GCSE Geography 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'desertification'?
- The natural expansion of hot deserts due to climate change
- The process by which fertile land becomes increasingly arid and desert-like (Correct answer)
- The irrigation of desert land to make it fertile
- Wind erosion in cold desert environments
Correct answer: The process by which fertile land becomes increasingly arid and desert-like
Desertification is the degradation of dryland ecosystems due to climate variation and human activities, turning productive land into desert.
Question 2: Which development indicator measures access to education, healthcare, and income together?
- GDP per capita
- Human Development Index (HDI) (Correct answer)
- Gini coefficient
- Birth rate
Correct answer: Human Development Index (HDI)
The Human Development Index (HDI) combines life expectancy, education, and income data to give a composite measure of development.
Question 3: What process formed the Great Rift Valley in East Africa?
- Two continental plates colliding
- A constructive plate boundary where plates pull apart (Correct answer)
- A conservative plate boundary where plates slide past each other
- Volcanic hotspot activity
Correct answer: A constructive plate boundary where plates pull apart
The Great Rift Valley was formed by a constructive (divergent) plate boundary where the African plate is slowly splitting apart.
Question 4: In geography, what does 'relief' refer to?
- Aid given to people after a natural disaster
- The variation in elevation and shape of the land surface (Correct answer)
- The type of rock that makes up the landscape
- The vegetation cover of an area
Correct answer: The variation in elevation and shape of the land surface
In physical geography, relief refers to the differences in elevation across a landscape — its hills, valleys, and plains.
Question 5: What is 'fair trade'?
- A system that eliminates tariffs between trading countries
- A trading partnership that ensures producers in developing countries receive fair prices and better conditions (Correct answer)
- A government scheme to subsidize domestic farmers
- An international agreement to limit agricultural exports
Correct answer: A trading partnership that ensures producers in developing countries receive fair prices and better conditions
Fair trade is a movement that guarantees producers in less developed countries a minimum fair price and improved working and environmental standards.
Question 6: What type of rainfall is caused by warm, moist air being forced to rise over mountains?
- Convectional rainfall
- Frontal rainfall
- Relief (orographic) rainfall (Correct answer)
- Cyclonic rainfall
Correct answer: Relief (orographic) rainfall
Relief (orographic) rainfall occurs when moist air is forced to rise over high ground, cools, and condenses to form clouds and rain.
Question 7: Which ocean current keeps the UK significantly warmer than other places at similar latitudes?
- The Labrador Current
- The Benguela Current
- The North Atlantic Drift (Correct answer)
- The Gulf Stream only
Correct answer: The North Atlantic Drift
The North Atlantic Drift (an extension of the Gulf Stream) carries warm water from the tropics to northwest Europe, moderating the UK's climate.
GCSE Geography 4
What is 'desertification'?