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GEOGRAPHY
PAPER 1
FEBRUARY 2024

SIBUGEO-1 JOINT EXAMINATION

GEOGRAPHY EXAMINATION 2024
MARKING SCHEME
TIME 2 ¾ HOURS
SECTION A (25 Marks)

Answer ALL questions in this section

1.a) Identify two forces responsible for the geoid shape of the Earth. (2mks)

 Centrifugal force
 Centripetal force
 Gravitational force

b) Give three reasons why the interior of the earth is very hot. (3mks)

 The earth retained its original heat during formation

 Due to radioactivity in the interior of the Earth
 Due to pressure from overlying rock layers that generate high temperatures in the earth’s interior

2.a) Name two examples of plutonic rocks. (2mks)

 Granite
 Diorite
 Peridotite
 Gabroo
 Synite

b) State three economic benefits of coral limestone rocks. (3mks)

 Coral limestone is used as raw material in the manufacture of cement.

 Some coral rocks form spectacular sceneries that attract tourists who earn the country foreign exchange
used to develop other sectors of the economy
 Coral reefs act as breeding grounds for fish hence promoting fishing activities

3. The diagram below shows the hydrological cycle. Use it to answer the questions below.

a) Define the term Hydrological cycle. (2mks)

 Refers to the endless interchange of water from the atmosphere to the land and back to the atmosphere
 Refers to the continuous circulation of water from the atmosphere to the earth surface and back to the
atmosphere.

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 b) What process do the arrows labelled K, L and N represent? (3mks)

4.a) State three factors that have led to the decline of natural grasslands in Kenya. (3mks)

 Frequent bush fires that destroy grassland vegetation

 Encroachment of the grassland by people for settlement
 Overgrazing by both domestic and wild animals
 Pests such as locusts that destroy grassland vegetation
 Prolonged drought which has led to drying up of vegetation
 Overexploitation of grassland for grass used in thatching of houses and trees which are used as firewood.

b) Name two types of grasslands found in Africa. (2mks)

 Savannah grassland
 The veldt (temperate grassland)

5.a) Name two types of submerged highland coasts. (2mks)

 Fiords/ Fjords/Fyords
 Estuarine
 Ria
 Dalmatian/ Longitudinal

b) State three conditions necessary for the formation of beaches. (3mks)

 The shore must have a gentle slope to enable deposition of sediments to take place
 The breaking waves must have a strong swash and a weak backwash
 The sea should be shallow towards the coastline to enable easy deposition/ shallow continental shelf
 The sea water should have a large load of material to be deposited

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 SECTION B (75 Marks)

Answer question 6 and any other TWO questions from this section.

6.a.i) Identify the index to adjoining sheet south of Mumias. (1mk)

 101/4 UGENYA

ii)Measure the distance of the dry weather road C532 from road junction at grid 6028 to road junction

at grid 6434. (2mks)

 7.5km ( + 0.1)

b) Name three methods for showing relief used in the map. (3mks)

 Contours
 Spotheight
 Trigonometric stations

c.i) Citing evidence from the map, state three functions of Mumias Town centre. (6mks)

 Health centre evidenced by dispensary, mill hill mission hospital

 Educational centre evidenced by a school, teachers training school
 Religious centre evidenced by a Convent
 Transportation centre evidenced by All-weather road loose surface

ii) Give three settlement patterns found in the area covered by the map. (3mks)

 Linear settlement
 Cluster/ nucleated settlement
 Dispersed/ scattered settlement

d.i) Describe the drainage of the area covered by the map. (5mks)

 The main river is River Nzoia

 There are many permanent rivers in the area covered by the map
 There is a seasonal swamp in the south west part of the area covered by the map
 R. Lusimu forms dendritic drainage pattern with its tributaries
 Most rivers from South westwards.

ii) Enlarge by two the area enclosed between Easting 55 to 58 and Northing 30 to 33. On it mark: (2mks)

 Riverine trees (1mk)

 River Nzoia (1mk)
 Regional boundary (1mk)

7.a.i) State three conditions necessary for siting a weather station. (3mks)

 It should be located in a place where there is free flow of air

 It should be located in an open place with wide view of the surrounding and the sky
 It should be located away from tall buildings and trees to enable free flow of air
 The ground should be fairly level/ gently sloping to prevent the place from flooding
 The station should be secure/ fenced to limit unauthorised access from people or animals

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 ii) Give three reasons why weather forecasting is important. (3mks)

 Enables farmers to plan their farming calendar

 It helps people to choose their clothing for the day
 It influences design of houses during different seasons
 It guides in the timing of sporting activities and tourist activities
 It helps in averting disasters related to the weather
 It guides in the landing and taking off of aircrafts
 It helps in planning military activities
 It guides fishing activities to avoid marine disasters caused by storms

b.i) Name three forms of precipitation that commonly occurs in Kenya. (3mks)

 Rain
 Dew
 Snow
 Mist and fog
 Hailstones

ii) Explain how the following factors influence weather.

