GEOGRAPHY TOPICAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - ATIKA SCHOOL

Atika School Provides Geography questions and answers for KCSE preparations

What is a glacier?

24/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 2003 Section B Question 7.

a) (i) What is a glacier?

It is mass of moving ice

(ii) Distinguish between valley glaciers and ice sheets

Valley glaciers are formed on highlands above the snow line while ice sheets are found in lowlands in the high latitude regions/valley glaciers are confined in valleys while ice sheets cover extensive landscapes

b) The diagram (in the question paper) represents an upland glaciated landscape. Use it to answer question b (i) and (ii)

a) (i) What is a glacier? (ii) Distinguish between valley glaciers and ice sheets b) The diagram (in the question paper) represents an upland glaciated landscape. Use it to answer question b (i) and (ii)

How is a U- shaped valley formed?

24/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 2000 Section A Question 5 with Answers.

The diagram below shows a glaciated upland area

The diagram below shows a glaciated upland area

(a) Name the feature marked P, Q, and R

P ----------------------- Horn/ pyramidal peak
Q ----------------------- Arete
R ----------------------- Hanging valley

(b)How is a U- shaped valley formed?

By abrasion & plucking the valley is widened & deepened
Pre- existing V- shaped valley is filled with ice
Glacier erode the V- shaped valley
The spurs are truncated

What is an ice sheet?

19/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 2006 Section B Question 8.

(a) (i) What is an ice sheet?

It is a continuous mass of ice covering a large area/ surface

(ii) Give two reasons why there are no ice sheets in Kenya

Kenya experience high temperatures under which ice- sheets cannot from
Most parts of Kenya have low altitudes
Kenya is found at low latitudes

(iii) Explain three factors that influence the movement of the ice from the place where it has accumulated

Gradient of the land- Ice moves faster when the slope is steep
Temperatures/ seasonal changes-Higher temperatures result into thawing, leading to faster movement of ice
Nature of the surface – when the surface on which ice is moving is rough, it causes friction lowering the speed of the movement of ice
Size/ thickness of glacier – large masses of ice exert pressure which lead to melting of ice underneath. This increases the speed of ice movement

Explain three conditions that may lead to glacial deposition in lowlands

19/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 1999 Section B Question 7 with Answers.

The block diagram below shows the feature resulting from glaciating in a lowland region. Use it to answer questions (a)

(a) In your answer booklet, name the features marked R, S, and V

R- Esker
S- Drumlin
V- Moraine – dammed lake

Describe how ice is formed on a high mountain.

17/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 2008 Section B Question 9.

a) i) Describe how ice is formed on a high mountain.

Due to low temperatures, water vapour freezes and forms snow.
Snow falls and accumulates on the mountain top/higher slopes.
Snow continues pilling and new layers exert pressure on the lower layers.
Lower layers become compressed as air is expelled from the spaces between snow particles.
The compacted layers are ice.

ii) Apart from a valley glacier, name two types of ice masses found on Mountains in East Africa.

Ice caps.
Cirque glaciers.

b) Explain how the movement of a valley glacier is influenced by the following factors:

(i) Temperature

Glaciers move faster in summer/when the temperatures are higher because the ice melts due to the warm conditions, whereas in winter/when temperatures are low, ice movement is slow due to cold conditions.
The temperature of the bottom of the valley glacier rises with increased pressure thereby thawing and enabling its movement down slope.

(ii)Width of a glacier channel.

When the channel is wide, ice movement is slow, that is, because ice spreads out forming a thin layer, hence there is less pressure to cause thawing that would facilitate ice movement/when the channel is narrow.

Describe plucking as a process in glacial erosion.

11/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 2010 Section B Question 8.

(a) Describe plucking as a process in glacial erosion.

pressure from the overlying mass office cause freeze — thaw action.
melting water fills the cracks/joints in the bed rock.
as water freezes it exerts pressure on the cracks enlarging them.
the enlarged cracks lead to disintegration of the rock.
the rock debris are scoured/pulled off the mother rock by the moving ice.
The disintegrated rock eventually gets embedded within the mass of ice.
As the ice moves; it pills out/gorges out the embedded rock from the mother rock.

