AQA A-level Geography · 3.1.5

Hazard concept and human responses

50 exam-style questions with answers for 3.1.5 Hazard concept and human responses in AQA A-level Geography (spec 7037). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Nature of hazards
Define the term natural hazard. [2 marks]
Answer:
A natural event or process with the potential to harm people and property (1); it only becomes a disaster when it affects vulnerable people and causes major losses (1).
Question 2 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Nature of hazards
Distinguish between geophysical, atmospheric and hydrological hazards. [3 marks]
Answer:
Geophysical hazards originate in the lithosphere, such as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides (1); atmospheric hazards originate in the atmosphere, such as tropical storms, tornadoes and wildfires driven by weather (1); hydrological hazards involve water, such as floods, tsunamis and droughts (1).
Question 3 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Nature of hazards
Explain what is meant by a disaster. [2 marks]
Answer:
A hazard event that causes serious harm to a community, with deaths, injuries and damage (1); the effects are greater than the community can cope with on its own (1).
Question 4 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Nature of hazards
Name two criteria that may be used to decide that an event is a disaster. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: ten or more people killed (1); 100 or more people affected (1); a state of emergency declared (1); a call for international assistance (1).
Question 5 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Risk
State the hazard risk equation and explain what it shows. [3 marks]
Answer:
Risk = (hazard × vulnerability) ÷ capacity to cope (1); risk rises as the hazard or vulnerability increases (1); risk falls as capacity to cope increases (1).
Question 6 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Risk
Explain the term vulnerability. [2 marks]
Answer:
How likely a person or community is to suffer harm from a hazard (1); it depends on factors such as poverty, location, age and quality of housing (1).
Question 7 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Risk
Explain why some groups of people are more vulnerable to hazards than others. [3 marks]
Answer:
Poorer people live in cheap, poorly built housing, often on hazardous land (1); the very young, the old and disabled people find it harder to evacuate (1); people with less education or access to warnings are less able to respond (1).
Question 8 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Risk
Explain how level of development affects the impacts of hazards. [4 marks]
Answer:
Richer countries have fewer deaths because of building codes, warning systems and emergency services (1); they suffer greater economic losses because there is more property to damage, although much is insured (1); poorer countries have more deaths because of poor housing and few warnings (1); recovery is slower because they depend on aid (1).
Question 9 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Risk
Compare the way hazards affect high-income and low-income countries. [3 marks]
Answer:
High-income countries have lower death tolls and higher monetary losses (1); low-income countries have higher death tolls and lower monetary losses, but the losses are a bigger share of national income (1); recovery is quicker in high-income countries (1).
Question 10 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Perception
Explain the term hazard perception. [2 marks]
Answer:
How individuals or groups see the threat from a hazard (1); it affects whether they take action to protect themselves (1).
Question 11 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Perception
Explain how economic factors affect hazard perception and response. [3 marks]
Answer:
Wealthier people can afford insurance, safer housing and evacuation (1); poorer people may have no choice but to live in cheap, hazardous areas (1); where people depend on the land or a job in a hazard zone, they may accept the risk (1).
Question 12 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Perception
Explain how cultural factors affect hazard perception and response. [3 marks]
Answer:
Religious beliefs may lead people to accept hazards as fate or the will of God (1); past experience of hazards increases awareness, and education improves understanding (1); trust in authorities and traditional knowledge influence whether people follow warnings (1).
Question 13 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain what is meant by fatalism as a response to hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Accepting that hazards are natural and cannot be controlled (1); people take no action to reduce their risk, believing the outcome is out of their hands (1).
Question 14 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain how prediction reduces the impact of hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Monitoring and forecasting identify when and where a hazard is likely to strike (1); this allows warnings and evacuation in time to save lives (1).
Question 15 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain what is meant by adaptation as a response to hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Changing the way people live so that they can cope with the hazard (1); for example, building earthquake-resistant buildings or raising homes above flood level (1).
Question 16 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain what is meant by mitigation as a response to hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Action to reduce the severity of the impacts of a hazard (1); for example, flood defences, strengthening buildings and land-use zoning (1).
Question 17 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain what is meant by management as a response to hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Organised action by authorities to plan for and deal with a hazard (1); for example, evacuation plans, emergency services and rebuilding programmes (1).
