Plate tectonics – practice for Years 6–7

Sample questions on Plate tectonics with the right answer and a worked solution, from easy to hard. In the Pickles Academy app a child gets new questions of the same kind every time, so they can't just learn the answers by heart.

Subject

Geography

Year

Years 6–7

Curriculum area

The natural Earth

Question types: Moving plates YES/NO

Sample questions

1. Question 1 Easy

   Decide whether each statement is true (YES) or not (NO).

   1. Most earthquakes happen at the boundaries of plates.
   2. The plates do not move; they always stay in the same place.
   3. An earthquake under the sea floor can cause a tsunami.
   Show the solution

   Answer:

   1. Most earthquakes happen at the boundaries of plates. – yes
   2. The plates do not move; they always stay in the same place. – no
   3. An earthquake under the sea floor can cause a tsunami. – yes

   How it works: 1. YES 2. NO – plates move a few centimetres a year 3. YES

2. Question 2 Normal

   Decide whether each statement is true (YES) or not (NO).

   1. The point on the surface right above the focus is called the epicentre.
   2. The point underground where an earthquake starts is called the focus.
   3. Earthquakes can be predicted exactly a day in advance.
   4. Tectonic plates move by roughly a few centimetres a year.
   Show the solution

   Answer:

   1. The point on the surface right above the focus is called the epicentre. – yes
   2. The point underground where an earthquake starts is called the focus. – yes
   3. Earthquakes can be predicted exactly a day in advance. – no
   4. Tectonic plates move by roughly a few centimetres a year. – yes

   How it works: 1. YES 2. YES 3. NO – we cannot yet predict the exact day and place of an earthquake 4. YES

3. Question 3 Hard

   Decide whether each statement is true (YES) or not (NO).

   1. The continents have always had the same shape and position as today.
   2. Deep ocean trenches form where an ocean plate sinks beneath a continental plate.
   3. A belt of many volcanoes, the Ring of Fire, surrounds the Pacific Ocean.
   4. Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where plates move apart.
   5. The Himalayas formed where the Indian plate pushes into the Eurasian plate.
   Show the solution

   Answer:

   1. The continents have always had the same shape and position as today. – no
   2. Deep ocean trenches form where an ocean plate sinks beneath a continental plate. – yes
   3. A belt of many volcanoes, the Ring of Fire, surrounds the Pacific Ocean. – yes
   4. Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where plates move apart. – yes
   5. The Himalayas formed where the Indian plate pushes into the Eurasian plate. – yes

   How it works: 1. NO – the continents drift; long ago they formed one supercontinent, Pangaea 2. YES 3. YES 4. YES 5. YES

All Geography topics