Year 10 Geography Exam Skills Revision

Chapter 1 – The Australian continent

1.2 Australia’s location, size and shape

Location

Size

Shape

1.3 Australia’s place geography

Complete working geographically on page 14.

Copy surrounding seas, oceans, major lines of latitude, longitude, gulfs, bights, deserts, mountain ranges, lakes, major rivers and capital cities onto the following map of Australia.

Textbook Questions

Unit 1.1 What makes Australia unique? An overview

2 Read about Australia’s Aboriginal heritage on page 7 of the textbook and use the terms in the box below to complete the story.

international traditions dance

unique expressed 200 years

Australia’s Aboriginal heritage has some of the oldest _____________ on earth.

Aboriginal people have fought for and retained their ___________ culture, which has

survived over _______________ of European domination. More recently, Aboriginal

culture has been _____________ through music, film and ______________, and has

gained a great deal of _____________ recognition.

3 Name five Australian landmarks.

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4 Look at table 1.1a on page 9 of the text, then match the numbers on the left with the information about Australia on the right.

1 36 736km a amount of water carried by the Murray–Darling river

2 250mm b amount of world’s stock of diamonds

3 2500km c number of marsupial species

4 22 billion m3 d length of Great Barrier Reef

5 20% e length of coastline

6 144 f average rainfall in a year in arid areas

Unit 1.2 Australia’s location, size and shape

1 Read page 10 of the textbook to find out the geographical importance of the following places.

Cape York

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Wilson’s Promontory

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Cape Byron

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South East Cape

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Steep Point

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2 Now read about the size and shape of Australia on page 11 of the textbook. Determine whether the following statements are true of false, then change the false statements to make them true.

a Australia is the fifth largest country in the world.

b Australia is twenty times larger then Japan.

c New South Wales has a longer coastline than Tasmania.

d Australia is about twice the size of Europe.

e Of all the Australian states, Western Australia has both the longest coastline and the largest area.

3 Look at the map of Australia on page 15 of the textbook. Unscramble the following words to make the names of large Australian deserts.

trtus mintaa nssmiop tearg dynas

Part A: Definitions (12 marks)

Define the following terms:

1 cultural environment

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2 continental drift

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3 human environment

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4 location

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5 multiculturalism

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6 region

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Part B: True/False (10 marks)

Indicate whether the following questions are true or false:

1 Australia is located in Southeast Asia. T / F

2 The Grand Canyon is an Australian landmark that is readily recognised internationally. T / F

3 Cultivated Australian wildflowers have emerged as valuable exports. T / F

4 Australia has a British cultural, political and legal tradition. T / F

5 A Torres Strait Islander is an Indigenous person of Australia. T / F

6 More than two-thirds of Australia is classified as desert. T / F

7 Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island. T / F

8 A marsupial is a mammal that lay eggs. T / F

9 Rainforests contain many species whose origin can be traced back to the Gondwanaforests. T / F

10 Echidnas are only found in Australia. T / F

Part C: Matching key terms (10 marks)

Match the following list of key terms/phrases with the appropriate definition:

human environment plate tectonics perspective erosion unique

Indigenous Australian standard of living genocide plates lifestyle

1 the deliberate extermination of a people or culture ________________________

2 the wearing away and removal of weathered material ______________________

3 the segments of the earth’s crust that are moving slowly due to convection currents in the mantle ___________________________________________________________________

4 one of a kind _________________________________________________________________

5 the way of life experienced by an individual or group _________________________________

6 the movement of the earth’s crustal plates by currents deep within the earth’s liquid mantle ___________________________________________________________

7 a person who is a descendent of an indigenous inhabitant of Australia, identifies as an Aboriginal, and is recognised as Aboriginal by members of the community in which he or she lives __________________________________________________________________

8 the elements of the environment created by people ___________________________________

9 a way of viewing the world ______________________________________________________

10 people’s economic, social and personal well-being ___________________________________

Part D: Short answer (28 marks)

