3.2.4.7 Population and the environment: case studies Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. A case study of a country experiencing population decline would most likely examine:

   • Only the names of the country's rivers
   • Only the architectural styles of its historic buildings
   • The causes and character of the decline, such as falling births or emigration, and its implications for the society
   • Only its sporting achievements in international events

2. Which pair of factors best explains population increase in a country undergoing rapid growth?

   • High birth rates alongside falling death rates
   • Falling birth rates and falling death rates together
   • High death rates alongside falling birth rates
   • Emigration of all young people and rising death rates

3. A local health case study examines how air quality relates to respiratory disease in a neighbourhood. Which type of evidence is most useful?

   • Only data on the number of parks in the wider region
   • Matched data on air pollution monitoring and health records for residents in the area
   • Only the age of the neighbourhood's buildings
   • Only national data on sporting facilities

4. Which measure best shows the relationship between place and health in a case study area?

   • The total area of golf courses in the region
   • The average price of a takeaway meal in the town centre
   • Standardised disease rates compared with environmental and socio-economic indicators for the area
   • The number of sunny hours recorded in the national capital

5. A country's population is falling because of emigration of young adults. Which implication is most likely?

   • Rapid population growth and a youthful age structure
   • Ageing population and reduced labour supply, with pressure on services and the economy
   • No effect on services or the economy
   • Increased labour supply and a fall in the dependency ratio

6. Which argument best evaluates the case study approach to population change?

   • It is useless because each country has the same population history
   • It proves all population patterns apply everywhere in the world
   • It can only use national statistics and never local evidence
   • It gives depth on specific processes but its findings may not apply directly to other countries

7. In a local health case study, which factor would most help explain higher disease rates in one neighbourhood compared with another?

   • Differences in the number of bus routes running at night only, which affect how residents travel after dark across the neighbourhoods
   • Differences in the number of shops selling confectionery only, counted in each high street and compared with local food prices each year
   • Differences in housing quality, air pollution, income and access to health services
   • Differences in the colour of street signs, recorded in a survey of every district and compared with the number of benches in each park

8. A country's population growth rate is 3% per year and its population is 50 million. What is the approximate annual increase in people?

   • 1.5 million
   • 150,000 people added each year, which is the figure obtained by treating 3% as 0.3% of the total population in the country
   • 500,000 people added each year, which would follow if the growth rate were applied to only one in every hundred residents in the country
   • 15 million people added each year, which would result if the growth rate were applied to the population of the whole continent instead

9. Which statement about population change in a case study country is most accurate?

   • Population change is caused by a single factor in every country, so one dominant cause such as birth rates explains all national patterns
   • Population change is determined only by government statistics, because the official count of residents sets every future total
   • Population change reflects an interaction of demographic, economic, environmental and social factors
   • Population change has no environmental or social dimension, since counts of people are determined only by administrative decisions

10. Which environmental factor is most likely to influence health outcomes in a case study of a coastal urban area?

    • The number of stars visible at night from the city, counted on clear evenings and compared with the sky brightness in nearby towns
    • Air quality and flood risk from storms and rising sea levels
    • Soil colour in a national park far inland, recorded across several seasons and compared with the soils found in farmland nearby
    • Average depth of mountain lakes far from the city, measured each spring and compared with the depth of reservoirs built inland

11. Which type of evidence would best show whether a country's population is changing because of migration rather than natural change?

    • Total rainfall figures for the whole country, recorded at each station across the year and used to measure how wet the climate has been
    • Components of change data separating births minus deaths from net migration
    • Only the number of hospital beds in one city, counted each year in the central district and compared with the number of nurses employed
    • Only the length of the national road network, measured in kilometres each year and compared with the number of vehicles registered

12. A local health study finds that asthma rates are highest in districts with the most traffic. Which conclusion is best supported?

