Lesson 3.1.1.1.2

3.1.1.1.2 Episodic, semantic and procedural memory Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.1.1.2, Episodic, semantic and procedural memory: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 1: Memory, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which type of long-term memory stores personal experiences linked to a particular time and place?

    • Episodic memory, memories of personal events linked to a specific time and place
    • Working memory, a short-term store for information that is being used in a task
    • Procedural memory, memory for how to perform physical skills and everyday actions
    • Semantic memory, general knowledge of facts, word meanings and concepts about the world

  2. Which type of memory holds general knowledge of facts, word meanings and concepts?

    • Episodic memory, personal memories of events linked to a particular time and place
    • Semantic memory, general knowledge of facts, word meanings and concepts
    • Procedural memory, memory for how to perform physical skills and everyday actions
    • Sensory memory, a brief copy of incoming stimuli that fades within a fraction of a second

  3. Which type of memory is used for physical skills such as riding a bicycle or tying shoelaces?

    • Procedural memory, memory for how to carry out physical actions and skills
    • Short-term memory, a limited store that holds a few items for a short period of time
    • Episodic memory, memories of a personal event such as a birthday party at school
    • Semantic memory, general knowledge of facts about bicycles and the rules of the road

  4. A person remembers their first day at secondary school. Which type of memory is this?

    • Procedural memory, because it is a memory of how to act during a school day
    • Sensory memory, because it is a brief copy of the sights seen on the first morning
    • Semantic memory, because it is a general fact about school that everyone knows
    • Episodic memory, because it is a personal memory of a specific event

  5. A person knows that Paris is the capital of France. Which type of memory is this?

    • Semantic memory, because it is general knowledge of a fact
    • Procedural memory, because the person can state the fact when asked to do so
    • Episodic memory, because the person remembers learning it at a particular school lesson
    • Sensory memory, because the fact was first seen as a map in a short-term view

  6. A person can type quickly without looking at the keys. Which type of memory best explains this?

    • Sensory memory, because the person can see the keys briefly when they start typing
    • Episodic memory, because the person remembers learning to type on a particular day
    • Semantic memory, because the person knows the layout of the keys as a set of facts
    • Procedural memory, because the typing skill is shown through practised performance

  7. Which statement best describes the difference between episodic and semantic memory?

    • Episodic memory is short-lived and holds only sounds, while semantic memory is permanent and holds images
    • Episodic memory holds personal events, while semantic memory holds general facts without personal context
    • Episodic memory holds physical skills, while semantic memory holds personal events with their context
    • Episodic memory stores words only, while semantic memory stores pictures, music and the sense of touch

  8. Sam answers a history question on the Battle of Hastings from facts he learned in lessons. Which type of memory is he using?

    • Procedural memory, because Sam is using a learnt method to answer the question
    • Semantic memory, because the answer is general knowledge of a historical fact
    • Episodic memory, because the answer is a memory of a particular history lesson
    • Sensory memory, because the question was briefly seen on the classroom board

  9. Priya remembers losing her first tooth at a sleepover. Which type of memory is this?

    • Working memory, because Priya is holding the memory in her mind right now
    • Semantic memory, because the fact about losing teeth is common knowledge
    • Procedural memory, because Priya knows the steps needed to lose a tooth
    • Episodic memory, because it is a personal event with a clear time and place

  10. A driver changes gear smoothly without thinking through each step. Which type of memory explains this?

    • Episodic memory, because the driver remembers the day they passed the driving test
    • Sensory memory, because the driver briefly notices the feel of the gear lever
    • Semantic memory, because the driver knows facts about how a gearbox works
    • Procedural memory, because the driver performs a learnt physical skill automatically

  11. A man remembers the smell of his grandmother's kitchen during a family holiday. Which type of memory is this?

    • Semantic memory, because the smell of a kitchen is a general fact people know
    • Episodic memory, because it is a specific personal experience from a particular time
    • Procedural memory, because the man can describe how to cook the meal he smelt
    • Short-term memory, because the smell is kept in mind for only a few seconds

  12. A child learns to tie shoelaces after many practice attempts. Which type of memory is being developed?

    • Episodic memory, built up through remembering the first time the child tied laces
    • Procedural memory, built up through practice of the physical actions
    • Semantic memory, built up through learning the names of the parts of a shoe
    • Sensory memory, built up through the brief impressions of the laces in the hands

  13. Which example best shows procedural memory being used in a cookery exam?

    • A chef remembers the meaning of a cooking term that was written in the textbook
    • A chef chops vegetables quickly with a knife without thinking about each individual cut
    • A chef recalls the date on which the cookery school in the town first opened its doors
    • A chef remembers the wedding at which they first cooked for a large group of guests

  14. Which feature distinguishes procedural memory from the other two long-term memory types?

    • It consists of facts that are shared between people and can be written down in a dictionary
    • It is always linked to a specific date and time, so the person can describe it in full detail
    • It is shown through performance of a skill, often without the person being able to describe each step in words
    • It is only available for a few seconds after the skill is practised, then it fades away

  15. A person can state the rules of chess but cannot recall the day they learnt them. Which explanation is most consistent with the memory types?

    • The rules were stored only as procedural memory, which cannot hold facts that can be stated aloud
    • The rules are sensory memory, which fades quickly, so the person can only recall them for a short time
    • The rules are episodic memory, because the person can state them, but the day was never encoded
    • The rules are semantic memory, while the memory of learning them is episodic, and these can be separate

  16. Which statement about the three types of long-term memory is correct?

    • Each is a separate store that holds information only while it is actively rehearsed in words
    • They are all sensory stores that fade within a few seconds of the original input
    • They are all forms of long-term memory, so each can last for many years once it has been stored
    • Episodic and semantic are short-term stores, while procedural is the only long-term store

  17. A person is asked to describe a skill, such as swimming a length, and struggles to explain it, but can do it. Which memory type is most involved?

    • Sensory memory, because the person can only see the water briefly during the swim
    • Episodic memory, because the person can recall the day they last swam a length in a pool
    • Procedural memory, because the skill is held as performance rather than as a set of spoken facts
    • Semantic memory, because the person has stored the facts about swimming but cannot state them

  18. A student knows the meaning of photosynthesis but cannot remember the lesson where they first learnt it. Which pairing of memory types is shown?

    • Semantic memory for the meaning, and a lost episodic memory of the lesson in which it was learnt
    • Sensory memory for the meaning, and a procedural memory of the lesson in which it was learnt
    • Episodic memory for the meaning, and a semantic memory of the lesson in which it was learnt
    • Procedural memory for the meaning, and an episodic memory of the lesson in which it was learnt

  19. A teenager remembers how to ride a scooter they learnt last summer and can also name the parts of a scooter. Which two memory types are involved?

    • Episodic memory for riding the scooter, and procedural memory for naming its parts
    • Procedural memory for riding the scooter, and semantic memory for naming its parts
    • Semantic memory for riding the scooter, and episodic memory for naming its parts
    • Sensory memory for riding the scooter, and procedural memory for naming its parts

  20. Which feature best identifies a semantic memory?

    • It is a general fact or concept that a person knows, without needing a memory of when it was learnt
    • It is a memory of a personal event that happened at a specific time and in a specific place
    • It is a brief impression of a stimulus that fades within a fraction of a second after input
    • It is a physical skill that is shown through practice and performed without conscious thought

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