Mid-Latitude Cyclones is one of 8 topics in the Grade 12 Geography CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. A mid-latitude cyclone forms where:
Cold polar air meets warmer subtropical air along the polar front
Warm equatorial air meets other warm equatorial air
There is no temperature contrast between air masses
Only over tropical oceans above 26 degrees C
Answer: Cold polar air meets warmer subtropical air along the polar front — Mid-latitude cyclones form along the polar front, where contrasting cold polar and warmer subtropical air masses converge, typically between 30 and 60 degrees south.
Easy
2. In the Southern Hemisphere, wind circulates around a mid-latitude low-pressure centre in which direction?
Clockwise and inward
Anticlockwise and inward
Clockwise and outward
In a straight line only
Answer: Clockwise and inward — In the Southern Hemisphere, the Coriolis force and pressure gradient force combine to make air circulate clockwise and spiral inward toward a low-pressure centre.
Medium
3. What is the name of the upper-atmosphere wind system that provides the divergence needed to sustain and intensify a mid-latitude cyclone at the surface?
Answer: The polar front jet stream — The polar front jet stream in the upper atmosphere provides the upper-level divergence that allows surface pressure to keep falling and the low to intensify.
