AQA GCSE Geography · 3.2.3

Energy

50 revision questions with answers for 3.2.3 Energy in AQA GCSE Geography (spec 8035). 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 3.2.3.4
What do energy surplus (security) and deficit (insecurity) mean?
Answer:
Having reliable access to enough affordable energy to meet demand. Countries with a surplus of energy have security, while those with a deficit are insecure.
Question 2 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Describe the global distribution of energy consumption.
Answer:
Consumption is highest in China, the USA and other wealthy or industrialising countries, and per person it is highest in HICs. Many LICs use very little energy, and hundreds of millions have no electricity.
Question 3 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Describe the global distribution of energy supply.
Answer:
Oil and gas are concentrated in the Middle East, Russia, North America and parts of Africa, coal in China, the USA, India and Australia, and renewables potential varies with climate and relief.
Question 4 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Which countries have an energy surplus?
Answer:
Major producers such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Norway, Qatar, Canada and the USA produce more energy than they use and export the rest.
Question 5 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Which countries have an energy deficit?
Answer:
Countries with high demand but few resources, such as Japan, South Korea and much of Europe and India, must import large amounts of fuel.
Question 6 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How does economic development increase energy consumption?
Answer:
Industry, transport, electrical appliances, air conditioning and urban lifestyles all use more energy as incomes rise.
Question 7 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How does population growth increase energy consumption?
Answer:
More people need energy for homes, transport, food production and jobs, so total demand rises, especially in fast-growing cities.
Question 8 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How does technology increase energy consumption?
Answer:
New devices, data centres, electric vehicles and mechanised farming add demand, although efficiency improvements can reduce use per item.
Question 9 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How do physical factors affect energy supply?
Answer:
The location of coal, oil, gas, rivers, sun and wind, and conditions like deep seas or Arctic ice, decide which resources a country can use and how easily.
Question 10 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How does the cost of exploitation and production affect energy supply?
Answer:
If extraction is expensive (deep sea, remote areas) it may only be worthwhile when prices are high, so supply changes with world prices and investment.
Question 11 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How does technology affect energy supply?
Answer:
New methods like fracking, deep-sea drilling and more efficient turbines and solar panels open up new supplies or make existing ones cheaper.
Question 12 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How do political factors affect energy supply?
Answer:
Conflict, sanctions, pipeline disputes, OPEC production decisions and government policy can cut or restrict supply, as when Russian gas flows to Europe were reduced in 2022.
Question 13 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What is the impact of energy insecurity on exploration?
Answer:
Countries seek oil and gas in difficult or sensitive areas such as the Arctic, deep sea, tar sands and shale, which risks environmental damage.
Question 14 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the economic and environmental costs of energy insecurity?
Answer:
High energy prices cut household income and business profits, and the search for new supplies, or reliance on dirty fuels such as coal, increases pollution.
Question 15 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How does energy insecurity affect food production?
Answer:
Farming uses energy for machinery, fertiliser, pumps and transport, so shortages or high prices cut output and raise food prices.
Question 16 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How does energy insecurity affect industrial output?
Answer:
Power cuts and high prices force factories to reduce production or close, harming jobs and economic growth.
Question 17 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How can energy insecurity lead to conflict?
Answer:
Competition for oil, gas and pipelines between countries or groups can cause tension and war, e.g. over gas supplies in Europe or oil in the Middle East.
Question 18 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Give an overview of strategies to increase energy supply.
Answer:
Using non-renewable sources (fossil fuels and nuclear) and developing renewable sources (biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, wave and solar).
Question 19 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are fossil fuels?
Answer:
Coal, oil and natural gas formed from ancient plants and animals. They are non-renewable, supply most of the world's energy and release carbon dioxide when burned.
Question 20 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels?
Answer:
Advantages: reliable, cheap and well-established. Disadvantages: finite, release greenhouse gases and pollutants, and extraction harms the environment.
Question 21 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power?
Answer:
Advantages: large amounts of low-carbon energy from little fuel. Disadvantages: radioactive waste, accident risk, very high building and decommissioning costs. It uses finite uranium.
Question 22 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are renewable energy sources?
Answer:
Sources that are naturally replenished and will not run out, such as wind, solar, hydro, tidal, wave, geothermal and biomass.
Question 23 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What is biomass energy?
Answer:
Burning wood, crops or waste, or turning them into biofuels. It can be carbon-neutral if replanted but needs land and releases pollutants.
Question 24 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of wind power?
Answer:
Advantages: free fuel, no emissions in use, and suitable offshore. Disadvantages: variable output, visual and noise impact and harm to birds.
Question 25 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hydroelectric power?
Answer:
Advantages: reliable, renewable, and can store water. Disadvantages: dams flood land, displace people, harm ecosystems and are costly.
