Seattle, Washington, on the West Side of the Cascade Range

question 115

Multiple Choice

Seattle, Washington, on the west side of the Cascade Range, has a very wet climate.The Columbia River Basin, on the east side of the range, is very dry.This difference in climate results from

• A) deforestation, in which the lack of forests on the east side results in lower rainfall.
• B) a rain shadow, in which moisture rising up the mountains is released as rain or snow.
• C) a rain shadow, in which moisture is released over cities rather than unpopulated areas.
• D) a temperature inversion, in which hotter temperatures concentrate in the low-altitude basin.
• E) a temperature inversion, in which cooler, denser air is trapped on the west side of the mountains.

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Definitions:

Chemical Change

A process that transforms substances into different substances through the rearrangement of atoms.

Kinetic Energy

The energy that an object possesses due to its motion, dependent on the object's mass and velocity.

Ions

Atoms or molecules with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

Molecules

The smallest unit of a chemical compound that can retain the chemical properties of the compound, consisting of one or more atoms bonded together.