Teacher’s guide. Geography and history
Answers to the activities in the student’s book
2. Answers to the activities in the student’s book
Activities
1 Work in groups and discuss these questions before reading the unit.
a) The first two questions will be assessed for the correct use of the past tenses and the construction of sentences such as: I have never experienced an earthquake, but I visited Teide two years ago. Spain is located between the Eurasian and African plates, which causes occasional earthquakes, especially in southern regions like Andalusia.
b) Some elements of relief that students study in this unit are: plain, plateau, mountain, basin, valley, beach, cape, gulf, island, continental shelf, continental slope, etc.
c) When a volcano erupts, it expels magna, a mixture of solid materials (rock fragments), liquids (lava) and gases from the earth’s crust and upper mantle.
d) Open answer. Example: I would prefer to spend my holidays along the Atlantic part of the Andalusian coastline rather than on the Mediterranean side. I think the Atlantic coast has nice sandy beaches. I like them better than the pebble beaches along the Mediterranean coastline.
2 What are the tectonic plates? What happens when they move? Discuss your answers with your classmates
The tectonic plates are the fragments or blocks into which the lithosphere is divided. The plates float on the asthenosphere. As they collide and break up, enormous quantities of energy are released, causing tremors and earthquakes or the formation of volcanoes. The movement of the tectonic plates is also responsible for the creation of different forms of relief.
3 Look at the picture about the propagation of an earthquake on the previous page. Write the difference between the hypocentre and the epicentre of an earthquake.
The hypocentre is the point within the Earth where the earthquake rupture starts. The epicentre is the point directly above it on the surface of the Earth.
4 Match each of these concepts with its definition.
a) 3.
b) 2.
c) 4.
d) 1.
5 2 Listen to the audio recording and complete the text with these words: lithosphere, Asia, Europe, continents, centimetres, today, asthenosphere, Pangaea. Then, answer the questions.
Millions of years ago, all of the continents that we know of were joined into just one: Pangaea. However, the lithosphere broke up into a dozen layers, which slipped into the asthenosphere, moving further apart or closer together, until the continents as we know them today were formed. Such movement continues to this day. Europe and North America continue to move 2.5 centimetres apart each year, while India and Asia move between 4 and 6 centimetres closer together each year.
a) In the beginning, Pangaea was the only continent on Earth.
b) No, the tectonic plates are constantly moving.
6 Match the erosive agents with their descriptions:
a) 4.
b) 2.
c) 6.
Task: preventing disasters
A Research what the Richter scale is. According to that scale, how serious was the earthquake recorded in Tokyo described in the article?
The purpose of the seismological Richter scale is to measure the energy released by an earthquake and, thus, its severity. The earthquake described in the article, with a 6.1 magnitude, is considered to be ‘strong’ according to the Richter scale.
B Summarise the human and material consequences from the earthquake. Why do you think this earthquake didn’t have any serious consequences?
The earthquake didn’t cause mortal victims. Regarding the material consequences, it caused damage to the rail network and some buildings. Japan sits along one of the world’s most active seismic zones, so its infrastructure and buildings are designed to withstand tremors.
d) 3. e) 5. f) 1.
C Examine the map containing the tectonic plates and locate Japan, Indonesia and Pakistan. Why do you think earthquakes are frequent in these three countries?
All of these countries are located in the collision zones of two or more plates. In other words, they are located in regions with intense seismic activity, where earthquakes are frequent.
D Now locate Spain on the map. Are earthquakes frequent in Spain? Why or why not?
Spain is located between the Eurasian and African plates, which causes occasional earthquakes, especially in southern regions like Andalusia.
Activities
7 Match the following coastal relief elements with their definition.
a) 4.
b) 6.
c) 1.
d) 5. e) 3. f) 2.
8 Explain the difference between the following pairs of elements and discuss the answers with your classmates.
a) Both of them are flat but a plain is found in a lowlying area whereas a plateau is found on high ground.
b) An island is completely surrounded by water, whereas a peninsula is only partially surrounded by water and it is connected to the continent by a strip of land called an isthmus.
c) A gulf is a deep inlet of the sea into the land, whereas a cape is a piece of land that sticks out into the sea.
d) An ocean ridge is an underwater mountain range, whereas an ocean trench is a deep underwater depression.
