Lesson 3.1.2.2

3.1.2.2 Hot desert systems and processes Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.2.2, Hot desert systems and processes: 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. Which is the main source of energy driving hot desert systems?

    • Latent heat released by cloud formation over the desert during the cooler months
    • Tidal forces generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon on the land surface
    • Insolation
    • Geothermal heat rising from the mantle through the crust beneath the desert surface

  2. Which weathering process is distinctive to arid environments because of large daily temperature ranges?

    • Hydrolysis in acidic soils, which breaks down feldspar minerals over long periods of wetting
    • Biological weathering by tree roots, which forces fractures open as roots grow in cracks
    • Freeze-thaw action in alpine zones, which splits rock as water freezes in joints each winter
    • Thermal fracture, in which rapid heating and cooling cause rock to crack

  3. Which process describes the removal of fine particles from the surface by the wind?

    • Abrasion, in which wind-blown grains wear down exposed rock faces over long periods
    • Saltation, in which sand grains bounce along the surface in short hops close to the ground
    • Attrition, in which particles collide and become smaller and more rounded during transport
    • Deflation

  4. Which is the correct sequence for the three modes of wind transport from smallest to largest particle size?

    • Saltation, then suspension, then surface creep, with fine dust moved by bouncing grains
    • Suspension, then saltation, then surface creep
    • Surface creep, then saltation, then suspension, with the largest grains carried in suspension
    • Suspension, then surface creep, then saltation, with the coarsest grains carried in the air

  5. Which feature best describes sheet flooding in a desert?

    • Sea water flooding low coastal plains at high tide, which leaves salt deposits across the land
    • Shallow, widespread water flow across a gently sloping surface after a rare storm
    • Slow groundwater seepage from aquifers that feeds lakes and wetlands on the desert floor
    • Deep water confined to a single steep river channel that flows continuously throughout the whole year

  6. What is an endoreic drainage system?

    • A river system that flows directly into the ocean through a single channel at the coastline
    • A system where water drains to an internal basin and does not reach the sea
    • A system where all water is trapped in permanent lakes that never lose water by evaporation
    • A system fed only by melting glaciers from high mountains that surround the desert basin

  7. Which description best matches an ephemeral stream in a hot desert?

    • A channel that flows only briefly after rainfall, often carrying flash floods
    • A channel that flows only at high tide along the coast, reversing its direction each day
    • A channel that flows continuously all year, fed by snowmelt from mountains far upstream
    • A channel that is always dry and never carries any water even after heavy storms

  8. Which process explains the abrasion of rock surfaces by wind-blown sand?

    • The chemical dissolution of rock by rainwater that seeps into cracks and carries away minerals
    • The impact of sand grains carried by saltation, which wears and polishes exposed rock
    • The freezing of water within rock fractures, which forces apart the blocks of the rock
    • The growth of roots that split rock apart as they expand into the joints over many years

  9. Which feature is characteristic of deserts that receive episodic rainfall?

    • Steady base flow through the year from a permanent aquifer that supplies the river channels
    • Continuous glacial meltwater in the summer months from ice fields on the desert mountains
    • Rapid, short-lived runoff that can cause flash flooding and transport of coarse sediment
    • Permanent lakes that lie beneath deep ice, with no seasonal variation in their water level

  10. Why is the sediment budget of a desert basin difficult to balance?

    • Sediment never moves once it has been deposited in desert basins, so its budget is always zero
    • Sediment moves intermittently and is stored in dunes, wadis and alluvial fans, so supply and removal vary greatly
    • Sediment moves continuously at a constant rate across the whole basin throughout the year
    • Sediment is produced only by biological processes in the soil, which are very slow in deserts

  11. Which process is most likely to produce granular disintegration in a granite outcrop?

    • Coastal wave quarrying of a cliff, which removes blocks of rock from the base of the outcrop
    • Solution of limestone in carbonic acid, which dissolves the calcium carbonate in the rock
    • Thermal stress and salt crystallisation that separate individual mineral grains from the rock
    • Abrasion by river gravel during floods, which wears the outcrop down over many seasons

  12. Which statement about aeolian transport is correct?

    • Saltating grains bounce along the surface, and their impact can dislodge other grains into motion
    • Surface creep is the transport of fine clay that is suspended high in the air by turbulence
    • Wind transports sand only in suspension, never close to the surface where it can be seen
    • Saltation occurs only in wet soils with high cohesion that holds grains together strongly

  13. Which of the following is an example of a source of water in a hot desert?

    • Water created by thermal fracture of rock, which releases water trapped within the mineral grains
    • Water produced by local photosynthesis of desert shrubs, which is released into the soil
    • Exogenous water entering from outside the desert, such as rivers from mountains
    • Water generated by deep-seated volcanic gases that rise to the surface of the desert

  14. Which description of the sources of energy in hot deserts is most complete?

    • Only wave energy from distant oceans, which reaches the desert through the coastal plains
    • Only energy from latent heat in clouds, which is released as rain falls on the desert floor
    • Only tidal energy and geothermal heat, which together supply the energy needed for desert landforms
    • Insolation, wind energy and the energy of runoff all drive desert processes

  15. Which process is most important in shaping the surface of desert pavements?

    • Coastal erosion by waves striking cliffs, which removes the fine material from the desert edge
    • Solution of carbonate beds by seepage, which dissolves the stones and leaves a smooth surface
    • Deflation that removes fine material, leaving a surface of coarse stones
    • Deposition of glacial till beneath ice, which buries the surface in coarse debris

  16. What is a desert lag deposit?

    • A layer of coarse material left behind after fine particles have been removed by the wind or water
    • A layer of salt crystals precipitated by evaporating groundwater near the surface
    • A mound of sand deposited behind an obstacle by the wind during a storm
    • A sheet of ice formed on the desert floor during rare cold nights in winter

  17. Which weathering process involves the crystallisation of salts in rock pores as water evaporates?

    • Solution of calcite by carbonic acid in rainwater, which dissolves limestone
    • Salt weathering
    • Hydrolysis of feldspar by acidic rainwater, which alters the mineral structure of the rock
    • Biological weathering by roots growing in joints, which forces the rock apart over time

  18. Exfoliation in a hot desert is best described as:

    • The peeling away of thin curved sheets of rock from a bare surface, often after heating and cooling
    • The splitting of rock by ice wedges that expand in winter cracks in permafrost
    • The dissolution of a limestone surface by rainwater over many years of slow chemical action
    • The breaking of rock by the growth of roots that expand through joints in the bedrock

  19. Which process of wind transport moves sand grains in short bounces close to the ground?

    • Saltation
    • Traction, which is a water process that rolls pebbles along a channel bed
    • Surface creep, which rolls the coarsest grains slowly along the ground
    • Suspension, which carries fine dust high into the air over long distances

  20. Which feature is the usual end-point of water in an endoreic desert basin?

    • The sea, which receives all the water through a permanent channel at the basin edge
    • A dune field, which absorbs the water into the sand and holds it for many years
    • A glacier, which absorbs the water as it freezes into ice at high altitude
    • A playa, where water evaporates and leaves salts and fine sediment

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