Question 18 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain what is meant by risk sharing as a response to hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Spreading the costs of a hazard across many people (1); through insurance, government funds and international aid (1).
Question 19 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Distinguish between preparedness and prevention. [2 marks]
Answer:
Preparedness means getting ready before an event, with plans, drills, supplies and warnings (1); prevention means stopping the hazard from happening or from reaching people, for example with barriers (1).
Question 20 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain the importance of education in reducing hazard risk. [2 marks]
Answer:
People who understand the hazard know the warning signs and what to do (1); regular drills, for example in schools, make a quick response more likely (1).
Question 21 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Responses
Explain how community-led preparedness can reduce hazard risk. [2 marks]
Answer:
Local people know the area and can organise evacuation routes and shelters (1); communities that practise together respond faster and recover more quickly (1).
Question 22 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Park model
Describe the Park model of human response to hazards. [4 marks]
Answer:
It plots quality of life against time (1); quality of life falls sharply when the hazard strikes (1); relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction phases follow (1); recovery may return to the previous level, rise above it or stay below it (1).
Question 23 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Park model
Explain how the Park model can be used to compare the response to two hazard events. [2 marks]
Answer:
The depth of the curve shows how severe the impacts were (1); the length and steepness of the recovery shows how quickly each community recovered (1).
Question 24 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Hazard Management Cycle
Name the four stages of the Hazard Management Cycle. [4 marks]
Answer:
Mitigation (1); preparedness (1); response (1); recovery (1).
Question 25 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Hazard Management Cycle
Explain how the Hazard Management Cycle helps reduce risk. [3 marks]
Answer:
It is a continuous cycle, so lessons from recovery feed back into mitigation (1); mitigation and preparedness reduce the impact before an event (1); response and recovery help communities cope and rebuild afterwards (1).
Question 26 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Hazard Management Cycle
Describe what happens in the response and recovery stages of the Hazard Management Cycle. [3 marks]
Answer:
Response: search and rescue, medical care, food, water and shelter (1); recovery: repairing and rebuilding homes, services and infrastructure (1); restoring the economy and community life, ideally improving resilience (1).
Question 27 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Hazard profiles
Describe the features used to compare natural hazards in a hazard profile. [3 marks]
Answer:
Any three from: magnitude (1); speed of onset (1); duration (1); areal extent (1); frequency (1); spatial predictability (1).
Question 28 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Hazard profiles
Explain the relationship between magnitude and frequency of hazard events. [2 marks]
Answer:
Large-magnitude events are rare (1); small-magnitude events happen frequently (1).
Question 29 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Hazard profiles
Distinguish between hazard incidence and hazard intensity. [2 marks]
Answer:
Incidence is how often a hazard occurs in an area (1); intensity is the strength or severity of the event (1).
Question 30 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Hazard profiles
Explain why a hazard of high magnitude may cause fewer deaths than one of lower magnitude. [3 marks]
Answer:
Impacts depend on vulnerability as well as magnitude (1); for example, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti in 2010 killed well over 100,000 people (1); a magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile weeks later killed under 600 because buildings and preparedness were better (1).
Question 31 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Prediction
Distinguish between spatial and temporal predictability of hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Spatial predictability is how well we can say where a hazard will occur (1); temporal predictability is how well we can say when (1).
Question 32 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Prediction
Explain why tropical storms are more predictable than earthquakes. [3 marks]
Answer:
Tropical storms form over warm oceans and can be tracked by satellite for days (1); computer models forecast their path and strength, giving warning (1); earthquakes happen when stress that builds up unseen is suddenly released, so timing cannot be forecast (1).
Question 33 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Prediction
Describe how technology supports hazard monitoring and management. [3 marks]
Answer:
Satellites and weather radar track storms and floods (1); seismometers and GPS monitor ground movement at volcanoes and faults (1); GIS maps hazard zones to plan evacuation and land use (1).
Question 34 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Prediction
Explain how warning systems can reduce the impact of hazards. [3 marks]
Answer:
They give people time to evacuate or move to safety (1); they allow services to prepare and protect key assets (1); they only work if warnings are quick, clear and trusted (1).
