Mountains & Volcanoes Quiz

1. What is the world's highest mountain above sea level?

1. K2
2. Kangchenjunga
3. Lhotse
4. Mount Everest

2. The Himalayas stretch across parts of which countries?

1. Afghanistan, China, and India
2. China, India, and Nepal only
3. India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Pakistan
4. Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet only

3. Which is the highest active volcano in the world?

1. Kilauea
2. Mount Etna
3. Mount Llullaillaco
4. Ojos del Salado

4. The 'Ring of Fire' encircles which ocean?

1. Arctic Ocean
2. Atlantic Ocean
3. Indian Ocean
4. Pacific Ocean

5. Which mountain range runs along the spine of South America?

1. The Alps
2. The Andes
3. The Appalachians
4. The Rockies

6. Mount Vesuvius famously destroyed which Roman city in 79 AD?

1. Herculaneum or Pompeii
2. Naples
3. Pompeii
4. Rome

7. K2 is the world's second highest mountain. In which mountain range is it?

1. Himalayas
2. Hindu Kush
3. Karakoram
4. Pamirs

8. Which European island is home to Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes?

1. Corsica
2. Crete
3. Sardinia
4. Sicily

9. What are the Alps, and which countries do they pass through?

1. A mountain range in Scandinavia
2. Mountains between Austria and Hungary
3. Mountains between France and Spain
4. The major mountain range of central Europe passing through France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Slovenia

10. Where is the 'Roof of the World'?

1. The Andes
2. The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau
3. The Rockies
4. The Swiss Alps

11. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in the USA killed 57 people. In which US state is it?

1. California
2. Idaho
3. Oregon
4. Washington

12. What is the difference between a 'dormant' and an 'extinct' volcano?

1. Dormant has not erupted recently but could; extinct is unlikely to ever erupt again
2. Dormant means fully active; extinct means recently erupted
3. Extinct still has lava beneath it; dormant does not
4. There is no difference

13. Mauna Kea in Hawaii is sometimes called the 'world's tallest mountain'. Why?

1. It has the largest volume of any mountain
2. It is actually taller than Everest above sea level
3. It is the tallest island mountain
4. Measured from its ocean base, it is taller than Everest at ~10,000 m total

14. The Pyrenees form a natural border between which two countries?

1. France and Belgium
2. France and Italy
3. Spain and France
4. Spain and Portugal

15. Which famous Indonesian volcano erupted catastrophically in 1883, killing over 36,000 people and darkening global skies?

1. Krakatoa
2. Mount Merapi
3. Mount Rinjani
4. Tambora

16. The Atlas Mountains run across which continent?

1. Africa
2. Asia
3. Europe
4. South America

17. What is the highest mountain in Africa?

1. Kilimanjaro
2. Mount Elgon
3. Mount Kenya
4. Ras Dashen

18. The Appalachian Mountains run along the eastern side of which continent?

1. Australia
2. Europe
3. North America
4. South America

19. What causes volcanic eruptions?

1. Earthquakes pushing rock upward
2. Groundwater being superheated underground
3. Magma (molten rock) from the mantle rising through cracks in the Earth's crust
4. Underground explosions from chemical reactions

20. Which mountain is considered the 'sacred mountain' of Japan and is a UNESCO World Heritage site?

1. Mount Aso
2. Mount Fuji
3. Mount Hiei
4. Mount Koya