Lesson Y8-U06-L07

Fossil Fuels vs Renewables: A Difficult Trade-Off Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 12

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y8-U06-L07, Fossil Fuels vs Renewables: A Difficult Trade-Off: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 12: Year 8: Resources: Feeding and Powering the World, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What makes fossil fuels attractive for constant electricity generation?

    • Weather dependency
    • High reliability
    • Zero emissions
    • Infinite reserves

  2. What is a major environmental disadvantage of burning fossil fuels?

    • Noise pollution
    • Water depletion
    • Magnetic radiation
    • Carbon emissions

  3. Which of these releases almost no carbon emissions?

    • Oil
    • Coal
    • Natural gas
    • Solar power

  4. What term describes an energy source whose output changes with weather conditions?

    • Continuous
    • Sustainable
    • Intermittent
    • Exhaustible

  5. What does the term 'trade-off' mean in resource management?

    • Gaining and losing
    • Permanent loss
    • Free benefit
    • Equal exchange

  6. Which energy source releases the highest carbon emissions per kilowatt-hour?

    • Solar
    • Gas
    • Wind
    • Coal

  7. Which energy source releases the lowest carbon emissions per kilowatt-hour?

    • Gas
    • Biomass
    • Coal
    • Wind

  8. How did the share of coal in UK electricity change between 2010 and 2023?

    • Fell sharply
    • Doubled rapidly
    • Rose steadily
    • Remained constant

  9. Renewables made up about 9 percent of UK electricity in 2010. Roughly what share had they reached by 2023?

    • About 25 percent
    • About 37 percent
    • About 43 percent
    • About 9 percent

  10. Renewables rose from about 9 percent of UK electricity in 2010 to about 43 percent in 2023. By how much did they rise?

    • About 52 percentage points
    • About 43 percentage points
    • About 34 percentage points
    • About 24 percentage points

  11. In the UK, which source made up about 47 percent of electricity in 2010 and about 35 percent in 2023?

    • Nuclear
    • Coal
    • Gas
    • Renewables

  12. What is a major financial disadvantage of building renewable energy infrastructure?

    • High maintenance tax
    • Expensive daily fuel
    • High upfront costs
    • Constant import fees

  13. Why do renewable energy systems often require battery storage or backup?

    • Weather variability
    • High radiation
    • Fuel shortages
    • Constant demand

  14. What local socio-economic problem can occur when a coal power station closes?

    • Job losses
    • Water shortages
    • Traffic congestion
    • Air pollution

  15. Which summary fairly compares fossil fuels and renewable energy?

    • Reliable but high-carbon
    • Cheap and infinite
    • Intermittent and dirty
    • Clean and continuous

  16. A solar farm emits about 48 g CO2 per kWh and a gas station about 490 g per kWh. Roughly how many times more carbon does gas release per unit?

    • About 10 times
    • About 20 times
    • About 5 times
    • About 2 times

  17. What are two key environmental benefits of renewable energy?

    • High emissions and cheap
    • Finite and highly polluting
    • Zero carbon and inexhaustible
    • Cheap and rapidly burning

  18. What is the main risk of relying entirely on unstored wind power?

    • Water pollution
    • Nuclear meltdown
    • Soil erosion
    • Power outages

  19. Which energy source is best for quick backup when wind and solar output drops?

    • Biomass
    • Wind
    • Gas
    • Solar

  20. Why is switching to renewable energy considered a difficult trade-off?

    • Constant pollution
    • Unlimited supply
    • Zero construction cost
    • Intermittent output

All KS3 Geography quizzes