Lesson Y7-U02-L05

Y7-U02-L05 Why Is the West of the UK Wetter? Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y7-U02-L05, Why Is the West of the UK Wetter?: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 2: Year 7: The Weather and Climate of the UK, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which side of the UK is wetter on average?

    • The west
    • The far north-east coast
    • The middle of the country
    • The east

  2. Which direction does the UK's prevailing wind usually come from?

    • The south-west
    • The north-east
    • The north
    • The east

  3. Which ocean does the wet wind blow across before it reaches the UK?

    • The Indian Ocean
    • The Pacific Ocean
    • The Atlantic Ocean
    • The Arctic Ocean

  4. What is the correct order of the four steps of relief rainfall?

    • Rise, cool, condense, rain
    • Condense, rise, rain, cool
    • Rain, condense, cool, rise
    • Cool, rise, rain, condense

  5. What forms when rising air cools down enough?

    • Cloud, through condensation
    • Snow lying on the ground
    • A strong wind
    • Bright sunshine

  6. Why does air cool as it is forced up over a mountain?

    • The air has already lost its water vapour
    • The wind slows down on the hillside
    • The mountain blocks the heat of the sun
    • Air gets colder the higher it rises

  7. Which place is the wettest in England?

    • Cambridge, in the east of the country
    • London, in the south-east of England
    • Birmingham, in the middle of England
    • Seathwaite, in the Lake District

  8. Roughly how much rain does London receive each year?

    • About 60 mm
    • About 2000 mm
    • About 600 mm
    • About 3000 mm

  9. Seathwaite gets over 3000 mm a year and London gets about 600 mm. Roughly how many times wetter is Seathwaite?

    • About 2 times
    • About 5 times
    • About 20 times
    • About 10 times

  10. On the rainfall chart for four UK places, which place gets the least rain each year?

    • Fort William, at about 2000 mm
    • Cardiff, at about 1150 mm
    • Manchester, at about 870 mm
    • Cambridge, at about 560 mm

  11. Which step of relief rainfall comes straight after the air cools?

    • The air sinks down into the valley
    • Condensation forms cloud
    • The rain falls on the far side
    • The wind changes direction

  12. Why is the far side of a mountain, away from the wind, often much drier?

    • Mountains stop the wind from blowing at all over the valley floor
    • The far side is always warmer than the windward side of the mountain
    • The air has already lost most of its moisture as rain on the western side
    • The far side faces the North Pole, so the sun rarely reaches it

  13. Which part of the UK usually receives the most rainfall?

    • The south-east of England
    • East Anglia
    • The north and west
    • The Midlands

  14. Birmingham gets about 760 mm a year and Cambridge gets about 560 mm. Which place is wetter, and by how much?

    • Birmingham, by about 560 mm
    • They have the same amount of rain
    • Cambridge, by about 200 mm
    • Birmingham, by about 200 mm

  15. Which feature forces moist air up in the west of the UK?

    • Flat plains in the east
    • Ice sheets in the middle of the country
    • Mountains and high land
    • Warm sea breezes in the east

  16. Why might a city just east of the mountains be quite dry?

    • The wind blows only from the north in the east, away from the sea and hills
    • Cities block rain from falling on the ground and the roofs of the houses
    • The air has already dropped its rain on the western hills, creating a rain shadow
    • The air there is too warm to form any cloud at all in the summer months

  17. Which statement is a misconception about why the west is wetter?

    • The west is wetter because it faces the Atlantic
    • The east is wetter because it faces Europe
    • Rain falls because air rises, cools and condenses
    • The west is wetter because air is forced up over high land

  18. Why does the wind from the Atlantic carry so much water vapour?

    • It passes through deserts that remove all moisture
    • It blows over frozen land and picks up snow
    • It blows over the warm ocean and picks up water vapour
    • It has been cooled by mountains in Europe

  19. In geography, what does 'relief' mean in the phrase 'relief rainfall'?

    • Rain that arrives after a long dry spell
    • A calm and gentle wind
    • The shape and height of the land
    • Rain that is free for everyone to use

  20. Which description correctly explains a rain shadow?

    • Dry land on the far side of mountains, after the air has lost its moisture
    • Land near the sea that receives a steady breeze every day all year round
    • Dry land on the coast, where the air is very cold and the sea is calm
    • A dark cloud shadow cast by a mountain on the land below the peak

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