Lesson 3.1.5.5

3.1.5.5 Storm hazards Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.5.5, Storm hazards: 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. Tropical storms typically form over oceans when sea surface temperatures exceed about:

    • 15 degrees Celsius, which is the typical temperature of mid-latitude oceans in the winter months
    • 40 degrees Celsius, which is far hotter than any ocean surface in the natural world
    • 5 degrees Celsius, which is the temperature of deep polar seas where storms are sometimes observed
    • 26.5 degrees Celsius, which supplies the heat and moisture needed to sustain the storm

  2. The Coriolis effect is important for tropical storms because it:

    • Causes storms to form directly over the equator, where the Earth's rotation is strongest and fastest
    • Causes the storm to rotate, and it is largely absent at the equator
    • Increases the speed of storms over cold oceans, where the air masses are denser and move more quickly
    • Prevents storms from forming in any location, because it deflects all rising air away from the surface

  3. Which is a form of storm hazard that causes the most loss of life in many coastal disasters?

    • Lightning strikes, which are frequent during storms and kill people across large areas of land each year
    • Storm surge, an abnormal rise in sea level driven by winds and low pressure onto the coast
    • Fog, which reduces visibility over roads and shipping lanes during the passage of the storm system
    • Hailstones, which can damage crops and vehicles but rarely cause deaths on a large scale

  4. Which storm hazard is a secondary impact of high winds?

    • Rainfall causing a river to rise over its banks in the valleys inland from the coast after several days
    • High winds stripping roofs off buildings directly as the gusts reach their peak intensity on the coast
    • Damage to power lines leaving communities without electricity for weeks, affecting water, food and communications
    • Storm surge flooding the coastline directly as the winds push water onto the land during the peak of the storm

  5. Tropical storms are called hurricanes in the Atlantic, typhoons in the north-west Pacific and cyclones in the Indian Ocean. This is best described as:

    • Regional names for the same type of tropical storm
    • Names used only for storms that have made landfall and caused significant damage to coastal communities
    • Three entirely different types of storm, each with its own distinct causes and separate physical processes
    • Names based on the direction in which the wind is blowing at the moment the storm first forms

  6. Which statement describes the spatial pattern of tropical storms?

    • They develop over deserts and move eastward across continents, reaching the coast only after weeks of travel
    • They are evenly distributed across all latitudes, forming in any season and in any ocean basin on Earth
    • They develop over tropical oceans and move poleward or westward, affecting coastal areas
    • They develop only at the poles, where the cold air masses meet and generate the strongest storm systems

  7. The Saffir-Simpson scale classifies tropical cyclones primarily by:

    • Area of ocean that the storm covers at its peak intensity, measured by satellite imagery each day
    • Storm track length, measured as the distance the cyclone travels across the ocean before landfall
    • Sustained wind speed
    • Total rainfall recorded at a single gauge during the passage of the storm across the region

  8. Which storm hazard is most likely to cause inland flooding far from the coast?

    • Heavy rainfall that falls over several days and causes river flooding
    • Tidal bores on flat coastal plains that travel up rivers and flood the land well beyond the estuary
    • Coastal erosion moving sand inland and burying farmland and roads under dunes over many weeks
    • Storm surge reaching deep inland through the soil and groundwater systems beneath the land surface

  9. Which of these is an example of a short-term response to a tropical storm hazard?

    • Reforesting hillsides to reduce future landslide risk over the coming decades
    • Changing land-use zoning to exclude floodplains permanently from future housing development schemes
    • Building sea walls over a ten-year period to protect the coastline from the effects of future surges
    • Evacuating coastal residents as the storm approaches

  10. Which measure is an example of mitigation for storm hazards?

    • Evacuating residents before landfall, moving them to designated shelters away from the storm's path
    • Distributing food aid after the storm, supplying families who have lost homes and access to markets
    • Building sea walls and flood barriers to reduce surge impacts
    • Rebuilding houses in the same location, returning families to the place where they lived before

  11. Why is the death toll from tropical storms often higher in some developing countries than in wealthy countries of similar storm strength?

