Fig. 1 shows a river cross-section drawn from measurements made at a ford in the Peak District. Table 1 gives the depth readings used by the students. They ...
Question 1 Report
Fig. 1 shows a river cross-section drawn from measurements made at a ford in the Peak District. Table 1 gives the depth readings used by the students. They stretched a tape measure across the channel, recorded depth every 0.5 metres, and then calculated the cross-sectional area. The data are part of a fieldwork enquiry into changes in river discharge downstream.
| Distance across channel (m) | 0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth (m) | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.31 | 0.20 | 0.00 |
(a) State the greatest depth shown in Table 1. [1]
(b) State the instrument that could be used to measure water velocity at this site. [1]
(c) Explain why measurements should be taken at regular intervals across the channel. [2]
(d) Suggest one hazard at a river ford and one control measure. [1]
A geography class is preparing a questionnaire about noise near a new tram line. Fig. 1 shows two possible questions. The enquiry is designed to compare residents' views with decibel readings taken at the same locations. The teacher reminds students that wording can influence responses and that personal details should not be collected unless they are needed for the study.
(a) State which question, A or B, is less biased. [1]
(b) State one reason why question A may produce unreliable opinion data. [1]
Answer Details
River cross-section
- (a) The greatest depth is 0.31 m. [1]
- (b) Water velocity can be measured using a flow meter or current meter. [1]
- (c) Measurements at regular intervals give systematic coverage of the whole channel, rather than concentrating on selected points. This makes the calculated cross-section more accurate and allows results to be compared fairly between sites. [2]
- (d) A hazard is deep or fast-flowing water, slippery rocks, or a strong current. A matching control is not entering deep water, wearing suitable footwear, or working under supervision. [1]
Questionnaire wording
- (a) The question asking respondents to rate tram noise as low, medium or high is less biased because it does not suggest the answer. [1]
- (b) The wording “terribly noisy” is emotive and leading. It assumes that the tram is noisy, so it may influence respondents and make opinion data less reliable. [1]
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