Question 17 - ELAR: Writing Practice Test for the TSIA2

(1) Hurricane. (2) The very name can strike fear in the hearts of those who live in hurricane-prone locations worldwide. (3) Hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, are large storms, often hundreds of miles in size. (4) Hurricanes produce strong winds of 74 mph or more. (5) Hurricanes also bring large amounts of rain. (6) Hurricanes can cause storm surges and strong rip currents in coastal areas. (7) Hurricanes can also lead to tornadoes.

(8) Hurricanes form over the ocean when winds blowing across warm ocean waters cause water to evaporate and rise. (9) As the warm air rises, it begins to cool and condense into water droplets that form cumulonimbus clouds that tower high into the sky. (10) These storm clouds begin to swirl as a result of the wind and the Earth’s rotation, creating the large, generally circular storms we recognize as hurricanes.

(11) Hurricanes have a low pressure area in their center known as the eye. (12) The conditions in the eye of a hurricane are generally calm, but the most dangerous part of the storm lurks just beyond the eye. (13) The eye wall is a ring of thunderstorms around the low pressure eye and this is where the hurricane’s winds are the strongest and the rain the heaviest. (14) Long spiral bands of rain called rain bands extend from the eye, sometimes for hundreds of miles.

(15) Hurricanes can cause a lot of damage when they hit land, but not all hurricanes have the same intensity. (16) Hurricanes are categorized based on their wind speed and the higher the number on a scale from 1-5, the more powerful and potentially destructive the storm. (17) Torrential rains, powerful winds, and storm surges pummel coastlines and push inland until the storm’s power eventually dissipates.