Are You Smarter Than A Kenyan Freshman?

Beginning in the second term of school I began teaching Geography for the Form One students. The subject is totally out of my league, but we got through it (by the grace of God), and by the end of the term everyone should have known the answers to these questions... including me!


Rocks and Minerals
1) List 3 physical characteristics of a mineral and describe each characteristic. [6 mks]

2) Describe the process of formation of Sedimentary Rocks in 4 steps. [4 mks]

3) You go to the Pacific island of Hawaii and find Kilauea Volcano erupting! There is magma flowing on the surface of the ground and magma being shot into the atmosphere. What type/group of Igneous Rocks will you find here? [2 mks]

Statistics
4) Label the following groups of data as being either Discrete Statistical Data or Continuous Statistical Data. [4 mks]
a) Rainfall in Korr in January 2010: 101.7 mm
b) Mean number of children in Nairobi families: 2

5) List 3 methods of recording statistical data. [3 mks]

6) Make a Combination Line and Bar Graph using the information collected in Korr in the table below. Be sure to label each axis, have an appropriate scale, and include a title. [7 mks]
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Mean Annual Temperature (ºC) 30 29 31 30 28
Mean Annual Rainfall (mm) 300 350 200 250 500


Maps
7) Using the grid below answer the following questions: [2 mks]
a) What city is located at 7 ºN 20ºE?
b) What are the grid co-ordinates of Cape Town?

8) Draw an example of each of the three types of map scales and label each scale. [3 mks]

9) Explain the difference between a topographical map and an atlas map. [2 mks]


Weather
10) Fill in the blank spots in the following phrases to complete the description of each type of thermometer. Use the words “Maximum Thermometer,” “Minimum Thermometer,” and “Six’s Thermometer.” [3 mks]
a) In a _____________________________ the mercury expands when the temperature rises which pushes the metal index up the glass tube.
b) When the temperature rises, the alcohol in the ___________________________expands which pushes the mercury into the Right/Maximum arm.
c) When the temperature rises, the alcohol in a ____________________________ expands, but it never pushes the metal index up the glass tube. The metal index remains at its lowest point.

11) Explain how the atmosphere is heated by the two types of Radiation: Solar and Terrestrial. [4 mks]

12) Choose one of the following types of rainfall and describe its process: Frontal (Cyclonic), Convectional, or Relief. [2 mks]


Earth and Solar System
13) Define each of the following terms: Solar System, a Star, a Galaxy, the Milky Way, a Planet, an Orbit. [6 mks]

14) Which planet would be warmer; Venus or Saturn? Explain why. [2 mks]

15) Define the term equinox, tell when it occurs, and what the effect on the earth’s surface is. [3 mks]

16) When the local time in New York (74 ºW) is 8:00 AM, what is the local time in Kitale (35 ºE) [2 mks]