Lesson 3.1.5.2

3.1.5.2 Plate tectonics Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.5.2, Plate tectonics: 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. What process occurs when an oceanic plate sinks beneath another plate into the mantle?

    • Subduction
    • Sea-floor spreading
    • Continental collision
    • Ridge push

  2. Which feature provides a classic example of a conservative plate margin?

    • Mid-Atlantic Ridge
    • East African Rift
    • San Andreas Fault
    • Marianas Trench

  3. What plate tectonic force is driven by cold, dense crust sinking into the mantle?

    • Ridge push
    • Slab pull
    • Convection currents
    • Gravitational sliding

  4. What provides the internal energy that drives convection currents within Earth's mantle?

    • Solar radiation
    • Atmospheric pressure
    • Radioactive decay
    • Tidal friction

  5. At which landform does sea-floor spreading actively construct new oceanic crust?

    • Island arc
    • Mid-ocean ridge
    • Rift valley
    • Ocean trench

  6. Which feature forms volcanic island chains away from plate boundaries as a plate moves?

    • Subduction zone
    • Ocean trench
    • Transform fault
    • Magma plume

  7. At which specific plate boundary type do island arcs such as Japan form?

    • Constructive
    • Continental collision
    • Oceanic destructive
    • Conservative

  8. At what typical rate do tectonic plates move across Earth's surface?

    • Metres per year
    • Centimetres per year
    • Kilometres per year
    • Millimetres per day

  9. Which tectonic process formed the Himalayan mountain range?

    • Sea-floor spreading
    • Continental collision
    • Transform faulting
    • Oceanic subduction

  10. What landform is created when continental crust pulls apart at a divergent boundary?

    • Fold mountain
    • Ocean trench
    • Island arc
    • Rift valley

  11. What evidence at mid-ocean ridges provides strong proof of sea-floor spreading?

    • Asymmetrical magnetic stripes
    • Vertical basalt layers
    • Symmetrical magnetic stripes
    • Random palaeomagnetic patterns

  12. Which layer of the Earth forms the rigid outer shell divided into tectonic plates?

    • Mesosphere
    • Asthenosphere
    • Lithosphere
    • Outer core

  13. Which semi-molten layer of the upper mantle directly underlies the rigid lithosphere?

    • Asthenosphere
    • Mesosphere
    • Lithosphere
    • Inner core

  14. Why does oceanic crust subduct beneath continental crust at a destructive margin?

    • Lower density
    • Greater thickness
    • Higher temperature
    • Higher density

  15. If a tectonic plate moves 4 cm per year, how far does it travel in 1 million years?

    • 400 km
    • 4000 km
    • 40 km
    • 4 km

  16. What pattern of earthquake foci is characteristic of subduction zones at destructive margins?

    • Decreasing inland
    • Shallow only
    • Uniform depth
    • Deepening inland

  17. Which plate margin type forms young fold mountains like the Andes?

    • Destructive
    • Constructive
    • Conservative
    • Passive

  18. Which tectonic feature is created at a constructive plate margin?

    • Ocean ridge
    • Fold mountain
    • Deep sea trench
    • Island arc

  19. What type of magma creates explosive volcanic eruptions at subduction zones?

    • High viscosity
    • Low silica
    • High temperature
    • Low viscosity

  20. What occurs to tectonic plates at a constructive plate margin?

    • Slide past
    • Converge together
    • Diverge apart
    • Subduct downwards

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