Log in to GEO and try this 15-question A-level quiz to see how much you know about the water and carbon cycle.

You will need to download Figure 1 and Figure 2 here to complete this quiz.

If you haven't already done it work through the 'Water cycle' web unit to learn more. Or look at it again to help fill in any gaps in your knowledge about the stores and flows in the water cycle system, the human impacts and water scarcity.

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HIGH SCORES

Rank Name Score
1st TWI 30
2nd LTH 30
3rd Bvv 30
4th ALP 30
5th AMC 30
6th PHH 30
7th LRD 30
8th pgb 30
9th JWS 30
10th HWM 30

QUIZZES // The water cycle quiz 1

Q1. Referring to figure 1, which process of transfer from the atmosphere to the land surface is represented by the letter X?

Interception

Infiltration

Precipitation

Condensation

Q2. Referring to figure 1, which storage by vegetation is represented by letter Y?

Interception

Infiltration

Precipitation

Condensation

Q3. Referring to figure 1, which process of transfer from the land surface into the soil is represented by letter Q?

Interception

Infiltration

Precipitation

Condensation

Q4. Referring to figure 1, which process of transfer from the atmosphere to the land surface is represented by the letter Z?

Interception

Infiltration

Precipitation

Condensation

Q5. Which of the following is not an example of a store within the drainage basin water cycle?

Groundwater

Rivers and lakes

Cryosphere

Precipitation

Q6. Where are the typical stores of water within the hydrosphere?

Percolation, rivers, lakes and aquifers

Oceans, rivers, groundwater flow and evapotranspiration

Soil moisture, aquifers, oceans and lakes

Marshland, rivers, precipitation and atmosphere

Q7. Referring to figure 2, of all of Earth’s water sources, which is the closest approximation (to two decimal places) of the percentage of fresh liquid water stored in lakes and rivers?

˂ 0.01%

˃ 0.11%

˃ 1.00%

˂ 0.10%

Q8. Which of the following is a definition of evapotranspiration?

A change in physical state from a gas to a liquid as a result of cooling, e.g. from water vapour to liquid water in the atmosphere

Over time, there is a balance in the inputs and outputs within the drainage basin through natural dynamic equilibrium

Every available space between soil particles is filled with water

Water is lost from the drainage basin to the atmosphere by a combination of plants losing water from their stomata and liquid water on the surface changing state into water vapour

Q9. The rate of overland flow is affected by all but one of these physical factors: which one is the exception?

The river peak discharge and size of the river

Whether the drainage basin sits on permeable or impermeable rock

The density of the vegetation, and therefore the interception rate in the drainage basin

The rate of precipitation and antecedent rainfall

Q10. Which of the following are all naturally occurring variations affecting the volume of river discharge within a defined drainage basin over time?

Land use change, evaporation, soil water and abstraction

Seasonal variations, deforestation, type of precipitation and groundwater pollution

Storm events, seasonal variations, type of precipitation and antecedent soil moisture

Antecedent soil moisture, afforestation, precipitation and soil water

Q11. Evapotranspiration is an example of which part of the water cycle within the global water cycle?

Input

Output

Store

Process

Q12. What is a rock that holds water in the pore spaces between rock particles called?

Impermeable

Permeable

Porous

Non-porous

Q13. What is a rock that has interconnected pore spaces, allowing water to travel between them, called?

Impermeable

Permeable

Porous

Non-porous

Q14. What is a rock that cannot store water, as it has no pore spaces, called?

Impermeable

Permeable

Porous

Non-porous

Q15. What is a rock that does not allow water to travel through it called?

Impermeable

Permeable

Porous

Non-porous

Finished!

You scored this time. The more correct answers you give, and the fewer incorrect answers you guess, the better your score.

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