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European Baccalaureate Geography study materials
European Baccalaureate Geography study resources

European Baccalaureate Geography practice questions

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Question 1Geography

Which climate classification type is characterised by mean monthly temperatures above 18 °C in every month and annual precipitation usually exceeding 2000 mm?

  1. Mediterranean climate (Cs)
  2. Humid continental climate (Df)
  3. Tundra climate (ET)
  4. Tropical rainforest climate (Af) Correct answer.

Explanation

In the Köppen classification, the tropical rainforest climate Af has no dry season and every month averages above 18 °C, with abundant rainfall supporting evergreen broadleaf forest. The other types either have a marked dry summer, cold winters, or a warmest month below 10 °C.

Question 2Geography

A country has a total population of 40 million, a crude birth rate of 30 per 1000 and a crude death rate of 10 per 1000. What is its annual natural increase in absolute numbers?

  1. 400 000 people
  2. 800 000 people Correct answer.
  3. 1 200 000 people
  4. 200 000 people

Explanation

Natural increase equals the difference between birth and death rates, here 20 per 1000, applied to the population: 40 000 000 × 20/1000 = 800 000. Migration is not mentioned, so only the natural component is calculated.

Question 3Geography

Which landform is produced by glacial erosion of a pre-existing river valley, giving it a characteristic U-shaped cross-profile?

  1. A terminal moraine
  2. An outwash plain
  3. A glacial trough Correct answer.
  4. A drumlin

Explanation

Ice erodes a valley floor and sides more uniformly than a river, widening and deepening the valley into a steep-sided U-shaped trough. Moraines, outwash plains and drumlins are all depositional features built from glacial debris rather than products of erosion.

Question 4Geography

Which measure of development adjusts gross national income per capita for health, education and living standards?

  1. Purchasing power parity
  2. Gross domestic product per capita
  3. The Gini coefficient
  4. The Human Development Index Correct answer.

Explanation

The Human Development Index combines life expectancy, education indicators and income into a single composite score from 0 to 1. GDP per capita captures only output, the Gini coefficient measures inequality, and purchasing power parity is a currency conversion adjustment.

Question 5Geography

What is the main reason why the urban heat island effect is strongest at night rather than at midday?

  1. Built surfaces release stored heat slowly after sunset while rural areas cool quickly Correct answer.
  2. Wind speeds are usually higher at night in city centres
  3. Evapotranspiration in cities peaks after dark
  4. Solar radiation is more intense at night in densely built areas

Explanation

Concrete, asphalt and masonry absorb solar energy by day and release it gradually overnight, while rural vegetation and soil lose heat rapidly through evapotranspiration and radiation. The temperature contrast therefore peaks after sunset, not at maximum insolation.

Question 6Geography

Which term describes the movement of people across an international border who are forced to leave because of conflict or persecution?

  1. Commuters
  2. Economic migrants
  3. Internally displaced persons
  4. Refugees Correct answer.

Explanation

Refugees cross an international border and have a well-founded fear of persecution or are fleeing conflict, which gives them a specific legal status. Internally displaced persons are displaced within their own country, economic migrants move voluntarily, and commuters travel routinely for work.

Question 7Geography

In the hydrological cycle, which process returns water vapour directly from vegetation to the atmosphere?

  1. Percolation
  2. Interception
  3. Infiltration
  4. Transpiration Correct answer.

Explanation

Transpiration is the loss of water vapour through plant stomata, and together with evaporation from surfaces it forms evapotranspiration. Infiltration and percolation move water downward into and through soil, while interception is rainfall caught on leaves before reaching the ground.

Question 8Geography

Which of the following is a renewable energy source whose output depends strongly on daily and seasonal weather patterns?

  1. Solar photovoltaic power Correct answer.
  2. Lignite combustion
  3. Nuclear fission
  4. Shale gas extraction

Explanation

Solar photovoltaic output varies with cloud cover, daylight length and sun angle, so generation fluctuates across days and seasons. Lignite, nuclear fuel and shale gas are finite or stored resources whose output is not driven by immediate weather conditions.

Question 9Geography

A settlement lies on a floodplain where a river has deposited fertile alluvium and meanders freely. Which combination best explains this landform?

