Lesson Y7-U01-L04

Y7-U01-L04 Compass Directions and Bearings Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y7-U01-L04, Compass Directions and Bearings: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 1: Year 7: The UK and Map Skills, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which list gives the four main compass points in clockwise order, starting from North?

    • North, East, South, West
    • North, South, East, West
    • North, West, South, East
    • East, North, West, South

  2. A bearing is always measured starting from which direction?

    • The nearest river
    • South
    • North
    • The school gate

  3. Which way do we turn when measuring a bearing?

    • Clockwise
    • Anticlockwise
    • Upwards
    • Backwards from East

  4. What is the three-digit bearing for due East?

    • 090
    • 270
    • 180
    • 045

  5. What is the three-digit bearing for due South?

    • 180
    • 000
    • 270
    • 090

  6. What is the three-digit bearing for North-East (NE)?

    • 045
    • 225
    • 135
    • 315

  7. What is the three-digit bearing for South-East (SE)?

    • 315
    • 135
    • 045
    • 225

  8. What is the three-digit bearing for North-West (NW)?

    • 315
    • 225
    • 045
    • 270

  9. Which compass point sits halfway between East and South?

    • North-West (NW)
    • South-East (SE)
    • North-East (NE)
    • South-West (SW)

  10. Which point sits halfway between North and North-East on a 16-point compass?

    • North-North-West (NNW)
    • North-West (NW)
    • North-North-East (NNE)
    • East-North-East (ENE)

  11. A walker writes 90 as the bearing for due East. What is wrong with this?

    • It should be a decimal such as 90.5 degrees
    • It must have three digits, so it should be 090
    • It should be written in letters, such as EAST
    • It should be measured anticlockwise from South

  12. Why is a bearing more useful than a word such as 'south-east'?

    • It gives one exact line that everyone reads in the same way
    • It needs no compass or protractor, so anyone can read it without tools
    • It can be used only on maps of the sea, not on maps of land and towns
    • It always covers a wide slice of the compass, which makes it quite vague

  13. When measuring a bearing with a protractor, which step comes FIRST?

    • Read the angle anticlockwise from the place, using the inner scale
    • Put the centre of the protractor on the starting point
    • Line up the 90 mark with the North line on the map
    • Draw a circle around the village to mark the search area

  14. When measuring a bearing with a protractor, which step comes LAST?

    • Read the angle clockwise round to the place you want
    • Put the centre of the protractor on the starting point
    • Join the two places with a straight line
    • Line up the 0 mark with North

  15. On a map, a protractor centred on a church shows the campsite at 135. Which compass direction does this match?

    • South-East
    • North-East
    • North-West
    • South-West

  16. A path heads due West from a village. Which bearing is correct?

    • 180
    • 315
    • 270
    • 090

  17. A rescue team is told the lost walker is to the 'south-west'. Why is a bearing such as 225 better?

    • It is shorter to say on a radio than a word such as south-west
    • It points to one exact line, so the team knows precisely where to search
    • It tells the team how fast the walker is moving across the hill
    • It shows the height of the walker above sea level on the map

  18. A bearing of 225 matches which compass point?

    • South-East (SE)
    • South-West (SW)
    • West (W)
    • North-West (NW)

  19. Two friends both walk 'south' from the same school. Why might they still end up at different places?

    • South moves to a different place on the map every hour as the Earth turns
    • South is only a direction used at sea, not on land, so they are confused
    • 'South' covers a wide slice, so they could take slightly different lines
    • One friend always walks anticlockwise round the school before going home

  20. Which list gives all eight compass points in the correct clockwise order from North?

    • N, NE, SE, E, S, NW, SW, W
    • NE, N, E, SE, SW, S, W, NW
    • N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW
    • N, E, NE, SE, S, W, SW, NW

All KS3 Geography quizzes