A cloudy day, or a little sunshine have as great an influence on many constitutions as the most real blessings or misfortunes.

• Joseph Addison, The Spectator, no. 162

Clouds are collections of minute droplets of water or tiny crystals of ice. They are the visible evidence of condensation. They provide some understanding of the present weather and are often harbingers of weather to come. Although clouds occur in an almost infinite variety of shapes and sizes, certain general forms recur commonly. Clouds are classified according to the following two factors: their form, and their altitude. The international classification scheme for clouds recognizes three forms; cirriform, cumuliform, and stratiform. Additionally, the international classification scheme for clouds recognizes four families of clouds on the basis of altitude; high, middle, low, and clouds having vertical development. Your textbook discusses clouds in greater detail in Chapter 6. Certainly, you should refer to this discussion before, during, and after you complete this tutorial.

The cloud quiz has a value of twenty (20) points. It is given visually using the classroom technology. Crib sheets are not allowed! Practice is essential to your success. Memory work is crucial as well. There are ten different cloud names that you are responsible for learning. These will be discussed during lecture, and are covered at length in the textbook. You will be required to identify, by name, the clouds shown to you on the monitors. There will be twenty different images, each worth one point. You will have only a limited amount of time for each image, but you will see each image twice before handing in your answer sheet. This quiz normally takes about 30 minutes to administer, and often, the quiz will be graded by the students during that same class period.