Pakistan Excel English School

Grade 8 Geography Notes

(FINAL TERM 2023-2024)

Unit-1 Merciless Weather
Name of Student_____________________
Grade 8-Section _____
 Geo-8 Unit 1- Merciless Weather (Activity-1)

Choose the correct word for given definitions.

mesoscale, clusters, stricken, chalets, reservoirs,
evacuating, potential, meteorology, intense, territory

1- Science dealing with atmosphere (weather, climate). Meteorology

2- Qualities or abilities lead to future success. Potential

3- Of extreme force, showing strong feelings. Intense

4- An area of land under the jurisdiction of a ruler or state. Territory

5- Small wooden house found in mountain areas. Chalets

6- A place where something is kept in store. Reservoirs

7- Remove someone from a place of danger to a safer place. Evacuating

8- A complex of thunderstorm on a large scale. Mesoscale

9- A group of similar things or people. Clusters

10-Suffering severely from the effects of something unpleasant. Stricken

 Define the following words.

1- Riverine - Situated on a riverbank.

2- Abundant- Available in large quantities.

3- Instance- An example of something.

4- Misfortune- Bad luck

5- Doppler radar-Weather tracking radar

6- Prevalent- Widespread in a particular area.

7- Outpouring- Something that streams out rapidly.

8- Decease- A person's death.

9- Gusty winds- Strong rush of winds.

10- Debris- Scattered pieces of rubbish or remains.

 Geo-8 Unit 1- Merciless Weather (Activity-2)

Fill in the blanks with accurate words.

1- A drought is the prolonged period with little or no rain.

2- Significant drought occurs about once 15 years.

3- A mixture of snow, ice, rock, or soil is called a debris avalanche.

4- An avalanche consists of rapidly moving granular material.

5- Mesoscale convective complexes are span hundreds of miles.

6- The invisible force that appears to deflect the wind is Coriolis force.

7- Storm surges are abnormal rise in sea water level during a storm.

8- A state of balance between opposing forces is called equilibrium.

9- Heavy rain is called torrential rain.

10- Phenomena is an observable fact or event.

 Complete the following sentences.

1- An updraft carries a huge amount of air up.

2- Downdrafts in severe thunderstorms can create gusty winds.

3- Downburst winds can smash buildings and easily uproot trees.

4- Warm humid air fuels all thunderstorms.

5- A large severe thunderstorm might be 10 to 100 times more energetic.

6- Sandstorms are usually found in dry desert areas.

7- In sandstorms people find it difficult to see and keep their sense of direction.

8- A huge sandstorm was observed by MERIS on 12/12/2003 in Iran.

9- Usually, the sandstorms stop at night.

10-Sendstorms are extremely dangers for desert dwellers and travelers.

 Geo-8 Unit 1- Merciless Weather (Activity-3)
Write True or False for the given statements.

1- Tornado is a storm with a twist. True

2- Tornadoes diameter varies from 100 to 1000 miles. False

3- Fujita scale is a standard scale for rating the severity of a cyclone. False

4- A tornado accompanies Thunder, lightning, heavy rain and allowed free

train noise. True

5- length of a tornado path along the ground varies from less than one mile to

several hundreds. True

6- Tornadoes occurring over water are called waterspouts. True

7- A large severe thunderstorm might be 50 to 80 times more energetic. False

8- Sandstorms are a continuous problem caravans may choose to travel at

night. True

9- Lightning always occurs with a thunderstorm. True

10-Hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression are

the different terms used for Tornadoes. False

 Choose the correct answer.
1- ____________feeds warm humid air into a thunderstorm.