  1. Glacial scouring followed by meltwater deposition
  2. Low gradient with lateral erosion and deposition of fine sediment Correct answer.
  3. Steep gradient with vertical incision into bedrock
  4. Tectonic uplift with subsequent faulting

Explanation

In the lower course the river gradient is low, so the flow loses energy and deposits fine sediment while meandering laterally across the flat valley floor. Steep gradients favour erosion, and glacial or tectonic processes produce different landform assemblages.

Question 10Geography

Which statement best describes the demographic transition model's stage 3?

  1. Death rates fall sharply while birth rates stay high, so growth accelerates
  2. Birth rates fall below death rates, so population declines
  3. Birth and death rates are both high and roughly balanced
  4. Birth rates fall while death rates remain low, so population growth slows Correct answer.

Explanation

In stage 3, improved contraception, education and urban lifestyles reduce fertility while mortality is already low, so natural increase decelerates. The rapid-growth phase belongs to stage 2, and population decline characterises stage 5.

Question 11Geography

Why do many trans-national corporations locate assembly plants in newly industrialised countries?

  1. Those countries impose the highest environmental standards
  2. Those countries have the largest reserves of fossil fuels
  3. Lower labour costs and favourable investment regulations increase profit margins Correct answer.
  4. Those countries have the smallest consumer markets

Explanation

Assembly is labour-intensive, so firms seek cheap, compliant labour and incentives such as tax holidays or export processing zones to cut costs. The presence of fossil fuels, strict environmental rules or small markets would not attract such investment.

Question 12Geography

A coastal area experiences a spring tide. Which alignment of Sun, Moon and Earth produces this?

  1. The Earth at perihelion with the Moon at apogee
  2. Sun and Moon at right angles relative to Earth, so their pulls partly cancel
  3. Sun, Moon and Earth in a straight line, so solar and lunar gravitational pulls combine Correct answer.
  4. The Moon at its furthest orbital point from Earth

Explanation

Spring tides occur at new and full moon, when the solar and lunar tidal forces reinforce each other along the same axis, producing the largest tidal range. Right-angle alignment gives neap tides with a smaller range.

Question 13Geography

Which factor most directly explains why two places at the same latitude can have very different annual temperature ranges?

  1. The number of daylight hours in June
  2. The length of the local growing season
  3. Continentality, or distance from the moderating influence of the ocean Correct answer.
  4. The rotation speed of the Earth at that latitude

Explanation

Oceans have a high thermal capacity and heat or cool slowly, so coastal locations have small annual ranges while continental interiors heat and cool rapidly. Rotation speed and day length depend on latitude and are therefore similar for both places.

Question 14Geography

Which process is the main cause of soil salinisation in irrigated arid regions?

  1. Rapid decomposition of organic matter in waterlogged peat
  2. Wind deposition of fine loess particles
  3. Capillary rise of groundwater carrying dissolved salts as surface water evaporates Correct answer.
  4. Increased leaching of salts downward by heavy rainfall

Explanation

In hot dry areas, irrigation water evaporates from the surface and draws saline groundwater upward by capillary action, leaving salts behind in the topsoil. Heavy rainfall would leach salts downward, and loess deposition adds silt rather than salt.

Question 15Geography

A country's population pyramid has a broad base and narrow apex. Which interpretation is most consistent with this shape?

  1. Net emigration concentrated among older adults
  2. Low fertility with an ageing population
  3. High fertility with a young population and lower life expectancy Correct answer.
  4. Balanced birth and death rates at replacement level

Explanation

A wide base reflects a large cohort of children from high fertility, while the narrow apex indicates relatively few elderly people, typical of lower life expectancy. Ageing populations instead show a narrow base and a broad top.

Question 16Geography

Which is the best example of a pull factor in migration theory?

  1. Employment opportunities at the destination Correct answer.
  2. Rising sea levels at the origin
  3. Political persecution at the origin
  4. Drought destroying crops at the origin

Explanation

Pull factors attract migrants towards a destination, and jobs are the classic economic attraction. Drought, persecution and sea-level rise are push factors that drive people away from their place of origin.

Question 17Geography

Which feature is typical of a central business district in a high-income city?

