Lesson Y9-U03-L09

Causes of Climate Change: Natural vs Human Quiz: KS3 Geography, Unit 15

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y9-U03-L09, Causes of Climate Change: Natural vs Human: 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. Which of these is a natural cause of climate change?

    • Solar output changes
    • Cement production
    • Burning fossil fuels
    • Deforestation

  2. Which of these is a human cause of climate change?

    • Burning fossil fuels
    • Solar flares
    • Milankovitch cycles
    • Volcanic eruptions

  3. What does the geographical term 'anthropogenic' mean?

    • Solar driven
    • Caused by humans
    • Natural cycle
    • Volcanic origin

  4. How does a major volcanic eruption temporarily affect global temperatures?

    • Increases rainfall only
    • Causes rapid warming
    • Causes cooling
    • Stops all weather

  5. What slow natural process drove the ice ages over many thousands of years?

    • Solar flares
    • Volcanic cycles
    • Orbital wobbles
    • Tectonic drift

  6. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo cooled global temperatures by about how much, for roughly a year?

    • About 15 degrees.
    • About 5 degrees.
    • About 0.5 degrees.
    • About 0.05 degrees.

  7. What term describes any factor that pushes the climate to warm or cool?

    • Atmospheric pressure
    • Climate forcing
    • Thermal inertia
    • Greenhouse feedback

  8. Roughly how many parts per million has atmospheric carbon dioxide reached since 1850?

    • Exactly 280 ppm
    • Over 420 ppm
    • About 150 ppm
    • Under 100 ppm

  9. Which gas is released in the greatest quantity by burning fossil fuels?

    • Nitrous oxide
    • Methane
    • Water vapour
    • Carbon dioxide

  10. Which major human activity is a primary source of atmospheric methane?

    • Nuclear power
    • Using solar panels
    • Farming and waste
    • Making steel

  11. What term describes a unique pattern left in data by a specific cause?

    • Feedback loop
    • Baseline trend
    • Climate fingerprint
    • Carbon budget

  12. Which climate change cause matches the pattern of nights warming faster than days?

    • Greenhouse gases
    • Volcanic activity
    • Solar radiation
    • Milankovitch cycles

  13. Since 1980, solar energy has fallen while global temperature has risen. What rules this out?

    • Orbital changes
    • Volcanoes
    • El Nino
    • The Sun

  14. What trend in solar activity after 1980 proves the Sun is not driving modern global warming?

    • Solar activity rose
    • Radiation doubled
    • Sunspots vanished
    • Solar activity fell

  15. Which specific combination of evidence points most strongly to human-caused climate change?

    • CO2 rise and night-warming
    • Milankovitch cycles
    • Sunspot cycles alone
    • Volcanic dust clouds

  16. What does the strong correlation between rising carbon dioxide and temperature from 1900 to 2020 suggest?

    • Solar forcing
    • Natural cycles
    • Orbital shifts
    • Human contribution

  17. What is the primary effect of natural factors on long-term global climate trends?

    • Steep modern warming
    • Rapid sea-level rise
    • Permanent cooling
    • Short-term variations

  18. Is burning coal a natural or human cause of climate change?

    • Solar cause
    • Volcanic cause
    • Natural cause
    • Human cause

  19. Why can natural climate drivers never be completely ignored by climatologists?

    • They stop all rainfall
    • They cause short-term fluctuations
    • They control carbon emissions
    • They drive modern warming

  20. Why does eliminating the Sun as the cause of warming not automatically prove human agency?

    • Temperatures are falling
    • Solar output is constant
    • Carbon dioxide is harmless
    • Other causes might exist

All KS3 Geography quizzes