Lesson 3.1.1.2

3.1.1.2 The water cycle Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.1.2, The water cycle: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Geography (7037), Unit 1: Physical geography, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which global store holds the largest proportion of Earth's water?

    • Terrestrial biosphere
    • Oceanic hydrosphere
    • Cryosphere
    • Atmosphere

  2. Which process changes liquid water into water vapour?

    • Infiltration
    • Sublimation
    • Evaporation
    • Condensation

  3. Which term describes precipitation trapped on plant leaves before reaching the ground?

    • Throughfall
    • Interception
    • Stemflow
    • Percolation

  4. Which process describes water running directly down plant stems and tree trunks?

    • Throughfall
    • Stemflow
    • Baseflow
    • Infiltration

  5. Which process describes water soaking into the surface layer of soil?

    • Percolation
    • Throughflow
    • Stemflow
    • Infiltration

  6. In a balanced drainage basin, precipitation equals evapotranspiration plus which output?

    • Interception
    • Throughflow
    • Runoff
    • Infiltration

  7. On a flood hydrograph, what is the time delay between peak rainfall and peak discharge?

    • Lag time
    • Rising limb
    • Baseflow time
    • Recession time

  8. Which point on a flood hydrograph represents the highest river flow rate?

    • Rising limb
    • Baseflow
    • Falling limb
    • Peak discharge

  9. Which land-use change reduces lag time and increases peak river discharge?

    • Contour ploughing
    • Afforestation
    • Terracing
    • Urbanisation

  10. Precipitation is 1,200 mm, evapotranspiration is 700 mm, and runoff is 450 mm. What is the storage change?

    • -50 mm
    • +50 mm
    • 0 mm
    • +1,950 mm

  11. A 40 km² catchment receives 25 mm of rain. If 60% runs off, what is the runoff volume?

    • 400,000 m³
    • 150,000 m³
    • 600,000 m³
    • 1,000,000 m³

  12. A river's discharge rises from 8 m³/s to 42 m³/s after a storm. What is the increase?

    • 34 m³/s
    • 50 m³/s
    • 26 m³/s
    • 336 m³/s

  13. Rainfall of 15 mm falls on a 2 km² catchment area. What total volume of water falls?

    • 30 m³
    • 3,000 m³
    • 30,000 m³
    • 300,000 m³

  14. Which water store contains the smallest percentage of Earth's total global water?

    • Hydrosphere
    • Cryosphere
    • Lithosphere
    • Atmosphere

  15. Which water store has the longest residence time for fresh water?

    • Atmosphere
    • Ice sheets
    • Rivers
    • Soil moisture

  16. A drainage basin has 300 mm runoff and 900 mm precipitation. What is the runoff ratio?

    • 67%
    • 3%
    • 300%
    • 33%

  17. Which soil condition most reduces infiltration rates on agricultural land?

    • High earthworm activity
    • High organic content
    • Coarse sandy texture
    • High soil compaction

  18. Which drainage basin feature leads to a longer lag time on a flood hydrograph?

    • High drainage density
    • Urbanised land
    • Permeable geology
    • Steep slopes

  19. How does large-scale water abstraction affect a drainage basin's store levels?

    • Reduces groundwater stores
    • Elevates water table
    • Increases surface runoff
    • Increases soil moisture

  20. Which land management practice increases peak discharge in a drainage basin?

    • Contour ploughing
    • Deforestation
    • Afforestation
    • Terracing

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