  1. Extensive farmland between residential blocks
  2. Large detached housing with private gardens
  3. Low-rise warehouses occupying most plots
  4. High land values with dense vertical development and a concentration of services Correct answer.

Explanation

Competition for the most accessible land bids up rents, so the CBD develops intensively with tall buildings and functions such as finance, retail and administration. Detached housing and farmland belong to suburban or rural zones.

Question 18Geography

Which combination of conditions most favours the formation of a tropical cyclone?

  1. High-latitude location over land in winter
  2. Cold ocean water with strong upper-level winds
  3. Sea surface temperatures above about 26 °C with low wind shear Correct answer.
  4. Strong vertical wind shear over a mountain range

Explanation

Tropical cyclones draw energy from warm ocean water evaporating rapidly, and low wind shear allows the vertical column to stay organised. Cold water, high shear or land surfaces cut off the heat and moisture supply.

Question 19Geography

In a river regime graph, a river shows a winter maximum and a summer minimum with low overall discharge. Which regime does this indicate?

  1. A nival regime fed by spring snowmelt
  2. A glacial regime fed by summer ice melt
  3. A Mediterranean regime fed by winter rainfall Correct answer.
  4. An equatorial regime fed by year-round rain

Explanation

Mediterranean climates deliver most rainfall in winter, so rivers rise then and fall during the dry summer. Nival and glacial regimes peak in spring or summer, and equatorial regimes show high flow throughout the year.

Question 20Geography

A government wants to reduce carbon emissions from road transport. Which policy acts most directly on the demand side?

  1. Subsidising domestic coal-fired electricity
  2. Building additional urban motorway capacity
  3. Congestion charging in city centres combined with investment in public transport Correct answer.
  4. Lowering fuel taxes for private cars

Explanation

Congestion pricing raises the cost of private car use while improved public transport offers a substitute, directly reducing vehicle demand. Extra road capacity can induce more traffic, and the other options increase rather than cut emissions.

Question 21Geography

Which statement correctly distinguishes weathering from erosion?

  1. Erosion is a chemical process only, whereas weathering is physical only
  2. Weathering breaks rock in situ, whereas erosion involves transport of the debris Correct answer.
  3. Weathering and erosion are identical processes described by different terms
  4. Weathering always requires moving water, whereas erosion does not

Explanation

Weathering is the disintegration or decomposition of rock where it lies, while erosion involves the removal and transport of the resulting material by agents such as water, ice or wind. Both can be physical or chemical in nature.

Question 22Geography

An island state has a narrow economic base dependent on tourism and imported food. Which concept best describes this vulnerability?

  1. Structural economic vulnerability of small island developing states Correct answer.
  2. Import substitution industrialisation
  3. Demographic dividend
  4. Comparative advantage in manufacturing

Explanation

Small island developing states often face high transport costs, narrow export bases and heavy import dependence, which makes them structurally vulnerable to external shocks. A demographic dividend, manufacturing advantage or import substitution strategy would imply broader economic capacity.

Question 23Geography

Two catchments receive identical rainfall, but one has been deforested. Which hydrological response is most likely in the deforested catchment?

  1. Reduced soil erosion and more stable channel banks
  2. Lower peak discharge and greater groundwater recharge
  3. Higher peak discharge and greater surface runoff with lower infiltration Correct answer.
  4. Longer lag time between rainfall and peak flow

Explanation

Removing vegetation reduces interception and root-enhanced infiltration, so more water runs over the surface quickly, producing higher and earlier peaks and less storage. The opposite responses would follow reforestation rather than clearance.

Question 24Geography

A city introduces a green belt around its perimeter. Which outcome is most consistent with green belt policy aims?

  1. Increase the supply of greenfield land for housing
  2. Contain urban sprawl by directing development to existing built-up areas Correct answer.
  3. Encourage low-density ribbon development along radial roads
  4. Remove restrictions on out-of-town retail parks

Explanation

Green belts are designated to check unrestricted sprawl, prevent neighbouring towns merging and force development back onto brownfield land within the urban area. Releasing greenfield land or permitting out-of-town development would defeat that purpose.

Question 25Geography

Which reasoning best explains why the carrying capacity concept is difficult to apply to human populations?