Question 35 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Management
Explain how land-use planning can reduce hazard risk. [2 marks]
Answer:
Hazard zone maps show the areas of highest risk (1); building is restricted or controlled in those areas, so fewer people and assets are exposed (1).
Question 36 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Management
Explain how insurance helps people recover from hazards and state one limitation. [3 marks]
Answer:
Insurance pays for repairs, so people can rebuild more quickly (1); costs are shared among many policyholders (1); limitation: poor people often cannot afford it, and insurers may refuse cover in high-risk areas (1).
Question 37 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Management
Explain the role of international aid in hazard response. [3 marks]
Answer:
In the short term, it provides food, water, shelter and medical help (1); in the long term, it funds reconstruction and training (1); aid can be slow or poorly targeted, and may cause dependency (1).
Question 38 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Management
Explain how governance affects the success of hazard management. [3 marks]
Answer:
Stable governments can enforce building codes and plan evacuation (1); corruption can lead to poor construction and wasted aid (1); weak governments may be unable to organise a rapid response (1).
Question 39 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · People and places
Explain why people continue to live in areas of high hazard risk. [4 marks]
Answer:
Fertile volcanic soils and rich land support farming (1); jobs, services and family ties may be in the hazard zone (1); poverty leaves people with no alternative land (1); hazards are infrequent, so people underestimate the risk or trust protection measures (1).
Question 40 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · People and places
Explain the term resilience in relation to hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
The ability of a community to cope with and recover from a hazard event (1); resilient communities have strong planning, resources and social networks (1).
Question 41 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Impacts
Distinguish between primary and secondary impacts of hazards. [2 marks]
Answer:
Primary impacts are the immediate effects of the event, such as collapsed buildings (1); secondary impacts follow as a result, such as fires, disease and economic loss (1).
Question 42 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Impacts
Describe the social, economic, environmental and political impacts of a hazard. [4 marks]
Answer:
Social: deaths, injuries and homelessness (1); economic: damage to buildings and loss of jobs and trade (1); environmental: landscapes changed, habitats destroyed and pollution (1); political: criticism of government response and loss of public trust (1).
Question 43 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Trends
Explain why the number of people at risk from natural hazards is increasing. [4 marks]
Answer:
Population growth means more people live in hazard zones (1); rapid urbanisation, especially in poor countries, puts people in unsafe housing (1); climate change is increasing the frequency of some weather-related hazards (1); more assets are exposed, so economic losses rise (1).
Question 44 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Trends
Explain how climate change may affect atmospheric and hydrological hazards. [3 marks]
Answer:
Warmer seas may increase the intensity of tropical storms (1); higher sea level increases storm surge and coastal flooding (1); changing rainfall patterns increase the risk of floods and droughts (1).
Question 45 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Trends
Explain how urbanisation can increase vulnerability to hazards. [3 marks]
Answer:
Cities concentrate people and property in a small area (1); informal settlements are often built on unsafe land in poor-quality housing (1); fast growth overwhelms services, which makes evacuation and recovery harder (1).
Question 46 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Trends
Explain why an event may be a disaster in one place but not in another. [3 marks]
Answer:
The same hazard affects places differently depending on vulnerability (1); well-prepared places with strong buildings and warnings can cope (1); poorer places with little preparation suffer major losses and become disasters (1).
Question 47 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Trends
Explain why multi-hazard environments are difficult to manage. [3 marks]
Answer:
Different hazards may require conflicting responses (1); one hazard can trigger another, such as an earthquake causing a tsunami or landslide (1); limited money has to be shared between different risks (1).
Question 48 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Trends
Explain the importance of the recovery phase for reducing future risk. [2 marks]
Answer:
Rebuilding can improve standards, for example stronger buildings and better defences (1); recovery plans can improve resilience so that the same hazard has less impact next time (1).
Question 49 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Distribution
Explain why natural hazards are not spread evenly around the world. [3 marks]
Answer:
Earthquakes and volcanoes are concentrated near plate boundaries (1); tropical storms form over warm tropical oceans (1); the impacts are highest where there are large, vulnerable populations (1).
Question 50 · Spec 3.1.5.1 · Distribution
Explain why economic losses from hazards are greatest in high-income countries. [2 marks]
Answer:
There are more valuable buildings, infrastructure and industries to damage (1); insurance payments are large and businesses lose output (1).

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