9 Look at the world map included in the appendices and find the answers to the following questions. In pairs, use comparative and superlative structures to define each of the things that you have found. For example: The highest mountain in Europe is...; This continent is smaller than...
a)
• Europe, Africa, Asia and North America are found in the northern hemisphere.
• South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica are located in the southern hemisphere
b)
• In Asia, the highest peak is Mount Everest.
• In South America, Mount Aconcagua.
• In North America, Mount McKinley.
• In Africa, the Kibo volcano.
• In Europe, Mont Blanc.
• In Antarctica, Mount Vinson.
• In Oceania, the Puncak Jaya peak.
c)
The biggest continent in the world is Asia and the smallest is Oceania.
d)
• The biggest island in America is Greenland.
• The biggest island in Oceania is Papua New Guinea.
• The biggest island in Asia is Borneo.
• The biggest island in Africa is Madagascar.
• The biggest island in Europe is Great Britain.
• The biggest island in Antarctica is Alexander Island.
e)
• The longest river in America is the Amazon; the Nile in Africa; the Yangtze in Asia; the Volga in Europe; the Murray in Oceania; and the Onyx in Antarctica.
• The biggest lake in America is Lake Superior; Lake Victoria in Africa; Lake Baikal in Asia; Lake Ladoga in Europe; Lake Vostok in Antarctica; and Lake Eyre in Oceania.
10 2 Listen to the audio recording and complete the text. When Christopher Columbus reached the island of Guanahani in the Caribbean, he thought he had found the gateway to Asia. But he was wrong: the land he had discovered belonged to a continent that was unknown to Europeans. America is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespuccio, who was the first person to reach the conclusion that the land they had found wasn’t Asia but part of a new continent.
11 With the help of an atlas, locate the following elements of relief and complete the table: Rocky Mountains, Canary Islands, Andes, Terranova, Appalachians, Baltic Coastal Plain, Pyrenees, Kamchatka Peninsula, Corsica, Great Rift Valley, Cyprus, Caucasus Mountains, Himalayas, British Isles, Madagascar, the Great Dividing Range, Scandinavian Mountains, Atlas Mountains, Korean Peninsula, Ethiopian massif, Japan, Drakensberg Mountains, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Amazon Plain, Central Siberian Plateau, Labrador Peninsula.
Continent Elements
Africa
America
Asia
Europe
Canary Islands, Great Rift Valley, Madagascar, Atlas mountains, Ethiopian massif, Drakensberg mountains.
Rocky Mountains, Andes, Terranova, Appalachians, Amazon Plain, Labrador Peninsula.
Korean Peninsula, Japan, Sri Lanka, Central Siberian Plateau, Kamchatka Peninsula, Himalayas.
Baltic Coastal Plain, Pyrenees, Corsica, Cyprus, Caucasus Mountains, British Isles, Scandinavian Mountains.
Oceania Great Dividing Range, New Zealand.
Task: very deep knowledge
A Place in order, from shallowest to deepest, the spots in the oceans that appear in the text.
The deepest spots in the oceans that appear in the text are, from shallowest to deepest:
• Molloy Abyss (Arctic), 5,551 m.
• Factorian Abyss (Antarctic), 7,432 m.
• Brownson Abyss (Atlantic), 8,378 m.
• Challenger Abyss (Pacific), 10,924 m.
B Research what the highest spot on the planet is and what the highest spot in Spain is and calculate how many times each of the two would fit into the Challenger Abyss. The deepest spots in the 5 oceans are:
• Arctic Ocean: Molloy Abyss, 5,551 m.
• Atlantic Ocean: Brownson Abyss, 8,378 m.
• Antarctic Ocean: Factorian Abyss, 7,432 m.
• Indian Ocean: Unnamed Abyss, 7,187 m.
• Pacific Ocean: Challenger Abyss, 10,924 m.
C Use the physical world map in the annex and determine where such depths are located.
Mount Everest, with a height of 8,848 m, is the highest spot on Earth, and would fit 1.23 times into the Challenger Abyss. As for Teide, the highest peak in Spain at 3,715 m, it would fit 3 times over (2.94 times to be exact!)
D Work in groups: currently only 5 % of the planet’s ocean floor has been mapped. Why do you think we still don’t know enough about our seas and oceans?
