Question 348
MediumOriginal questionA wave is made by energy passing through water. As the energy passes, it makes the water move round in circles.
The most common waves are made by the wind. As wind blows across the surface of the sea or of a lake, the between the moving air and the water keeps the surface and builds up a crest. Storms such as hurricanes, with their very strong winds and changes in pressure, can create dangerous waves, including the long waves of a storm , which grow as they near the shore.
Other waves have other causes. Earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions under the sea can suddenly push aside huge amounts of water, setting off a tsunami, a series of very long waves. The pull of the Sun's and the Moon's gravity on the Earth creates waves too: the tides. Although people sometimes call tsunamis "tidal waves", the two have nothing to do with each other.
Perhaps the most surprising fact about waves is that the water itself does not travel with them. A wave carries energy, not water, across the ocean, and a wave that meets nothing in its way can cross a whole ocean .
What can set off a tsunami?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
These events "can suddenly push aside huge amounts of water, setting off a tsunami".
Worth noting
The Moon's pull causes tides, which the passage says are unrelated to tsunamis.
- Concept
- Locating a stated cause
- Typical timeTypical
- 35 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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