.
____ 20. Which of the following causes gyres to
form?
a. deep currents c. the Equatorial Countercurrent
b. the Coriolis effect d. West Wind Drift
____ 21. High evaporation and low rainfall in
summer cause the Mediterranean Sea to have
a. lower salinity and higher density. c. lower salinity
and higher turbidity.
b. higher salinity and higher density. d. lower salinity
and lower density.
____ 22. The curving of the path of ocean currents
and wind belts is called
a. tidal oscillation. c. refraction.
b. the Gulf Stream. d. the Coriolis effect.
____ 23. Deep currents are caused by
a. differences in density of ocean water. c. the
Coriolis effect.
b. global wind belts. d. continental barriers.
____ 24. The swift, warm current that flows
northward along the east coast of the United States
is called the
a. North Atlantic Current. c. North Equatorial
Current.
b. West Wind Drift. d. Gulf Stream.

____ 25. In the tropical latitudes, trade-wind belts

push currents
a. eastward. c. eastward in the Atlantic and
westward in
the Pacific.
b. westward. d. westward in the Atlantic and
eastward in
the Pacific.