Lesson 3.1.1.1

3.1.1.1 Water and carbon cycles as natural systems Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.1.1, Water and carbon cycles as natural systems: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Geography (7037), Unit 1: Physical geography, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. In a systems model, what is a store (component)?

    • An external input that enters the system across its boundary from the surroundings
    • A feedback loop that amplifies any change occurring within the system over time
    • A flow that transfers matter between two locations within the system, linking stores together
    • A compartment in which matter or energy is held for a period of time

  2. What does dynamic equilibrium describe in a physical geography system?

    • Inputs and outputs balance over time while stores fluctuate around stable average values
    • All stores hold exactly equal quantities of matter permanently, with no flows between them
    • Energy input always exceeds energy output, so the system grows continuously over time
    • The system has no inputs or outputs, so its stores and flows never change at all

  3. Which statement correctly defines a closed system?

    • Energy can cross the boundary but matter cannot
    • Neither matter nor energy can cross the boundary, so the system is fully isolated from its surroundings
    • Matter can cross the boundary but energy cannot, so heat is trapped inside the system
    • Matter and energy can both cross the boundary freely in either direction at any time

  4. Negative feedback in a system is best described as:

    • A change that is damped, pushing the system back towards its equilibrium state
    • A flow that operates only when outputs exceed inputs, removing surplus matter from stores
    • A store that permanently removes matter from the system and prevents any later return to balance
    • A change that is amplified, pushing the system further away from its original state

  5. Which example is an instance of positive feedback in the climate system?

    • Sediment deposited on a beach reduces the wave energy reaching a cliff, protecting its base
    • Ice-albedo feedback: melting exposes darker surfaces that absorb more solar energy and melt faster
    • Increased evaporation cools the surface, which then reduces the rate of further evaporation
    • Rising river discharge increases channel storage, which then dampens the size of flood peaks

  6. Which of these is an example of an open system?

    • An isolated lake in which there are no inflows or outflows of any kind at all
    • A glass tube through which neither matter nor energy can pass in either direction
    • A sealed flask of water in which no matter or energy is exchanged across its walls
    • A drainage basin with precipitation as input and river discharge as output

  7. In a systems diagram, what is a flow or transfer?

    • The measured ratio of total outputs to total inputs calculated over one full year
    • The movement of matter or energy between stores or components
    • The quantity held within a store at a single point in time, shown as a fixed box
    • The boundary that separates the system from its surrounding environment and its inputs

  8. A store receives inputs of 35 units per year and loses 15 units per year through outputs. What is the net change in the store per year?

    • 50 units per year increase, because inputs and outputs are added together to find the total
    • 20 units per year decrease, because the outputs always exceed the inputs in a store
    • 15 units per year increase, because outputs are subtracted from the inputs once only
    • 20 units per year increase

  9. A store of 400 units has inputs of 60 units per day and outputs of 60 units per day, with no other flows. Which description is correct?

    • The store is in steady state, held at 400 units
    • The store grows steadily by 60 units every day because the inputs are larger than zero
    • The store shrinks by 60 units every day because each day its outputs remove stored matter
    • The store is losing energy while gaining matter, so its size changes in a complicated way

  10. Which term describes water held temporarily in a river channel as a store within a drainage basin system?

    • Infiltration capacity, which is the maximum rate at which the soil surface can absorb water
    • Channel storage
    • Stemflow storage held on the bark of trees before it reaches the soil
    • Interception storage held on the leaves and branches of trees in the basin

  11. Which feature of a system is most directly responsible for returning a disturbed system towards its equilibrium state?

    • Positive feedback, which amplifies the departure from equilibrium and pushes the system further
    • Negative feedback
    • A store with unlimited capacity, which absorbs every change without ever returning
    • A closed boundary that prevents any exchange of matter or energy with the surroundings

  12. A lake receives 120 m3 of water per day from inflow, loses 80 m3 per day through outflow and 30 m3 per day through evaporation. What is the daily change in storage?

    • +30 m3 per day, because evaporation is the only output that changes the lake's storage
    • +10 m3 per day
    • +70 m3 per day, because the outflow of 80 m3 is subtracted from the total inflow only
    • -10 m3 per day, because the total outputs of 110 m3 are more than the inflow of 100 m3

  13. A glacier loses more mass through ablation than it gains through accumulation over a decade. Which description is correct?

    • The glacier has a positive mass balance, so it is advancing down its valley over time
    • The glacier has a negative mass balance, with outputs exceeding inputs
    • The glacier is in dynamic equilibrium because its inputs and outputs are equal on average
    • The glacier is a closed system with no energy transfer, so its mass cannot change at all

  14. Which of the following is an input to a physical geography system?

    • Stream discharge measured at a river mouth as water leaves the drainage basin
    • Evapotranspiration released from the leaves of vegetation into the surrounding atmosphere
    • Sediment deposited on a beach by waves that have lost energy as they approach the shore
    • Insolation received from the Sun

  15. An ice sheet gains 5 km3 of ice per year through accumulation while melting removes 2 km3 per year. What is the net annual change in ice volume?

    • +2.5 km3 per year, because the net change is the average of accumulation and melting
    • +3 km3 per year
    • +7 km3 per year, because accumulation and melting are both added to the total volume
    • -3 km3 per year, because melting removes more ice than the total accumulation adds

  16. A system receives a sudden increase in energy input. Negative feedback is most likely to result in:

    • Permanent loss of matter from the closed system, with no return to previous values
    • A reduction in the magnitude of change, moving stores back towards their previous state
    • The system's stores moving further from their original state with each passing season
    • The change being amplified until the system reaches a new and more extreme state

  17. Which statement best explains why a physical geography system can show dynamic rather than static equilibrium?

    • Its stores never change in size and its flows stop completely, so the system is frozen in place
    • Inputs and outputs are balanced, but flows and store sizes continually adjust around average values
    • It is sealed from the external environment and receives no energy, so nothing ever moves
    • Its inputs always exceed its outputs, so the system grows continuously with no end point

  18. Which example correctly identifies a positive feedback loop and its effect?

    • Warmer air holds more water vapour, which strengthens the greenhouse effect and warms the air further
    • Snowfall adds to the snowpack, raising albedo, which then reduces the rate of melting
    • Rising temperatures increase evaporation, which cools the surface and so reduces evaporation
    • Vegetation cover increases, reducing runoff and soil erosion, which then stabilises the slope

  19. A drainage basin's outputs exceed its inputs and its stores are decreasing. Which conclusion is correct?

    • The system has reached dynamic equilibrium, with flows balancing across the whole basin
    • The system is losing matter and its stores are being depleted
    • The system is a closed system with no exchange of matter, so the stores cannot change
    • The system is gaining energy from its boundary, so its stores are being replenished

  20. Which factor makes it difficult to assign a single fixed equilibrium point to a physical geography system?

    • Multiple feedback loops and time-varying inputs such as seasonal changes in insolation
    • Stores that have a fixed size by definition, so no feedback can ever operate
    • A complete lack of inputs and outputs, so that every store remains constant in size
    • Complete isolation from any source of energy, so nothing in the system can respond

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