2B.8 Rapid coastal retreat Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Geography, Unit 3

The 20 questions

1. Which human activity accelerates coastal retreat by trapping river sediment upstream?

   • Dam construction
   • Beach nourishment
   • Cliff regrading
   • Offshore dredging

2. Which factor generates higher wave energy and increases coastal recession rates during storms?

   • Low tide
   • Offshore wind
   • Long fetch
   • Short fetch

3. What term describes the distance of open water over which wind blows to generate waves?

   • Fetch
   • Swash
   • Drift
   • Backwash

4. Which coastal combination causes maximum wave attack on cliff bases?

   • High tide and surge
   • Low tide and calm
   • High tide and calm
   • Low tide and surge

5. Which processes weaken cliff faces above the reach of waves to accelerate coastal recession?

   • Eustatic processes
   • Tectonic processes
   • Subaerial processes
   • Marine processes

6. A cliff recedes 1.2 m in a major storm and 0.1 m in a normal year. What is its total recession over 10 years if there are 2 storms and 8 normal years?

   • 3.2 m
   • 2.0 m
   • 1.6 m
   • 12.0 m

7. Why is the Nile Delta experiencing rapid coastal retreat following human management?

   • Offshore sediment dredging
   • Increased wave fetch
   • Isostatic land uplift
   • Upstream dam construction

8. What tide condition combines with a storm surge to cause maximum coastal retreat?

   • High spring tide
   • Low spring tide
   • High neap tide
   • Low neap tide

9. What primary factor causes coastal recession rates to vary over short timeframes?

   • Isostatic rebound
   • Weather systems
   • Global sea level
   • Tectonics

10. Which wave feature creates greater coastal recession on exposed coastlines?

    • Short fetch
    • Constructive profile
    • Low frequency
    • Long fetch

11. Which factor causes long-term changes to coastal recession rates over decades?

    • Diurnal tides
    • Storm surges
    • Sea level change
    • Daily wind direction

12. What event causes multi-year coastal recession records to show high variability?

    • Diurnal tidal shifts
    • Constant wave fetch
    • Severe storm occurrence
    • Isostatic equilibrium

13. What primarily drives rapid coastal recession before human actions influence it?

    • Dredging operations
    • Subaerial vegetation
    • Economic management
    • Physical processes

14. Which coastal feature most effectively reduces wave energy reaching a cliff base?

    • Wide sediment beach
    • Subaerial mass movement
    • Dredged sea channel
    • Narrow pebble beach

15. What collective term describes weathering and mass movement acting on cliffs?

    • Marine erosion
    • Corrasion processes
    • Subaerial processes
    • Hydraulic action

16. How does sea level rise directly increase the rate of cliff recession?

    • Higher wave attack
    • Lower wave energy
    • Reduced subaerial weathering
    • Increased beach deposition

17. A cliff loses 0.6 m in each storm. If 5 storms occur per year for 6 years, what is the total recession?

    • 18 m
    • 6 m
    • 3.6 m
    • 30 m

18. Which condition exposes a cliff base to maximum wave energy impact?

    • Wide sand dune
    • Dense salt marsh
    • Vegetated shingle spit
    • Absence of beach

19. Which geological feature determines the varying resistance of strata along discordant coastlines?

    • Aspect
    • Fetch
    • Lithology
    • Isostasy

20. Why are future coastal recession rates difficult to predict accurately?

    • Predictable tide cycles
    • Constant wave fetch
    • Storm frequency uncertainty
    • Fixed sea levels

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