a- updraft
b-down drafts
c- gusty winds
2- ____________winds can smash buildings and easily uproot trees.
a- updrafts
b- Down burst
c- downdrafts
3- Warm, humid air fuels all _________________.
a- Tornadoes
b- Hurricane
c- thunderstorms
4- Air disturbance gives a thunderstorm __________________
a- extra energy
b-lightning
c- noise
5- An average thunderstorm is equal to ____________ nuclear warheads.
a- 20 kilotons
b- 30 kiloton
c-40 kiloton
6- Tornadoes take place on every continent except ____________.
a-Australia
b- Antarctica
c-Asia
7- Most of the world’s tornadoes take place in the ______________.
a-Russia and Canada
b-India and Canada
c- USA and Canada
8- Center of a cyclone is called _________________.
a- the eye
b- b-airborne
c- c-vortexes
9- ________________ can produce extremely strong winds, tornadoes, torrential
rain, high waves, and storm surges.
a-thunderstorms
b-hurricanes
c- Tropical cyclone
10- Sandstorms are usually found in ___________________.

a-hilly areas
b- dry desert areas
c-farming areas
 Geo-8 Unit 1- Merciless Weather (Activity-4)

Match the following columns to find the correct answers.

Column A Column B Ans

1- most Flash/riverine/urban/coastal 5
prevalent
hazard is
2- some of Deforestation/overgrazing/unsound farming 10
weather techniques
hazards are
3- floods that severe weather 1
happen very
quickly
4- the hazard To track rainfall street by St. 6
mean
5- types of source of danger 4
floods are
6- Doppler Sahel region 8
radar is used
7- droughts that once every15 years 9
occur less
frequently
8- example of a floods, draught, avalanches, thunderstorms, 2
drought- and hurricanes
stricken area
9- significant Are called urban droughts 7
draught
occurs in
10-human are called flash floods 3
activities that lead
to draught
 Answer the following questions.
Q1- What do we mean by a hazard?
Ans- It is a source of danger, a possibility of incurring loss or
misfortune.
Q2- What is the definition of floods?
Ans- It is an overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry.
Q3- What is the common factor in all the different types of floods?
Ans- The excessive rainfall
Q4- What is the definition of drought?
Ans- It is a prolonged period with little or no rain.
Q5- Why was there drought in Sahel region?
Ans-1- Increase in population 2-decrease in death rates 3-lack of
rainfall.
Q6- Why is Doppler radar very important to meteorologists?
Ans- It provides more accurate flash flood warnings.
Q7- What is an avalanche?
Ans- It is a very large slide of snow or rock down a mountain sides.
Q8- How is an avalanche caused?
Ans- It is caused when a buildup of snow is released down a slope.
Q9- What does an avalanche consist of?
Ans- It consists of rapidly moving granular material.
Q10- What makes the material of the avalanche fall rapidly?
Ans- The force of gravity.
 Geo-8 Unit 1- Merciless Weather (Activity-5)
Read the paragraph carefully and answer the questions given below
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of low atmospheric pressure characterized by
inward spiraling winds that spin counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere of the
earth, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
A tropical cyclone is a storm system fueled by the heat released when moist air rises
and the water vapors in it condenses. Depending on their location and strength, there
are various terms by which tropical cyclones are known such as hurricane, typhoon,
tropical storm, cyclonic storm, and tropical depression. Tropical cyclones can produce
extremely strong winds, tornadoes, torrential rains, high waves, and storm surge.
The heavy rains and storm surge can produce extensive flooding. Although their
effects on human population can be devastating, tropical cyclones also can have
beneficial effects by relieving drought condition. They carry heat away from the
tropics, an important mechanism of the global atmospheric circulation that maintains
equilibrium in the earth's troposphere.
Q1-What is cyclone as defined in meteorology?
It is an area of low atmospheric pressure characterized by inward spiraling winds.
Q2-What is direction of cyclones in the northern hemisphere?
Counterclockwise
Q3-What is direction of cyclones in southern hemisphere?
Clockwise
Q4-Define a tropical cyclone?
A tropical cyclone is a storm system fueled by the heat released when moist air rises
and the water vapors in it condenses.
Q5-What are the various terms by which the tropical cyclones are known?
A hurricane, I typhoon, a tropical storm, a cyclonic storm, and a tropical depression.
Q6-What can tropical cyclones produce?
They can produce extremely strong winds, tornadoes, torrential rains, high waves,
and storm surge.
Q7-Why are tropical cyclones dangerous?
Because the heavy rains and storm surge can produce extensive flooding.
Q8-How can tropical cyclones have beneficial effects?
By relieving drought conditions.
 Answer the following questions in detail
Q1-Mention 7 weather hazards.
1-floods, 2- draught, avalanches, 4- thunderstorm, 5- tornadoes,
6- sandstorms, 7 cyclones
Q2-Write 4 causes of the floods.
1-during heavy rains 2-when rivers overflow 3-when snow melts too fast
4-when ocean waves come on shore
Q3-Give an example of an area stricken by a drought caused by human
activities.
Dust Bowl of the USA, the drought lasted for at least eight years from 1926
to 1934.
Q4-Write three reasons of drought in Sahel region.
1- Increase in population 2- decrease in death rates3- lack of rainfall.
Q5-What were the results of the drought in Sahil region was?
1- Animal died 2-vegetation dried 3-people started migrating.
Geo-8 Unit 1- Merciless Weather (Activity-6)
Read the following paragraph and answer the questions given below.
A cyclone killed more than 135, 000 people in military ruled Myanmar. where it flattened at least
two towns on May 4, 2008, at 4:00 PM EDT.
State television which was still off air in Yangon more than 36 hours after Nagris slammed into
the city of 5 million reported 20,000 homes destroyed on one island alone.
Utter warzone, one diplomat said. Trees across all streets. Utility poles down, hospitals
devastated, clean water scarce. In Yangon, many roofs were ripped off even sturdy buildings,
suggesting damage would be severe in the shanty towns that lie on its outskirts. foreign aid
workers, their movements restricted by the ruling military junta, struggle to reach many
impoverished areas to assess the impact.
Although the sun shone on Sunday, the former capital was without power and water, and food
prices had doubled overnight, with many store holders unsure of when they would be able to
replenish stocks. Most shops had sold out of candles. By 1500 GMT 11:00 am Nagris had tracked
northeast into northern Thailand, where it was dumping large amounts of rain but with
dramatically reduced wind speeds.

