Geography 9230 | Paper 1 Mock 01 | Written Paper 1

Fig. 1 shows the edge of an agricultural field beside a small woodland in France. A farmer has planted a strip of native wildflowers between the crop and the wood. The diagram shows ladybirds, aphids on crop plants and a bird feeding in the strip. The farmer hopes to reduce pesticide use while maintaining yields. This study figure can be used to consider biological control in a managed landscape.

(a) Explain how the wildflower strip could help reduce aphid damage to the crop. [2]

On a calm summer day, a diving club surveyed the raised beach shown in Fig. 1. The old beach deposits are now 6 m above present sea level and contain rounded shells. A nearby information board suggests that both changing sea level and uplift of the land could explain this feature. The club wants a clear explanation for visitors.

(a) Which term describes an old shoreline found above the present sea level? [1]
(b) Outline how land uplift can create the feature shown in Fig. 1. [2]
(c) Draw a labelled sketch showing the relative positions of the former sea level and present sea level. [2]

The table below gives results from a coastguard survey after a storm surge at a low-lying settlement. Fig. 1 shows the route of the surge across the beach and through a gap in the dunes. The coastguard measured water depth on the same road at different distances inland. These figures will help decide where evacuation signs should be placed.

(a) Which distance had a water depth of 39 cm? [1]
(b) Draw a line graph of water depth against distance inland. [2]
(c) Outline two reasons why repairing the dune gap could reduce flood risk. [3]

The table below shows ash measurements collected from three farms after an eruption of Sakurajima volcano, Japan. Fig. 1 is a field sketch showing the volcano, plume direction and farms at different distances. Farmers were advised to protect machinery and water supplies when ash was forecast.

(a) Which farm received the thickest ash fall? [1]
(b) Outline one way volcanic ash can affect farming. [1]

Table 1 shows annual measurements from a monitored stretch of cliff beside a hot desert coast. Although rainfall is low, rare intense storms send water over the cliff edge. Fig. 1 shows cracks, a dry gully and a pile of fallen debris at the cliff foot. The study team is assessing whether a footpath should be moved inland.

(a) Which year had the greatest cliff-edge retreat? [1]
(b) Draw arrows on a sketch to show how water entering cracks can trigger a rockfall. [2]
(c) Outline why moving the footpath inland may be safer than leaving it beside the cliff edge. [3]

A local artist painted the cove in Fig. 1 from the cliff path at sunset. The geography class later used the painting as evidence, noting a beach in the sheltered bay and bare rock on the exposed headland. They also recorded that wave crests become closer together near the headland. The class is studying wave refraction.

(a) Which part of the coast in Fig. 1 receives the most concentrated wave energy? [1]
(b) Outline why wave crests bend as they approach shallow water around a headland. [2]
(c) Draw arrows to show where erosion and deposition are most likely to occur. [2]

Fig. 1 shows a simplified hazard map used by a planning team in the city of Padang, Indonesia. The map combines a coastal cross-section with the route of a possible tsunami after a large earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean. Table 1 gives estimates collected during a school fieldwork study of how quickly water could reach different parts of the city. The team must decide where to improve evacuation routes and warning systems.

(a) Outline two pieces of evidence from Fig. 1 and Table 1 which show why the fishing harbour is highly vulnerable to a tsunami. [4]
(b) Explain how an undersea earthquake can generate a tsunami. Use Fig. 1 in your answer. [6]
(c) Draw an annotated plan for a community tsunami-risk strategy for Padang. Your plan should include immediate warning, evacuation and longer-term methods to reduce the impacts of this natural hazard. [10]

Fig. 1 shows an aerial-style sketch of irrigated fields beside the Colorado River in a hot desert area. A farmer has used water from a canal for cotton production. Over several years, white salt has appeared at the edge of some fields, where drainage is poor. The farmer is considering a new drainage ditch.

(a) Which process moves water upwards through soil pores: capillary action, mass movement or saltation? [1]
(b) Outline how irrigation can lead to soil salinisation in this landscape. [2]
(c) Draw a drainage ditch on Fig. 1 in a position that could remove excess water from the fields. [2]

Fig. 1 shows a coastal management meeting in a fishing town. A map on the wall identifies an eroding shingle ridge, a caravan park, salt-marsh habitat and a road. One proposal is to allow controlled flooding of part of the caravan park and create new marsh. Another proposal is to build more defences around every property. The chair asks for a balanced judgement.

(a) Which strategy involves allowing the sea to flood selected low-value land? [1]
(b) Outline one social cost and one environmental benefit of this strategy. [2]
(c) Draw a simple decision diagram showing one reason why the town might choose managed realignment rather than continuous hard defences. [2]

A museum display uses Fig. 1 to compare a young coastline with a more mature coastline. On the left, steep cliffs and a narrow shore platform are shown. On the right, the platform is wider and the cliff has moved inland. Visitors are asked to identify the sequence of changes caused by repeated marine erosion at the base of the cliff.

