MET QUESTIONS

1.In the Northern Hemisphere a man observes a low pressure system passing
him to the south, from west to east. What wind will he experience?
a. Backs then Veers
b. Constantly Backs
c. Veers then Backs
d. Backs then steady

2.What is a cold pool, in the Northern Hemisphere?

a. Cold air found on the lee side of the Alps in winter in a cold northwesterly air
stream
b. Cold air brought down from the north behind frontal systems
c. Air from tropical continental origin
d. Air from Polar maritime origin only

3.Where are you most likely to find moderate to severe icing?

a. In upper levels of cumulonimbus capillatus
b. Nimbostratus
c. Stratus
d. Cirrus

4.Which conditions lead to mountain waves?

a. Unstable moist air, speeds <5 kt across the ridge
b. Stable air, speed, >20 kt across the ridge
c. Unstable air, speed >20 kt across the ridge
d. Stable air, speed >30 kt, parallel to the ridge

5. Where is the coldest air in a cold occlusion?

a. Behind the cold front
b. At the junction of the occlusion
c. In front of the occlusion
d. Behind the warm front

6.What causes low level cloud in front of the warm front?

a. Rain falling into the cold air
b. Rain falling into warm air
c. Warm air passing over cold surface
d. Cold air passing over warm surface

7.Flying over an airfield, at the surface the temp. is -5°C, freezing level is at
3000 ft, rain is falling from clouds with a base of 4000 ft caused by warm air rising
above cold air. Where would you experience icing?
a. Never
 b. No icing because you are not in cloud
c. Between 3000 - 4000 ft
d. Below 3000 ft

8.Standing in the Northern Hemisphere, north of a polar frontal depression

travelling west to east, the wind will:
a. continually veer
b. continually back
c. back then veer
d. veer then back

9.If flying cross country at FL50 you first see NS, AS, CC then CI, you can
expect:
a. increasing temperature
b. decreasing temperature
c. a veer in the wind
d. increase in pressure

10.Hill fog will be most likely when:

a. clear sky, little wind, dry air
b. humid, stable, blowing onto a range of hills
c. precipitation is lifted by air blowing over the hills
d. high RH, unstable

11.When flying at FL180 in the Southern Hemisphere you experience a left

crosswind. What is happening to your true altitude if indicated altitude is constant?
a. Remains the same
b. Increasing
c. Decreasing
d. Impossible to tell

12.In a polar front jet stream in the Northern Hemisphere, where is there likely to be
the greatest probability of turbulence?
a. Above the jet core in the boundary between warm and cold air
b. Looking downstream, to the right
c. In the core
d. Looking downstream, to the left

13.In a class A aircraft if you encounter freezing rain, you should:

a. climb to the cooler air above
b. climb to the warmer air above
c. accelerate
d. descend
14.Cold occlusion is:
a. cold air undercutting warm air
b. warm air overriding cold air
c. air ahead of the warm front undercutting the air behind the cold front
d. air behind the cold front undercutting the air in front of the warm front

15.What happens to the polar front jet stream in NH winter compared to

summer?
a. Moves south, speed increases
b. Moves north, speed increases
c. Moves south, speed decreases
d. Moves north, speed decreases

16.Where is the surface wind usually westerly in a Northern Hemisphere polar

front depression?
a. In front of the warm front
b. In front of the cold front
c. Behind the cold front
d. To the north of centre of the depression

17.With the passage of a polar frontal depression what would be most likely?
a. Showers for 2 hours, Drizzle for 12 hours, then snow and rain
b. Continuous snow and rain, then it stops to be followed by showers of rain
and snow
c. Continual backing of the wind
d. Heavy showers of rains and possible hail, followed by drizzle and light rain

18. Which of these would cause your true altitude to decrease with a constant
indicated altitude?
a. Cold/Low
b. Hot/Low
c. Cold/High
d. Hot/High

