Lesson Y7-U03-L09

Y7-U03-L09 Managing Flood Risk: Should We Build a Wall? Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson Y7-U03-L09, Managing Flood Risk: Should We Build a Wall?: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 3: Year 7: Rivers and the Water Cycle, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is hard engineering?

    • Letting fields flood on purpose to store water safely away from the town centre
    • Planting trees upstream to soak up rain and slow the flow into the river channel
    • Restoring a wetland to slow the flow of water and provide a home for wildlife
    • Building strong man-made structures, like walls, to stop floods

  2. What is soft engineering?

    • Building concrete walls to hold the river in its channel
    • Installing flood barriers that close when water rises
    • Raising embankments along the river bank with steel
    • Working with nature to reduce flooding, such as planting trees

  3. Which of these is an example of hard engineering?

    • Restoring a wetland to store flood water
    • A concrete flood wall built along the river
    • Planting trees on the hills above the town
    • Letting fields flood on purpose

  4. Which of these is an example of soft engineering?

    • A flood wall built to hold back the water
    • A new steel flood barrier across the river
    • Planting trees upstream to soak up rain
    • A concrete embankment raised along the riverbank

  5. What does the word 'benefit' mean when weighing up a flood defence?

    • The amount of rain that a defence can hold
    • A bad point or price of an option, such as money spent
    • A good point of an option, such as keeping homes dry
    • The height of a flood wall above the river

  6. What does the word 'cost' mean when weighing up a flood defence?

    • A bad point or price of an option, such as money or harm to nature
    • The length of time a defence takes to be designed and then fully built
    • The amount of rain that the defence is able to hold back in one storm
    • A good point of an option, such as keeping homes dry during a heavy winter flood

  7. Why does planting trees upstream reduce flooding?

    • Trees make the river flow faster and drain the town
    • Trees soak up rain, so less water rushes into the river
    • Trees block the river completely so no water can pass
    • Trees turn rainfall into snow that never melts

  8. Which is a usual drawback of hard engineering?

    • It needs no land and does nothing to the river
    • It is cheap and quick to remove if it is not needed
    • It is expensive and can look unnatural
    • It helps wildlife and makes the river look natural

  9. A quiet village floods only once every 20 years. Which defence fits best, and why?

    • Soft engineering such as trees, because the risk is low and a cheap option is enough
    • No defence at all, because the village is too small to be worth protecting from water
    • A flood barrier that costs the most money possible and takes years to build fully
    • A very high concrete wall, because any flood is serious and must be stopped at all costs

  10. A town floods every winter. Which option gives the fastest protection?

    • Letting fields flood on purpose over many years
    • Restoring a wetland, which slowly fills with water
    • Planting trees, because they take years to grow
    • A flood wall, because it works straight away

  11. A council must choose between a costly wall and cheap tree planting for a town that floods every winter. Which is the strongest reason for the wall?

    • Walls protect homes quickly, which matters when floods happen every winter
    • Trees are only useful after the flood has passed, when the damage is already done
    • Trees are always more expensive than walls, so the council should never choose them
    • Walls never block the view of the river, so they are the cheapest option for a town

  12. Which of these is a cost of building a flood wall?

    • It is expensive and can block the view of the river
    • It works slowly and needs lots of land for trees
    • It soaks up rain and slows run-off into the river
    • It helps wildlife and keeps the river natural

  13. Which is a benefit of planting trees upstream?

    • It keeps water in the channel without needing any land
    • It works straight away and stops water in minutes
    • It helps wildlife and costs less than a concrete wall
    • It costs the most money of any flood defence

  14. A council decides to let fields flood on purpose to store water. Which type of engineering is this?

    • Neither, because it does not reduce flooding at all
    • Hard engineering, because it builds a dam
    • Soft engineering, because it works with nature
    • Hard engineering, because it uses concrete

  15. Which pair correctly matches each defence with its type?

    • Embankment: soft; wetland: hard
    • Concrete embankment: hard; restoring a wetland: soft
    • Flood barrier: soft; letting fields flood: hard
    • Flood wall: soft; tree planting: hard

  16. A town says a flood wall could make flooding worse further downstream. Why might that happen?

    • The wall fills with sand over time and turns the river into a lake that never drains
    • The wall stops rain from falling on the land downstream, so the ground stays dry
    • The wall can speed water on, so the flood arrives sooner and higher downstream
    • The wall sends the water back upstream, where it floods the towns on the higher ground

  17. Explain why a town might choose a costly wall while a quiet village chooses cheap trees.

    • The town faces frequent, high-risk floods, so it needs fast protection
    • The town has no trees, so it must build a wall
    • The village is downhill from the river, so trees cannot help
    • The town wants the cheapest option, even if it does not work

  18. Which statement best explains the difference between hard and soft engineering?

    • Soft engineering stops all water and hard engineering only slows it down
    • Hard engineering controls water with structures, while soft engineering slows it using natural methods
    • Both types use concrete and steel, but soft engineering uses more of it
    • Hard engineering is always cheaper, while soft engineering is always more expensive

  19. Why is it important to weigh costs against benefits before choosing a flood defence?

    • So the cheapest option is always the one that gets built
    • So the river no longer needs to be looked after by anyone
    • So that no one has to make a decision about flooding
    • So the decision is justified and suits the people and place it protects

  20. Which defence would best suit a town that floods every winter but has limited money?

    • A mix of planting trees upstream and a smaller, targeted wall
    • A flood wall costing the most money and blocking the river view
    • Doing nothing, since floods are expected every winter anyway
    • A hard barrier that takes years to build and is never finished

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