  1. Birth rates are the sole determinant of resource use
  2. Carrying capacity applies only to plant species
  3. Human technology, trade and consumption choices continually alter the resources available per person Correct answer.
  4. Human populations never experience environmental limits

Explanation

Carrying capacity assumes a fixed resource base, but human societies change that base through technology, trade and consumption patterns, so the threshold shifts over time. Environmental limits still exist, and resource use depends on many factors beyond birth rates.

Question 26Geography

Which term describes the proportion of people in a population who are economically active or seeking work, expressed as a share of the total population?

  1. Fertility rate
  2. Activity rate Correct answer.
  3. Net migration rate
  4. Dependency ratio

Explanation

The activity rate measures the labour force as a proportion of the total population, distinguishing those in or seeking work from dependants. The dependency ratio instead compares dependants with the working-age group, so it is a different indicator.

Question 27Geography

A country has a crude birth rate of 12 per 1,000 and a crude death rate of 11 per 1,000. Which statement best interprets this demographic situation?

  1. Natural increase is very low, close to zero, typical of late stage 4 or stage 5. Correct answer.
  2. The figures indicate a youthful population with a broad-based pyramid.
  3. The population is declining rapidly because deaths outnumber births.
  4. Natural increase is high because birth rates exceed death rates by a wide margin.

Explanation

Natural increase equals the birth rate minus the death rate, here about 1 per 1,000, which is close to zero. Such near-equality of births and deaths is characteristic of the late stages of the demographic transition model.

Question 28Geography

Which term describes the physical wearing away of rock by particles carried in a river channel?

  1. Abrasion Correct answer.
  2. Hydraulic action
  3. Attrition
  4. Solution

Explanation

Abrasion is the scouring of the bed and banks by sediment carried in the flow, acting like sandpaper on the channel. Attrition, by contrast, is the wearing down of the particles themselves as they collide.

Question 29Geography

Which atmospheric layer contains most of the water vapour and weather phenomena such as clouds and frontal systems?

  1. Thermosphere
  2. Stratosphere
  3. Troposphere Correct answer.
  4. Mesosphere

Explanation

The troposphere holds the great majority of atmospheric water vapour and is where temperature generally decreases with height, driving convection and weather. The higher layers are far drier and do not support the cloud formation seen at the surface.

Question 30Geography

Which process transfers heat energy through the horizontal movement of air masses?

  1. Latent heat release
  2. Advection Correct answer.
  3. Conduction
  4. Radiation

Explanation

Advection is the horizontal transport of heat by moving air or water masses, for example warm air carried poleward. Conduction and radiation transfer energy without requiring bulk horizontal movement of the medium.

Question 31Geography

Which term describes the variety of species present in an ecosystem together with their relative abundance?

  1. Biodiversity Correct answer.
  2. Carrying capacity
  3. Biomass
  4. Ecological succession

Explanation

Biodiversity combines species richness with evenness of abundance, so it captures both how many species exist and how their numbers are distributed. Biomass instead measures the total mass of living material.

Question 32Geography

Which term describes the change in a country's population structure as death rates fall before birth rates fall?

  1. Demographic transition Correct answer.
  2. Counter-urbanisation
  3. Urbanisation
  4. Population momentum

Explanation

The demographic transition model describes the shift from high birth and death rates to low ones, with population growth fastest when death rates fall first. Population momentum refers to continued growth from a young age structure, a different concept.

Question 33Geography

Which feature of a map projection means that shapes and angles are preserved locally, though areas are distorted?

  1. Equivalence
  2. Conformality Correct answer.
  3. Azimuthality
  4. Equidistance

Explanation

A conformal projection preserves local angles and shapes, which suits navigation, but it cannot also preserve area. An equal-area (equivalent) projection does the opposite, sacrificing shape to keep relative areas correct.

Question 34Geography

A steep, unvegetated hillslope receives intense rainfall. Which combination of processes is most likely to generate a rapid debris flow?

  1. Deposition of fine silt in a low-energy river channel
  2. Slow chemical weathering of bedrock followed by wind deflation
  3. Saturation of regolith reducing friction, combined with gravity acting on a steep slope Correct answer.
  4. Compaction of clay by overlying ice sheets over many millennia

Explanation

Debris flows require a steep gradient and water-saturated loose material that loses internal friction and moves under gravity as a rapid mass movement. Slow weathering or low-energy deposition cannot supply the sudden downslope failure involved.

