Weather and Climate — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The day-to-day conditions of the air outside are called weather.
Weather is the short-term state of the atmosphere, including temperature, wind, and precipitation at one place and time.
2. The long-term pattern of weather over many years in a place is called climate.
Climate describes the average weather of a region over a long period, like how rainy or hot it usually is.
3. Hot, rainy regions near the equator have a tropical climate.
Tropical climates are found near the equator where temperatures stay warm and rainfall is heavy throughout the year.
4. Very cold regions near the North and South Poles have a polar climate.
Polar climates have freezing temperatures most of the year, with long, cold winters and short, cool summers.
5. Climates with four seasons and mild temperatures are called temperate.
Temperate climates lie between tropical and polar regions and have warm summers, cool winters, and moderate rainfall.
6. An imaginary line around the middle of the Earth is the equator.
The equator is the warmest part of Earth because the sun shines most directly on it all year long.
7. We can show how much rain falls each month using a bar graph.
Bar graphs use rectangles of different heights to compare rainfall, temperature, or other weather data over time.
8. The amount of water vapor in the air is called humidity.
Humidity tells how much moisture is in the air, and high humidity can make hot days feel even hotter.
9. A prediction of what the weather will be like is called a forecast.
A weather forecast uses data from many tools and satellites to estimate weather conditions for the next hours or days.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Tropical climate
→ Warm and rainy near the equator
Hot and very dry with little rain
Polar climate
→ Freezing cold near the poles
Warm and rainy near the equator
Temperate climate
→ Four seasons with mild weather
Freezing cold near the poles
Desert climate
→ Hot and very dry with little rain
Four seasons with mild weather
Each climate zone has a typical pattern of temperature and precipitation that depends on its location and distance from the equator.