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QUESTION 16
GS1
15 marks

Discuss how the changes in shape and sizes of continents and ocean basins of the planet take place due to tectonic movements of the crustal masses.

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11 min
250 words
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What the examiner wants

Explain how plate movements change the shape and size of continents and ocean basins over time.

DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Theory: continental drift (Wegener), sea-floor spreading, plate tectonics≈65 words
  2. 2Boundaries: divergent (Atlantic widening), convergent (Pacific shrinking, Himalayas rising), transform≈65 words
  3. 3Examples: break-up of Pangaea, India's collision with Eurasia, East African Rift≈65 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

TheoryBoundaries and processesExamplesConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Explaining only Wegener's drift theory without plate boundaries
  • No diagram

Draw this

  • Diagram of the three plate boundary types

Value addition

  • ExampleThe Atlantic Ocean widens by about 2–5 cm a year at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.US Geological Survey
  • ExampleThe Indian plate still moves north at about 4–5 cm a year, raising the Himalayas.US Geological Survey

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