19. Flying from Bangkok to Bombay, why does the wind at 30 000 ft change from 15 kt
headwind in winter to 20 kt tailwind in summer?
a. Freak weather conditions experienced on route
b. The equatorial easterly jet changes direction through 180 degrees
c. This is due to local changes in the upper winds due to the movement of the
ITCZ
d. The subtropical jet changes direction through 180 degrees
20.After such a fine day yesterday, the ring around the moon indicated bad
weather today. Sure enough, it is pouring down rain, with a very low cloud base of
uniform grey. It is a little warmer though.
This describes:
a. a warm front
b. a cold front
c. the weather behind a cold front
d. poetic licence

21.When would you encounter hoar frost?

a. Climbing through an inversion
b. Ns
c. Cb
d. Ac

22.Aircraft with thick wing (T) and thin wing (S) fly at the same TAS and
altitude through cloud containing small super cooled water droplets. What extent of
icing will be experienced?
a. S and T same icing
b. Nothing as its super cooled water droplets
c. S more, T less
d. T more, S less

23.What surface weather is associated with a stationary high pressure region, over
land, in the winter?
a. Ns and continuous rain
b. A tendency for fog and low stratus
c. The possibility of snow showers
d. Thunderstorms

24.The fastest moving thunderstorms are:

a. orographic
b. thermal
c. frontal
d. lifting

25.At a coastal airfield, with the runway parallel to the coastline. You are
downwind over the sea with the runway to your right. On a warm summer afternoon,
what would you expect the wind to be on finals?
a. Crosswind from the right
b. Headwind
c. Tailwind
d. Crosswind from the left
26.Which of the following would give you the worst airframe icing?
a. GR
b. SN
c. FZFG
d. +FZRA

27.Small supercooled water droplets hit the aerofoil, will it:

a. freeze on impact giving clear ice
b. partially freezing and running back giving clear ice
c. freeze on impact giving rime ice
d. partially freezing and running back giving a cloudy rime ice

28.If flying en route and you encounter moderate turbulence with convective
clouds and you decide to continue, you should:
a. decrease power and climb above the clouds if flight parameters allow
b. decrease power and fly below the clouds
c. increase power and climb above the clouds if flight parameters allow
d. increase power and fly below the clouds

29.Moderate turbulence can be expected in:

a. altocumulus lenticularis
b. cirrocumulus
c. nimbostratus
d. stratus

30.RVR is:
a. measured using ceilometers along the runway
b. displayed in TAFs and METARs
c. usually greater than met visibility
d. given when the met visibility is below 2000 m

31.In which air mass can extreme cold temperatures be found?

a. Polar continental
b. Arctic maritime
c. Polar maritime
d. Tropical maritime

32.Relative humidity increases in:

a. warmer air compared to colder air
b. warm air at a constant vapour pressure
c. cold air at a constant vapour pressure
d. colder air compared to warmer air
33.Which of the following, with no orographic intensification, will give rise to
light to moderate icing conditions?
a. Ns and Cs
b. As and Ac
c. Cb and Ns
d. Ns and Cc

34.If an active cold front is approaching what will the altimeter read on a parked
aircraft shortly before the front arrives?
a. Decrease
b. Increase
c. Fluctuates -50 ft to +50 ft
d. Stays the same

35.Turbulence is worst in a jet stream:

a. in the core
b. along the axis of the core to the right
c. along the axis of the core to the left
d. between the boundaries of the cold and warm air

36.What is a microburst?
a. Air descending at high speed, the air is colder than the surrounding air
b. Air is descending at high speed; the air is warmer than the surrounding air
c. A small tropical revolving storm
d. A small depression with high wind speeds

37.On a polar front depression, the point of occlusion moves mainly in which
direction in the Northern Hemisphere?
a. Along the front to the west
b. Across the front to the north
c. Across the front to the south
d. Along the front to the east

38.How do you calculate the lowest flight level?

