Soil Erosion & Conventional Energy Sources 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. Soil erosion is best described as:
The removal and transport of topsoil by wind or water at a rate faster than new soil can naturally form
A process that only ever occurs underground, never at the surface
A process that always improves soil fertility over time
A type of rainfall measurement technique
Answer: The removal and transport of topsoil by wind or water at a rate faster than new soil can naturally form — Soil erosion is the removal and transport of topsoil, the fertile uppermost layer of soil, by the action of wind or water at a rate faster than new soil can naturally form to replace it.
Easy
2. A donga is best described as:
A deep, actively eroding gully
A type of fertile, uneroded farmland
A dam built specifically to generate hydro-electricity
A type of resistant igneous rock formation
Answer: A deep, actively eroding gully — A donga is a deep, actively eroding gully, commonly found in parts of South Africa with a history of overgrazing and dense rural settlement on marginal land, and serves as visible evidence of soil erosion.
Medium
3. What term describes the practice of ploughing along, rather than up and down, a slope, in order to slow and spread out surface runoff and reduce soil erosion?
Answer: Contour ploughing — Contour ploughing is the practice of ploughing along the contour of a slope, rather than up and down it, to slow and spread out surface runoff and reduce soil erosion.