Question 35Geography

Two slopes have the same rock type and rainfall, but one has been stripped of vegetation by fire. Which change in slope hydrology is most likely?

  1. Reduced interception and infiltration lead to higher surface runoff and greater erosion risk Correct answer.
  2. Evapotranspiration rises, lowering the water table and reducing runoff
  3. Increased interception increases infiltration and reduces overland flow
  4. Throughflow declines because roots no longer abstract water

Explanation

Removing vegetation reduces interception and root-enhanced infiltration, so more rainfall reaches the surface as overland flow, raising erosion risk. The loss of roots also weakens soil cohesion, reinforcing the effect.

Question 36Geography

A river's discharge rises sharply within hours of rainfall and falls equally quickly. Which catchment characteristic best explains this flashy regime?

  1. Extensive snow cover that melts gradually in spring
  2. Impermeable clay soils with limited vegetation and steep slopes Correct answer.
  3. Large flat floodplain with many meanders and marshes
  4. Deep permeable sandstone with extensive woodland cover

Explanation

Impermeable soils, sparse vegetation and steep gradients reduce storage and speed water to the channel, producing short lag times and peaked hydrographs. Permeable or vegetated catchments store water and smooth the response.

Question 37Geography

Which combination of coastal conditions most favours the formation of a spit?

  1. A rocky headland exposed to high-energy waves with no longshore transport
  2. A change in coastline direction combined with longshore drift and a supply of sediment Correct answer.
  3. A deeply indented ria coastline with strong tidal scour and no sediment supply
  4. A submarine canyon funnelling sediment offshore into deep water

Explanation

Spits form where longshore drift carries sediment along the coast until the coastline changes direction, causing deposition across an inlet or bay. An adequate sediment supply and consistent drift direction are essential.

Question 38Geography

Which statement best explains why a city experiences a stronger urban heat island at night than during the day?

  1. Building materials release stored heat slowly at night while reduced wind and lack of vegetation limit cooling Correct answer.
  2. Evapotranspiration from parks is greatest after dark
  3. Solar radiation is more intense at night because of reflection from glass towers
  4. Anthropogenic heat is produced only during daylight hours

Explanation

Urban materials such as concrete and asphalt absorb heat by day and release it slowly after sunset, while reduced nocturnal mixing and sparse vegetation slow cooling. The heat island is therefore often most marked at night.

Question 39Geography

Which factor best explains why a trans-national corporation might relocate a call centre to a lower-income country?

  1. Proximity to raw materials used in manufacturing
  2. Access to deep-water ports for bulk export
  3. Availability of large areas of fertile farmland
  4. Lower labour costs combined with reliable telecommunications infrastructure Correct answer.

Explanation

Call-centre relocation depends on labour cost savings and dependable communications links rather than physical inputs. Services of this kind are footloose and follow wage differentials and connectivity.

Question 40Geography

Which explanation best accounts for the global pattern of tropical rainforest deforestation driven by commercial agriculture?

  1. Low global demand for agricultural goods reduces pressure on forest land
  2. Deforestation is driven mainly by falling demand for timber in export markets
  3. Rainforest soils are highly fertile and support long-term intensive cultivation
  4. High global demand for commodities such as soy and palm oil encourages large-scale land conversion Correct answer.

Explanation

Commercial agriculture expands into forest because international demand for commodities makes conversion profitable, often aided by weak land-use regulation. The resulting soils are frequently infertile, so land is abandoned and further forest is cleared.

Question 41Geography

Which term describes the movement of people from a rural area to a nearby town without crossing a national border?

  1. International migration
  2. Internal migration Correct answer.
  3. Transhumance
  4. Forced displacement

Explanation

Internal migration occurs within a single country, including rural-to-urban moves, and does not involve crossing a national border. International migration by definition crosses such a border.

Question 42Geography

A government wishes to reduce rural depopulation. Which measure acts most directly on the cause of out-migration?

