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

Its connections to the open ocean are so narrow that its tides are tiny.

Q 02/05

Which island nation bounds the Gulf on its southeast?

A) The Bahamas

B) Hispaniola

C) Jamaica

D) Cuba

Answer · why

D) Cuba

Its three westernmost provinces, including Havana, have a combined population of about 3.2 million.

Q 03/05

The Gulf connects to the open ocean through which strait?

A) The Straits of Florida

B) The Mona Passage

C) The Old Bahama Channel

D) The Windward Passage

Answer · why

A) The Straits of Florida

The strait is only about 900 metres deep at most, so exchange with the ocean happens in the upper layers.

Q 04/05

Water enters the Gulf 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 current through it can reach 120 centimetres per second and fills the channel to a depth of about 800 metres.

Q 05/05

Moisture from the Gulf 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

Dry air from the Rockies collides with the Gulf moisture to build the supercells that spawn the region's violent twisters.