KS3 river landscapes - babbling brooks and waterfalls

Geography Quiz - River Landscapes 01 (Questions)

Rivers shape the land as they flow from source to mouth. In this quiz you will explore river courses, landforms and the processes that create them.

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Fascinating Fact:

Rivers usually have an upper course, middle course and lower course, and the shape of the valley and the main river processes change from source to mouth.

In KS3 Geography, pupils study how rivers change from steep, fast-flowing upper courses to wider, slower lower courses. They learn how erosion, transport and deposition work together to build river landscapes.

Key Terms

River course: The path a river follows from its source in the hills to its mouth where it enters the sea or a lake.
Erosion: The process where water wears away rock and soil from the river bed and banks.
Deposition: The process where a river drops the material it has been carrying, building up new landforms.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a river landscape in KS3 Geography?

A river landscape is the shape of the valley and the landforms created by a river along its course, including features such as valleys, meanders, waterfalls and floodplains.

Why do geographers divide a river into different courses?

Geographers divide a river into upper, middle and lower courses to show how gradient, channel shape, river speed and landforms change from the source to the mouth.

Which processes shape river valleys and channels?

River valleys and channels are shaped by erosion that wears rock away, transport that moves material downstream and deposition that drops sediment to form new features.

Try These Related Quizzes

What is a smaller river that flows into a larger one?

[ ]	Contributary
[ ]	Delta
[ ]	Distributary
[ ]	Tributary

How is a river valley best described in the uplands?

[ ]	U-shaped
[ ]	V-shaped
[ ]	Y-shaped
[ ]	Z-shaped

The point where a tributary joins a river is called what?

[ ]	Confluence
[ ]	Confusion
[ ]	Conglomeration
[ ]	Continuance

Which of the following is most likely to be found in the highest part of a river valley?

[ ]	Flood plain
[ ]	Meander
[ ]	Mouth
[ ]	Source

What is the ideal situation for a waterfall to form?

[ ]	An area of hard rock only
[ ]	An area of soft rock only
[ ]	Hard rock on top of soft rock
[ ]	Soft rock on top of hard rock

A curve or bend in a river has what name?

[ ]	Convolution
[ ]	Hairpin
[ ]	Meander
[ ]	Serpentine

What are the sides of a river channel called?

[ ]	Banks
[ ]	Necks
[ ]	Plains
[ ]	Rims

Where in a meander does the river flow fastest?

[ ]	In the centre
[ ]	It has the same speed everywhere
[ ]	On the inside of the bend
[ ]	On the outside of the bend

A river leaves material behind through which process?

[ ]	Abrasion
[ ]	Deposition
[ ]	Erosion
[ ]	Transition

10.

Rivers wind around ridges known as what?

[ ]	Benches
[ ]	Gunners
[ ]	Outcrops
[ ]	Spurs

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Rivers and Water

Geography Quiz - River Landscapes 01 (Answers)

What is a smaller river that flows into a larger one?

[ ]	Contributary
[ ]	Delta
[ ]	Distributary
[x]	Tributary

Some tributaries can be quite large rivers themselves e.g. the River Dove which flows into the River Trent at Newton Solney

How is a river valley best described in the uplands?

[ ]	U-shaped
[x]	V-shaped
[ ]	Y-shaped
[ ]	Z-shaped

Because the river is cutting downwards in a 'V'

The point where a tributary joins a river is called what?

[x]	Confluence
[ ]	Confusion
[ ]	Conglomeration
[ ]	Continuance

Confluences can be quite spectacular - try an internet search for 'amazing river confluences' some time and you will see what we mean!

Which of the following is most likely to be found in the highest part of a river valley?

[ ]	Flood plain
[ ]	Meander
[ ]	Mouth
[x]	Source

The source is where a river starts

What is the ideal situation for a waterfall to form?

[ ]	An area of hard rock only
[ ]	An area of soft rock only
[x]	Hard rock on top of soft rock
[ ]	Soft rock on top of hard rock

Soft rock erodes faster and leaves a 'step' for the water to fall vertically

A curve or bend in a river has what name?

[ ]	Convolution
[ ]	Hairpin
[x]	Meander
[ ]	Serpentine

Meanders are found in the lowest sections of river valleys

What are the sides of a river channel called?

[x]	Banks
[ ]	Necks
[ ]	Plains
[ ]	Rims

When a river floods, it is often described as having 'burst its banks'

Where in a meander does the river flow fastest?

[ ]	In the centre
[ ]	It has the same speed everywhere
[ ]	On the inside of the bend
[x]	On the outside of the bend

The water here is deeper and if the bank is just soil, it will be continually eroded, collapsing little by little into the river