a. Lowest QNH and lowest negative temperature below ISA
b. Lowest QNH and highest negative temperature below ISA
c. Highest QNH and highest temperature above ISA
d. Highest QNH and lowest temperature

39.Where do you get freezing rain?

a. Rain hitting the ground and freezing on impact
b. Rain falling into warmer air
c. Rain falling from an inversion into an area below 0°C
d. Rain falling into colder air and freezing into pellets
40.Where are polar front depressions located?
a. 10 to 15°N
b. 25 to 35°N
c. 35 to 55°N
d. 55 to 75°N

41.When do you mainly get cold occlusions?

a. Summer
b. Autumn and winter
c. Winter
d. Winter and spring

42.What causes the formation of aircraft contrails at certain altitudes?

a. Water vapour that condenses behind the engines
b. Soot particles from the engine exhaust
c. Water vapour that condenses in the wing tips due to pressure changes in
the relative warm air
d. Unburnt fuel

43.QNH is 1003. At FL100 true altitude is 10 000 ft. It is:

a. warmer than ISA

b. colder than ISA
c. same as ISA
d. cannot tell

44.Ice pellets on the ground are evidence that:

a. a warm front has past
b. a cold front has passed
c. there are thunderstorms in the area
d. there may be freezing rain at a higher level

45.You have to fly through a warm front. The freezing level in the warm air is at 10
000 ft and the freezing layer in the cold air is at 2000 ft. Where are you least likely to
encounter freezing rain?
a. 12 000 ft
b. 9000 ft
c. 5000 ft
d. 3000 ft

46.With the approach of a warm front:

a. QNH/QFE decreases
b. QNH/QFE increases
c. QNH decreases and QFE increases
 d. QNH increases and QFE decreases

47.With the approach of a cold front, temperature will:

a. decrease
b. remain the same
c. increase
d. decrease then increase

48.A moist stable air mass is forced to rise against a mountain range. What
might you expect?
a. Large Cu clouds and turbulence
b. Altocumulus lenticularis
c. Cap clouds and standing waves
d. Clear skies

49.A cold pool over land in summer would give rise to:
a. clear skies
b. low stratus with intermittent rain
c. a potentially very unstable atmosphere
d. extensive industrial haze

50.The most severe in-flight icing occurs in:

a. Cb
b. Cu
c. Ns
d. FZRA

51.Radiation fog extends from the surface to:

a. 5000 ft
b. 2000 ft
c. 10 000

52.On rare occasions TS can be found along the warm front. What conditions
could lead to this?
a. The warm sector being stable
b. The warm sector being unstable
c. The cold air being stable
d. The cold air being unstable

53.Why do TRS tend to form in the western side of tropical oceans?

a. Because the land temperature and sea temperature provide unstable
gradient for formation
b. Because the coastal gulf provides a strong rotational force
c. Because the areas tend to have high ‘shear’ in the atmosphere
 d. Because the air humidity is high, due to long passage of trade winds over
ocean

54.An aircraft is stationary on the ground. With the passage of an active cold
front its altimeter will:
a. show an increase then a decrease
b. fluctuate ± 50 ft
c. show a decrease then an increase
d. remain constant

55.You have to make an emergency ditch at sea. The QNH of a nearby island
airfield is 1025 hPa, airfield elevation 4000 ft. The temp is -20°C. With 1025 set on
your sub-scale, on ditching the altimeter will read:
a. 0 ft
b. less than 0 ft
c. > 0 ft but less than 4000 ft
d. 4000 ft

56.In association with CB in temperate latitudes, at about what levels can hail
be anticipated?
a. Ground to FL100
b. Ground to FL200
c. Cloud base to FL200
d. Ground to FL450

57.What temperature and pressure conditions would be safest to ensure that

your flight level clears all the obstacles by the greatest margin?
a. Cold temp/low pressure
b. Warm temp/high pressure
c. Temp less than or equal to ISA and a QNH less than 1013
d. Temp more than or equal to ISA and a QNH greater than 1013

58.Where is icing worst?

a. Near condensation level
b. Near freezing level
c. -2°C to -15 °C
d. -16°C to -30°C etc.

