Effects of and responses to tropical storms - AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 1) Exam Questions

Practise 30 exam-style questions on Effects of and responses to tropical storms for AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 1). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

30 questions
1–12 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

Name one method used to monitor tropical storms.

Model answer

Satellites.

Explanation

Monitoring means collecting data about a storm as it forms and moves. Satellites track its position and cloud patterns from space, while aircraft and buoys measure pressure and wind speed. The data are then used in computer models to predict where the storm will go.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Satellites / aircraft that fly into storms (e.g. 'Hurricane Hunters') / weather buoys / radar / weather stations
Any one. Do not accept 'computer models' (prediction rather than monitoring) or 'TV and radio' (warning).

Question 2

2 marks

Outline one environmental effect of a tropical storm.

Model answer

The storm surge floods coastal farmland with salt water, which makes the soil too salty for crops to grow for months afterwards.

Explanation

Environmental effects are about the natural world: soils, vegetation, wildlife, coasts and water. To gain the second mark explain the consequence, such as lost habitats or infertile soil, rather than repeating the first point.

Mark scheme

1 mark
A valid environmental effect, e.g. salt water from the storm surge floods farmland / trees are uprooted and forests destroyed / coral reefs are damaged by waves / beaches and sand dunes are eroded / mangroves are destroyed / an oil spill or other pollution / landslides on hillsides
1 mark for a basic point, 1 for development.
1 mark
Development, e.g. so the soil becomes too salty for crops for months or years / so habitats for wildlife are lost / so the coast is less protected from future storms / so rivers and coasts are polluted, harming wildlife
Development of the previous point. Accept a named example, e.g. an oil barge ran aground at Estancia in the Philippines during Typhoon Haiyan, spilling oil along the coast.

Question 3

4 marks

Figure 1 shows how the average error in forecasts of where a hurricane will be 48 hours later has changed.

Using Figure 1 and your own knowledge, explain how improvements in predicting the track of tropical storms can reduce their effects.

Average error in hurricane track forecasts made 48 hours ahead (generalised). Line graph of average forecast error in km (y-axis, 0 to 400) against year (x-axis, 1990 to 2020). The line joins the points (1990, 340), (1995, 300), (2000, 250), (2005, 190), (2010, 150), (2015, 120), (2020, 110).

Model answer

Figure 1 shows that the average error in 48-hour track forecasts fell from about 340 km in 1990 to about 110 km in 2020. This means forecasters can now predict much more precisely where a storm will hit, using satellite images, aircraft measurements and computer models. Warnings can therefore be issued earlier and for the right stretch of coast, giving people more time to evacuate or reach shelters, which reduces deaths. Because warnings are more accurate, fewer people are evacuated unnecessarily, so people are more likely to trust and follow them. Emergency services can also move food, water and rescue teams into position before the storm arrives.

Explanation

Level 2 answers link the improvement in Figure 1 to specific actions that reduce effects: earlier, targeted warnings, evacuation and preparation. Saying only 'people are warned' without explaining how that reduces deaths or damage stays in Level 1.

Mark scheme

4 marks
Levels of response (4 marks).
Level 2 (3-4 marks): clear explanation of how more accurate predictions lead to actions that reduce deaths and damage (e.g. earlier, better-targeted evacuation and preparation); uses evidence from Figure 1.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): basic explanation, e.g. 'people get more warning', with little development and/or little use of Figure 1.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Figure 1 shows the average 48-hour track error fell from about 340 km in 1990 to about 110 km in 2020, by about two-thirds; better satellites, aircraft data and computer models mean forecasters know more precisely where the storm will hit; warnings can be issued earlier and for a smaller, more accurate area; people have more time to evacuate or reach shelters, so fewer die; fewer unnecessary evacuations, which saves money and means people trust and follow warnings; emergency services, food and medical supplies can be moved into place before the storm; people can protect property (shutters, sandbags, moving boats and vehicles, harvesting crops early); limits: forecasts of strength (intensity) are less accurate, and warnings only help if they reach people and they are able to act.

Question 4

6 marks

Explain how protection can reduce the effects of tropical storms.

Model answer

Protection means building structures that reduce the damage caused by a tropical storm's winds, rain and storm surge.

Buildings can be made storm-resistant. Homes built with reinforced concrete, with roofs tied to the walls by hurricane straps and windows covered by storm shutters, are much less likely to collapse or lose their roofs, so fewer people are killed or injured by falling buildings and flying debris. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Florida introduced strict building codes of this kind. Homes can also be raised on stilts so that flood water passes underneath.

Coastal defences protect against the storm surge, which causes many of the deaths. Sea walls, levees and storm surge barriers hold back the raised sea. After Hurricane Katrina, about USD 14.5 billion was spent improving the levees and flood walls around New Orleans.

Cyclone shelters give people a safe place to go. In Bangladesh thousands of raised concrete shelters have been built along the coast, so people can escape the surge, and this has helped reduce deaths from cyclones dramatically. Natural protection also works: mangrove forests absorb wave energy and reduce the height of storm surges, which is why mangroves were replanted in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.

However, protection is expensive and can fail if a storm is stronger than expected, as the levees of New Orleans did in 2005.

Explanation

Protection is about physical measures: stronger buildings, defences, shelters and mangroves. Level 3 answers explain how each one reduces the effects of wind or storm surge and back this up with real examples; a list of methods with no explanation stays in Level 1.

Mark scheme

6 marks
Levels of response (6 marks).
Level 3 (5-6 marks): detailed, well-developed explanation of a range of protection methods (buildings, defences, shelters, natural protection), clearly explaining how each reduces deaths or damage from wind, rain or storm surge; uses examples.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): clear explanation of some protection methods with some links to how they reduce effects; some examples.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): basic description of one or two methods with little explanation.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): storm-resistant buildings: reinforced concrete, roofs tied down with hurricane straps, storm shutters, so fewer buildings are destroyed by wind and fewer people are hurt by debris; buildings on stilts or raised ground so storm surge and flood water pass underneath; e.g. Florida's strict building codes were introduced after Hurricane Andrew in 1992; sea walls, levees and storm surge barriers hold back the storm surge, e.g. about USD 14.5 billion was spent improving the levees and flood walls around New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; cyclone shelters: strong, raised concrete buildings where people can shelter from wind and surge, e.g. thousands built along the coast of Bangladesh, helping to cut cyclone deaths dramatically; natural protection: mangrove forests absorb wave energy and reduce the height of storm surges, e.g. mangrove replanting in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan; limitations: defences are expensive, may fail if overtopped (as in New Orleans in 2005) and can give a false sense of security; poorer countries may not be able to afford them.

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