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In
your exam you may well be asked to study photographs and/or field
sketches and to answer questions on them. To many people this seems
to be a very straightforward question. Teachers (who do not teach
geography) who have been asked to invigilate a geography exam often
go back into the staffroom and say 'That was very straightforward
- just looking at pictures - no real learning involved'. What they
do not realise is that analysing geographical pictures is quite
a complex skill. Applying geographical knowledge and understanding
to that picture is another important skill. These teachers just
see a nice scene, or an interesting scene; geographers see what
lies behind that scene.
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When
analysing photos:
- spend
time looking carefully before you even start to write answers
- remember
that you are looking for geography facts and ideas, not
just seeing a nice scene
- look
and describe before you start to explain. Otherwise you
might start to write about what you think should be there,
rather than what you can see
- look
for physical and human features in the picture
- after
you have looked, try to see inter-relationships which might
be:
- physical/human
relationships
- relationships
between different physical factors
- relationships
between different human factors
- when
you start to write your answer be precise. Refer to specific
features of the photo. Refer to the foreground, background,
left, top, and so on
- link
what you say about the photo to geographical facts and ideas
from your course. Don't just see it as an isolated picture.
Tie it in to your body of geographical knowledge - but keep
remembering the picture, and keep tying your ideas to what
you can see, not what you think should be there.
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1
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Study
the two sketches below. They show parts of the Aln Valley in
Northumberland (click on the images to see larger versions).
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Sketch A
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Sketch B
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(a) |
Describe
the shapes of the valleys in the two sketches.
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(4)
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(b) |
Which
sketch, A or B, is nearer to the mouth of the
river. Give the reason for your answer.
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(3)
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(c) |
Describe
the evidence that shows that the stream in A is actively
eroding both its bed and its banks.
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(4)
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(d) |
Draw
a cross-section from X to Y on sketch B.
On your cross section you should label: |
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•
river cliff
• deepest part of stream
• levée
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•
flood
plain
•
shallowest
part of stream
•
area of active erosion
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(8)
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(e) |
Give
two reasons to explain why the flood plain is badly drained
in Sketch B.
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(4)
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(f) |
Describe
an area in either sketch A or B which would be
suitable for:
• grazing dairy cattle
• hill sheep farming
Explain each of your choices.
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(6)
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| 2 |
Study
the photographs below which show parts of Gateshead, a town
in the northeast of England (click on the images to see larger
versions).
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Photo
A
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Photo
B
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Photo
C
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Photo
D
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Photo
E
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(a) |
Describe
the evidence in Photo A which shows that this area was
redeveloped in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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(3)
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(b)
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Photo
D shows the backs of the houses which are shown in Photo
C.
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(i) |
Describe
these houses. |
(3)
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(ii) |
What
evidence suggests that this area was redeveloped by the council
or by a housing association.
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(3)
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(c) |
Photo
B and Photo C both show housing estates that
were built after 1975.
Which
of these two estates was built in a redeveloped inner city
area?
What
evidence supports your answer?
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(4)
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(d)
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The
flats in Photo A are the less popular with most people
than the homes in Photos B, C and E. Suggest
why. |
(6)
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