Q1-give an example of a country stricken by a cyclone.

Myanmar
Q2-when did Myanmar cyclone take place?
In 2008
Q3-how many people were killed in Myanmar cyclone?
More than 135, 000 people were killed.
Q4-what was the name of Myanmar's cyclone?
Nagris
Q5-how devastating was Myanmar's cyclone?
Trees across all streets, utility poles down, hospitals devastated, clean water scarce, roofs of
sturdy buildings were ripped off.
Q6- why did the foreign aid workers struggle to reach many impoverished areas?
Because their movements were restricted by the ruling military junta.
Q7-what effect did the cyclone Nagris have on people's lives in Myanmar?
They had no electricity or water, prices had doubled many store holders did not know when
they could replenish their stocks, most shops had sold out of candles.
Q8-where did the cyclone Nagris go after it had stricken Myanmar?
To the neighboring Thailand
Q9-how was the cyclone Nagris? since Thailand?
It was dumping large amounts of rain, but with dramatically reduced wind speed.
Geo-8 Unit 1- Merciless Weather (Activity-7)

Label the diagram of Cyclone.

 Answer the following questions in detail
Q1- How do sandstorms work?
Ans- Swirling, airborne sand will form a low cloud 50 CM above the grounds,
moving erratically as the particles collide.
Q2- Why is simoom so dangerous?
Ans- Because visibility is reduced to 0, hot erratically charged air becomes filled
with tons of dust that move in thick walls.
Q3- What should a person in a caravan in the desert do when a sandstorm
blows?
Ans- He must stop the caravan and find a nice big camel to curl up behind and
wait it out.
Q4-What are the atmospheric conditions required for the formation of
tornadoes?
Ans- Great thermal instability, high humidity, and the convergence of warm
moist air at low levels with cooler, drier air aloft.
Q5- Describe what happens in a tornado?
Ans-A dark, funnel shaped cloud containing violently rotating air that develops
below a heavy cumulonimbus cloud mass and extends towards the earth.