Grade 10 Geography – Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Quiz

1. What is a Geographic Information System (GIS)?

A book where old maps are kept in a library
A computer system for storing, analysing and displaying spatial data like maps and related information
A device that sends GPS signals to satellites
A software only used for making 3D videos
Explanation:

GIS combines maps (spatial data) and attribute data to store, analyse and display information — for example mapping schools in Nairobi and showing their enrolment numbers.

2. Which of the following lists the main components of a GIS?

Satellites and weather stations only
Hardware, software, people, data and methods
Only software and a printer
A paper map and a ruler
Explanation:

A working GIS needs computers (hardware), GIS programs, trained people, geographic data and agreed methods—together they let users analyse problems like flood risk in the Tana River basin.

3. Which best describes vector data in GIS?

A spreadsheet of student names with no coordinates
A printed topographic map scanned into a photo
A continuous grid of pixels used for images like satellite photos
Data represented by points, lines and polygons such as schools, roads and administrative boundaries
Explanation:

Vector data use points (e.g., a borehole), lines (e.g., a road) and polygons (e.g., a county) to represent features with precise shapes and locations.

4. What is raster data in GIS?

A paper map folded into many squares
A type of vector file that only stores lines
A list of postal addresses with house numbers
Data made of a grid of cells or pixels such as digital satellite imagery or elevation models
Explanation:

Rasters are made of pixels each with a value (e.g., colour or elevation) and are used for images and surfaces like Landsat photos or DEMs used to map Mount Kenya slopes.

5. Which coordinate reference system is most commonly used by GPS devices worldwide?

WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984)
Old Nairobi Datum
Kenya Parish Grid
British National Grid
Explanation:

GPS satellites and most global datasets use WGS84 as the reference datum for latitude and longitude, so it is the standard when collecting locations in Kenya with GPS.

6. What does georeferencing mean in practical GIS work?

Changing a map's colours to match a theme
Removing unnecessary columns from a spreadsheet
Converting a raster to a vector automatically
Assigning geographic coordinates to a scanned map or image so it lines up with real-world locations
Explanation:

Georeferencing places an old paper map or aerial photo into the correct coordinate system so it can be used with other spatial layers, for example matching old land-use maps to current satellite images of the Rift Valley.

7. What is attribute data in a GIS attribute table?

A list of nearby weather stations
Only the latitude and longitude values
Non-spatial information about features, such as population, school name or land use
The scale printed on a paper map
Explanation:

Attribute data describe features shown on a map (e.g., a school feature may have attributes for name, pupil numbers and type), and are used to query and symbolise maps.

8. What does creating a buffer around a river in GIS produce?

A measurement showing the river's depth
A list of all rivers in the country
A zone at a set distance from the river used to analyse nearby features like homes at flood risk
A printed map folded into a buffer fold
Explanation:

Buffers create areas (e.g., 100 m) around features so you can find which houses or farms lie within the flood-prone zone near the river.

9. What is overlay analysis used for in GIS?

Cleaning up a corrupted GPS device
Converting coordinates from degrees to radians
Making a paper map into a digital photo
Combining two or more map layers to identify relationships, like overlaying land use on soil type to find suitable farmland
Explanation:

Overlay tools let you combine layers (e.g., soils and rainfall) to see where conditions match criteria, which helps in planning agriculture or conservation in areas like the Lake Victoria basin.

10. What is a DEM (Digital Elevation Model)?

A list of names for cities in Kenya
A table of household income across a town
A raster surface that represents ground elevation values used to model terrain
A vector file storing road networks only
Explanation:

A DEM stores elevation for each grid cell and is used for slope, aspect, watershed and hillshade analyses, useful for planning roads in hilly areas like around Mount Kenya.

11. Which freely available satellite imagery is commonly used for land-use and environmental studies in Kenya?

Microsoft Word
Kenya Post maps
Landsat
SPSS software
Explanation:

Landsat provides free medium-resolution satellite images over time and is widely used to study land-use change, forest cover and urban growth in Kenyan cities and countryside.

12. What is QGIS?

A free, open-source GIS software used for mapping and spatial analysis
A paid satellite data company
A type of GPS receiver sold in shops
A brand of drones used for aerial photos
Explanation:

QGIS is free to download and widely used in schools and organisations in Kenya to teach mapping, digitising, and analysing geographic data.

13. What is a shapefile in GIS?

A common vector file format that stores geometry (points, lines, polygons) and works with attribute tables
A high-resolution satellite image format
A file that only stores elevation data
A printed map kept in a folder
Explanation:

Shapefiles (.shp plus supporting files) are used to store vector features like county boundaries or road networks together with attributes such as names and IDs.

