Lesson 3.1.4.6

3.1.4.6 Glacial systems: quantitative and qualitative skills Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.4.6, Glacial systems: quantitative and qualitative skills: 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. A glacier's surface velocity is measured as 80 m per year. What is its velocity in metres per day, to the nearest tenth?

    • 8.0 m per day, which is obtained by dividing the annual figure by ten rather than by 365
    • 0.2 m per day
    • 2.0 m per day, which is obtained by dividing 80 by 40 rather than by the 365 days
    • 0.02 m per day, which is obtained by dividing the annual figure by a factor of one thousand

  2. A glacier's accumulation is 1.8 m water equivalent and its ablation is 2.5 m water equivalent. What is the net mass balance?

    • +0.7 m water equivalent, which is the same size of answer with the sign reversed
    • -0.7 m water equivalent
    • -4.3 m water equivalent, which is obtained by subtracting the accumulation from the total of both
    • +4.3 m water equivalent, which is obtained by adding the accumulation and the ablation together

  3. A survey measures 25 clast sizes from a moraine. Which statistic best describes the typical clast size if the distribution is skewed by a few boulders?

    • The range from smallest to largest clast, which describes the full extent of the sizes measured
    • The total of all clast sizes, which gives the combined volume of the debris in the sample
    • The mean clast size, which is not affected by skew because it uses every value equally in the sum
    • The median clast size

  4. Spearman's rank correlation between distance from the glacier snout and clast roundness gives rs = -0.64. Which interpretation is most appropriate?

    • A moderate to strong negative association, with clasts tending to be rounder closer to the snout
    • No association between the two variables, since a rank coefficient cannot be negative
    • A perfect linear relationship with a slope of -0.64 between distance and roundness
    • A weak positive association, with clasts becoming more angular as they lie nearer to the snout

  5. Which map is most useful for showing the change in a glacier's terminus over several decades?

    • A single soil map of the valley floor, which shows the distribution of soil types at one time
    • Dated maps or satellite images overlaid to measure the terminus position at each date
    • A map of tourist facilities near the glacier only, which shows the infrastructure of the area
    • A map of population density in the nearest city, which shows the number of residents at one date

  6. A chi-squared test is used to compare counts of landform types on either side of a valley. What is its key requirement?

    • Data must be continuous and normally distributed, with a mean and standard deviation that can be calculated
    • Data must be ranked from smallest to largest, with each rank used as the value in the test
    • Counts must be independent observations of categories, with expected frequencies large enough to be reliable
    • Data must consist of a single observation only, so that no comparison between categories is made

  7. Which field measurement would best describe the rate of frost shattering at a site?

    • The height of the nearest summit above sea level, which is fixed and does not change over time
    • The number of visitors who walk past the site, which indicates how often people see the rocks
    • Repeated counts of fallen rock fragments collected from a fixed area over a season
    • The colour of the rock surface on a single day, which indicates the degree of weathering at the site

  8. A glacier retreats 35 m per year for 12 years. What is the total retreat?

    • 420 m
    • 47 m, which is obtained by adding the annual retreat of 35 m to the 12 years
    • 4,200 m, which is obtained by multiplying the annual retreat by 120 instead of by 12
    • 35 m, which is the retreat in a single year and not the total over the twelve years

  9. Which sampling approach is most appropriate for measuring periglacial features across a slope?

    • Systematic sampling along transects running from the summit to the valley floor
    • Sampling only the most visible features at the foot of the slope, where they are easiest to measure
    • Sampling only during a single warm afternoon, when the field team is most comfortable
    • Sampling only on the north-facing slope, which is the most convenient aspect to survey

  10. Which measure is most suitable for summarising the spread of erratic boulder sizes around a valley?

    • The interquartile range
    • The colour of the boulders, which describes their lithology and not the size of each boulder
    • The average distance from the valley head only, which describes location and not the size of the boulders
    • The number of boulders counted, which describes the sample size and not the spread of sizes

  11. Which conclusion from field data best supports the idea that a glacier was once larger?

    • The presence of lateral moraines and erratics high above the present valley floor
    • The presence of present-day snow on the glacier surface, which shows the glacier is still active
    • The existence of a river flowing from the snout, which shows the meltwater supply is strong
    • The colour of the glacier's surface ice in summer, which reflects the amount of debris on the ice

  12. Which data display best shows the relationship between clast size and distance from the glacier's margin?

    • A map of the valley's land use with no measurements, which shows the activities in the area
    • A scatter graph of clast size against distance from the margin with a best-fit line
    • A table listing the names of the clasts without values, which records only their identity
    • A pie chart of clast colours, which shows the proportion of each colour in the sample

  13. Why should a glacial field study use repeated measurements over several seasons?

    • To distinguish a consistent trend from variation caused by a single unusual year
    • To avoid collecting any data at all, which reduces the time spent in the field
    • To ensure that all measurements are identical, so that no variation appears in the results
    • To reduce the number of measurements taken each year, which lowers the cost of the study

  14. Which error is most likely in a glacial field study where all measurements are taken on the same warm day?

    • Random error that averages out when the results are combined from all of the sampling days
    • Systematic error caused only by rounding, which affects the final figures in the table
    • Sampling bias, because the conditions may not represent the glacier's typical state over the year
    • Error caused by the colour of the measuring tape, which affects the visibility of the markings

  15. A glacier moves 0.15 m per day on average. How far does it move in a 30-day month?

    • 0.5 m, which is obtained by dividing the daily rate by thirty
    • 0.045 m, which is obtained by dividing the daily rate by ten
    • 4.5 m
    • 45 m, which is obtained by multiplying the daily rate by 300

  16. In a survey, 50 clasts were recorded and 30 were striated. What percentage were striated?

    • 50 per cent, which is the total number of clasts recorded in the survey
    • 60 per cent
    • 30 per cent, which is obtained by taking the striated count as a percentage of one hundred
    • 167 per cent, which is obtained by dividing the total number of clasts by the striated count

  17. Which measure best shows the spread of a sample of ice-thickness readings that include a few extreme values?

    • The mean, which gives a value that is pulled towards the extreme readings in the sample
    • The interquartile range
    • The total of all readings, which sums the thicknesses without describing their spread
    • The number of readings, which describes only the size of the sample taken

  18. What is the purpose of a null hypothesis in a glacial field test?

    • It is a description of the data collection method used in the field survey and its equipment
    • It states the expected result that the researcher hopes to find in the field data collected
    • It states that there is no difference or relationship, and the test evaluates whether the data reject it
    • It is the conclusion that the glacier is advancing, which the test is designed to confirm

  19. A moraine ridge is 1.5 km long, 40 m wide and 12 m high. What is its approximate volume if treated as a rectangular block?

    • 720,000 m3
    • 7,200 m3, which is obtained by dividing the length by the height of the ridge
    • 72,000 m3, which is obtained by dropping one zero from the correct product
    • 18,000 m3, which is obtained by multiplying the length by the width only

  20. Why is it important to state the sample size in a glacial survey?

    • It indicates how reliable the results are, since larger samples usually give more stable estimates
    • It has no effect on the reliability of the results once the mean has been calculated
    • It determines the colour used to present the data on the maps in the report
    • It shows the altitude at which each sample was collected on the glacier surface

All AQA Geography quizzes