(a) Which process cuts the platform at the base of the cliff? [1]
(b) Outline why a wave-cut platform becomes wider over many years. [2]
(c) Draw a labelled line to show where the cliff face was likely to have been in the past. [2]

Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through an inselberg, an isolated hill rising above a flat desert plain in central Australia. A class collected rock fragments from the base and observed that sheet-like layers had separated from the exposed granite. Their teacher asks them to relate this landscape to daily heating and cooling.

(a) Which term describes the peeling of outer rock layers caused by temperature changes: exfoliation, deposition or carbonation? [1]
(b) Outline how repeated heating and cooling can produce exfoliation. [2]
(c) Draw one curved line on Fig. 1 to show a layer that could peel away from the granite surface. [1]

Fig. 1 shows part of a field sketch made beside an ephemeral river in the Namib Desert. After a rare storm, water crossed the flat channel floor and left a fan of sediment at the foot of a rocky slope. The study group measured the size of stones at three places. Table 1 shows their results.

(a) Which location in Table 1 has the smallest mean sediment size? [1]
(b) Outline one reason why sediment becomes smaller towards the outer part of the fan. [2]
(c) Draw a labelled arrow on Fig. 1 to show the direction in which water flows from the rocky slope. [1]

Fig. 1 shows a case-study map of a new solar-energy site on the edge of the Sonoran Desert. The plan includes panels, a service road, a dry river channel and an area of fragile vegetation. Engineers must reduce damage to the desert landscape while maintaining access for repairs.

(a) Which feature on Fig. 1 is most likely to carry water only after intense rainfall? [1]
(b) Outline two reasons why solar power is suitable for many hot desert locations. [2]
(c) Draw a route for the service road that avoids both the dry channel and the fragile vegetation area. [2]

A conservation team is comparing two sections of tropical rainforest in Borneo. Fig. 1 is a diagram based on their canopy survey. One section has an unbroken canopy and several vegetation layers. The other has a narrow cleared route for a pipeline, which lets more light and hot, dry air reach the forest floor. The team is considering whether to restore native trees along the route. Use the figure when answering.

(a) Which layer in the intact forest receives the greatest amount of sunlight? [3]
(b) Outline how leaves in the canopy differ from leaves near the forest floor. [4]
(c) Explain why restoring a continuous canopy could increase biodiversity in this tropical forest. [8]

A land manager has mapped a species-rich hedgerow between two cereal fields in central England. Fig. 1 shows the hedge, an old oak, a grassy margin and a gap made when a farm vehicle entered the field. Birds, small mammals and insects were observed moving along the hedge. The manager wants to retain food production while improving connectivity between two nearby woodland fragments. Use Fig. 1 as a study figure.

(a) Explain why filling the gap with native shrubs could increase the survival of woodland species. [3]

Fig. 1 shows a desert road crossing a wadi in Oman. It is dry for most of the year, but local residents reported that it filled rapidly after a storm in the mountains. Table 1 gives rainfall measured at two stations during the same storm. The road engineer is assessing flash-flood risk.

(a) Which station recorded the greater rainfall total? [1]
(b) Outline why the road at the wadi crossing may flood even when little rain falls there. [2]
(c) Draw a warning sign position on Fig. 1 where drivers should stop before entering the channel. [1]

Fig. 1 shows an avalanche-risk cross-section above a ski village in the French Alps. Fresh snow has accumulated on a steep slope above a line of protective fences. The local authority closes a mountain road when the snowpack becomes unstable, because an avalanche could travel through the valley floor.

(a) Which slope shown in Fig. 1 is most likely to release an avalanche? [1]
(b) Outline one purpose of the protective fences. [1]

Fig. 1 shows divers surveying a coral reef beside an island harbour in the Philippines. The sketch shows branching coral, algae, grazing parrotfish and a tourist boat moored above the reef. The divers observed broken coral close to the anchor line and more algae in areas with few fish. Managers are deciding whether boats should use fixed mooring buoys instead of dropping anchors. The figure shows relationships in this warm tropical marine ecosystem.

(a) Outline three ways that fixed mooring buoys could help conserve the reef. [3]

Table 1 shows wind-speed readings collected at five heights above a dune in the Rub' al Khali. Fig. 1 shows the anemometer mast used in the investigation. The team is studying why wind erosion is strongest near particular parts of a desert landscape.

(a) Which height shown has a wind speed of 7.1 m/s? [1]
(b) Outline why wind speed is lower close to the ground. [2]
(c) Draw a labelled scale bar of 1 m beside the mast in Fig. 1. [2]