The Concept of Hazards (AQA A Level Geography): Exam Questions

Outline the concept of the Hazard Management Cycle.

Figure 9a shows the number of global reported disasters between 1990 and 2017. It also shows the economic costs associated with the reported disasters.

Figure 9b shows information about the global reported disasters for 2017 as shown in Figure 9a.

Figure 9a – the number of global reported disasters between 1990 and 2017. It also shows the economic costs associated with the reported disasters.

Figure 9b – information about the global reported disasters for 2017 as shown in Figure 9a

Analyse the data shown in Figure 9a and Figure 9b.

Using Figure 1 and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree that physical exposure to hazards is the main factor explaining differences in natural hazard vulnerability between countries?

Figure 1: World Risk Index (WRI) scores for selected countries, 2022. The WRI measures disaster risk by combining a country's physical exposure to hazards with its social vulnerability (susceptibility, lack of coping capacity and lack of adaptive capacity). Scores range from 0 (lowest risk) to 100 (highest risk).

Source: World Risk Report 2022, Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft

Assess the usefulness of the Park Model in explaining how communities respond to hazard events.

Assess the importance of hazard perception in influencing how people respond to hazards.

‘The Disaster Response Curve (The Park Model) has contributed to improved understanding and therefore management of the impact of tropical storms.’

To what extent do you agree with this view?

Assess the relative usefulness of the Park Model and the Hazard Management Cycle in understanding the impact of seismic events.

With reference to a multi-hazardous environment that you have studied, assess the view that the underlying cause(s) leading to the hazards is human activity rather than physical factors.

Evaluate the effectiveness of disaster risk management strategies in reducing the impacts of natural hazards.

With reference to a hazardous location at a local scale, assess the importance of the physical processes and factors which have contributed to the scale and nature of the hazard.