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IB Geography — Practice Questions flashcards

6 of 50 questions free to study here · 4 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys

Multiple-choice practice on the syllabus, one best answer each, on population, migration, climate change, resource security, freshwater, coasts, geophysical hazards and urban change.

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Practice deck · part of IB Geography · written against: IB Diploma Programme IB Geography current subject guide; SL and HL in one deck, HL-only cards under subtopic tags starting HL. Updated 2026-10-10.

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  1. A hypothetical country has 9 million people aged 0–14, 3 million aged 65 and over, and 15 million aged 15–64. What is its dependency ratio?

    A) 60
    B) 125
    C) 20
    D) 80
    D) 80

    The dependency ratio is (0–14 plus 65 and over) ÷ 15–64 × 100 = (9 + 3) ÷ 15 × 100 = 80. Using only the children gives 60, and dividing workers by dependents inverts the ratio to 125.
    Changing Population › Population and Development
  2. Fertility in a middle-income country has fallen for two decades, and people aged 15–64 now form the largest share of the population ever recorded there. What does the country most need in order to gain a demographic dividend?

    A) Enough jobs, education and investment for the large working-age cohort
    B) Strict limits on rural–urban migration into the largest cities
    C) A return to higher fertility to enlarge the next generation of workers
    D) Faster growth in the share of the population aged 65 and over
    A) Enough jobs, education and investment for the large working-age cohort

    A demographic dividend is only a possibility: the swollen working-age group boosts the economy only if it is educated and employed. Higher fertility would add dependents and shrink the advantage rather than secure it.
    Changing Population › Population and Development
  3. Why do greenhouse gases warm Earth's surface while letting most incoming sunlight pass through?

    A) They absorb and re-radiate outgoing longwave infrared
    B) They reflect incoming sunlight back out to space
    C) They absorb most of the incoming shortwave solar radiation
    D) They raise the albedo of the lower atmosphere
    A) They absorb and re-radiate outgoing longwave infrared

    Sunlight arrives mainly as shortwave radiation that passes through the air, but Earth re-emits longwave infrared, which greenhouse gases absorb and re-radiate, partly back toward the surface. If they absorbed incoming shortwave, little sunlight would reach the ground.
    Global Climate Vulnerability and Resilience › Climate System and Change
  4. Over several decades, a large area of Arctic sea ice is replaced each summer by open ocean. What is the most likely effect on the region's energy balance?

    A) Higher albedo, so more solar energy is absorbed
    B) Lower albedo, so more solar energy is absorbed
    C) Higher albedo, so less solar energy is absorbed
    D) Lower albedo, so more solar energy is reflected
    B) Lower albedo, so more solar energy is absorbed

    Ice reflects most incoming sunlight while dark open water reflects little, so losing ice lowers albedo and the surface absorbs more energy, a positive feedback. Lower albedo always means less reflection, not more.
    Global Climate Vulnerability and Resilience › Climate System and Change
  5. A country's ecological footprint is well above its biocapacity. What does this indicate?

    A) It exports more biocapacity than it consumes
    B) It uses more than its own land and sea can regenerate
    C) Its land could support a much larger population
    D) Its consumption is fully renewable within its borders
    B) It uses more than its own land and sea can regenerate

    It is running an ecological deficit, covered by imports, depleting stocks or overloading carbon sinks. Spare capacity for more people would mean a footprint below biocapacity.
    Global Resource Consumption and Security › Consumption and Sustainability
  6. On a storm hydrograph, rainfall begins at 07:00, peaks at 09:00 and ends at 12:00. River discharge peaks at 15:00. What is the lag time?

    A) 2 hours
    B) 8 hours
    C) 6 hours
    D) 3 hours
    C) 6 hours

    Lag time runs from peak rainfall to peak discharge: 09:00 to 15:00 is 6 hours. Measuring from the end of the rain gives 3 hours and from the start gives 8, which are common slips.
    Options › Freshwater

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About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • Checked against the IB Diploma Programme Geography guide for first assessment 2019, the current guide as of October 2026 (topic outline only; no text copied).

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