Rock Structures & Landscapes is one of 9 topics in the Grade 11 Geography CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. Horizontally layered (bedded) rocks are sedimentary rock sequences in which the layers:
Remain essentially flat and undisturbed, in the same orientation in which they were originally deposited
Have all been tilted to a vertical position
Have all been completely melted and reformed
Can only ever be found underground, never exposed at the surface
Answer: Remain essentially flat and undisturbed, in the same orientation in which they were originally deposited — Horizontally layered rocks are sedimentary sequences in which the strata remain essentially flat, in the same horizontal orientation in which they were originally deposited, without later tilting, folding or faulting.
Easy
2. A basaltic plateau is typically capped by which type of resistant rock?
Basalt
Loose, unconsolidated sand only
Ice
Pure water ice with no rock beneath it
Answer: Basalt — A basaltic plateau is a broad, flat-topped upland capped by a resistant layer of basalt, an extrusive igneous rock, which protects the softer sedimentary rock beneath it from erosion.
Medium
3. What term (also called back wasting) describes the process by which a scarp slope gradually retreats further from its original position over time, due to continued weathering and undercutting?
Answer: Scarp retreat — Scarp retreat, also called back wasting, is the process by which continued weathering and undercutting of the softer rock beneath a resistant caprock causes a scarp slope to gradually retreat further from its original position.