 Cloud cover (2mks)

 The clouds absorb solar radiation and also reflects solar rays back to the atmosphere thus
reducing temperatures on the earth surface.
 Altitude. (2mks)
 The temperatures of a place decreases with an increase in altitude
 The atmospheric pressure of a place increases with an increase in altitude

c.i) Give three ways in which the atmosphere is heated. (2mks)

 Through radiation
 Through convection
 Through Conduction

ii) Differentiate between Anabatic winds and Katabatic winds. (2mks)

 Anabatic winds are cold winds that blow from the valley bottom and rises up to the mountain top during the
day while Katabatic winds are cold winds that blow from the mountain top down to the valley bottom during
the night.

d) The map below shows world climatic zones. Use it to answer the questions that follow:

i) Identify the climatic zones marked A, B and C. (3mks)

A Tundra climate

B Savannah climate

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C Equatorial climate

ii) State five characteristics of Climatic zone marked C. (5mks)

 High temperatures throughout the year

 Experiences high rainfall throughout the year
 Experiences high atmospheric pressure throughout the year
 Experiences small annual range of temperature
 Experiences a double maxima rainfall regime
 Experiences low diurnal temperature range throughout the year
 Experiences high humidity throughout the year
 Major winds blowing here are South East and North East trade winds
 Experiences convectional type of rainfall
 Has long hours of sunshine
 Has an extensive cloud cover.

8.a) Define the following terms:

i. Magma (2mks)
 Refers to molten rock material found beneath the Earth’s surface.
ii. Crater (2mks)
 Refers to a funnel-shaped depression found on top of a volcanic mountain.
iii. Vent (2mks)
 Refers to a hollow or tube over which magma from the interior of the earth escapes through
to the surface.

b) Give three types of Lava. (3mks)

 Acidic
 Basic
 Intermediate
 Ultra basic

c.i) Using a well labelled diagram, describe the formation of a Sill. (6mks)

 Magma from the interior of the earth intrudes into the earth’s crustal layer
 As the magma intrudes into the earths crustal rock layer, it squeezes in between rock layers/ strata
 The magma intrusion between the rock layers cools and solidifies to forma horizontal intrusion of magma
called a Sill.

ii) State three ways through which a caldera forms. (3mks)

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  Through violent explosion
 Through cauldron/ block subsidence
 Through outward collapsing

iii) Name two active volcanoes in Kenya. (2mks)

 Mt. Teleki
 Mt. Likaiyu
 Mt. Longonot
 Mt. Suswa
 Mt. Memengai
 Homa hills

d) You are required to carry out a field study in a region affected by Vulcanicity.

i) Apart from a route map, state three ways you would prepare for the field study. (3mks)

 Seeking permission from relevant authorities

 Conducting a pre visit
 Reading through relevant reference books
 Conducting discussion in class
 Consulting geography teacher
 Assembling necessary tools and equipment
 Formulation of objectives and hypothesis
 Preparing a questionnaire
 Drawing a working schedule
 Dividing the class into groups

ii) Identify any two methods you will use to collect data. (2mks)

 Observing
 Interviewing
 Administering questionnaire
 Sampling
 Note taking
 Photographing/ video recording/ filming
 Reading through secondary sources
 Taking measurements

9.a.i) Differentiate between river capture and river rejuvenation. (2mks)

 River rejuvenation refers to the renewal of river erosive activity while river capture is the diversion of
headwaters of one river into the system of the other adjacent and more powerful river.

ii) Give three causes of river rejuvenation. (3mks)

 A change in the base level/ fall in sea level

 An increase in the river discharge
 A change in the rock resistance
 Regional uplifting of the land
 Unequal regional subsidence of the land

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 b.i) Explain three ways through which a river transports its load. (6mks)