(b) Explain three conditions that lead to glacial deposition.

rising temperatures lead to melting of ice thereby causing the ice to deposit its load.
change of gradient to relatively flat surface will reduce the velocity of the glacial movement which will subsequently lead to deposition of fluvial-glacial materials.
alternating warm and cold periods lead to seasonal melting of ice which allows materials embedded in the ice to be released and deposited.
stagnation/accumulation of glacier leads to pressure at the base of the glacier which in turn leads to melting of ice at the base.
friction at the base and sides of a glacier and a rough surface leads to melting of ice, causing the ice to deposit its load.

(c) The diagram below shows features resulting from glacial deposition on a lowland area.

(c) The diagram below shows features resulting from glacial deposition on a lowland area.

(i) Name the features marked X, Y and Z.

X - Drumlins
Y — A river/melt water
Z — Kettle lake/lake

What is the difference between ice sheets and ice berg?

4/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 2013 Section A Question 4.

(a)What is the difference between ice sheets and ice berg?

Ice sheets is a continuous mass of ice covering vast areas of land while an ice bergs is a large block of ice (broken from ice sheets) floating in seas/oceans.

(b)Name three types of glacial moraines.

Laterial moraine
Medial moraine
Terminal moraine
Ground/subglacial moraine
Recessional moraine
Englacial moraine
Push moraine.

(a)What is the difference between ice sheets and ice berg? (b)Name three types of glacial moraines.

Name two mountains in East Africa which are ice capped.

2/2/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 2014 Section B Question 10.

(a) (i) Name two mountains in East Africa which are ice capped.

Mt Kenya
Mt Kilimanjaro
Ruwenzori mountains

(ii) Identify three ways in which ice moves.

Plastic flowage
Basal slip
Extrusion flow
Internal shearing

(b) Describe the formation of the following glacial features:
(i) Hanging valley;
(ii) Pyramidal peak.

(i) Hanging valley

It is formed in glaciated highlands where there is a main valley and a tributary valley.
The two valleys get filled with ice. The main valley has more ice than the tributary valley.
As the ice gets heavy/ thick, it begins to flow down the slope eroding by plucking and ubrasion.
The main liver valley is deepened and widened more than the tributary valley.
When ice melts the tributary valley is left hanging at a higher level.
The tributary valley left hanging above the main river valley is known as hanging valley.

(ii)Pyramidal peak.

Ice accumulates in several shallow pre-existing depressions n the mountain sides.
As the ice moves, it plucks the rocks on the sides of the hollows/ depression.
Continued erosion by abrasion deepens and widens the hollows forming cirques.
Adjacent hollows (cirques) continue to be eroded causing back walls to receed until they are separated by narrow steep ridges called aretes.
Where aretes converge at the top of the mountain, they form a sharp - steep sided peak known as a pyramidal peak.

(b) Describe the formation of the following glacial features: (i) Hanging valley; (ii) Pyramidal peak.

(b) Describe the formation of the following glacial features: (i) Hanging valley; (ii) Pyramidal peak.

With the aid of well labeled diagrams, describe the processes involved in the formation of a corrie lake

21/1/2021

KCSE Geography Paper 1 1997 Section B Question 8.

a) With the aid of well labeled diagrams, describe the processes involved in the formation of a corrie lake. (8mks)

The pressure pre-existing depression on the mountain side.
Snow gets compacted into ice forming a cirque glacier.
The snow accumulates in the depression
Frost action / alternating freeze – thaw action enlarges the hallow
Abrasion / scouring action at the bottom of the glacier deepens the hallow
Plucking process steepness’ the back wall
Eventually a deep armchair shaped depression known as a corrie fills up with melt water forms a corrie lake.

corrie lake

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