Physical, chemical and biological weathering

Question 1

In which climate is freeze–thaw weathering most common?

• A. under the sea
• B. where temperatures often go above and below 0 °C
• C. in a hot desert that never freezes
• D. in a tropical rainforest

Question 2

Weathering and erosion: which statement is NOT true?

• A. Weathering helps turn rock into soil.
• B. Water shrinks when it freezes.
• C. Rivers erode their banks and carry sediment.
• D. Limestone caves form by chemical weathering.

Question 3

Which type of weathering is this: burrowing animals break up rock?

• A. physical (freeze–thaw, heating and cooling)
• B. chemical
• C. biological

Question 4

What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

• A. Erosion only happens in deserts
• B. They are exactly the same
• C. Weathering moves rocks to the sea
• D. Weathering breaks rock down where it is; erosion carries the pieces away

Question 5

Weathering and erosion: which statement is NOT true?

• A. Limestone caves form by chemical weathering.
• B. Rivers erode their banks and carry sediment.
• C. Erosion and weathering are the same process.
• D. Weathering helps turn rock into soil.

Question 6

Which type of weathering is this: lichens release acids onto bare rock?

• A. physical (freeze–thaw, heating and cooling)
• B. chemical
• C. biological

Question 7

Which agent carries the largest rocks and boulders long distances?

• A. rain drops
• B. sunlight
• C. glaciers (moving ice)
• D. gentle wind

Question 8

Weathering and erosion: which statement is NOT true?

• A. Limestone caves form by chemical weathering.
• B. Water shrinks when it freezes.
• C. Plant roots can split rocks.
• D. Rivers erode their banks and carry sediment.

Question 9

Which type of weathering is this: tree roots grow into cracks and widen them?

• A. physical (freeze–thaw, heating and cooling)
• B. chemical
• C. biological

Question 10

In which climate is freeze–thaw weathering most common?

• A. in a tropical rainforest
• B. where temperatures often go above and below 0 °C
• C. under the sea
• D. in a hot desert that never freezes

Question 11

Weathering and erosion: which statement is NOT true?

• A. Weathering only happens over a few days.
• B. Limestone caves form by chemical weathering.
• C. Plant roots can split rocks.
• D. Weathering helps turn rock into soil.

Question 12

Which type of weathering is this: lichens release acids onto bare rock?

• A. physical (freeze–thaw, heating and cooling)
• B. chemical
• C. biological

Question 13

Old gravestones made of marble are often harder to read than those made of granite. Why?

• A. Marble is attacked by tree roots
• B. Granite is softer
• C. Marble (calcium carbonate) is chemically weathered by acidic rain
• D. Granite dissolves in rain

Question 14

Weathering and erosion: which statement is NOT true?

• A. Weathering only happens over a few days.
• B. Plant roots can split rocks.
• C. Rivers erode their banks and carry sediment.
• D. Weathering helps turn rock into soil.

Question 15

Which type of weathering is this: water freezes in a crack, expands and splits the rock?

• A. physical (freeze–thaw, heating and cooling)
• B. chemical
• C. biological

Question 16

What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

• A. They are exactly the same
• B. Weathering breaks rock down where it is; erosion carries the pieces away
• C. Weathering moves rocks to the sea
• D. Erosion only happens in deserts