Hydrologic Cycle MCQ Question And Answers

1.What is the primary source of energy that drives the hydrologic cycle?
A. Wind energy
B. Solar energy
C. Geothermal energy
D. Hydroelectric energy

Answer: B. Solar energy

2.Which process involves the conversion of water from liquid to vapor, primarily from the surface of water bodies?
A. Condensation
B. Evaporation
C. Precipitation
D. Infiltration

Answer: B. Evaporation

3.What is the term for the process where water vapor changes back into liquid water, forming clouds?
A. Condensation
B. Evaporation
C. Transpiration
D. Precipitation

Answer: A. Condensation

4.What is the term for the total amount of water vapor present in the air?
A. Dew point
B. Relative humidity
C. Absolute humidity
D. Specific humidity

Answer: C. Absolute humidity

5.Which part of the hydrologic cycle involves the flow of water through the soil and permeable rock layers?
A. Evaporation
B. Condensation
C. Infiltration
D. Transpiration

Answer: C. Infiltration

6.What is the process by which plants release water vapor into the atmosphere from their leaves?
A. Evaporation
B. Condensation
C. Transpiration
D. Precipitation

Answer: C. Transpiration

7.What is the term for the return of water to the Earth’s surface in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail?
A. Evaporation
B. Condensation
C. Transpiration
D. Precipitation

Answer: D. Precipitation

8.Which of the following is NOT a form of precipitation?
A. Rain
B. Snow
C. Fog
D. Hail

Answer: C. Fog

9.In the hydrologic cycle, what is the term for the movement of water from land surfaces into the groundwater?
A. Runoff
B. Percolation
C. Surface water flow
D. Interception

Answer: B. Percolation

10.What is the process by which water moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers?
A. Infiltration
B. Percolation
C. Runoff
D. Transpiration

Answer: C. Runoff

11.Which of the following factors does NOT influence the rate of evaporation?
A. Temperature
B. Humidity
C. Wind speed
D. Soil type

Answer: D. Soil type

12.What is the term for the process by which water moves through plant roots and is released into the atmosphere as vapor?
A. Infiltration
B. Condensation
C. Transpiration
D. Percolation

Answer: C. Transpiration

13.Which atmospheric phenomenon is associated with the cooling of air, leading to the formation of water droplets or ice crystals?
A. Adiabatic heating
B. Dew point
C. Adiabatic cooling
D. Atmospheric pressure

Answer: C. Adiabatic cooling

14. In the hydrologic cycle, what is the term for the process where water is absorbed by plant roots and released through their leaves?
A. Runoff
B. Infiltration
C. Transpiration
D. Evapotranspiration

Answer: D. Evapotranspiration

15.Which of the following is a form of sublimation in the hydrologic cycle?
A. Melting of ice
B. Conversion of water vapor to liquid water
C. Conversion of ice directly to water vapor
D. Precipitation

Answer: C. Conversion of ice directly to water vapor

16. What is the term for the process by which water on the Earth’s surface turns into ice directly without becoming a liquid first?
A. Sublimation
B. Freezing
C. Melting
D. Condensation

Answer: A. Sublimation

17.Which of the following reservoirs holds the largest percentage of Earth’s freshwater?
A. Atmosphere
B. Oceans
C. Glaciers and ice caps
D. Groundwater

Answer: C. Glaciers and ice caps

18.What is the term for the process of water moving vertically through the soil and rock layers to reach the water table?
A. Surface runoff
B. Groundwater recharge
C. Base flow
D. Aquifer depletion

Answer: B. Groundwater recharge

19.Which of the following human activities can impact the hydrologic cycle?
A. Deforestation
B. Cloud formation
C. Ocean currents
D. Volcanic eruptions

Answer: A. Deforestation

20.What role do oceans play in the hydrologic cycle?
A. Primary source of water vapor
B. Storage of freshwater
C. Only affected by precipitation
D. No role in the hydrologic cycle

Answer: A. Primary source of water vapor