North American climate zones and biomes

What you’ll practice

North America packs huge climate variety into one continent, and this quiz helps you connect the patterns to real places. You’ll practice matching climate zones to regions and linking each zone to its typical biome.

Each question has 4 options and there’s no timer, so you can think through maps, latitude bands, and elevation clues. Before you start, choose your question count and difficulty—short runs for quick review, or longer sessions for deeper coverage.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Many mistakes come from mixing up similar cold biomes or assuming climate boundaries follow country borders. Watch for the role of mountains, ocean currents, and rain shadows—these often explain “surprising” biome locations.

• Confusing taiga (boreal forest) with tundra based only on temperature
• Forgetting rain-shadow deserts on the leeward side of mountain ranges
• Overgeneralizing “humid” vs “dry” without considering seasonality
• Mixing Mediterranean climates with true deserts in the Southwest
• Ignoring elevation: highlands can mimic higher-latitude climates

How the difficulty is balanced

Difficulty is mixed on purpose: you’ll see straightforward region-to-biome matches alongside trickier items that test boundaries, transitions, and exceptions. If you want a gentler ramp, start on an easier setting with fewer questions, then increase difficulty or length once you’re consistently accurate.