Lesson Y7-U02-L06

Y7-U02-L06 Air Masses: Where Does Our Weather Come From? Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y7-U02-L06, Air Masses: Where Does Our Weather Come From?: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 2: Year 7: The Weather and Climate of the UK, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is an air mass?

    • A huge body of air that takes on the temperature and moisture of where it formed
    • A layer of air high above the mountains, cooled by the snow on the peaks
    • A strong wind that blows across the sea and brings the rain to the coast
    • A small cloud that forms over one town on a warm and sunny afternoon

  2. What does 'maritime' tell you about an air mass?

    • It crossed the sea, so it is wet
    • It crossed land, so it is dry
    • It formed over a desert
    • It is always very cold

  3. What does 'continental' tell you about an air mass?

    • It crossed the sea, so it is wet
    • It is always very warm
    • It formed over the North Pole
    • It crossed land, so it is dry

  4. Which UK air mass brings warm, wet weather?

    • Tropical continental
    • Polar maritime
    • Polar continental
    • Tropical maritime

  5. Which UK air mass brings cold, dry weather?

    • Polar continental
    • Tropical continental
    • Tropical maritime
    • Polar maritime

  6. From which direction does tropical maritime air usually arrive in the UK?

    • The south-west
    • The east
    • The north
    • The north-east

  7. A cold, showery day comes with a north-west wind. Which air mass is it?

    • Tropical continental
    • Polar maritime
    • Polar continental
    • Tropical maritime

  8. Why does air that crosses the sea become wet?

    • It picks up moisture, or water vapour, from the sea surface
    • The sea makes the air colder, so it sinks and rains
    • Salt in the sea turns the air into rain clouds
    • The air must pass over mountains before it reaches land

  9. Which UK air mass is the most common, and why?

    • Tropical continental, because it always blows from the south
    • Tropical maritime, because the prevailing wind blows from the south-west
    • Polar maritime, because it always comes from the north
    • Polar continental, because it blows from the cold east

  10. Why does the wind direction tell us where our weather comes from?

    • Each wind direction carries air from a different source region with its own weather
    • Each wind direction removes all moisture from the air before it arrives
    • The wind direction changes the shape of every cloud that forms in the sky
    • Wind direction decides which instrument must be used to record the rain

  11. Which of these best describes polar maritime air?

    • Cold and dry, from the east over Europe
    • Cold and showery, from the north-west Atlantic
    • Warm and wet, from the south-west Atlantic
    • Warm and dry, from the south over Africa

  12. Which air mass forms over the warm Atlantic to the south-west of the UK?

    • Tropical maritime
    • Tropical continental
    • Polar maritime
    • Polar continental

  13. Over which region does polar continental air form before it reaches the UK?

    • The cold north-west Atlantic
    • Cold land to the east, over Europe
    • The hot desert of Africa to the south
    • The warm Atlantic to the south-west

  14. What word describes air that has travelled over land and so stays dry?

    • Tropical
    • Polar
    • Continental
    • Maritime

  15. What two words describe cold air that has crossed the sea?

    • Polar continental
    • Tropical continental
    • Tropical maritime
    • Polar maritime

  16. A warm, dry summer wind blows from the south over land. Which air mass is it?

    • Polar continental
    • Tropical maritime
    • Tropical continental
    • Polar maritime

  17. Which correct cause-and-effect chain explains warm, wet air reaching the UK?

    • Air over the warm Atlantic picks up moisture, the south-west wind carries it in, and rain falls as it rises
    • Air sits over land and gains moisture, the east wind carries it to the UK, and sunshine follows
    • Air sits over polar ice and freezes, the wind carries it south, and hail falls at sea
    • Air sits over a cold desert and loses moisture, the north wind carries it to the UK, and snow falls on the coast

  18. Why is polar maritime air wet, while polar continental air is dry?

    • Polar maritime is colder, so it holds more rain than polar continental
    • Polar maritime comes from the south, while polar continental comes from the north
    • Polar maritime has crossed the sea, but polar continental has crossed dry land
    • Polar continental has crossed the sea, but polar maritime has crossed land

  19. Which list names the four main UK air masses correctly?

    • Polar maritime, polar tropical, sea continental, land polar
    • Arctic maritime, Arctic continental, equatorial maritime, equatorial continental
    • Tropical maritime, tropical arctic, polar sea, polar land
    • Tropical maritime, tropical continental, polar maritime, polar continental

  20. Why might a polar continental wind in winter make eastern England much colder than the west?

    • It blows from the warm Atlantic, which warms only the western coast
    • It blows from the cold land to the east, so the air arriving in the east is very cold
    • It blows from the south, which brings tropical heat to the east of the country
    • It blows from the sea, which makes the east colder than the west coast

All KS3 Geography quizzes