Lesson 3.1.4.7

3.1.4.7 Glacial systems: case studies Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.4.7, Glacial systems: case studies: 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 local glacial case study should aim to:

    • Describe local food with no link to processes, which is a matter of culture rather than geography
    • Provide only a photograph collection of the glacier, with a short caption for each image
    • Illustrate fundamental glacial processes and their landform outcomes using field data
    • List the names of all mountain peaks in the region, with their heights and locations

  2. Which evidence from a local glacial case study best shows the operation of glacial deposition?

    • A count of the number of mountain huts in the region, which shows the infrastructure present
    • A record of the average temperature in the nearest city, which shows the climate of the town
    • Mapping of moraines and till deposits with their composition and sorting
    • A list of the tourists who visited the glacier, which shows the number of people in the area

  3. Which element is important in a contrasting glacial case study from beyond the UK?

    • A description of the weather with no link to landforms, which describes the climate alone
    • A list of hotels near the glacier, which shows the accommodation available to visitors
    • A list of the glacier's length without interpretation, which records only the measurement
    • An evaluation of how the glaciated landscape presents challenges and opportunities for human occupation

  4. Which approach best evaluates human responses in a glaciated environment?

    • Ignoring responses that have had negative side effects, which keeps the evaluation focused on success
    • Judging responses only by their cost, which is the simplest measure to obtain from the accounts
    • Assuming all responses are equally effective without evidence, which avoids the need for measurement
    • Assessing whether responses build resilience, mitigate hazards or adapt to change, with evidence of effectiveness

  5. A glacial case study shows that a valley has been reshaped by plucking and abrasion. Which evidence would best support this?

    • Stacks and arches in a sea cliff, which are formed by the waves of the coast
    • Cuspate spits and barrier beaches on the valley floor, which are built by longshore drift
    • Barchan dunes and yardangs in a desert, which are formed by wind action on sand
    • Roches moutonnees and striated bedrock surfaces with plucked lee faces

  6. Which statement about the use of field data in a glacial case study is most appropriate?

    • Field data should be collected without a purpose and then ignored, which allows an open-minded account
    • Field data should be linked to the processes being studied and used to test a specific question
    • Field data should replace all analysis of the processes, so that the report presents only numbers
    • Field data should be used only to decorate the report, which makes the findings look more attractive

  7. Which change over time would be the strongest evidence of glacial retreat in a local case study?

    • A series of dated maps showing the terminus retreating and ice-free ground expanding
    • A single photograph showing ice cover at one date, which records the position only once
    • A map of the valley without dates, which shows the layout of the landscape but not its change
    • A local rumour that the glacier was larger in the past, which has not been recorded or checked

  8. In a glacial case study of human impacts, which combination best describes a sustainable approach?

    • Unregulated tourism with no monitoring of the glacier, which lets visitors go wherever they choose
    • Construction of new roads across all sensitive ground, which improves access for visitors and workers
    • Regulated tourism, protected zones and monitoring of the glacier and its landforms
    • Removal of the glacier's moraines for construction materials, which provides cheap building stone

  9. Which factor is most important when comparing a local glacial case study with a case study from beyond the UK?

    • Whether both studies used the same colour of map, which affects only the presentation
    • Whether the glacial processes and landforms are comparable, and how the human context differs
    • Whether the two glaciers share the same name, which is a matter of chance and not of process
    • Whether both studies were carried out in the same year, which has no effect on the processes

  10. Which conclusion would be most supported by a local glacial case study that measured sediment and landforms?

    • Glacial processes have produced characteristic landforms, and the local landscape reflects past and present ice activity
    • Glaciers are irrelevant to the shape of the valley, which is formed by rivers alone
    • Sediment has no link to the glacier's movement, because it is carried only by the wind
    • Landforms have no link to any process, since they form at random across the landscape

  11. Which weakness should be acknowledged in an evaluation of a glacial case study?

    • Glacial processes are unrelated to climate, so the timespan of the data does not matter
    • The short timespan of data may not capture long-term variability in glacier behaviour
    • Glaciers never change over any timespan, so a short record is always fully representative
    • Field measurements are always entirely free of error, so limitations need not be discussed

  12. Which description of a balanced glacial case study conclusion is most appropriate?

    • The response is an absolute success with no challenges, which means no further action is needed
    • The response has improved some outcomes but challenges remain, and its long-term success depends on continued monitoring
    • The response should be ignored because glaciers cannot be managed in any practical way
    • The response has no effect on the glacier or its people, which means it can be discontinued

  13. Which feature of a glaciated landscape is most useful for interpreting past ice extent?

    • Lateral and terminal moraines that mark former margins of the ice
    • Coastal spits built by longshore drift, which show the direction of the waves on the shore
    • Stacks formed by the collapse of arches, which show the erosion of sea cliffs over time
    • Modern dunes built by the wind, which show the direction of the prevailing winds in the desert

  14. A case study concludes that a glacial lake formed behind a moraine. Which evidence would best support this?

    • A list of the lake's fish species with no geological data, which describes the biology of the water
    • A photograph of the lake taken in a single summer day, which shows its appearance at one time
    • Mapped moraine dam, lake sediments and shoreline features that match a damming history
    • A tourist guide's description of the lake's beauty, which describes its scenery for visitors

  15. Which evidence would best show that a glacier is currently in retreat?

    • A map of the glacier with no dates or scale, which shows its outline only
    • A series of dated photographs or maps showing the terminus moving upvalley
    • A local belief that the glacier looks smaller than in the past, with no record
    • A single photograph taken during a heavy snowfall in winter, which hides the terminus

  16. What is the most suitable way to present glacier retreat data in a case study?

    • A pie chart showing the share of each rock type in the valley, which does not show change
    • A bar chart of rainfall totals in unrelated years, which does not relate to the glacier
    • A table of tourist numbers only, which does not show the position of the ice
    • A line graph of terminus position against date, with the rate of retreat shown

  17. A case study proposes monitoring a glacier with repeat surveys. What is the main benefit of this?

    • It removes the need to take any further field measurements in future years of the study
    • It ensures that the glacier will stop retreating once the monitoring programme begins
    • It allows the glacier to be classified as cold-based without any other data being collected
    • It provides evidence of change over time that can separate trend from variation

  18. Which human response to glacier retreat is most closely linked to adaptation?

    • Constructing a dam to freeze the meltwater before it reaches the valley below
    • Painting the glacier surface white to increase its albedo and slow the melt
    • Adjusting water supply and hazard warning systems for downstream communities as meltwater changes
    • Removing debris from the glacier snout to prevent the ice from melting faster

  19. Which is the best evaluation of a glacial hazard management scheme?

    • Whether it has reduced risk to people and property and whether it remains sustainable over time
    • Whether it uses the highest-cost materials available on the market at the time
    • Whether its design was approved by the most senior officials in the government
    • Whether the scheme attracts the most attention in the local media during its launch

  20. Why might a case study of a glacial valley be compared with a case study from another glaciated region?

    • To show that glacial landforms are unrelated to any process operating on the ice
    • To test whether similar landforms arise from similar processes under different conditions
    • To establish which glacier has the longest name in the comparison of the two regions
    • To prove that all glaciers in the world are identical in their behaviour and their landforms

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