Practice Option F The Geography of Food and Health 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 graph shows the amount of global food aid in millions of tonnes, from 2000 to 2011.
1.[1]
Identify the year in which global food aid was greatest
2.[1]
State the year in which global aid given directly by a donor country was highest.
3.[2]
Describe the trends in food aid between 2000 and 2011.
4.[6]
Explain two possible disadvantages of food aid for a community that is currently experiencing food shortages.
5.[10]
“Prevention should always be prioritized over treatment.” Discuss this statement, with reference to specific diseases and communities.
Question 2
SL & HLPaper 1
The diagram shows the projected changes in global food production and population growth from 2020 to 2050. The y-axis represents the percentage change, and the x-axis represents the years from 2020 to 2050.
1.[1]
State the percentage change in global food production in the year 2035
2.[1]
Identify the percentage change difference between global food production and population growth in 2040
3.[2]
Describe the trends in global food production and population growth from 2020 to 2050 as shown in the diagram.
4.[6]
Explain two possible reasons for the slowdown in the rate of increase in global food production after 2040.
5.[10]
Evaluate the effectiveness of one technological and one policy intervention that could help address the projected mismatch between global food production and population growth.
Question 3
SL & HLPaper 1
The graph shows the density of doctors, nurses, and midwives in the 57 countries with critical health workforce shortage (HRH crisis countries)
Source: World Health Organisation (WHO)
1.[1]
Identify the country with the lowest density of doctors, nurses, and midwives in the graph.
2.[1]
Identify the critical density threshold per 1,000 population, as used in the graph.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why a low health workforce density can limit access to healthcare in these countries.
4.[6]
Explain two factors—economic, political, or geographical—that contribute to persistent healthcare workforce shortages in these countries.
5.[10]
"Strengthening the health workforce is the most critical step toward achieving universal health coverage."
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
6.[10]
Evaluate the impact of health worker shortages on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) in low-income countries.
Question 4
SL & HLPaper 1
The graph shows the estimated adult obesity prevalence (%) from 1975 to 2016 in six selected countries.
Source: World Health Organisation (WHO) - Global HEalth Observatory (2024)
1.[1]
Identify the country with the highest adult obesity rate in 2016.
2.[1]
Identify the country with the lowest adult obesity rate in 2016.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why obesity rates have increased in countries such as the United States and Australia.
4.[6]
Explain two possible social or economic impacts of rising obesity levels for countries at different levels of development.
5.[10]
Explain how changes in diet and physical activity are contributing to the rise in obesity in both high-income and middle-income countries.
6.[10]
Discuss strategies that can be used by governments and communities to reduce obesity rates.
Question 5
SL & HLPaper 1
The graph shows the per capita average daily intake of calories in selected countries as of 2014 (in kcal)
Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
1.[2]
Identify two countries in the graph where the average calorie intake is higher than the global average.
2.[2]
Outline one reason why the average calorie intake in countries such as Somalia or North Korea is low.
3.[6]
Explain two ways in which low calorie intake can affect the health and productivity of a population.
4.[10]
Describe two indicators that can be used to measure health.
5.[10]
Explain why food availability does not always mean food security.
Question 6
SL & HLPaper 1
The following map shows the distribution of the Zika virus in 2016.
1.[1]
State one region where the Zika virus is most prevalent
2.[3]
Referring to the figure, describe the distribution of the Zika virus.
3.[6]
Outline three improvements that have led to improved life expectancy in low-income countries in recent years.
4.[10]
Examine the strengths and limitations of the energy efficiency ratio as an indicator of sustainable agriculture.
Question 7
SL & HLPaper 1
The map shows the percentage of adults with obesity by country.
Source: Worldobesity.org
1.[1]
Identify one region with a high percentage of adult obesity.
2.[1]
Identify one region with a low percentage of adult obesity.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why levels of adult obesity are higher in high-income countries than in low-income countries.
4.[6]
Explain two possible health or economic consequences of increasing levels of obesity in a country.
5.[10]
Describe how the nutrition transition is contributing to changes in patterns of health in middle-income countries.
6.[10]
Explain how rising levels of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are linked to global patterns of food consumption.
Question 8
SL & HLPaper 1
The graph shows the trend in the number of undernourished people in developing regions over four time periods (1969–2002).
Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
1.[1]
Identify the region that had the highest number of undernourished people in 1969–1971.
2.[1]
Identify the region that showed an increase in undernourishment between 1990–1992 and 2000–2002.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why the number of undernourished people has increased in Sub-Saharan Africa
4.[6]
Explain two possible consequences of persistent undernourishment for population health and economic development.
5.[10]
Describe how patterns of food consumption vary between high-income and low-income countries.
6.[10]
Explain how access to clean water can influence patterns of health and disease in different parts of the world.
Question 9
SL & HLPaper 1
The map shows the percentage of children under 5 who are stunted (low height-for-age) in 2022.
Source: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Bank
1.[1]
Identify one country where more than 40% of children under 5 are stunted.
2.[1]
Identify one region where child stunting levels are generally low.
3.[2]
Outline one reason why stunting remains a significant issue in low-income countries.
4.[6]
Explain two possible long-term consequences of child stunting for individuals and society.
5.[10]
Explain how indicators such as child stunting and wasting can be used to assess patterns of food insecurity.
6.[10]
Describe how social, economic, and environmental factors contribute to childhood malnutrition in different world regions.
Question 10
SL & HLPaper 1
The following graph shows the incidence of tuberculosis in Nigeria from 2012-2021
1.[1]
State the number of TB cases per 100,000 people in 2015
2.[1]
Identify one other disease linked with poverty.
3.[2]
Outline the distribution of diseases associated with poverty.
4.[6]
Describe two types of diffusion related to the spread of diseases.
5.[10]
To what extent have changes in farming practices increased the production and availability of food in low-income countries?