1 Identify two well-known international landmarks of Australia. (2 marks)

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2 Explain why animal groups such as marsupials and monotremes have survived in Australia and not elsewhere. (3 marks)

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3 Identify the plant species that dominates Australia. (4 marks)

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4 Explain how the pride of Indigenous Australians is finding expression in Australia. (3 marks)

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5 Describe and account for the Australian lifestyle. (4 marks)

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6 Explain why Australia experiences such a variety of climates. (2 marks)

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7 Provide a general description of the shape of Australia. Why is this significant for understanding the nature of our climate? (4 marks)

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8 Outline the Aboriginal people’s explanation of how the world was created. Explain how this has influenced their relationship with the land and their pattern of life. (6 marks)

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Part E: Extended response (15 marks)

‘Australia is a remarkable continent, quite different from anywhere else in the world.’ Discuss.

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Chapter 2 – The geographer’s toolbox

Glossary of Key Terms

Aspect

Bearing

Climate graph

Contour interval

Contour lines

Density

Distribution

Elevation

Gradient

Local relief

Location

Meridians of longitude

Relief

Scale

Spot height

Topographic map

Topography

Weather map

2.1 Climate graphs and weather maps (synoptic charts)

Climate graphs – page 28 textbook Weather maps (synoptic charts) – page 29 textbook

Climate graphs

This place is located at Latitude/Longitude: 16.25oS N; 133.3oE and is a tropical climate, and is in a rainshadow

1. State minimum and maximum temperatures

2. Identify/calculate the temperature range

3. Identify the seasons of the year

4. Identify the ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ seasons

5. Calculate the annual precipitation

6. Identify the general location of a place – whether inland, coastal, at elevation – by being able to compare climatic statistics (compare with following climatic graph)

7. To infer whether a place is in a ‘rainshadow’ area given 2 or 3 sets of climatic data

8. Identify the hemisphere a place is in from the climatic information provided (compare with following climatic graph)

9. Be able to explain why a place is in the Northern or Southern hemisphere (compare with following climatic graph)

Synoptic charts Use the information on page 29 to fill in the following table

Feature Symbol ExplanationAir pressure(also known as atmospheric, or barometric, pressure)

Representedin high- andlow- pressure systems

Is the weight of air pressuring down on the earth’s surface. If air is warmed, it expands, rises and creates a low-pressure area on the earth’s surface. If air is cooled, it contracts, descends and creates an area of high pressure on the earth’s surface.

Wind direction and strength

Isobars

Warm fronts

Cold fronts

High-pressure system

Low-pressure system

Rain

A typical summer weather map

1. Wind speed and direction (this particular map does not show wind speed and direction, refer to the map in your textbook)

2. Type of weather associated with high and low pressure systems3. Typical pattern of ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ synoptic charts for Australia4. Change in wind speed, direction, temperature and humidity with the passage of a front5. Isobars/isohyet/isotherm/barometer – meaning of these terms

A typical winter weather map

2.2 Photographs Use the information on page 30 to complete the following table:

Type Explanation Advantage DisadvantageGround-level photographs

Photos taken from the ground

- The horizon can be seen

- Features in the foreground will appear larger- Large features in the foreground can often block out feature in the middle and background

Oblique photographs

Vertical photographs

Satellite images

Photo sketches

2.5 Topographic maps

Use the information on pages 38-44 to write notes in the following table:

Scale

Direction

Bearing

Contours and Contour intervals

Area reference

Grid reference

Aspect

Textbook Questions

Unit 2.2 Photographs

1 Why are photographs important to geographers?

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2 How are ground-level photographs different from oblique photographs?

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3 Name one advantage and one disadvantage of vertical photographs.

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4 How are satellite images produced?

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Unit 2.3 Satellite images

1 How do satellite images differ from other forms of photography?

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2 Explain why some satellite images are referred to as ‘false-colour’ images.

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3 Outline some of the uses geographers have for satellite images.

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Unit 2.3 Satellite images

Go to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website at http://www.bom.gov.au and complete the following tasks.

