ZIMSEC Form 3 and O level Geography Exam Paper Set 1

EXAMINATION I

Paper 1: Multiple-Choice Questions

Answer all questions in this section. Choose the most appropriate optional
answer.

1. The following is true of air masses except __________.

A. they have uniform temperature. B. they have uniform pressure.

C. they have uniform speed. D. they have uniform humidity

2. Which of the following is true about air masses.

A. Air masses blow from a region of low pressure to high pressure.

B. Air masses maintain characteristics of their source.

C. Air masses of different characteristics mix.

D. When a warm moist air meets a cold dry air, they are both forced to rise.

3. The characteristics of an air mass that originates from an ocean in the tropics
are _____.

A. cold and dry. B. hot and dry.

C. warm and moist. D. warm and dry.

4. Explain why an air mass that originates from the poles is cold and dry?

A. It is modified as it blows from the poles. B. The Polar Regions are very cold.

C. The air mass is cooled adiabatically D. There is very low pressure at the poles.

5. Convection is __________.

A. when air is heated from below, convection currents develop and the air rises.
B. when air is heated from above and sinks.

C. when air is cooled from below.

D. when air is cooled from above.

6. Which of the following type of rainfall is formed from convergence of air

masses?

A. Convectional rainfall B. Relief rainfall

C. Convergence rainfall. D. Cyclonic rainfall

7. Air diverges at the subtropical high-pressure belts because ________.

A. there is intense low pressure. B. there is high pressure.

C. there is low pressure. D. there is moderate pressure.

8. The Coriolis force cause air masses to be ___________.

A. deflected to the right in the Southern hemisphere.

B. deflected to the left in the Northern hemisphere.

C. deflected to the left in the Southern hemisphere.

D. blow from east to west in all hemispheres.

9. The doldrums low has low pressure due to __________.

A. air convergence experienced there.

B. very high pressure which attracts air masses.

C. very low pressure which causes convergence.

D. very high temperatures which causes air convergence.

10. Which of the following is true about temperature and pressure?

A. Pressure increases with an increase in temperature.

B. Pressure falls with an increase in temperature.

C. Pressure does not change with an increase in temperature.

D. Pressure decreases with a decrease in temperature.

11. An anticyclone is ___________

A. an area of high pressure. B. an area of low pressure.

C. a high-pressure belt. D. an area of intense low pressure.

12. In which direction does air circulate in an anticyclone in the Southern

hemisphere?

A. In a clockwise direction. B. In an anticlockwise direction.

C. To the right. D. To the left.

13. The following describes the weather ahead of an occluded front.

A. Cold weather and clear skies.

B. Air saturation and cloud formation.

C. Cloud formation and some precipitation.

D. Clearing skies and a sharp change in wind direction.

14. ELNINO conditions are associated with drought because _________.

A. ascending air masses destroy cloud formation.

B. descending air masses destroy cloud formation.

Ç. High temperatures prevent cloud formation.

