Total marks: 60 · Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Instructions to candidates
• Answer all questions. • Use black ink or black ball-point pen. • The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. • Where a question asks you to use data, refer to the figures given. • The total number of marks for this paper is 60. • All the data and tables you need are printed within the questions; any diagram referred to is one you are asked to describe or sketch yourself.
Paper
Section A — Structured Questions (44 marks)
1. River landscapes
(a) State what is meant by the discharge of a river. [2]
(b) Explain how a waterfall is formed along the course of a river. [4]
(c) Explain how a river transports material by the processes of traction and suspension. [4]
2. Tectonic hazards
(a) State what is meant by a natural hazard. [2]
(b) Explain why earthquakes often occur at the boundaries between tectonic plates. [4]
(c) The table shows information about two earthquakes of similar magnitude.
| Earthquake X (a low-income country) | Earthquake Y (a high-income country) | |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 90,000 | 150 |
| Buildings destroyed (%) | 60 | 5 |
Using the table, explain why the effects of an earthquake of similar magnitude can be so different in a low-income country compared with a high-income country. [4]
3. Ecosystems
(a) State what is meant by an ecosystem. [2]
(b) Explain how the plants and animals of a tropical rainforest are adapted to the conditions there. Give two adaptations. [4]
(c) Explain two ways in which the clearing of tropical rainforests (deforestation) can have harmful effects, both locally and globally. [6]
4. Weather and climate
(a) State the difference between weather and climate. [2]
(b) Explain two natural factors that can affect the climate of a place. [4]
(c) Explain two ways in which human activity may be contributing to changes in the global climate, and describe one possible consequence of climate change. [6]
Section B — Extended Response (16 marks)
5. "Natural hazards such as earthquakes and floods are becoming more damaging."
Discuss the reasons why the impact of natural hazards may be increasing, and how their effects can be reduced. In your answer you should refer to both human and physical factors and to ways of managing hazards. [16]