1 a Click on Radar images.

b Scroll to the bottom of the page and check out the radar loop for each capital city.

c Which city is experiencing the most rain today? ________________

2 a Go back to the BOM homepage.

b Click on Weather charts.

c Select the black and white mean sea level pressure chart.

d From the chart, copy the following features onto the map of Australia provided: high pressure systems; low pressure systems; cold fronts; areas of high wind.

3 Go to www.funbrain.com/weather/index.html and play the weather game.

Unit 2.5 Topographic maps

Page 40

1 What are grid and area references used for?

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2 What do topographic maps show?

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3 Explain why it is important to have an understanding of scale.

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Page 44

1 Define the term ‘relief’.

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2 Outline the ways relief can be shown on a topographic map.

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3 What do spot heights show?

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4 Why do we need to calculate vertical exaggeration when constructing cross-sections?

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5 Define the term ‘gradient’. What is the formula we use to calculate gradient?

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6 Explain what is meant by the term ‘aspect’.

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7 Distinguish between cardinal and intermediate points on a compass.

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8 What are bearings used for?

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9 Distinguish between lines of latitude and longitude.

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10 What are transects used for?

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Unit 2.5 Topographic maps

1 Read about the features of topographic maps in this unit, then complete the table below.

Feature Explanation Example

scale 1: 100 000

spot heights and contour lines

spot height

join points of equal height above sea level

layer colouring blue and green

landform shading use of colours that darken as elevation increases or shading one side of a hill lighter to give greater definition

2 Write your own definition of the following:

longitude

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latitude

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3 After reading this unit, match the words on the left with the correct explanation.

1 gradient a profile of a landscape

2 cross-section b helps locate features on a ma

3 quadrants c show relationships between features along a cross-section

4 transect d measure of steepness

Part B: True/False (10 marks)

Indicate whether the following questions are true or false:

1 It has been discovered that the word ‘Australia’ was used to describe a landmassin 1545. T / F

2 The vertical lines on a map are called northings. T / F

3 An area reference has 6 digits. T / F

4 1:50 000 means that one centimetre represents 50 kilometres. T / F

5 Large-scale maps show more detail than small-scale maps. T / F

6 Layer colouring is a technique used by a cartographer to show relief. T / F

7 The spacing of contours indicates the shape of the slope. T / F

8 Colours used on a map usually lighten as elevation increases. T / F

9 Synoptic charts show temperature records over the last 24 hours. T / F

10 Satellite images are photographs. T / F

Part C: Completion task (10 marks)

Read the following statements and choose the correct word from the alternatives in brackets to complete the statement.

1 Vertical and horizontal lines on a map create a (reference / grid) pattern.

2 A topographic map is a detailed (small / large) scale map.

3 Map scales can be expressed as a (ratio / bearing).

4 (Vertical exaggeration / Gradient) is a measure of how steep a slope is.

5 The main points of the compass are the (intermediate / cardinal) points.

6 Bearings are expressed in terms of degrees from (north / south).

7 All longitude lines are numbered east and west of the (International Date Line / Prime Meridian).

8 Transects are used to show the (difference / relationship) between points.

9 In constructing a climate graph, the precipitation scale is on the (right / left) hand side of the graph.

10 Choropleth maps are used to show (movement / concentration).

Part D: Stimulus based short answer (10 marks) p28

1 Refer to Table 2.1 (Climate data for Sydney) and answer the following questions.

a What month has the highest mean monthly temperature? State the mean monthly temperature. (2 marks) _________________

b What month has the lowest mean monthly temperature? State the mean monthly temperature. (2 marks) _________________

c Describe the distribution of rainfall for Sydney. (2 marks)

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2 Refer to Figure 2.4a p34: The structure of the Australian workforce and answer the accompanying questions.

a What industry division had the largest proportion of Australian workers in 1901? (1 mark)

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b What industry division had the smallest proportion of Australian workers in 2001? (1 mark)

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c Calculate the percentage change in employment in wholesale and retail trade from 1996 to 2001. (2 marks)

School Certificate Skills Questions