D. the ITCZ will have been destroyed by air masses.

15. Which of the following is a type of front?

A. Stationary front. B. Stationery front.

C. Anticyclonic front. D. Cyclonic front.

16. The following are air masses affecting Zimbabwe except ________

A. south-west trades. B. south east trades.

C. north-east trades. D. north westerlies.

17. Name the air mass that brings guti weather conditions to Zimbabwe.

A. North-east trades. B. South-east trades.

C. North-west trades. D. The Benguela cold current.

18. Explain why the Congo air are moist.

A. They absorb moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and the Congo forest.

B. They originate from the ocean.

C. They are recurved from the ocean.

D. They absorb moisture from the savanna forest.

18. Zaire/Congo air is recurved into Zimbabwe due to _________

A. coriolis force. B. an anticyclone over Zimbabwe.

C. intense low pressure over Zimbabwe. D. high pressure over Zimbabwe.

19. Name the air mass which brings rainfall to northern Zimbabwe in summer.

A. Congo air. B. Benguela cold current.

C. South-east trade winds. D. North east trades.

20. At the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone, air masses meet due to ________.

A. position of the sun. B. moderate pressure at the zone.

C. low pressure at the zone. D. high pressure over the continent.

21. Why does the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone shift positions?

A. Re-curved north east trade winds.

B. Reduced speed of the north east trade and south east trade winds depending
on seasons.

C. Low pressure over the continent.

D. High pressure over the continent.

22. Which of the following is evidence of continental drift.

A. The coastlines of North America and South America seem to match.

B. The rock strata of the Karoo system match correctly with the Santa Catarina
system.

C. South America and Africa have a similar shape.

D. Red sea shores show no evidence of having undergone lateral displacement.

23. The following happens at a convergent plate boundary except __________.

A. fold Mountains are formed at the edge. B. Island arcs develop.

C. two oceanic plates diverge. D. new rocks are born.

24. Plate movements are important because __________.

A. eruption of magma may result in the formation of valuable minerals.

B. eruption causes tsunamis.

C. eruption of magma destroys crops and animals.

D. eruption causes rivers to dry up.

25. Folding is the bending of rocks into down folds and synclines due to
__________

A. sliding movements. B. vertical movements.

C. horizontal movements. D. sinking movements.

26. The following are the most common landforms formed from vulcanicity
except ______

A. phacolith. B. laccolith.

C. lopolith. D. hot springs.

27. One human activity which causes volcanoes and earthquakes is ______

A. tectonic movements.

B. explosives used in mining and quarrying cause vibrations.

C. vulcanicity.

D. isostatic adjustment.

28. The following are mitigating measures of vulcanicity and earthquakes except
________.

A. evacuation. B. early warning.

C. exploding nuclear bombs underground. D. zonation.

29. Which of the following is an effect of volcanic activity and earthquakes?

A. Accessibility becomes easy. B. Causes landslides which destroy buildings.

C. Human and animal diseases decrease. D. Infrastructure development.

30. Which of the following is an important aspect of biogeochemical cycles?

A. They enable the transfer of molecules from one locality to another.

B. They remove the link between living and non-living organisms.

C. They prevent the transformation of matter from one form to another.

D. They destroy the equilibrium state.

31. The role of biogeochemical cycles in the ecosystem is ___________

A. to provide energy to the system. B. to bring water to the system.

C. to facilitate the flow of energy. D. to destroy the equilibrium.

32. Conserving wetland areas is important because _________

A. they are a source of income. B. they are mosquito breeding areas.

C. they cause shortage of water. D. they increase chances of flooding.

33. The nitrogen cycle is ___________.

A. the process through which nitrogen is absorbed by plants.

B. the process through which nitrogen in converted from one from to another.

C. the process by which nitrogen is converted to nitrates by legumes.

D. the process by which atmospheric nitrogen is taken up by plants.

34. The mineral that makes 79% of the atmosphere is ___________

A. carbon. B. nitrogen.

C. oxygen. D. hydrogen.

35. Ecosystems can be sustainably managed in the following way _______.

A. ploughing down the slope.

B. deforestation.

C. genetic modification to improve varieties.

D. stream bank cultivation.

36. What is the carrying capacity as used in the study of ecosystems?

A. The keeping of animals on a very small piece of land.

B. The number of animals that can graze an area without causing environmental
degradation.
D. The carrying of animals from one area to another.

37. What is fossilisation?

A. The process by which carbon becomes a fossil fuel.

B. Decomposition of carbon.

C. The provisioning process of carbon.

D. The interdependence in ecosystems.

38. _____________ are converted by nitrogen fixing bacteria in legumes.

A. Carbons B. Nitrites

C. Fossils D. Nitrates

39. Micro elements transported in biogeochemical cycles include all of the

following except ________.

A. boron. B. carbon.

C. copper. D. phosphorus.

40. Nutrient cycle is important in that ___________

A. it creates shortages in minerals in the environment.

B. it facilitates the loss of minerals by plants.

C. it facilitates the movement of nutrients from the environment into a living

organism and then back

into the physical environment.

D. it facilitates the conversion of nutrients to be lost by plants.

Paper 2: Structured Questions

Answer four questions in this section.

Answer one question from each Sections A, B, C and one other question from any
section.

Section A

Answer one question in this section.

1. (a) (i) Describe the characteristics of the polar continental air mass and the
tropical maritime air

mass. [5]

(ii) Outline the weather associated with cold front. [2]

(b) Figure 1 shows the air masses affecting Zimbabwe.

(i) Describe and explain the weather conditions associated with the air masses
affecting Zimbabwe.

(c) Photograph A shows a human activity.

(i) Describe and explain how the activity shown affects the weather. [5]

(ii) Suggest possible solutions to the problems you mentioned in c (i) above. [7]

2. (a) (i) State three types of folds. [3]

(ii) Describe one landform produced by folding. [4]

(b) Figure 2 shows landforms resulting from earth movements.

(i) Name the landforms labelled A and B. [2]

(ii) Describe how the landforms A and B were formed. [4]

(iii) Suggest the benefits and problems which a community may experience when
settling on landform A. [5]

Section B

Answer any one question in this section.

3. (a) (i) List any four statutory instruments in the Environmental Management
Act (2002). [4]

(ii) Name other environmental management legislation in Zimbabwe. [3]

(b) Photograph B shows a degraded environment in Zimbabwe.

(i) Identify forms of environmental degradation shown. [5]

(ii) Outline the causes of environmental degradation shown. [6]

(c) Plan a project on how you would rehabilitate such an environment in the
community. [7]

4. (a) (i) Define the term ‘Inter-tropical Convergence Zone’ as used in the study of
weather. [2]

(ii) Explain why air masses maintain characteristics of their source regions. [2]
(iii) Name one activity and explain how it is affected by weather forecasting. [2]

(b) Figure 2.2 shows the position of the ITCZ in different seasons.

(i) Describe and explain the changes shown on the position of I.T.C.Z. [6]

(ii) Describe and explain the weather conditions associated with the development
of I.T.C.Z. [6]

(c) Suggest the advice you would give to people so as to minimise the effects of
floods in your area.

[7]

9900

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Section C

Answer any one question in this section.

5. (a) (i) State the three types of faults. [3]

(ii) Describe one intrusive volcanic landform. [4]

(b) Describe what happens at the destructive plate boundary. [4]

(c) Suggest measures to reduce the effects of earthquakes. [7]

6. (a) (i) Define the terms ‘autotrophs’ and ‘trophic level’ as used in the study of
ecosystems. [4]

(ii) Describe any two important components of the nutrient cycle. [4]

(b) (i) Explain how plants and animals have adapted to the existing climatic
conditions in the savanna ecosystem. [7]

(ii) Explain why the savanna ecosystem has a wide variety of plants and animals.
[3]

(c) Suggest measures that can be taken to conserve the savanna biome. [7]