Lesson Y8-U02-L02

Weathering and Mass Movement Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 8

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y8-U02-L02, Weathering and Mass Movement: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 8: Year 8: Coasts: A Changing Landscape, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is the primary definition of weathering in coastal geography?

    • Breaking rock in place
    • Washing away sandbars
    • Transporting loose sediment
    • Scouring cliff bases

  2. Which process breaks down rocks without moving them away?

    • Erosion
    • Transportation
    • Weathering
    • Deposition

  3. What are the three main types of weathering?

    • Solar, lunar, seismic
    • Hydraulic, abrasion, attrition
    • Mechanical, chemical, biological
    • Tectonic, thermal, glacial

  4. Which type of weathering uses living things such as roots and burrowing animals?

    • Mechanical weathering
    • Chemical weathering
    • Freeze-thaw erosion
    • Biological weathering

  5. What physical process causes freeze-thaw weathering in cliff cracks?

    • Salt crystal growth
    • Acid rain dissolving
    • Water freezing
    • Plant root pressure

  6. By about what percentage does water expand when it freezes?

    • About 25 percent
    • About 90 percent
    • About 0.9 percent
    • About 9 percent

  7. What is slumping in coastal landscapes?

    • Chemical rock decay
    • Wind-blown sand drift
    • Rotational cliff slip
    • Straight rock fall

  8. Which type of weathering is caused by weak acids in rainwater dissolving rock?

    • Mechanical weathering
    • Biological weathering
    • Mass movement
    • Chemical weathering

  9. What is the correct sequence of steps for freeze-thaw weathering?

    • Enter, freeze, expand, break
    • Expand, enter, freeze, snap
    • Melt, dissolve, slide, drop
    • Break, enter, melt, shrink

  10. A river carries broken rock out to sea. Which process is this?

    • Erosion
    • Freeze-thaw
    • Weathering
    • Slumping

  11. Tree roots prise apart a block of rock on a cliff top. Which type of weathering is this?

    • Chemical weathering
    • Mechanical weathering
    • Biological weathering
    • Mass movement

  12. Clay at the cliff base is wet and weak, and it rotates downhill in a curved scoop. What is this called?

    • Chemical dissolving
    • Sliding
    • Slumping
    • Freeze-thaw weathering

  13. A dry, hard rock face drops straight down a steep cliff. What is this called?

    • Biological weathering
    • Slumping
    • Erosion by a river
    • Sliding

  14. Why is a weathered cliff more likely to collapse?

    • Rock becomes harder
    • Water is removed
    • Rock is weakened
    • Gravity stops working

  15. Which process combines weathering and mass movement?

    • Wave abrasion
    • Chemical solution
    • Cliff collapse
    • Longshore drift

  16. How does sliding differ from slumping?

    • Sliding drops straight down
    • Sliding rotates in a curve
    • Slumping moves upwards
    • Slumping involves dry sand

  17. Why can freeze-thaw weathering continue over many years?

    • Continuous wave action
    • Constant summer heat
    • Unchanging temperatures
    • Repeated freeze-thaw cycles

  18. What two key factors cause a coastal cliff to collapse during calm weather?

    • Prior weathering and gravity
    • Hydraulic action and storms
    • Strong swash and tides
    • Longshore drift and wind

  19. What type of mass movement commonly occurs on soft clay cliffs?

    • Rockfall
    • Slumping
    • Avalanche
    • Sublimation

  20. What main factor increases the risk of cliff collapses during wet winters?

    • Faster wind speed
    • Higher air pressure
    • Decreased rainfall
    • Increased weight

All KS3 Geography quizzes