The main issues are technical and economic. The pressure exerted by the ocean is 1,000 times greater than the atmospheric pressure at the Earth’s surface. Then you have to add the extremely poor visibility and extremely cold temperatures found at great depths. The technology required to explore such places is very expensive. However, knowing the ocean’s depths better would help us to better understand the underwater flora and fauna, which would make it possible to adequately protect them, something that is needed urgently since only 1.5 % of the world’s oceans are considered to be protected marine reserves. Research demonstrates that ocean trenches are carbon sinks, which could help us to combat climate change.
Activities
12 Look at the physical map of Europe included in the appendices. Complete the following table about European relief with at least two examples of each. Open answer. One possible answer could be as follows:
Great European Plain
Massifs, plateaus and ancient mountains
Young mountains in southern Europe
Peninsulas
Gulfs, capes and straits
Islands and archipelagos
Baltic Coastal Plain
East European Plain
Vosges Massif
Ural Mountains
The Alps
Caucasus Mountains
Iberian Peninsula Scandinavian Peninsula
The English Channel
Gulf of Genoa
British Isles
Cyprus
13 Guess the names of these elements of Spanish relief and write the answers.
a) Canary Islands.
b) Central System.
c) Sierra Morena.
d) Sierra Nevada.
e) Guadalquivir Basin.
14 Complete this table including these elements of Spanish relief: Galician Massif; Canary Islands; Iberian Massif; Central Basin; Catalan Coastal Basin; Sierra Morena; Sierra de Toledo; Andalusian systems; Cantabrian Mountains; Pyrenees; Guadalquivir Basin; Basque Mountains.
Inside the Meseta Central System, Toledo Mountains.
Bordering the Meseta
Outside the Meseta
Galician Massif, Cantabrian Mountains, Sierra Morena, Iberian System.
Canary Islands, Catalan Coastal Range, Pyrenees, Basque Mountains, Baetic Systems, Guadalquivir Basin, Cantabrian Range.
15 Look at the map of Spain included in the appendices and answer the following questions:
a) El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote make up the Canary Islands. Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera make up the Balearic Islands.
b) The Iberian Peninsula is surrounded by the Cantabrian Sea to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east.
c) The Pyrenees cross the Basque Country, Navarre, Aragón and Catalonia and form a border with France and Andorra.
d) Open answer: for example Ebro, Nalón, Narcea and Órbigo.
16 2 Listen to the audio recording and complete the following text with the correct word.
Most of Spain’s territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula, in south-west Europe. It also includes the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and Ceuta and Melilla on the coast of North Africa. It covers an area of 505,990 square kilometres. The peninsular boundaries are the Cantabrian Sea and the Pyrenees in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the east, the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal in the west, and the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea in the south. The relief on the peninsula has an average height of 660 metres. This is partly because of a great plateau, called the Meseta, in the centre, formed by the erosion of ancient mountains.
18 Draw a map of Andalusia this in your notebook and mark the following elements of relief: Sub-Baetic Mountain Range; Penibaetic Mountain Range; Sierra Morena; Guadalquivir Basin; Atlantic Ocean; Mediterranean Sea; Sierra Nevada; Serranía de Ronda; Sierra de Cazorla; River
17 Order the following peaks from highest to lowest: Torre Cerredo, Puig Major, Las Villuercas, Mulhacén, Veleta, Teide, Teleno, Aneto, Moncayo. Then write sentences using the comparative and superlative.
Teide, Mulhacén, Aneto, Torre Cerredo, Moncayo, Teleno, Las Villuercas and Puig Major.
Open answer:
• Teide is higher than Teleno.
• Teide is the highest peak in Spain.
Mediterranean coasts of Andalusia? To which of the two Atlantic beaches are flat and sandy, while Mediterranean beaches are more rugged and rocky.
The picture A is the beach Punta Paloma (Tarifa, Cádiz), from the Atlantic coast.
The picture B is the beach Tropical (Granada), from the Mediterranean coast.
Grammar in geography and history
1 Read this text and identify the verbs in the present simple tense. Then, classify them by affirmative or negative:
The tectonic plates that make up the earth’s crust are in continuous movement, but we do not feel this movement, except when it occurs violently. An earthquake is a shaking or vibration at the surface of the earth, caused by tectonic plate movement. When two plates crash, they release a large amount of energy causing tremors that can be very severe. Most of the earthquakes that occur in the world are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a large area of the Pacific Ocean that connects America with Asia.