59.When a CC layer lies over a West European plain in summer, with a mean
terrain height of 500 m above sea level, the average cloud base could be expected:
a. 0- 100 ft above ground level
b. 5000 - 15 000 ft above ground level
c. 15 000 - 25 000 ft above ground level
d. 15 000 - 35 000 ft above ground level
60.In a shallow pressure distribution (widely spaced isobars or low pressure
gradients) you observe the aneroid altimeter of a parked aircraft for 10 minutes (no
thunderstorms observed). The reading of the instrument will:
a. not be influenced by the air pressure
b. increase greatly
c. show no appreciable change due to such a minor pressure fluctuation
d. experience great changes

61.What cloud is between a warm and cold front?

a. St with drizzle
b. Cs
c. Ns
d. St with showers

62.When would a SIGMET be issued for subsonic flights?

a. Thunderstorms and fog
b. Severe mountain waves
c. Solar flare activity
d. Moderate turbulence

63.Trade winds are most prominent or strongest in the:

a. upper troposphere over sea
b. lower troposphere over ocean
c. lower troposphere over land
d. upper troposphere over land

64.With all other things being equal with a high and a low having constantly
spaced circular isobars, where is the wind the fastest?
a. Anticyclonic
b. Cyclonic
c. Where the isobars are closest together
d. Wherever the PGF is greatest

65.An easterly wave is a:

a. wave in a trade wind belt, moving from east to west with severe convective
activity in rear of its trough
b. small scale wave disturbance in the tropics, moving from east to west with
severe convective activity ahead of its trough
c. wave-like disturbance in the monsoon regime of indices moving from east to
west with severe convective activity ahead of its trough
d. disturbance in the higher levels associated with the Equatorial easterly jets,
moving from east to west, with severe convective activity in rear of its trough
66.What is a cold pool?
a. Found south of the Alps if there is NW airflow
b. Cool area of weather which disappears at night
c. Cold pool is most evident behind polar frontal weather in mid temperate
areas with little or no sign on significant weather charts
d. Air trapped on the leeward side of mountain ranges

67.Which of these statements is true about hurricanes?

a. They are 400-500 m wide
b. They pick up in force when they hit land
c. The air inside is warmer than outside and can reach up to the tropopause
d. They are never found more than 25° latitude

68.Where would a pilot find information about the presence of a jet stream?
a. On an Upper Air chart
b. On a Significant Weather chart
c. On a Surface Analysis chart
d. On a Wind/Temperature chart

69.Thunderstorms will occur on a warm front:

a. when air is cold moist and cools quicker than SALR
b. when air is warm moist and cools quicker than SALR
c. when air is cold moist and cools slower than SALR
d. when air is warm moist and cools slower than DALR

70.You are at 12 000 ft (FL120) with an outside air temperature of -2°C. Where would
you find the freezing level?
a. FL110
b. FL100
c. FL090
d. FL140

71.How does a polar front depression normally move?

a. Same direction as the isobars behind the cold front
b. Same direction as the isobars in the warm sector
c. Same direction as isobars in front of the warm front
d. Same direction as the isobars north of the centre of the low

72.What is true about the dew point temperature?

a. Can be higher or lower than the air mass temperature
b. Can be higher than the temperature of the air mass only
c. Can be only lower than the temperature of the air mass
d. Can be equal to or lower than the temperature of the air mass
73. What kind of weather system might you typically find between 45° - 70°N?
a. Subtropical highs
b. Polar highs
c. Polar front depressions
d. Arctic front depressions

74.Which is true regarding a polar front jet stream?

a. It is found in the warm air and so does its plan projection show this
b. It is located where there is little vertical temperature gradient but the
horizontal pressure gradient is at its steepest
c. It is located where there is significant horizontal temperature difference but
the pressure gradient is flat
d. It is always in the colder of the air masses

