Lesson 3.1.3.2

3.1.3.2 Coastal systems and processes Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 3.1.3.2, Coastal systems and processes: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Geography (7037), Unit 1: Physical geography, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. Which process is an example of marine erosion by the sudden compression and release of air in cracks in a cliff?

    • Attrition, which makes sediment particles smaller and more rounded as they collide
    • Saltation, which moves sand grains in short bounces close to the bed of the beach
    • Solution, which dissolves soluble minerals in the rock by chemical reaction with seawater
    • Hydraulic action

  2. Which marine process involves the breaking down of rock by waves carrying rock fragments that scrape the surface?

    • Transportation by suspension, which carries fine particles in the water column offshore
    • Hydraulic action, which uses the force of air and water compressed into cracks in the rock
    • Corrasion or abrasion
    • Deposition, which lays down sediment on the beach when wave energy is low

  3. Which process describes rounding and reduction in size of pebbles as they collide during transport?

    • Solution, which dissolves soluble minerals as the pebbles are carried along the shore
    • Cavitation, which produces shock waves when bubbles collapse violently against the rock surface
    • Hydraulic action, which uses the force of compressed air and water to break apart joints
    • Attrition

  4. What is cavitation in coastal erosion?

    • The growth of salt crystals on exposed cliff surfaces, which breaks the rock apart over time
    • The chemical dissolution of limestone by seawater, which removes minerals from the rock surface
    • The removal of sand by wind before waves reach the shore, which lowers the level of the beach
    • The formation and collapse of bubbles in water that generate shock waves which damage rock

  5. Which process dissolves soluble minerals such as calcium carbonate in seawater?

    • Wave quarrying, which removes loose blocks of rock from the cliff by the force of the waves
    • Traction, which rolls the largest particles along the bed of the sea floor
    • Solution
    • Hydraulic action, which compresses air and water into the joints of the cliff face

  6. Which form of transport moves large, heavy particles by rolling them along the seabed?

    • Traction
    • Solution, which carries dissolved minerals invisibly in the water as ions
    • Suspension, which carries fine particles within the water column without touching the bed
    • Saltation only, which bounces sand grains in short hops close to the surface of the bed

  7. What is longshore drift?

    • The movement of beach material along the coast by waves approaching at an oblique angle
    • The deposition of sediment on a beach by storm surges that raise the level of the sea
    • The erosion of cliffs by repeated hydraulic action from waves that strike the base each day
    • The movement of sand offshore by deep ocean currents that flow away from the coastline

  8. Which process best describes sub-aerial weathering of a coastal cliff?

    • Longshore drift along the coastline, which moves beach material away from the cliff base
    • Cavitation within the sea beneath the cliff, which collapses bubbles against the base of the rock
    • Freeze-thaw and salt weathering that break rock fragments from the cliff face
    • Deposition of sand on a beach, which builds up material at the foot of the cliff

  9. Which statement about sediment transport by suspension is correct?

    • Suspension never moves material on a coast, because all the sediment is carried along the bed
    • Suspension transports material only on sheltered mudflats where the water is very still
    • Large boulders are carried suspended in the water column by the force of strong waves
    • Fine particles such as clay and silt are carried within the water column

  10. Which marine process is most effective at removing material from a rocky platform after a storm?

    • Wave quarrying, which removes loose blocks by hydraulic action and pressure
    • Deposition of sand, which builds up material on the platform when the waves become weaker
    • Longshore drift of sand along a beach, which carries material away from the platform itself
    • Accretion of mud in a salt marsh, which adds sediment to low ground behind the platform

  11. Which characteristic distinguishes high-energy coasts from low-energy coasts?

    • High-energy coasts never erode, while low-energy coasts always erode faster than they deposit
    • High-energy coasts are always sandy, while low-energy coasts are always made of solid rock
    • High-energy coasts have strong waves that promote erosion, while low-energy coasts have weak waves that favour deposition
    • High-energy coasts have no tides, while low-energy coasts have very large tidal ranges that move water

  12. Which factor would tend to increase wave energy reaching a coast?

    • A sheltered bay with a narrow entrance that restricts the entry of waves from the open sea
    • A longer fetch of open water over which strong winds can blow
    • An offshore reef that breaks waves before they arrive at the beach and reduces their power
    • A lagoon sheltered by a barrier beach, which absorbs most of the energy of the waves

  13. Which combination of processes best describes subaerial and marine action on a cliff base?

    • Mass movement removes debris that waves can never transport, so the cliff base accumulates it
    • Waves deposit debris on the cliff top only, where it is protected from further erosion
    • Cliff bases are unaffected by either process, because the rock is too hard to be worked
    • Mass movement from the cliff face delivers debris that waves then erode and transport

  14. Which process is involved in deposition at a coast where waves lose energy?

    • Sediment settles from suspension and accumulates as a beach or mudflat
    • Sediment is dissolved completely in the seawater, leaving no deposit on the shore
    • Sediment is picked up and carried away by high waves that scour the beach surface
    • Sediment is removed by hydraulic action from the cliff face and carried away from the coast

  15. Why is a coastal cell useful in sediment budget analysis?

    • It defines a bounded area where sediment inputs and outputs can be measured and compared
    • It identifies the colour of beach sand, which is used to classify the type of coastline
    • It shows the depth of the sea at all points along the coast, which is needed for navigation
    • It is used only to measure the height of the tide at a single point on the shoreline

  16. A coastline is retreating because cliff erosion removes material faster than it is redeposited. Which conclusion is correct?

    • The coast has a positive sediment budget, with gains exceeding losses and the beach growing
    • The coast has no sediment budget because there is no sediment at all in the system
    • The coast has a negative sediment budget, with losses exceeding gains
    • The coast is in perfect balance with no change, since erosion and deposition are equal

  17. Which description of a sediment budget is most accurate?

    • It balances inputs such as cliff erosion and longshore drift against outputs such as offshore loss and stores such as beaches
    • It measures the depth of water at a single point on the sea floor offshore from the beach
    • It records the tidal range over a single lunar cycle at one fixed point along the coast
    • It counts only the number of waves per day that reach a particular section of the shoreline

  18. Which process is most important in transporting material in suspension across an estuary?

    • Turbulent flow carrying fine particles in the water column
    • Solution of limestone in the tidal channel, which dissolves the rock of the estuary bed
    • Rolling of boulders along the bed by traction, which moves the largest particles slowly
    • Sub-aerial weathering on the mudflat surface, which breaks the mud into finer particles

  19. Which factor helps explain why some coastal rock is more susceptible to marine erosion than other rock?

    • Greater density that prevents any joint formation in the rock, so the waves have nothing to exploit
    • A hard structure that is not affected by any process, so the rock surface remains unchanged
    • Higher porosity that absorbs wave energy completely, so that the rock surface is never damaged
    • Lower resistance, with more joints and bedding planes that allow hydraulic action to exploit weaknesses

  20. Which description of sub-aerial processes on a rock cliff is most accurate?

    • Rock is weakened and broken by weathering and then removed by mass movement and runoff
    • Rock is unaffected by sub-aerial processes because waves are the only agent that acts on a cliff
    • Rock is removed only by longshore drift along the base of the cliff, which carries the debris away
    • Rock is strengthened by weathering and is never removed by mass movement from the cliff face

All AQA Geography quizzes