These questions cover choosing displays, photographs, map scales, proportional symbols and spatial correlations. All data is invented. Write your answer first, then open the worked solution.
Use the map scale, contour and gradient practice tool and the mistake log and retest queue alongside the set. The module overview is graphs, photographs and spatial data.
Questions
Q1. A class records the number of visitors to a park in each month of one year. Which display suits, and why?
Show answer
A line graph. Months are continuous and ordered, so the line shows the trend through the year. A bar chart would also be acceptable, but the line shows change better.
Q2. Land use in a district is 25% farmland, 35% housing, 20% forest and 20% roads and industry. Give the pie chart angles.
Show answer
Multiply each percentage by 3.6: 25 × 3.6 = 90°, 35 × 3.6 = 126°, 20 × 3.6 = 72°, 20 × 3.6 = 72°. Check: 90 + 126 + 72 + 72 = 360°.
Q3. A student wants to show wind direction frequency over a month. She plots a line graph with compass directions on the horizontal axis. Explain the problem and give a better choice.
Show answer
Compass directions are categories arranged in a circle, so a line implies values between them that do not exist. A wind rose or radial graph fits better because it keeps the circular arrangement.
Q4. In an invented photograph, a label points to a gully on a hillside with bare soil. A student writes: “Heavy rain has caused erosion here every year.” Rewrite it so it is supported by the photograph.
Show answer
“A gully runs down the hillside, and the soil is bare with little vegetation. This may suggest that surface water has removed soil, although the photograph does not show how often.” The rewrite separates what is seen from what is inferred.
Q5. On a 1:50 000 map, a footpath measures 3.6 cm. What is its real length in kilometres?
Show answer
3.6 × 50 000 = 180 000 cm. Divide by 100 000: 1.8 km.
Q6. On a 1:25 000 map, a square park measures 4 cm by 4 cm. What is its real area?
Show answer
Each side: 4 × 25 000 = 100 000 cm = 1 km. Area = 1 × 1 = 1 km².
Q7. A lake is 1.6 cm wide on a 1:50 000 map from 1990 and 3.0 cm wide on a 1:25 000 map from 2020. Compare the real widths and comment.
Show answer
1990: 1.6 × 50 000 = 80 000 cm = 0.8 km. 2020: 3.0 × 25 000 = 75 000 cm = 0.75 km. The lake measures 0.05 km narrower on the later map. This is a small difference, and it could come from measurement error or different survey methods, so it is weak evidence of real change.
Q8. A key says a circle of radius 4 mm represents 50 000 people, with area proportional to population. A city has a circle of radius 12 mm. What is its population?
Show answer
Radius ratio = 12 ÷ 4 = 3. Area ratio = 3² = 9. Population = 9 × 50 000 = 450 000.
Q9. District A has 120 cases of a disease in a population of 40 000. District B has 90 cases in a population of 15 000. Which has the higher rate per 1 000 people?
Show answer
District A: 120 ÷ 40 = 3 per 1 000. District B: 90 ÷ 15 = 6 per 1 000. District B has the higher rate, even though it has fewer cases.
Q10. Two points on a 1:25 000 map are 6 cm apart, and the height difference between them is 75 m. Calculate the average gradient as 1 in n.
Show answer
Horizontal distance: 6 × 25 000 = 150 000 cm = 1 500 m. Gradient = 75 ÷ 1 500 = 1/20, which is 1 in 20.
If you got these wrong
| Error type | Questions | Go back to |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong display or pie angles | Q1 to Q3 | Choose a display for a geographic dataset |
| Described unseen features | Q4 | Interpret an annotated photograph |
| Scale and area conversion | Q5 to Q7, Q10 | Compare maps with different dates and scales |
| Radius treated as value | Q8 | Read proportional symbols consistently |
| Counts instead of rates | Q9 | Identify an unsupported spatial correlation |
Teachers on our online one-to-one Geography tuition can build a retest around the error type that costs you most.