    • Wealthy countries are always hit by weaker storms because they are located further from the tropics
    • Weaker warning systems, poorer housing and high population density in flood-prone areas increase vulnerability
    • Storms are stronger in developing countries because the warm waters near their coasts generate more energy
    • Developing countries lack any coastline, so storms affect them mainly through rainfall and not surge

  12. In 1970, a tropical cyclone struck the Ganges delta in East Pakistan and Bangladesh. Which hazard caused most of the deaths?

    • Earthquake shaking that collapsed buildings across the delta and cut off major roads and river crossings
    • Storm surge flooding low-lying coastal land, with very large waves driven inland by the cyclone
    • Wildfires spreading through the mangrove forests after dry lightning ignited the vegetation near the shore
    • Volcanic ash fall across the delta, which blanketed the fields and buildings with grey dust for several days

  13. Which statement best evaluates the view that the impact of a tropical storm is determined only by its wind speed?

    • Storm surges are irrelevant because they never cause flooding, since the sea level rarely rises above normal
    • Impacts depend on wind speed, storm surge, rainfall and the vulnerability of the places affected, so wind alone is incomplete
    • Impacts depend only on how long the storm lasts over land, since longer storms cause more damage overall
    • Wind speed fully determines the impact of a tropical storm on people, property and the environment alike

  14. Which secondary hazard may follow heavy storm rainfall on steep slopes?

    • Liquefaction of dry sand on beaches, which occurs when strong winds shake the loose grains together
    • Landslides triggered by saturated slopes that lose strength and collapse under their own weight
    • Volcanic ash fallout from nearby craters that is carried by the rain and deposited across the valley floor
    • Earthquake shockwaves along faults that are reactivated by the weight of the storm water on the surface

  15. Two recent tropical storms in contrasting areas of the world are compared. Which contrast is most likely to explain different impacts?

    • Differences in the colour of the storm clouds as seen from satellites during the approach of each system
    • Differences in the names used by meteorologists to identify each storm within their respective regional lists
    • Differences in warning systems, building quality and economic capacity for recovery
    • Differences in the number of earthquakes occurring in the same period, which are unrelated to storm activity

  16. Which factor is most likely to increase the impact of a storm surge on a coastline?

    • An offshore coral reef in a sheltered bay, which absorbs the energy of incoming waves and prevents flooding
    • A low-lying coastal floodplain with dense settlement and no sea defences
    • A steep cliff coastline with no population living on the land at the top of the cliff face
    • Protected mangrove forests along the coast that slow the movement of water and reduce wave energy

  17. Which tropical storm hazard is most associated with high winds and debris?

    • Coastal erosion of sand dunes, which is gradual and rarely causes sudden damage to buildings or people
    • Groundwater contamination, which develops slowly over many months after the storm has passed
    • Gas emissions causing acid rain, which occur mainly from volcanoes and rarely accompany tropical storms
    • Damage from high winds, causing building collapse and flying debris that injures people

  18. Which measure best reduces risk from storm hazards over the long term?

    • Counselling services for displaced families who have lost homes and possessions in the storm
    • Temporary shelters set up in the days after landfall to accommodate those who have been displaced by flooding
    • Land-use planning that keeps new housing out of high-risk surge zones
    • Emergency rescue boats used after flooding to reach people stranded on rooftops and in isolated villages

  19. Which feature of tropical storms makes forecasting track and intensity challenging?

    • Rapid changes in intensity and track depend on complex interactions between ocean, atmosphere and terrain
    • Storms never change direction once formed, so their path can be predicted reliably from the moment they appear
    • Storms always move in a straight line at a constant speed, which makes their path easy to predict for days
    • Storms have no internal structure and cannot be observed by satellite, so forecasts rely on ground reports

  20. Which statement about the human response to tropical storms is best supported?

    • Human responses have no influence on the death toll from storms, which depends entirely on the storm's strength
    • Early warning and evacuation can save many lives, but effective response depends on community preparedness and recovery capacity
    • Storms have no human impacts because they occur over the sea and rarely reach populated coastal areas
    • Only building codes matter in reducing the impact of storms, and warnings and evacuation are largely irrelevant

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