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Geography Quiz - Coastal Scenery 02 (Questions)

This KS3 Geography quiz will ask questions about the coastal scenery. There are thousands of headlands along the UK coast, often with beaches between them. These beaches have been created where the softer rocks next to the headlands have been eroded, forming sand that has not been moved away by longshore drift. The areas between two headlands are called bays and these can be anything from a few tens of metres across to several kilometres. One of the ways that cliffs are eroded is by abrasion. Pebbles are thrown against the base of the cliff and knock bits of rock off the cliff. This creates a wave cut notch. Eventually, the weight of the unsupported rocks above the notch can cause the cliff to partially collapse.

Beaches have been a popular destination since tourism started. In order to prevent the sand on their beaches from being washed away by longshore drift, seaside town councils installed solid wooden fences called groynes. Not all beaches are sandy, there are also pebble beaches too. These can also be protected using groynes if necessary.

1. When the coastline is worn back it is said to have what?
[ ] Diminished
[ ] Retreated
[ ] Shrunk
[ ] Withered
2. The movement of a wave up a beach is called what?
[ ] Splosh
[ ] Squish
[ ] Swale
[ ] Swash
3. Waves throwing pebbles at a cliff leads to what process?
[ ] Abrasion
[ ] Corrosion
[ ] Saltation
[ ] Solution
4. A famous shingle bank in Dorset is Chesil what?
[ ] Beach
[ ] Heights
[ ] Ridge
[ ] Way
5. What process leads to the formation of a sand spit?
[ ] Abrasion
[ ] Attrition
[ ] Hydraulic action
[ ] Longshore drift
6. Rock extending further out to sea than the rocks on either side forms a what?
[ ] Cave
[ ] Headland
[ ] Stack
[ ] Wave cut platform
7. What causes the end of a sand spit to curve?
[ ] A change in wave and wind direction
[ ] An increase in wind strength
[ ] Larger grains of sand than usual
[ ] The activity of fish
8. Headlands and bays are found in areas with what?
[ ] Alternating bands of hard and soft rock
[ ] Chalk rock only
[ ] Hard rock only
[ ] Soft rock only
9. What name is given to large concrete blocks protecting the coast?
[ ] Sea break
[ ] Sea fence
[ ] Sea moat
[ ] Sea wall
10. Which wooden boards trap sand and stop beach erosion?
[ ] Gantries
[ ] Grilles
[ ] Groynes
[ ] Guardrails

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Coastal landforms

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Geography Quiz - Coastal Scenery 02 (Answers)
1. When the coastline is worn back it is said to have what?
[ ] Diminished
[x] Retreated
[ ] Shrunk
[ ] Withered
Most of the coast of Britain is retreating
2. The movement of a wave up a beach is called what?
[ ] Splosh
[ ] Squish
[ ] Swale
[x] Swash
Swash adds material to the beach
3. Waves throwing pebbles at a cliff leads to what process?
[x] Abrasion
[ ] Corrosion
[ ] Saltation
[ ] Solution
The pebbles hammer at the cliff face and hollow out the base as a wave cut notch
4. A famous shingle bank in Dorset is Chesil what?
[x] Beach
[ ] Heights
[ ] Ridge
[ ] Way
About 17 miles long - one of the longest storm beaches in Europe!
5. What process leads to the formation of a sand spit?
[ ] Abrasion
[ ] Attrition
[ ] Hydraulic action
[x] Longshore drift
They are long sand ridges growing out from a beach where the coastline suddenly changes direction - for example, Spurn Head in the estuary of the river Humber
6. Rock extending further out to sea than the rocks on either side forms a what?
[ ] Cave
[x] Headland
[ ] Stack
[ ] Wave cut platform
The rocks of a headland are usually a little more resistant to weathering and erosion than the rocks on either side
7. What causes the end of a sand spit to curve?
[x] A change in wave and wind direction
[ ] An increase in wind strength
[ ] Larger grains of sand than usual
[ ] The activity of fish
A spit is created by longshore drift which is in turn created by the prevailing winds blowing on the coast. A prevailing wind is the most common wind direction, but wind can also arrive from other directions too. It is these secondary direction winds and the waves they create that can lead to the formation of a curve at the end of a spit
8. Headlands and bays are found in areas with what?
[x] Alternating bands of hard and soft rock
[ ] Chalk rock only
[ ] Hard rock only
[ ] Soft rock only
Soft rock erodes to give bays; hard rock stands out as headlands
9. What name is given to large concrete blocks protecting the coast?
[ ] Sea break
[ ] Sea fence
[ ] Sea moat
[x] Sea wall
Some sea walls are continuous and specially shaped to deflect the energy of the waves back out to sea. They are used to form the 'promenade' or 'esplanade' of seaside holiday towns to protect the town from storm damage
10. Which wooden boards trap sand and stop beach erosion?
[ ] Gantries
[ ] Grilles
[x] Groynes
[ ] Guardrails
They are set at right angles to the coastline