75.A layer of air cooling at the SALR compared to the DALR would give what
kind of cloud?
a. Stratus if saturated
b. Cumulus if saturated
c. No cloud if saturated
d. Convective cloud

76.At 15 000 ft in nimbostratus cloud with an outside air temperature of -12°C, what
icing might you expect?
a. Moderate rain ice
b. Moderate to severe mixed ice
c. Moderate to severe ice if orographically intensified
d. Light rime ice

77. Comparing rain to drizzle, visibility will generally:

a. rain has a visibility of 1 km, drizzle has 2 km
b. remains the same
c. deteriorate
d. improve

78.Polar front depression normally move:

a. in the direction of the isobars behind the cold front
b. in the direction of the isobars in front of the warm front
c. in the direction on the isobars ahead of the depression
d. in the direction of the isobars inside the warm sector

79.Thermal lows usually develop:

a. over the sea in summer
b. over the sea in winter
 c. over the land in summer
d. over the land in winter

80.The surface wind circulation found between the subtropical highs and the
Equatorial lows are called:
a. the doldrums
b. the trade winds
c. the easterlies
d. the westerlies

81.If an occlusion is mimicking a cold front, where would the coldest air be found?
a. Behind the original cold front
b. Behind the original warm front
c. In front of the occlusion
d. In front of the original warm front

82.In high pressure systems:

a. the winds tend to be stronger in the morning
b. the angle between the isobars and the wind direction is greatest in the
afternoon
c. the winds tend to be stronger at night
d. the winds tend to be stronger in early afternoon

83.Without the ability to de-ice or land immediately, what should you do if you
encounter rain ice at about 2000 ft?
a. Turn around immediately before loss of controllability
b. Descend immediately to stop the rain ice
c. Climb into the warm air found above
d. Fly faster

84.An easterly wave will produce:

a. frontal weather
b. thunderstorms and rain
c. low stratus
d. clear skies

85.With a cold front over the North Sea, what weather would you expect 300
km behind the front?
a. Stratus with drizzle
b. Thunderstorms and heavy showers
c. Scattered Cu and showers
d. Clear skies

86.The letters NC used at the end of a SIGMET, mean:

 a. no cloud
b. no change
c. no cumulus
d. not clear

87.Which way does a depression move?

a. Direction of the isobars in the warm sector
b. 90 degrees to the plane of the warm front
c. Towards the east
d. Direction of the isobars behind the cold front

88.Freezing rain is most likely from a:

a. warm front in summer
b. cold front in summer
c. warm front in winter
d. cold front in winter

89.When are thermal lows most likely?

a. Land in summer
b. Land in winter
c. Sea in summer
d. Sea in winter

90.Where is windshear the greatest?

a. Near a strong low level inversion and in the region of a thunderstorm
b. Near a valley with wind speeds greater than 35 kt
c. On the windward side of a mountain
d. When the wind is greater than 35 kt

91.What is true about moderate to severe airframe icing?

a. It will occur in clear sky conditions
b. Always occurs in AS cloud
c. May occur in the uppermost levels of CB capillatus formation
d. Most likely in NS

92.If an aircraft flies into an area of supercooled rain with a temperature below
zero, what kind of icing is most likely?
a. Clear
b. Rime
c. Hoar frost
d. Granular frost

93.What causes convection in a low pressure system?

a. Height
 b. Latitude
c. Centripetal force
d. Friction

94.What is the cause of the formation of the polar front jet?

a. Pressure
b. Azores High
c. Temperature
d. Tropopause height

95.An unsaturated parcel of air is forced to rise through an isothermal layer. As long
as it stays unsaturated the temperature of the parcel will:
a. remain the same
b. become equal to the temperature of the isothermal layer
c. decrease at 1.0 deg C per 100 m
d. decrease at 0.65 deg C per 100 m