GCSE Coastal Landscapes 2

Question 1

What hard engineering technique places large boulders at the foot of a cliff to absorb and reduce wave energy?

Accepted Answer

Rock armour (rip-rap)

Answer

Rock armour, also called rip-rap, uses large boulders piled at the base of cliffs or sea walls to absorb wave energy.

Question 2

What soft engineering strategy involves adding large quantities of sand or shingle to widen a beach?

Accepted Answer

Beach nourishment

Answer

Beach nourishment replaces eroded sediment, widening the beach so it better absorbs wave energy.

Question 3

What hard engineering structure is built out into the sea, perpendicular to the coast, to trap sediment moved by longshore drift?

Accepted Answer

A groyne

Answer

Groynes are wooden or rock barriers built across a beach to trap sediment and widen the beach on the updrift side.

Question 4

What coastal management approach involves allowing an area to flood or erode naturally rather than building defences?

Accepted Answer

Managed retreat

Answer

Managed retreat is a planned decision to let the sea reclaim land, often creating new habitats like salt marshes.

Question 5

What soft engineering method involves planting marram grass to help stabilise coastal sand dunes?

Accepted Answer

Dune regeneration

Answer

Dune regeneration uses planted vegetation, such as marram grass, to bind sand together and stabilise dunes.

GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education Practice Test