Sample Exam Questions and Answers

Unit B2b: The Weather and Geological Events

Question 1 Explain the difference between a warm front, a cold front and an occluded front and how each type generates rain. [6] Student answer (B grade) A cold front is when a mass of cold air is moving towards a mass of warm air. The colder denser air slides beneath the warm air with the leading edge on the front on the ground. Cold air behind the leading edge of the cold front cold front cools the warm air, which can no longer hold the water vapour and it rains behind the leading edge of the cold front. A warm front is when a mass of warm air meets a mass of cold air. The warm air rises above the cold air so the leading edge is above the ground. People below the front on the ground are still in cold air. The warm air cools as it rises and can no longer hold the water vapour so it rains with the rain falling through the cold air. General examiner comment This answer shows just how easy it is to throw away valuable marks. No doubt the candidate knew the answer to the question, they just failed to write it down. The answer would have been helped by using diagrams. Improved answer An occluded front is when a cold front catches up with a warm front. Rain can now happen both in front of and behind the leading edges of the front. Specific examiner comments An excellent answer but the candidate has been so absorbed in answering the question that they forgot to do the lat bit about occluded fronts. So this answer only scored 4 marks.

Question 2 Explain why the Caribbean is particularly at risk from hurricanes. [5] Student answer (A grade) Hurricanes form because the air above warm seas holds lots of water vapour and being less dense, starts to rise. The air mass starts to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction towards the centre. In the centre of the hurricane, cooler air falls. Because this falling air is not rotating, the winds at the eye of the storm are very low. Energy from the warm seas feed the hurricane, which gets bigger and more powerful. It is only when the hurricane reaches land and it is starved of its energy input from the warm seas that the hurricane loses its energy and just becomes another depression. Because the Caribbean consists of islands in warm seas, the islanders are at great risk of hurricanes. The hurricane season is during the summer when the seas are at their warmest and usually lasts from July to September. General examiner comment An excellent answer that could only be improved by a diagram. Improved answer Specific examiner comments An excellent answer that scores full marks

Question 3 Explain why and how volcanoes form on subduction zones and why Caribbean volcanoes are cone-shaped. [5] Student answer (B grade) The crust consists of a set of tectonic plates that all move independently of one another. Some are moving towards one another, some apart and some are sliding past one another. When two plates collide, one plate is forced down and underneath the other plate into the mantle. This generates heat and causes rocks to melt, some of which are forced to the surface as lava to form a volcano. In the Caribbean, the lava tends to have a high silica content producing viscous lava, which forms cone-shaped volcanoes. Specific examiner comments A very good answer, but failed at the last step to explain why a viscous lava forms coneshaped volcanoes. This answer scored 4 marks.

General examiner comment A diagram would have helped in answering this question.

Improved answer Viscous lava does not flow as easily so tends to build up into higher structures such as cones. More runny lava forms much flatter volcanoes such as those on Hawaii.