Lesson Y9-U03-L07

The Greenhouse Effect and the Carbon Story Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 15

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y9-U03-L07, The Greenhouse Effect and the Carbon Story: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Geography (National Curriculum), Unit 15: Year 9: Weather, Climate and a Changing Atmosphere, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What do greenhouse gases do to outgoing long-wave heat?

    • Speed up endlessly
    • Destroy completely
    • Reflect all away
    • Absorb and re-emit

  2. What would Earth's average temperature be without natural greenhouse gases?

    • Plus 15 degrees Celsius
    • Minus 50 degrees Celsius
    • Zero degrees Celsius
    • Minus 18 degrees Celsius

  3. Which human-added greenhouse gas is the main driver of global warming?

    • Nitrogen
    • Carbon dioxide
    • Hydrogen
    • Oxygen

  4. Which gas traps more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide does?

    • Oxygen.
    • Argon.
    • Nitrogen.
    • Methane.

  5. About what share of UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 was carbon dioxide?

    • About 50 percent.
    • About 14 percent.
    • About 79 percent.
    • About 5 percent.

  6. Why is methane particularly potent as a greenhouse gas?

    • High molecule potency
    • It is abundant
    • It cools clouds
    • It creates oxygen

  7. Where was the carbon in fossil fuels stored before being burnt?

    • In fresh topsoil
    • In active clouds
    • Locked underground
    • In sea water

  8. Which human activity releases the largest volume of carbon dioxide?

    • Planting trees
    • Recycling glass
    • Burning fossil fuels
    • Wind generation

  9. How does large-scale deforestation increase atmospheric carbon dioxide?

    • Soil releases oxygen
    • Leaves block solar radiation
    • Roots freeze the atmosphere
    • Fewer trees absorb it

  10. What was the approximate carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere in 2020?

    • 317 parts per million
    • 280 parts per million
    • 414 parts per million
    • 550 parts per million

  11. How did atmospheric carbon dioxide levels change between 1960 and 2020?

    • Rose steadily
    • Fell sharply
    • Remained constant
    • Fluctuated wildly

  12. What relationship is shown between rising carbon dioxide and global temperatures?

    • Positive correlation
    • Inverse relationship
    • Negative correlation
    • No correlation

  13. If a scaled temperature graph shows 98 with a 100x multiplier, what is the value?

    • 0.098 degrees Celsius
    • 98 degrees Celsius
    • 9.8 degrees Celsius
    • 0.98 degrees Celsius

  14. Why does a rising trend in a climate graph not automatically prove cause?

    • Graphs lack numbers
    • Temperature never changes
    • Correlation requires mechanism
    • Data is always fake

  15. What happens immediately after the Earth's surface absorbs solar radiation and warms?

    • Reflects all light
    • Freezes instantly
    • Absorbs ultraviolet light
    • Radiates long-wave heat

  16. Why is the natural greenhouse effect vital for life on Earth?

    • Keeps planet warm
    • Blocks all sunlight
    • Removes oxygen
    • Cools the poles

  17. What is the main difference between the natural and enhanced greenhouse effects?

    • Different solar energy
    • No gases involved
    • Stronger sunlight
    • Extra human emissions

  18. Why is methane considered dangerous despite making up a smaller emission percentage?

    • High heat-trapping strength
    • It destroys thermometers
    • It sinks to oceans
    • It creates heavy rainfall

  19. Which combination provides the strongest evidence that humans cause climate change?

    • Computer animations
    • Data plus physics
    • Ancient mythology
    • Weather forecasts

  20. How do scientists judge if rising carbon dioxide is driving modern global warming?

    • Highly impossible
    • Purely coincidental
    • Completely unknown
    • Very likely

All KS3 Geography quizzes