    • Traffic has no relationship to asthma rates in any setting, because clinical records show the same rate in every district
    • Traffic-related air pollution may be a contributing factor, though other variables should be checked
    • Traffic has been proven to cause asthma in every case without exception, since every study has found the same direct effect
    • Asthma rates are determined only by genetics in all districts, so environmental factors such as traffic play no role in any area

13. Which argument best supports the case for targeted health interventions in a deprived local area?

    • Health interventions are unnecessary where incomes are low, because poorer communities tend to have the healthiest residents
    • Health problems in deprived areas are caused only by individual choices, so public services and environment make no difference to outcomes
    • Deprived areas have no more environmental health risks than wealthy areas, since risks are shared equally across all neighbourhoods
    • Deprived areas often bear a disproportionate share of environmental health risks and have less access to services

14. A country's birth rate falls from 25 to 15 per 1,000 over 20 years while its death rate stays at 8 per 1,000. What happens to the natural increase rate?

    • It falls from 33 to 23 per 1,000
    • It rises from 17 to 23 per 1,000
    • It stays at 17 per 1,000
    • It falls from 17 to 7 per 1,000

15. Which measure would best show whether a case study country's health system is improving the health of its population?

    • The total area of forest cover in the country, measured from satellite images and compared with the area of each province each year
    • The number of tourists visiting the country each year, counted at border crossings and compared with the total number of hotel rooms
    • The number of cars registered in the country, counted each year from licensing records and compared with the population of each region
    • Trends in life expectancy and infant mortality over time

16. Which argument best evaluates the case study of a country with rapid population growth?

    • Growth always leads to prosperity without any need for planning, because rising numbers of people bring better services automatically
    • Growth creates pressure on services and resources, but the outcome depends on economic development and policy responses
    • Growth has no implications for services or resources, since the number of people never affects the demand for housing or water
    • Growth will automatically solve all environmental problems, because a larger population always invents new ways to protect the land

17. A local health case study finds damp, overcrowded housing linked to respiratory illness. Which intervention is most directly supported by this evidence?

    • Demolishing all housing and leaving residents without shelter
    • Upgrading housing quality and reducing damp and overcrowding
    • Ignoring health records because they are confidential
    • Increasing density without improving ventilation or heating

18. A country's population of 20 million grows by 2% in year one and by 2% again in year two. Approximately what is the population after two years?

    • 21.0 million
    • 20.8 million
    • 22.0 million
    • 20.4 million

19. Which argument best links population change to health service planning in a case study area?

    • Age structure is irrelevant to the health needs of a community, so planners can ignore whether residents are young or old in each area
    • Changes in age structure alter demand for health services, so planning must respond to who lives in the area
    • Population change has no effect on demand for health services, since the same number of clinics and nurses serves any population size
    • Health services should be reduced whenever the population grows, because larger communities need fewer clinics per resident each year

20. A town's population falls steadily over two decades as young residents leave. Which environmental implication is most relevant for the local area?

    • Rapid growth in pollution from new factories in the town, which are attracted by falling land prices and cheap sites near the centre
    • Rapid expansion of farmland on the town's edge, as fields are turned over to crops whenever the population of the town declines
    • Under-used housing and infrastructure that can deteriorate and become derelict
    • Excess demand for water and energy across the town, which rises as the number of residents falls and strains supply systems each year

Related quizzes

• Globalisation Quiz · 3.2.1.1 · 20 questions
• Global systems Quiz · 3.2.1.2 · 20 questions
• International trade and access to markets Quiz · 3.2.1.3 · 20 questions
• Global governance Quiz · 3.2.1.4 · 20 questions
• The 'global commons' and Antarctica as a global common Quiz · 3.2.1.5 · 20 questions
• Globalisation critique Quiz · 3.2.1.6 · 20 questions
• Global systems: quantitative and qualitative skills Quiz · 3.2.1.7 · 20 questions
• The nature and importance of places Quiz · 3.2.2.1 · 20 questions
• Relationships, connections, meaning and representation Quiz · 3.2.2.2 · 20 questions
• Changing places: quantitative and qualitative skills Quiz · 3.2.2.3 · 20 questions