Lesson 5.4.1

5.4.1 Evidence for climate change Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield), Unit 5

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 5.4.1, Evidence for climate change: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BI0), Unit 5: On the Wild Side, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which evidence for past climate change comes from air trapped in ice cores?

    • Past CO2 levels and temperature from trapped air
    • The number of trees in the forest at the time
    • The colour of soil layers in river valleys
    • The number of insects found in the glacier

  2. What does pollen found in layers of peat bogs reveal about climate?

    • Past vegetation changes that reflect climate
    • The number of bees that lived in the bog
    • The size of the nearest river at each time
    • The exact date of each rainfall event

  3. How does dendrochronology provide evidence for past climate?

    • Ring widths record each year's growing conditions
    • It shows the chemical composition of rocks
    • It measures the number of animals in a forest
    • It dates the age of the soil in years only

  4. Which of these is a record of temperature used as evidence for climate change?

    • Instrumental temperature records over decades
    • The colour of leaves in autumn each year
    • The height of a single tree at one moment
    • The number of fish caught by a fishing boat

  5. Why must a correlation between carbon dioxide and temperature not be treated as proof of causation on its own?

    • Correlations can only be found in laboratory experiments
    • Correlations always show that one variable causes the other
    • Carbon dioxide and temperature are never correlated in the records
    • Two variables can rise together without causation

  6. A scientist finds CO2 levels and temperature rise together in ice core records. Which further evidence would support a causal link?

    • Recording the speed of the wind over the glacier
    • Counting the number of people living in the area
    • A physical mechanism, such as CO2 absorbing infrared
    • Measuring the colour of the ice

  7. Which statement about the different types of climate evidence is correct?

    • Tree rings and ice cores contain identical information
    • Only one type of evidence can ever be used to study climate
    • Independent records that can be compared
    • Evidence from pollen in peat bogs is always inaccurate

  8. Why do scientists look for evidence from many different sources when studying past climate?

    • Scientists only need one source because all records are perfect
    • Different sources are never useful for climate studies
    • Each source has limits; agreement strengthens conclusions
    • Evidence from one source always contradicts the others

  9. Which evidence would show that carbon dioxide levels have risen since the Industrial Revolution?

    • The change in colour of granite rocks
    • The number of trees counted in a single forest
    • The number of rivers in a city
    • Direct atmospheric CO2 measurements and ice cores

  10. A peat bog layer contains pollen from cold-tolerant species. What can be inferred?

    • The layer is younger than all the layers above it
    • The bog was dry and had no water at that time
    • The climate was colder at that time
    • Pollen from cold-tolerant plants is never found in bogs

  11. A student concludes that because two records both show warming, climate change must be caused by the Sun alone. Which evaluation is best?

    • The conclusion is correct because only one cause is possible
    • The conclusion is correct because the records show warming
    • The conclusion goes beyond the evidence
    • The conclusion is wrong because records cannot show warming

  12. Which measurement from a sediment core would best indicate past temperature?

    • The number of stones found in the sediment
    • The depth of the lake at the time it formed
    • Oxygen isotope ratios in shells or ice
    • The colour of the sediment layer above it

  13. What does a long-term record of carbon dioxide from ice cores show about the present day?

    • Current carbon dioxide levels are lower than all past levels
    • Carbon dioxide has been constant for the last million years
    • Present CO2 exceeds all levels in the ice record
    • Carbon dioxide cannot be measured in ice

  14. Why does a temperature record from one weather station not prove global warming alone?

    • All weather stations record exactly the same values always
    • Weather stations never measure temperature accurately
    • A single station is local; a global trend needs many
    • Global warming cannot be measured at all

  15. A tree-ring record shows narrow rings during a period of drought. What does this indicate?

    • Slower growth, consistent with drier conditions
    • The tree was unaffected by weather
    • The tree grew faster in the drought
    • The tree was disturbed by a large animal only

  16. A researcher uses a core with peat layers, pollen counts and isotopes to study a region's past climate. Why combine these records?

    • Isotope records make pollen counts unnecessary
    • The three records can only be used one at a time
    • Each record checks the others, improving confidence in the reconstruction
    • Combining records makes them all show exactly the same result

  17. Which evidence type best shows a relationship between climate and the distribution of a species over decades?

    • The mass of one rock sample
    • Long-term species distribution and temperature records
    • The number of days in a year
    • The colour of a single species' fur in one year

  18. What is a proxy record in palaeoclimatology?

    • A direct thermometer reading taken in the past
    • A record of human population size over time
    • A computer simulation of the future climate
    • An indirect measure such as pollen or tree rings

  19. Why are dendrochronology samples cross-dated against each other?

    • To count the birds that nested in the tree
    • To measure the total mass of each tree
    • To find the colour of each ring
    • To match ring patterns and date rings accurately

  20. Why are atmospheric CO2 measurements often taken at remote sites such as Mauna Loa?

    • Remote sites remove CO2 from the air as it is measured
    • Remote sites show background levels, free of local sources
    • Remote sites always record the highest CO2 levels
    • Remote sites are the only places where CO2 can be measured

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