Lesson 3.1.3.3

3.1.3.3 Coastal landscape development Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.3.3, Coastal landscape development: 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 feature is formed by wave erosion at the foot of a cliff and is a flat platform exposed at low tide?

    • A wave-cut platform
    • A barrier beach, which is a long ridge of sand or shingle that encloses a lagoon behind it
    • A tombolo, which is a ridge of sediment that joins an offshore island to the mainland
    • A raised beach, which is an old beach uplifted above the present level of high tide

  2. Which cliff feature is formed where waves erode a joint or weakness into a cave that later becomes an arch?

    • A tombolo connecting an island to the mainland, which is built by deposition in calm water
    • An arch formed by wave erosion through a headland
    • A stack formed by deposition on a beach, which builds an isolated mass of sand or shingle
    • A spit formed by longshore drift, which extends a ridge of sand from the coast into the sea

  3. What is a stack in coastal geomorphology?

    • A ridge of shingle built by longshore drift, which lies parallel to the shore behind the beach
    • An isolated pillar of rock left after the collapse of an arch
    • A flat platform of rock exposed at low tide, which is cut by waves at the foot of the cliff
    • A sandbar that forms in a river estuary, which is built by the deposition of fine sediment

  4. Which depositional landform is a narrow ridge of sand or shingle projecting from the coast, attached at one end?

    • A stack, which is an isolated pillar of rock left behind by the collapse of an arch
    • A tombolo, which is a ridge that joins an offshore island to the mainland at both ends
    • A wave-cut platform, which is a flat rock surface cut at the foot of a cliff by wave action
    • A spit

  5. What is a tombolo?

    • A ridge of sediment that connects an island or stack to the mainland
    • A dune formed entirely by wind action on a beach, which builds up behind the high-tide line
    • A cave formed by hydraulic action in a cliff, which is enlarged by the force of compressed air
    • A coastal platform exposed at low tide, which is cut by waves at the foot of the cliff

  6. Which feature is a sand or shingle ridge built parallel to the shore, offshore from the beach?

    • A stack, which is an isolated pillar of rock left behind after the collapse of an arch
    • A ria, which is a drowned river valley flooded by a rise in sea level along the coast
    • A wave-cut notch, which is a small recess cut into the base of a cliff by wave action
    • An offshore bar

  7. Which coastal landform is typically associated with a barrier beach?

    • A lagoon behind the barrier, separated from the sea
    • A ria formed by river valley submergence, which is a long inlet with a branching shape
    • A fjord cut by glacial ice, which is a deep U-shaped inlet flooded by the sea
    • A raised beach above the reach of present waves, which is left behind by a fall in sea level

  8. Which feature is a sand dune typically found behind a beach?

    • A coastal dune formed by wind transport of beach sand inland
    • A tombolo formed by longshore drift, which connects an island to the mainland by a ridge of sand
    • A stack formed by collapse of an arch, which is left standing offshore as an isolated pillar
    • A cave formed by wave erosion, which is cut into the base of the cliff by the sea

  9. Which estuarine landscape is typically found in sheltered, low-energy coastal settings?

    • Mudflats and saltmarsh that accumulate fine sediment
    • Stacks and wave-cut platforms in exposed headlands, which are cut by strong waves from the ocean
    • Glacial troughs carved by ice, which form U-shaped valleys in mountain areas
    • Caves and arches on high-energy cliffs, which are formed by hydraulic action at the headland

  10. What is the main effect of eustatic sea-level change?

    • A change in the salinity of groundwater far inland, caused by the intrusion of seawater into aquifers
    • A global change in the volume of water in the oceans, affecting coasts worldwide
    • A local rise of land caused by tectonic uplift only, which affects a single stretch of coastline
    • A change in the colour of seawater near river mouths, caused by sediment carried from the land

  11. Which process causes isostatic sea-level change?

    • Erosion of cliffs along a beach, which removes material and lowers the coastline
    • Deposition of longshore drift along a spit, which adds sediment to the coastline over time
    • Melting of a glacier that increases the total volume of water in the world's oceans
    • The rising or sinking of land as the crust adjusts to loading or unloading of ice

  12. Which feature is characteristic of a coastline of submergence?

    • A raised beach above present sea level, which is left behind by a fall in the level of the sea
    • A glacial trough with a hanging valley, which is carved by ice in a mountain landscape
    • A marine platform exposed by falling sea level, which is now above the reach of the waves
    • A ria, with a drowned river valley flooded by rising sea level

  13. Which feature is characteristic of a coastline of emergence?

    • A fjord that is flooded by the sea, which forms a deep glaciated inlet along the coast
    • A Dalmatian coast with drowned ridges, which forms elongated islands parallel to the shore
    • A ria with a drowned valley, which is a long inlet flooded by the rising sea level
    • A raised beach uplifted above the present-day high-tide line

  14. A raised beach is found 10 metres above the present high-tide line. Which conclusion is most likely?

    • The coast has submerged, drowning the former beach beneath the water of the sea
    • The coast has emerged, either through falling sea level or land uplift
    • The beach is a tombolo connected to an island, which has been raised by longshore drift
    • The beach was formed by a recent storm surge only, which deposited material high up the shore

  15. Which feature is characteristic of a Dalmatian coast?

    • Raised beaches uplifted above the tideline, which are left by a fall in the level of the sea
    • Stacks formed by the collapse of arches, which stand offshore as isolated pillars of rock
    • Glacial hanging valleys cut into mountains, which are steep tributary valleys above a main trough
    • Elongated islands and ridges running parallel to the coast, formed by submergence of ridges

  16. Which contrast best describes the difference between eustatic and tectonic sea-level changes?

    • Eustatic change is local, while tectonic change always affects the whole ocean at the same time
    • Eustatic change is a global change in ocean volume, while tectonic change is a local change caused by crustal movement
    • Tectonic change only occurs in deserts, where the crust is most active and moves the land
    • Both are changes in ocean salinity, which differ only in the rate at which they occur

  17. What is a marine platform?

    • A raised beach built by deposition after storms, which lies above the reach of present waves
    • A cave formed by the collapse of an arch, which is a hollow cut into the base of a stack
    • An offshore bar built by longshore drift, which is a submerged ridge of sand near the coast
    • A gently sloping rock surface at the foot of a cliff, cut by wave erosion

  18. Which factor is important in the development of a cliff profile with caves, arches and stacks?

    • Uniform rock strength across the entire headland, which spreads the wave attack evenly over the cliff
    • Differences in rock resistance and joint patterns that concentrate wave attack
    • A lack of jointing and bedding planes in the rock, which prevents any weak points from forming
    • Absence of waves and presence of only wind action, which reduces the erosion of the rock base

  19. Which is the most plausible reason for the development of a spit at a coastal headland?

    • Upward movement of the seabed by volcanic activity, which raises a ridge above the sea
    • Sub-aerial weathering that breaks the cliff into sand, which is then blown into a ridge by wind
    • Longshore drift transports sediment past the headland, and deposition occurs where wave energy drops
    • Glacial deposition at the headland tip, which leaves a ridge of till where the ice retreated

  20. Which statement about recent and predicted climatic change is most accurate for coasts?

    • Sea levels will fall, reducing erosion everywhere along the coast over the coming century
    • Coasts will become permanently stable with no change in sediment, because the sea will stop moving
    • Rising sea levels and stronger storms may increase coastal erosion and flood risk
    • Climate change has no effect on coastal erosion or deposition, which depend only on local geology

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