O-Level Geography 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the definition of a 'population pyramid'?
- A graph showing economic growth
- A bar graph showing the age and sex distribution of a population (Correct answer)
- A map of densely populated areas
- A diagram of city structures
Correct answer: A bar graph showing the age and sex distribution of a population
A population pyramid is a bar chart showing the distribution of a population by age groups and sex (male/female), useful for analysing demographic trends.
Question 2: What causes the urban heat island effect?
- Increased rainfall in cities
- Higher temperatures in urban areas due to human activity and lack of vegetation (Correct answer)
- Lower humidity in rural areas
- Pollution from factories only
Correct answer: Higher temperatures in urban areas due to human activity and lack of vegetation
The urban heat island effect occurs because cities absorb and retain more heat than rural areas due to concrete, asphalt, reduced vegetation, and waste heat from human activities.
Question 3: Which type of weathering involves the physical breakdown of rocks without chemical change?
- Chemical weathering
- Biological weathering
- Mechanical/physical weathering (Correct answer)
- Carbonation
Correct answer: Mechanical/physical weathering
Mechanical (physical) weathering is the breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces without any change in chemical composition, e.g., freeze-thaw action.
Question 4: What is the 'greenhouse effect'?
- Growing plants in glass buildings
- The trapping of heat in the Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases (Correct answer)
- The cooling of the atmosphere by clouds
- Pollution from factories
Correct answer: The trapping of heat in the Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases
The greenhouse effect is the process by which greenhouse gases (CO₂, methane, water vapour) trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet.
Question 5: What is the term for the seasonal migration of people between different areas?
- Urbanisation
- Emigration
- Transhumance (Correct answer)
- Rural-urban migration
Correct answer: Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between different pasture areas, typically between lowlands in winter and highlands in summer.
Question 6: What is a watershed?
- An area prone to flooding
- The area of land that drains into a river or body of water (Correct answer)
- A type of dam
- A coastal landform
Correct answer: The area of land that drains into a river or body of water
A watershed (or drainage basin/catchment area) is the area of land from which all water drains into a particular river system or body of water.
O-Level Geography 1
What is the definition of a 'population pyramid'?