Lesson Y9-U04-L03

Y9-U04-L03 Earthquakes: Causes, Measurement and Risk Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 16

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y9-U04-L03, Earthquakes: Causes, Measurement and Risk: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 16: Year 9: Dynamic Landscapes: Tectonics and Ice, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the focus of an earthquake?

    • The line on the surface along which two plates meet.
    • The point on the surface directly above where the rock breaks.
    • The instrument that measures the shaking of the ground.
    • The point underground where the rock breaks and energy is released.

  2. What is the epicentre of an earthquake?

    • The place where the sea rises after a quake.
    • The point on the surface directly above the focus.
    • The point deep underground where the rock first breaks.
    • The large crack left in the ground after a quake.

  3. Which instrument records the shaking of the ground during an earthquake?

    • A rain gauge.
    • An anemometer.
    • A barometer.
    • A seismometer.

  4. What builds up in the rock before it snaps at a fault?

    • Salt from the sea.
    • Heat from the Sun.
    • Ice crystals.
    • Stress, or pressure.

  5. What holds two plates together at a fault until the stress becomes too great?

    • Magma.
    • Wind shear.
    • Friction.
    • Snowfall.

  6. Which magnitude scale has replaced the Richter scale for large earthquakes?

    • The Kelvin scale.
    • The Beaufort scale, which measures wind strength on land and at sea.
    • The Moment Magnitude scale.
    • The Celsius scale, which measures temperature in degrees above the freezing point of water.

  7. What do seismic waves do as they travel outwards from the focus?

    • They turn into rain clouds above the epicentre.
    • They spread outwards and shake the ground.
    • They freeze the ground solid at once.
    • They make the sea level fall immediately.

  8. How much more ground shaking is a magnitude 7 earthquake than a magnitude 5?

    • About 7 times more.
    • About 1,000 times more.
    • About 2 times more.
    • About 100 times more.

  9. Because the magnitude scale is logarithmic, what does each whole-number step represent?

    • About one more unit of shaking.
    • About ten times more ground shaking.
    • About twice as much ground shaking.
    • A change in the depth of the focus only.

  10. How much stronger is a magnitude 6 earthquake than a magnitude 4?

    • About 2 times stronger.
    • About 600 times stronger.
    • About 100 times stronger.
    • About 10 times stronger.

  11. On the bar chart of four recent earthquakes, which had the highest magnitude?

    • Morocco, at Mw 6.8.
    • Japan (Noto), at Mw 7.5.
    • Taiwan, at Mw 7.4.
    • Turkiye, at Mw 7.8.

  12. Which two of the four earthquakes on the chart are closest in magnitude?

    • Morocco and Taiwan, at Mw 6.8 and 7.4.
    • Japan (Noto) and Taiwan, at Mw 7.5 and 7.4.
    • Turkiye and Taiwan, at Mw 7.8 and 7.4.
    • Turkiye and Morocco, at Mw 7.8 and 6.8.

  13. Which of these is a vulnerability factor rather than a hazard?

    • A magnitude 8 earthquake.
    • A shallow focus close to a city.
    • Poorly built homes.
    • A large fault line under the sea.

  14. Which of these is a hazard factor?

    • Poorly built homes, which are more likely to collapse and trap the people inside them.
    • A shallow focus close to a city.
    • No early-warning system, so people get no time to leave their homes before the shaking starts.
    • Few hospitals nearby.

  15. Why can two earthquakes of similar magnitude cause very different death tolls?

    • Because magnitude is measured in different units in each country, so the numbers cannot be compared at all.
    • Because every earthquake kills the same number of people.
    • Because vulnerability differs, such as building quality, wealth and warning systems.
    • Because the Moon moves differently over each country.

  16. A magnitude 8 earthquake occurs deep under the ocean with almost no people nearby. Which factor best explains its low impact?

    • Low vulnerability, because few people and buildings are exposed.
    • High vulnerability, because the sea absorbs all of the shaking.
    • Low magnitude, because depth lowers the Mw scale.
    • Low hazard, because a magnitude 8 is always weak.

  17. Which statement correctly describes earthquake risk?

    • Risk is highest whenever the magnitude is above 7, because larger shaking always means more people are harmed.
    • Risk depends only on how deep the focus is, so shallow quakes are always the only real danger.
    • Risk is highest when a strong hazard meets a highly vulnerable place.
    • Risk is zero wherever a place is wealthy.

  18. Why should a pupil be careful about claiming 'a higher magnitude always means more deaths'?

    • Only the depth of the focus decides deaths, not magnitude.
    • Earthquakes never cause any deaths at all, because the ground only shakes gently and buildings never fall.
    • Impact depends on vulnerability as well as magnitude, so a bigger quake can cause fewer deaths.
    • Magnitude is always measured incorrectly by seismometers, which is why every reported quake is unreliable.

  19. Which judgement best evaluates whether magnitude is the most important factor for earthquake risk?

    • Depth is the only factor, and magnitude is irrelevant, since shallow quakes always cause the greatest harm.
    • Magnitude never matters, only the colour of the seismometer does.
    • Vulnerability often matters most, since similar magnitudes can produce very different outcomes.
    • Magnitude is the only factor that matters, so vulnerability can be ignored.

  20. Why does the Moment Magnitude scale describe large earthquakes better than older scales?

    • It measures how many people felt the earthquake in each town, so it describes only the damage done.
    • It only measures the depth of the focus beneath a city, which is the only thing that matters for damage.
    • It is always exactly one unit lower than the Richter scale.
    • It is based on the physical size of the fault movement, so it does not underestimate big quakes.

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