14. On a map scale of 1:50,000, what does 1 centimetre on the map represent on the ground?

50,000 metres (i.e., 50 kilometres)
1,000 metres (1 kilometre)
50,000 centimetres (i.e., 500 metres)
100 centimetres
Explanation:

Scale 1:50,000 means 1 unit on the map equals 50,000 of the same units on the ground. So 1 cm = 50,000 cm = 500 m.

15. Which of these can reduce GPS location accuracy during field data collection in Nairobi?

The name of the village you are in
The colour of the surveyor's clothing
The brand of pen used to record locations
Tall buildings and trees blocking satellite signals
Explanation:

Obstructions like buildings in Nairobi's central business district or dense tree cover cause multipath errors and reduce GPS accuracy; atmospheric conditions and satellite geometry also affect accuracy.

16. What is geocoding in the context of GIS?

Printing a map onto a large poster
Measuring the slope of a hill in degrees
Converting an address or place name to geographic coordinates (latitude/longitude)
Creating a 3D model of a building from photos
Explanation:

Geocoding turns addresses or place names (e.g., a school name in Kisumu) into coordinates so they can be mapped and analysed in GIS.

17. What does topology refer to in GIS?

Rules about spatial relationships such as connectivity, adjacency and containment between features
The study of mountain shapes only
A file that stores map colours
The type of satellite used to collect imagery
Explanation:

Topology ensures correct spatial relationships (for example roads connect properly or polygons do not overlap) which is important for routing and analysing networks in towns like Mombasa.

18. What is an attribute join in GIS?

Turning a raster into a vector automatically
Printing two maps on the same paper
Linking a table of attributes to a spatial layer using a common key like an ID number
Joining two roads together on the map to make a long road
Explanation:

An attribute join attaches additional data (e.g., census figures) to spatial features using a matching field so you can map and analyse the combined information.

19. What does the GIS tool 'clip' do?

Extracts the part of one layer that falls within the boundary of another layer
Changes the map projection automatically
Deletes all attribute data from a layer
Converts a satellite image into a printed poster
Explanation:

Clip cuts a layer to the shape of another (for example extracting the area of a county from a national land-cover map) so you only work with the area of interest.

20. What is remote sensing?

Asking farmers about their crops using a questionnaire only
Walking through a forest and writing notes
Printing maps in colour at a school library
Collecting information about the Earth's surface from a distance using satellites or aircraft
Explanation:

Remote sensing uses sensors on satellites (like Sentinel) or planes to collect data such as vegetation health or urban growth without needing to visit every location on the ground.

21. What does a spatial query 'select by location' do in GIS?

Automatically fixes broken shapefiles
Selects features only by the value of an attribute like name
Chooses features based on their spatial relationship to other features, e.g., schools within 1 km of a river
Prints all map layers as separate sheets
Explanation:

Select by location finds features that meet spatial criteria (within, intersect, contain) useful for tasks like finding villages near flood zones.

22. What is a hillshade map produced from a DEM used for?

Showing shaded relief to visualise terrain shapes such as ridges and valleys
Mapping rainfall distribution across a county
Counting number of buildings in a town automatically
Showing administrative boundaries only
Explanation:

Hillshade simulates light and shadow on terrain from a DEM, helping map readers see slopes and landforms which is useful for planning roads in hilly places.

23. What is interpolation in GIS?

Estimating values at unsampled locations using measurements from nearby known points, such as rainfall between weather stations
Making a 3D animation from 2D maps
Turning a vector into a raster image
Copying map symbols from one map to another
Explanation:

Interpolation uses nearby observations to predict values across an area (for example estimating rainfall in parts of the Rift Valley where there are few stations).

24. Why is metadata important when using GIS data for a school project in Kenya?

Because it increases the file size and makes the map look official
Because it is the same as the attribute table and stores population numbers
Because it records the data source, date, accuracy and projection so you know if the data is suitable
Because it automatically corrects errors in the data
Explanation:

Metadata tells you who created the data, when and how accurate it is—important to check before using a map layer for tasks like planning school routes or studying land change in your county.

25. Which platform is commonly used for community mapping and updating roads and buildings in Kenya for disaster response?

An offline word processing file
OpenStreetMap
A local paper map archive in a library
Excel spreadsheets only
Explanation:

OpenStreetMap is an open, community-driven mapping platform used in Kenya and worldwide to map roads, buildings and services quickly for planning and during emergencies.