Question 26 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of tidal power?
Answer:
Advantages: predictable and renewable. Disadvantages: expensive, barrages harm estuary ecosystems and there are few suitable sites.
Question 27 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of geothermal energy?
Answer:
Advantages: constant supply and low emissions. Disadvantages: only available near hot rock, such as Iceland, and expensive to drill.
Question 28 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of wave energy?
Answer:
Advantages: huge potential and no emissions. Disadvantages: technology is still developing, devices can be damaged by storms and they are expensive.
Question 29 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar power?
Answer:
Advantages: abundant, silent and no emissions in use. Disadvantages: only works in daylight, needs storage, panels are costly and take up space.
Question 30 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What problems affect many renewable energy sources?
Answer:
Output can vary with weather, so storage and back-up are needed, and installations can have high set-up costs and local environmental impacts.
Question 31 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Fossil fuel example: where are the Alberta oil sands?
Answer:
Large deposits of oil mixed with sand and clay in northern Alberta, Canada, near Fort McMurray. They hold some of the world's largest proven oil reserves.
Question 32 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How is oil extracted from the Alberta oil sands?
Answer:
Surface mining removes shallow deposits with huge trucks and shovels, while deeper oil is heated with steam underground (in situ) so it flows to the surface.
Question 33 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the economic advantages of the Alberta oil sands?
Answer:
Tens of thousands of jobs, large investment, tax revenue and export income for Canada, boosting the economy of Alberta.
Question 34 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How do the oil sands help energy security?
Answer:
They give Canada a large domestic supply and a secure source of oil for export to the USA, reducing reliance on unstable regions.
Question 35 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the environmental disadvantages of the oil sands?
Answer:
Boreal forest is cleared, wildlife loses habitat, and toxic waste is stored in huge tailings ponds that can leak into rivers.
Question 36 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How do the oil sands contribute to climate change?
Answer:
Extracting and refining the oil needs huge amounts of energy and water, so it produces more greenhouse gases than conventional oil.
Question 37 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What social disadvantages do the oil sands have?
Answer:
Indigenous communities near the sites worry about pollution, health and loss of traditional land, and rapid growth creates housing and social pressure in Fort McMurray.
Question 38 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Evaluate the extraction of oil from the Alberta oil sands.
Answer:
It provides jobs, income and energy security, but harms land, water and the climate, is expensive when prices are low and faces pressure to reduce fossil fuel use.
Question 39 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What does moving to a sustainable energy future involve?
Answer:
Reducing carbon footprints, conserving energy, increasing efficiency, and using more renewable energy including local schemes in LICs and NEEs.
Question 40 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What is an individual carbon footprint in terms of energy?
Answer:
The greenhouse gases produced by a person's energy use in home heating, electricity, travel and the goods and food they consume.
Question 41 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How can homes be designed to conserve energy?
Answer:
Good insulation, double or triple glazing, south-facing windows, solar panels, heat pumps and energy-efficient lighting and appliances reduce energy use.
Question 42 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How can workplaces and transport be designed for sustainability?
Answer:
Energy-efficient buildings, renewable power, public transport, cycling routes, electric vehicles and car sharing reduce energy use and emissions.
Question 43 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What is demand reduction?
Answer:
Using less energy by changing behaviour and technology, such as switching off devices, using efficient appliances and smart meters, and travelling less.
Question 44 · Spec 3.2.3.4
How can technology make fossil fuel use more efficient?
Answer:
Combined cycle gas turbines, combined heat and power plants, more efficient engines and carbon capture and storage get more energy from each unit of fuel with less pollution.
Question 45 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Local renewable energy scheme in an LIC: what are micro-hydro schemes in Nepal?
Answer:
Small turbines in village streams provide electricity for lighting, mills and small businesses, often built by communities with NGO support such as Practical Action.
Question 46 · Spec 3.2.3.4
What are the benefits of micro-hydro schemes?
Answer:
Reliable low-cost electricity for homes, schools and clinics, new jobs and businesses, less use of firewood and kerosene, and healthier indoor air.
Question 47 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Why are micro-hydro schemes appropriate and sustainable?
Answer:
They use local streams and materials, are managed by communities, have low running costs, produce no emissions and do not require large dams.
Question 48 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Another example of a local renewable scheme: solar power in Bangladesh.
Answer:
Millions of solar home systems have been installed in rural Bangladesh through microfinance, bringing lighting and phone charging to homes without grid electricity.
Question 49 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Compare local and large-scale renewable schemes in LICs and NEEs.
Answer:
Local schemes are cheap, community-run and quick but supply limited power. Large schemes supply cities and industry but cost more, may displace people and need grid connections.
Question 50 · Spec 3.2.3.4
Why is nuclear power classed as non-renewable?
Answer:
It uses uranium, a finite mineral that cannot be replaced, even though nuclear plants produce very little carbon dioxide when generating electricity.

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