  1. Building higher-density housing in the capital city
  2. Creating local employment and services in rural settlements Correct answer.
  3. Increasing the national retirement age
  4. Restricting international immigration

Explanation

Rural depopulation is largely driven by a lack of jobs and services, so creating local employment and provision addresses the push factors directly. Policies aimed at cities or immigration do not tackle the reasons people leave rural areas.

Question 43Geography

Which statement best explains why an area of high atmospheric pressure generally brings settled, dry weather?

  1. Converging trade winds force moist air to rise rapidly
  2. Ascending air cools and condenses, producing persistent rainfall
  3. Surface friction generates intense local convection
  4. Descending air warms and its relative humidity falls, suppressing cloud formation Correct answer.

Explanation

In a high-pressure system, air subsides; as it descends it warms and its relative humidity decreases, which inhibits condensation and cloud. Low pressure, by contrast, encourages rising air and rainfall.

Question 44Geography

Which combination of factors best explains why a country's energy mix shifts towards renewables over time?

  1. Falling technology costs, policy incentives and concern over fossil-fuel emissions Correct answer.
  2. Rising costs of renewable technology and removal of subsidies
  3. Increasing dependence on a single imported fossil fuel
  4. Declining public concern about air pollution

Explanation

Renewable capacity expands when technology costs fall, policy supports investment and environmental concerns raise the cost of fossil fuels. These drivers reinforce one another and shift the energy mix.

Question 45Geography

Which process is primarily responsible for the formation of a waterfall in a river channel?

  1. Lateral erosion widening a floodplain during a flood
  2. Chemical precipitation of calcium carbonate in a shallow lake
  3. Differential erosion where a band of resistant rock overlies softer rock Correct answer.
  4. Deposition of sediment on the inside of a meander bend

Explanation

A waterfall forms where a resistant band of rock is undercut as softer rock beneath erodes faster, creating a step and plunge pool. Continued retreat of the resistant cap extends the gorge upstream.

Question 46Geography

A census shows a population pyramid with a narrow base and a wide top. Which interpretation is most consistent with this shape?

  1. A population experiencing rapid natural increase
  2. A youthful population with high birth rates and short life expectancy
  3. An ageing population with low birth rates and long life expectancy Correct answer.
  4. A population recovering from a recent baby boom

Explanation

A narrow base indicates few births, while a wide top reflects many people surviving into older age, together signalling an ageing population. Rapid natural increase would instead produce a broad base.

Question 47Geography

Which concept best describes the extent to which a place can meet its needs without depleting resources for future generations?

  1. Productivity
  2. Sustainability Correct answer.
  3. Centrality
  4. Accessibility

Explanation

Sustainability concerns meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing resource use with regeneration. Productivity and accessibility describe output and reach, not intergenerational resource use.

Question 48Geography

Which statement best explains why a country with a high dependency ratio may face pressure on public services?

  1. Dependency ratios measure only international migration
  2. A large share of dependants relative to workers reduces the tax base available to fund services Correct answer.
  3. A high dependency ratio guarantees a large labour force
  4. Dependants pay most of the tax that funds public services

Explanation

When dependants outnumber workers in relative terms, the tax base funding schools, hospitals and pensions is smaller per dependant. This can strain public finances even if total population is stable.

Question 49Geography

Which factor best explains why two coastal cities at similar latitudes experience different rainfall totals?

  1. Equal proximity to the same ocean current
  2. The same annual insolation received at both locations
  3. Identical distance from the equator and identical altitude
  4. Differences in prevailing wind direction relative to nearby mountain ranges and ocean currents Correct answer.

Explanation

Rainfall depends on whether prevailing winds bring moist air onshore and whether relief forces it to rise, as well as on ocean-current temperature. Two cities at the same latitude can therefore differ greatly if these controls differ.

Question 50Geography

A company builds a factory on a floodplain because land is cheap. Which combination of costs is most likely to rise as a result?

  1. Transport costs to distant markets
  2. Insurance premiums and repair costs after flooding Correct answer.
  3. Wages paid to highly skilled engineers
  4. Costs of importing raw materials by sea

Explanation

Floodplain locations carry higher flood risk, which raises insurance premiums and expected repair costs, offsetting the cheap land. Transport, import and wage costs are unrelated to flood exposure.