Geography and Basic Science
What the section tests
Geography and Basic Science tests Kenya's physical and human geography and foundational science concepts. Expect map-based knowledge, climate controls, drainage, agriculture, and simple biology, physics, and chemistry.
Core rules
- Kenya straddles the Equator and borders the Indian Ocean; the Great Rift Valley runs north to south, and Mount Kenya is the highest peak.
- Altitude is a major climate control: temperature generally falls about 6.5°C per 1,000 m of ascent.
- Relief rainfall occurs when moist air is forced over highlands; the windward side is wetter than the leeward side.
- In science, know cell structures, states of matter, forces, energy transfer, photosynthesis, and the water cycle.
- Mass is the amount of matter; weight is the force of gravity on that mass.
Worked example
Nairobi is near the Equator but cooler than Mombasa. The reason is altitude: Nairobi sits at roughly 1,700 m, while Mombasa is at sea level. Using the lapse rate, Nairobi should be about 11°C cooler than a similar place at sea level. Latitude alone would predict hot conditions, so altitude is the decisive factor.
Traps
Do not confuse weather with climate, or mass with weight. In map questions, check the compass direction and scale before naming a feature. Do not call all energy sources renewable; fossil fuels are finite. In rainfall questions, distinguish convectional, relief, and frontal rainfall.