Geography MCQs 2008.

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CARIBBEAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE

EXAMINATION

SPECIMEN
MULTJPLECHOICEQUESTIONS
FOR

GEOGRAPHY

GENERALPROFICIENCY

READ THE FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS CAREF ULLY

Each item in this test has four suggested answers lettered (A}, (B), (C), (D). Read each item you are
about to answer and decide wltich choice is best.

Sampleltem

Hurricanes in the Caribbean area are MOST

likely IOoccurduring Sample Answer
(A) Febmary - April
(B) April-June
(C) July - September
(D) October - Fcbmary

The best answer to this item is "July - September", so answer space (C) has been shaded.

Copyright <02008 CaribbcanExaminationsCouncil.

All rights reserved.

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I t ems 1 - 5 ref er to t he f ol l owi ng ma p.

31

30

29

28 KEY
' RAILWAY
STATION t
n Houses
£ Church
2? •___ i_ Cart at
93 93 S4 95 96
»*+*-* R a ilw a y

w Swamp
1 0 1 2
I . . . p . , ..........................-I____________ _ A . ,.~ml
Scale *o ftitom stres

1 W hat is the grid reference o f Point P ? 3. In which direction is the arrow on the m ap
pointing?
(A ) 307957
(B ) 305954 (A) South-east
(C) 954305 (B ) South-west
(D) 957307 (C) East-south-east
(0 ) South-south-east
2. The straight-line distance, in km, between thc
church and the railw ay station is 4. T h e m an -m ade fealure running south-w est
through P i s a
(A ) 2.2
<B) 2.8 (A ) road
(C) 3.0 (B) canal
(D ) 3.8 (C) railway
(P ) swasnp

5. Th e settlement-pattern in the m ap is B E S T
described as being

(A ) dispersed
(B ) isolated
(C ) linear
(D ) nucleated

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i
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Items 6- 1 0 reter to the follo wing map extract on a scale of I : I 00 000

Jafltowp

KEY

-
== Major Streets

= Central llll.'iiness District

... Residential N
f
~

1.4
Ill<.
River

Swamp \ ,/
I
I

SEA

6. Which of the tollowing fe atures of Jalltown ll. What is the general direction of flow of the
are the BEST reasons for its location? river shown in the diagram above?

I. It is on flat land. (A) West to east

n. It has a supply of fresh w ater. (B) East to west
III. It is ncar to the swamp. (C) South to north
IV. It is on the sea coast. (D) North to south

(A) J,IIandi!Ionly 9. Thewidthoftheconlour interval is

(B) I, II and IV only
(C) II, III and IV ordy (A) 50m
(D) 1, ll, Ill and IV (B) lOOm
(C) between 50 and 150m
(D) between 50 and 190 m
7. A prospective buyer of a house is BEST
advised to search in area
10. Where would the land value be HIGHEST on
p the sketch map?
(A)
(B) Q (A) p
(C) R
(B) Q
(D) s (C) R
(D) S

11. What time is it likely to be at Town X (!5° E)

when it is I 0 a.m. at Greenwich (0°)?

(A) 9.00a.m.
(B) 9.30a.m.
(C) 10.30a.m.
(D) ll.OO a.m.

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Items 12-14 are based on the bur graph below which shows employment figures for several business
sectors in a Caribbean territory.

ISO
No. of Personsts
(Thousands)
im

14 0 *

120 V~
L
a
’S
m , V
V- ■ a -
V *53 rthl
£
m 5 a
- 4» - oc
'3 , £ 13
e# *C
m 5fj
1v £
a
40 X
5
24)

12. What is the TOTAL number of persons em- 13- According to the information from the bar
ployed in the manufacturing and furniture graphabovewhichofthefollowingisNOT
sectors? IT U C ?

(A) 90 000 (A) The manufac turing sector employs

(B) 100000 the least numbcrofpcople.
(C) 120000 (B More than one-halfofthe entire busi­
(D) 130000 ness secto r is em ployed in
commerce.
(C) The retail and wholesale sector
employs less than hal fo f the number
ofpeople employed Lnfurniture.
(D) The two sectors, furniture and retail
and wholesale, employ more people
than commerce.

14. What is the TOTAL number of persons

employed in the four sectors shown in the
bar graph above?

(A) 310000
(R) 320000
(C) 330000
(D) 350000

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Item s I S - I f t rcfer to the follow ing map:

ISf* p° IB * iO » » “ « r" 50"

so* 30*

20“ 20“

10°. 10“

-0*

to*- -lO*

nr •M*

yes' - 30*

10* 0° ?o« 3UO W W 1

15. The M O ST accurate location For the city o f 16- W hich o fth e foil owing cities lie South o f 0°
Durban is latitude?

(A) latinide 30°S,!ongitude31°E I. Oran

<B) latitude 3 1°S , lo n g itu d c2 9 sE n. Accra
(C) latitude 29® N ,longitude29°W in . Durban
(D) latitude 29°N .longitude 3 1°W IV. johajinesbtug

(A) I and III only

(B) HI and IV only
(C) II, III and IV only
(D) 1 ,11, III and IV

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Item s 17 -19 refer to the rainfall and 2 0. Isobars arc 1ines drawn on a map which j oin
temperature graph below . places experiencing the same
Rain T h is p.
fC l (A ) annual
annual rainfall
rainfall
(mm)
(B) relative humidity
200 20 (C ) atmospheric
aim ospheric pressure
pressure
(D ) m ean oannual
n n u ahtem
em pperature
eratu re
150 IS

21 T he form ation o f young fold m ountains is

100 to
N O T explained by

50 s (A) upw elting o f m agna to form new

plates
o (B) deposition o f sediments in a shallow
Jf F M A M J J A S O M 0
basin
MONTHS (Q c o m p re ss io n o f se d im e n ts by
collidingplates
(D) e l e v a t io n o f s e d im e n ts in to
17- The TWO wettest monthsofthcyearindicated
anticlines and synclines
in the graph showti above.are

(A) May and June

22. W hich o f the statem ents below describes
(D) July and August
b asic lava?
(C) January and February
(D) N ovem berand Dcccmbcr
1. Flows easily
n. Erupts explosively
HI. Form s a shield volcano
18. T h e an n u al ra n g e o f te m p e ra tu re is
IV. 11as high percentage o f iron
APPROXIM ATELY
(A) I, II and III
(A) 3CC
(B) I, III and IV
(B) 5CC
(C) II, III and IV
(C) 12°C (D) A ll o f th e above
(D) 19°C

23, Sea floor spreading occurs at the

19. W hich o fth efo llo w in g statem entsistrue?
(A) mid-Atlantic
mid-Atlanticridgeridge
(A) The hottest m onths o f the year are (B) WWindward
indwardPassage
Passage
also the wettest. (C) tlo o roofth
tloor e Puerto
f the PuertoRico
Ricotrench
trench
(B) The hottest m onths o f the year are (D) j unction ocif
junction the Caribbean
f the Caribbean and
and Cocos
Cocos
also the driest. plates
(C) There isUttlevarianoriintemperature
throughout the year.
(D) T here is liltle variation in rainfall
tliroughoul the year.

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24. Which o f the following relief fea tures is a Items 27- 28 refer to the photograph below.
result ofplate tectonic activity in the Carib-
bean?

(A) Aripo Plains in Tri.Judad

(B) Pali~adoes SpitinJamaica
(C) