Q 01/05

The Gulf of Mexico is a marginal sea of which ocean?

A) The Atlantic

B) The Pacific

C) The Indian

D) The Southern

Answer · why

A) The Atlantic

The Atlantic reaches the Gulf only through narrow gaps, so little of the ocean's tide gets in: the Gulf's tidal range averages under two feet in most ...

Q 02/05

Which island nation bounds the Gulf of Mexico on its southeast?

A) The Bahamas

B) Haiti

C) Jamaica

D) Cuba

Answer · why

D) Cuba

Cuba closes off the Gulf's southeast side, leaving the sea only two channels in and out, which is why geographers call the basin partly landlocked.

Q 03/05

In the film Forrest Gump, what does Forrest fish for in the Gulf of Mexico from his boat at Bayou La Batre?

A) Oysters

B) Red snapper

C) Shrimp

D) Blue crab

Answer · why

C) Shrimp

Shrimp make Forrest rich only after a hurricane sinks every other boat in the fleet, and the film's storm is a real one: Hurricane Carmen, which cross...

Q 04/05

Water enters the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea through which passage?

A) The Guadeloupe Passage

B) The Yucatán Channel

C) The Cozumel Channel

D) The Anegada Passage

Answer · why

B) The Yucatán Channel

The Yucatán Channel funnels Caribbean water north into the Gulf, where it curls into the Loop Current, the flow that dominates the whole basin.

Q 05/05

Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is a primary factor in severe weather in which famously storm-prone US region?

A) Tornado Alley

B) The Dust Bowl

C) The Snow Belt

D) Hurricane Alley

Answer · why

A) Tornado Alley

Tornado Alley lies where no mountains block moist Gulf air from streaming north while dry air off the Rockies rides over the top, and the clash builds...