Lesson Y8-U06-L04

Y8-U06-L04 Sharing a River: The Nile Case Study Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 12

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y8-U06-L04, Sharing a River: The Nile Case Study: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 12: Year 8: Resources: Feeding and Powering the World, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does 'transboundary' mean for a river?

    • Flowing only inside one country, from its mountain source to its sea, without touching any other nation
    • Crossing one or more country borders, like a river flowing through several countries
    • A dam built across the mouth of a river to hold back the sea
    • A type of fish found in deep lakes and rivers of Africa

  2. What does 'upstream' mean on a river?

    • Nearer the mouth of a river, where water arrives last after passing through many other places and towns
    • A bridge built across a river valley to carry the road
    • The bottom of a lake where sediment settles over many years
    • Nearer the source of a river, where the water comes from first

  3. What does 'downstream' mean on a river?

    • Nearer the mouth of a river, where the water arrives last
    • A flood defence beside a city to hold back the rising river
    • A dam built on the highest mountain to store snowmelt
    • Nearer the source of a river, where the water starts

  4. What is a dam in this context?

    • A type of irrigation pipe in a field to spray water on crops
    • A large wall built across a river to hold back water and make electricity
    • A channel that carries rainwater to the sea through the fields
    • A small hut where fishing boats are stored over the winter, near the harbour wall and the old market square

  5. Which continent is the Nile river in?

    • South America
    • Africa
    • Europe
    • Asia

  6. In which direction does the Nile flow to the Mediterranean Sea?

    • North
    • South
    • East
    • West

  7. Which order runs from upstream to downstream along the Nile?

    • Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan
    • Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt
    • Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia
    • Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia

  8. Egypt relies on the Nile for about what share of its fresh water?

    • About 9 percent
    • About 90 percent
    • About 50 percent
    • About 25 percent

  9. Why did Ethiopia build a large dam on the Nile?

    • To create a new ocean in the middle of Africa
    • To make the river flow uphill past the mountains
    • To stop all water flowing downstream forever to Egypt
    • To store water and make electricity

  10. Why is Egypt worried about the dam built in Ethiopia?

    • It will stop all rain falling over Egypt for many years
    • It will make the river too cold to swim in during summer
    • It will send the Nile into the Atlantic Ocean in the west
    • It may hold back water Egypt needs for crops and people

  11. Which country has more control over the flow of a shared river?

    • The upstream country
    • Neither, because rivers cannot be controlled by any nation
    • The country at the sea mouth
    • The downstream country

  12. Why does Egypt receive water last from the Nile?

    • It has no need for water at all, so it is not affected
    • It sits on a lake far from the river and its flow
    • It is upstream, so water reaches it first before others, and it can then decide how much to release
    • It is downstream, so water reaches it after other countries

  13. Where does Sudan sit on the Nile relative to Egypt?

    • Downstream of Egypt
    • In the Mediterranean Sea off the coast
    • Upstream of Egypt
    • Beside the source of the river in the mountains

  14. Why does Sudan worry about choices made in Ethiopia?

    • Sudan is downstream of Ethiopia, so Ethiopia can hold water back first
    • Ethiopia is downstream of Sudan along the river
    • Sudan has no link to the Nile at any point in its land
    • Sudan is upstream and controls Ethiopia's water supply completely, so Sudan decides how much flows into Ethiopia

  15. Which is a fairer way to share the Nile?

    • One country takes all the water it wants from the river
    • Building a dam that stops all flow at once, without any warning
    • Ignoring the needs of downstream countries completely in the plans
    • Agreeing amounts of water and sharing flow data between countries

  16. What is the benefit of filling a dam slowly?

    • Downstream countries get no water at all for many years
    • Downstream countries are not suddenly cut off from water
    • It stops rain from falling on the river and its banks
    • The dam fills in a single day after the first heavy rain, cutting off water to every village downstream

  17. Why is 'whose water is it?' a difficult question for a shared river?

    • Only one country ever uses the river, so no one else is affected by its water, its dams or its farming in any season
    • Many countries depend on the same water, and upstream control affects the others
    • Rivers belong to no one and cannot be used by any nation at all
    • Water never flows across borders, so the question does not arise

  18. Which best explains why one river can cause disagreement between countries?

    • Rivers have no value to any country that borders them today
    • Countries never use water for farming in any part of the world
    • Each country needs a different river for every single need it has, from drinking to farming to power and to industry
    • Each country needs the same water for drinking, farming and power

  19. Which judgement best weighs the Nile dispute?

    • The dispute can only be solved by war between the countries involved
    • Ethiopia is wrong to build any dam at all, whatever the reasons and the benefits for its people
    • Egypt has no right to the water it uses from the river
    • Upstream control gives Ethiopia leverage, but cooperation and agreed sharing can protect downstream needs

  20. Why does a transboundary river need cooperation rather than one country's decision alone?

    • Cooperation is only needed for small streams, not for big rivers
    • Its water crosses borders, so one country's choices affect others downstream
    • Only the country at the sea mouth can use it for any purpose
    • It never flows out of a single country, so cooperation is pointless and every nation should simply take what it needs

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