Practice D.1 Geophysical systems with authentic IB Geography exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 structure, covering key topics like physical geography, human geography, and geospatial analysis. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
Paper
Level
Question 1
SL & HLPaper 1
The map below shows The Global Distribution of Volcanoes and Plate Boundaries.
Source: BBC
1.[1]
Identify the tectonic plate with the highest concentration of volcanoes.
2.[1]
State the type of plate boundary where most volcanoes are located.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why volcanoes are often located near plate boundaries.
4.[6]
Explain two reasons why volcanic hazards vary in severity depending on tectonic settings.
5.[10]
Examine the relationship between plate boundary types and the occurrence of volcanic hazards.
6.[10]
Evaluate the extent to which human vulnerability contributes to the impact of volcanic hazards.
Question 2
SL & HLPaper 1
The map below shows Cities’ Risk of Exposure to Natural Disasters.
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
1.[1]
Identify one city shown to be at high risk from three or more types of natural disasters.
2.[1]
State the continent with the largest number of high-population cities (over 10 million) exposed to multiple hazard risks.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why urban areas are often more exposed to multiple natural hazards than rural areas.
4.[6]
Explain two ways in which multi-hazard exposure can increase the vulnerability of megacities.
5.[10]
Examine the challenges of managing geophysical hazards in cities located in multi-hazard zones.
6.[10]
Discuss the extent to which population size is the most important factor in determining urban vulnerability to geophysical hazards.
Question 3
SL & HLPaper 1
The map shows global seismic hazard zones, indicating the probability of ground shaking caused by earthquakes.
Source: Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP)
1.[1]
Identify one country that is located in a high seismic hazard zone.
2.[1]
Identify one country that is located in a low seismic hazard zone.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why seismic hazard is higher along plate boundaries.
4.[6]
Explain two reasons why the impacts of earthquakes differ between countries.
5.[10]
Discuss the extent to which earthquake hazards can be managed through prediction and preparation.
6.[10]
Evaluate the reasons why some locations experience more serious consequences from earthquakes than others.
Question 4
SL & HLPaper 1
The map shows global tectonic plates, the locations of volcanoes and earthquakes, and selected tectonic events since 2000.
Source: Oxford University Press (Adapted)
1.[1]
Identify one tectonic plate where there is a high concentration of both earthquakes and volcanoes.
2.[1]
State the type of plate boundary most commonly associated with both earthquakes and volcanoes.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why destructive plate boundaries are associated with high geophysical hazard risk.
4.[6]
Explain two ways in which the characteristics of different plate boundaries influence the severity of geophysical hazards.
5.[10]
Examine how different types of plate boundaries contribute to the occurrence of volcanic and earthquake hazards around the world.
6.[10]
Evaluate the extent to which the impacts of geophysical hazards are influenced more by the characteristics of the hazard than by human vulnerability.
Question 5
SL & HLPaper 1
The map shows global seismic hazard zones, indicating the probability of ground shaking caused by earthquakes.
Source:
1.[1]
Identify the type of plate boundary most commonly associated with active volcanoes.
2.[1]
Identify one region where volcanoes have been active since 1900.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why volcanic activity is concentrated along convergent plate boundaries.
4.[6]
Explain two challenges posed by volcanic hazards to communities living near active volcanoes.
5.[10]
Discuss the reasons why some regions are more vulnerable to volcanic hazards than others.
6.[10]
Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used to manage volcanic hazards.
Question 6
SL & HLPaper 1
The infographic shows The World’s Deadliest Earthquakes.
Source: National Centers for Environmental Information.
1.[1]
Identify the earthquake event with the highest recorded death toll.
2.[1]
Identify one country where more than 50,000 people died due to a single earthquake event.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why the 2010 Haiti earthquake had such a high death toll.
4.[6]
Explain two factors that can influence the death toll of earthquake events.
5.[10]
Examine the physical and human factors that influence the impacts of earthquake disasters.
6.[10]
“The deadliest earthquakes are not always the strongest.”
Discuss this statement.
Question 7
SL & HLPaper 1
The map below shows the impact of SO2 volcanic passive emissions on the tropospheric sulfur budget.
Source: Lamotte, et al. (2021)
1.[1]
Identify one region with the highest contribution of volcanic SO₂ to the troposphere.
2.[1]
State one reason why SO₂ emissions are highest in that region.
3.[2]
Outline one environmental effect of sustained SO₂ emissions from volcanoes.
4.[6]
Explain two ways in which volcanic SO₂ emissions can influence regional or global climate.
5.[10]
Examine how volcanic emissions such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂) contribute to both short-term hazards and long-term global environmental impacts.
6.[10]
“The global impact of volcanic hazards is underestimated due to their localized nature.”
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Question 8
SL & HLPaper 1
The graph below shows The Costliest Natural Disasters Worldwide from 1900 to 2023, by Economic Loss (in billion U.S Dollars)
Source: Statista (2025)
1.[1]
Identify the disaster that caused the highest economic loss.
2.[1]
Identify the type of geophysical hazard that appears most frequently among the top five costliest disasters.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why geophysical hazards can lead to high economic losses in high-income countries.
4.[6]
Explain two reasons why economic losses from geophysical hazards may not always reflect the severity of human impacts.
5.[10]
Discuss how economic development influences the impacts of geophysical hazards.
6.[10]
Evaluate the extent to which financial cost is a reliable measure of geophysical hazard severity.
Question 9
SL & HLPaper 1
The following chart shows the global distribution of recent volcanoes and earthquakes:
1.[1]
Identify one region where both earthquakes and active volcanoes are common.
2.[1]
State the tectonic feature where most earthquakes and volcanoes occur.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why volcanic eruptions are often found in the same regions as earthquakes.
4.[6]
Explain two reasons why the Pacific region experiences high levels of both earthquakes and volcanic activity.
5.[10]
Evaluate the statement: “Hazard prediction is ineffective in reducing the effect of hazardous incidents on people’s lives."
Question 10
SL & HLPaper 1
The graph shows the annual frequency distribution of earthquakes as a function of magnitude for the years 2000-2003
Source: Adapted from USGS.
1.[1]
Identify the year with the highest total number of earthquakes.
2.[1]
State the earthquake magnitude range in which the highest number of earthquakes occurred in 2002.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why most earthquakes recorded are of low magnitude.
4.[6]
Explain two reasons why high-magnitude earthquakes tend to have greater impacts than low-magnitude ones.
5.[10]
Examine how patterns in earthquake magnitude and frequency can inform hazard management strategies.
6.[10]
Discuss the extent to which frequency of earthquakes is a reliable indicator of risk.