Mid Term Study Guide

The exam covers chapters 2-7 and Labs 1-3.

1. Format

The midterm will follow this format:  40-50 multiple choice questions (based mostly on my notes);  5 “short answers” (a few sentences and/or a simple diagram to define a concept); 4 or 5 diagrams or lab-based questions.

For example …

A. a multiple choice question might be:

The subject of this course is …
a. neo-orthodoxy in the ancient eastern church,
b. atmsopheric science and meteorology,
c. premillenial dispensationalism,
d. gender relations in modern romance languages.

Hopefully you’ll pick “b”!

Know some things including (this is NOT an exhaustive list!) …

  • the basic kinds of clouds and fogs.
  • things that affect temperatures – globally, locally, and over a 24 hour period
  • lapse rates
  • the various forces associated with winds
  • solar radiation and insolation
  • the basic composition of the atmosphere and what various layers ‘do”
  • solar winds/auroras
  • dew point
  • global and local winds (primary, secondary and tertiary)
  • albedo
  • wind chill and heat index
  • high and low pressure
  • stable and unstable air
  • geostrophic winds
  • isotherms and isosbars
  • relative humidity and dew point
  • rainbows
  • air pollution
  • urban effects on temperature
  • continentality
B. A short answer question might be:
  • Define and distinguish between an aurora and an albedo.

A simple diagram with a brief, one or two sentence description would be sufficient.  I will give you some choice in this section (you will need to do 5 out of 7 options, for example).

C. A few “other” questions.

Similar to questions on your labs, I’ve given you diagrams, and asked you some questions about them.  Or I’ve given you some blank diagrams and asked you to complete them.

PLEASE take note of the things I’ve highlighted as important in my notes!  I didn’t highlight them for my health (but I did highlight them for yours)!!!   For instance in Chapter 6 online notes I say:  *** Study Figure 6.11, “General atmospheric circulation model” (3CE, p. 146; (Figure 6.12; 2CE, p. 157)).  Know it inside-out!  It will be on the exam in some form or other!  Be prepared!  ***  That’s worth noting!

2. How to Study …

a. Look over Labs 1-3.  Make sure you can do any of the exercises.  Most of you are doing really well on the labs anyway!

b. Read over the online notes (you may wish to print them off.  I’ve deliberately NOT put graphics in the the text so they’ll print easier).  I like the “onion method” of studying as opposed to cramming.  The onion method means I read over the notes tonight… and absorb some (one layer of knowledge).  I read over the notes tomorrow (another layer of knowledge).  And so on, and so on, gradually adding layers of knowledge.  The challenge is, you can’t be an onion by starting to study the night before, at11:59 p.m.!  You need to start today!

c. As you read the notes, DO use the figures in the text (an online resources) as references.  The figures/pictures really help you visualize what you’re studying!

d.  I will NOT ask you anything that is only in the text, but not in your notes!  However, in my notes, I do make many references to diagrams and figures in the text … TAKE NOTE of those!  If I made a comment in the notes that you should really study something … really study it!  It WILL show up on the exam in some form or other!

e. If I ask anything on the theological/biblical reflections/videos (“Worth thinking about …”) it will be in the short answer section so you will have the choice to answer this or other questions.

3. What Should You Bring or NOT Bring?

You should bring …

  • Yourself!  (refreshed, relaxed, invigorated, empowered by the Spirit)
  • A pen (and pencil if you wish, for the diagrams).

You should NOT bring …

  • Your text or notes (sorry, this exam is not open book!)
  • Your cousin (a geography graduate student at Cambridge)
  • A calculator (any math will be VERY simple)
  • A cell phone, iphone, tablet, netbook, desktop, or other electronic device
  • Any crib notes, cheat sheets, or other “aids”

You’ll do fine!  That’s about it!  Study hard!  I know there is lots to know and lots to memorize (the plague of introductory science courses!), but go at it!

Try to remember that this is God’s creation we are studying (it’s one of the symptoms of the Fall that studying divine artistry seems like drudgery!).   As you study the Earth-Atmosphere system, you are studying God’s handiwork!  You are doing theology (learning about God)!  Hard though it is, try to keep that perspective going …

God bless,

Bruce