 Suspension- Fine particles such as silt are carried in suspension as they are light and can be maintained
within the turbulence of river water
 Saltation/ hydraulic lift- Fairly heavy particles or pebbles are lifted in form of small hops and jumps by the
turbulence of the water
 Traction- Large and heavy load are transported by river water by rolling or sliding along the river bed
 Solution- Soluble rock material are dissolved in river water and carried along in form of solution
downstream

ii) Identify three factors influencing river transportation. (3mks)

 The volume or river water

 The gradient of the river channel
 The nature of the load/ size of the load carried by the river
 Presence of obstacles along river channel

c) With the aid of a diagram describe how an ox bow lake is formed. (5mks)

 A river starts to meander on a flood pain

 Lateral erosion dominates the outer bank of the river
 Deposition dominates the inner bank of the river bank
 Lateral erosion results in the reduction of the neck of land between two adjacent bends
 The neck of land is eventually worn away
 Deposition on the inner bank especially during flooding blocks of the meander cutting off part of the
meander
 The abandoned meander forms a feature known as Ox-bow lake

d) Explain three positive significance of rivers and their features. (6mks)

 Water from rivers is used for domestic purposes and industrial uses
 Some rivers have fresh water used for irrigation
 Some rivers are navigable and are used as transportation routes
 Some rivers provide port facilities especially in the Rias and estuaries suitable for development of ports
 Some rivers are rich fishing grounds encouraging fishing activities

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  Some rivers have been dammed and their water used to generate hydro electric power
 River beds and valleys may be sources of sand used in construction
 Features formed along river course like waterfall may attract tourist thus earning the country foreign
exchange which is used to develop other sectors of the economy
 During flooding river deposit alluvium on the flood plains and deltas which are exploited for crop growing
as they are fertile

10.a.i) What is a Karst scenery? (2mks)

 Refers to a limestone/ dolomite/chalk area where water action has created unique rugged features on the
surface and underground
 Refers to a rugged landscape of chalk/dolomite/ limestone made of surface and underground features formed
by carbonation and solution process.

ii) State three factors which influence the formation of features in a karst scenery. (3mks)

 Rainfall should be moderate to high / humid conditions

 The temperatures should be high/ hot conditions
 Presence of hard and well jointed rocks
 The water table should be deep below the surface
 The area should have thick limestone, chalk, dolomite on the surface or beneath

b.i) Apart from grikes and clints, list any two surface features in a Karst scenery. (2mks)

 Swallow hole/ sink hole

 Dolines
 Uvala
 Polje
 Limestone gorge
 Dry valley
 Blind valley

ii) Describe how a Limestone pillar is formed. (8mks)

 Rain water absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere to form weak carbonic acid
 The weak carbonic acid percolates through the joints in the rock on the roof of a limestone cave
 The weak carbonic acid reacts with limestone rock to form a soluble calcium bicarbonate
 The solution of calcium bicarbonate trickles down through the roof of the cave.
 The solution droplets hang on the roof of the cave
 Water evaporates from the solution due to high temperatures to form calcium carbonate crystals
 The calcium carbonate crystals builds up downwards over a long period to form stalactite
 The solution splashes on the floor and water evaporates to form calcium carbonate crystals that grow
upwards forming a stalagmite
 Over time, the stalagmite joins the stalactite to form a pillar like structure called limestone pillar

c) Give four reasons why there are few settlements in a karst landscape. (4mks)

 There is inadequate water supply as most of the water sinks underground

 There is poor vegetation cover
 The land has thin soils unsuitable for crop growing
 The area has rugged landscape unsuitable for human settlement

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  The area is rocky hence discouraging settlement.

d) Explain three significance of Karst region. (6mks)

 Underground water in limestone region is used domestically, in industries or irrigation of farms.

 Springs emerging from limestone areas are sources of rivers which provide fresh water used for irrigation
purposes
 Limestone blocks found in limestone areas can be used in building and construction
 The scrub vegetation in limestone area can support sheep rearing
 Limestone is used in smelting of iron and manufacture of steel
 Limestone rock is used in the manufacture of cement promoting industrialisation
 The karst region may have spectacular sceneries which may attract tourists earning the country foreign
exchange which is used to develop other sectors of the economy.
 Collapsed dolines and poljes may form solution lakes that provide water for domestic and industrial use.
 Karst region has intermittent streams or no streams leading to scarcity of water supply in the region
 The bare landscape and rugged landscape hinders development of transport network.

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