Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Weather and Climate II: Seasonal Differences ~ Item CL063002 ~ Student Performance

Student 1 and Student 2 live in different places that are the same distance from the equator. Each student calculated the air temperature range where she lives by finding the difference between the average temperature in January and in August.

	January Temperature (°F)	August Temperature (°F)	Temperature Range (°F)
Student 1	30°	80°	50°
Student 2	52°	62°	10°

Could the difference in the temperature ranges at the two places be explained by one student living closer to an ocean than the other student?

Yes, the temperature range is usually smaller the closer a place is to an ocean.
Yes, the temperature range is usually larger the closer a place is to an ocean.
No, being closer to an ocean can make the air warmer or colder than it would otherwise be, but being closer to an ocean does not affect the temperature range.
No, how close a place is to an ocean does not have any effect on air temperature, so it cannot affect the temperature range.

Distribution of responses
Answer Choice		Overall	Grades		Gender		Primary Language
		n = 2226	6–8 n = 1173	9–12 n = 1042	Male n = 1079	Female n = 1072	English n = 1856	Other n = 251
A.	Yes, the temperature range is usually smaller the closer a place is to an ocean.	28%	27%	28%	27%	29%	28%	27%
B.	Yes, the temperature range is usually larger the closer a place is to an ocean.	31%	30%	33%	29%	34%	32%	31%
C.	No, being closer to an ocean can make the air warmer or colder than it would otherwise be, but being closer to an ocean does not affect the temperature range.	26%	26%	25%	27%	24%	25%	24%
D.	No, how close a place is to an ocean does not have any effect on air temperature, so it cannot affect the temperature range.	15%	16%	14%	17%	13%	15%	18%

Science Assessment

Item CL063002: The air temperature range is usually smaller the closer a place is to an ocean.