Earthquakes don’t only exist in the continents’ surface: vibrations can also occur on the ocean floor and are called ‘tsunamis’. A tsunami is a great sea wave caused by an underwater earthquake or underwater volcanic eruption.
Tsunamis are not frequent in Spain, but earthquakes are common in our country. Spain is situated between two tectonic plates and this produces about 2,500
earthquakes a year, although most of us do not notice them.
Affirmative present simple verbs Negative present simple verbs make up are occur, occurs is crash release causing connects produces
do not feel don’t exist are not do not notice
2 Choose the correct option in the following sentences:
a) The Atlantic coastline of Andalusia have/has sandy beaches.
b) The Guadalquivir basin is/are in Andalusia
c) The Central System divide/divides the Meseta into the northern and southern sub-plateaus.
d) The Canary Islands is/are of volcanic origin.
e) Young higher mountains predominate/predominates in the west of America
f) The continental surface represent/represents 29 % of our planet.
3 The following sentences contain information that is not correct. Rewrite the following sentences in the negative, so that the information they contain is correct. Then, write new affirmative sentences using the present simple and the correct information.
a) The core is not the outer layer of the Earth. The crust is the outer layer of the Earth.
b) Abyssal plains are not deep underwater depressions. Ocean trenches are deep underwater depressions.
c) Alpine mountain ranges do not predominate in the north of Europe. Alpine mountain ranges predominate in the south of Europe.
d) The Cantabrian mountains do not surround the Meseta in the south. Cantabrian mountains surround the Meseta in the north.
e) The Baetic mountain range does not separate Andalusia from the Meseta. The Sierra Morena separates Andalusia from the Meseta.
4 Use these words to write a question for the following answers:
a) What are the tectonic plates?
b) Where are the Himalayas?
c) Why are Earthquakes common in Spain?
d) How do we classify the units of relief of Spain?
e) Which is the biggest island of Africa?
5 Order the following words to make meaningful sentences:
a) The Andalusian coast is more than 1,000 km long.
b) The Baetic mountain ranges occupy the east and south of Andalusia.
c) The Great European Plain stretches from the Ural Mountains to the Pyrenees.
d) The European continent is part of the Eurasian landmass.
e) An island is a body of land completely surrounded by water.
Final Task: Fight the volcano
➊ Do some research and prepare a brief report on the latest eruption of the volcano on the island of La Palma, indicating when it began, when it ended and the main human and material damage it caused.
Open answer. The latest volcanic eruption on the Island of La Palma began on September 29, 2021, near the town of El Paso. At the present moment, the volcano continues to remain active/the volcano has ceased to erupt since… causing substantial economic damage. Students shall attempt to quantify the damage depending on the state of the eruption.
➋ The volcanic origin of the Canary Islands explains why volcanic eruptions occur frequently along the archipelago. Research when the previous volcanic eruption on the Canary Islands took place and determine how many eruptions occurred on the island of La Palma over the past one hundred years.
The previous volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands was the underwater eruption on the Island of Hierro in 2021. As for the island of La Palma, it underwent 3 volcanic eruptions since the middle of the past century: at San Juan in 1949, at Teneguía in 1971 and at Cumbre Vieja, which began in September of 2021.
➌ Make a list of the health risks posed by the ash and gases expelled by the eruption.
Among the health risks, we can include nasal, skin and eye irritation, sore throat, dry cough, stomach pain or pulmonary conditions (sense of a lack of air, shortness of breath, bronchitis).
➍ Although we cannot keep the lava from destroying towns and crops, we can mitigate the effects of a volcanic
eruption on humans. Work in groups and draft a series of recommendations for a population affected by a volcanic eruption, such as avoiding breathing the polluted air and if necessary, evacuating one’s home.
Open Answer. The idea is to get students to debate the measures in groups, then compare their answers and reach a consensus on a conclusion. The use of modal verbs and imperatives is key:
• Closing doors and windows
• Avoiding staying outdoors any longer than necessary
• Respecting restricted zones established by the authorities.
• Evacuation measures:
• In the event of seismic activity, stay calm.
• Stay abreast of the information provided by the authorities through the media.
• Prepare a small, lightweight emergency kit containing any necessary items: some clothing, food and water, a mobile phone with a charged battery, medicines and personal documents.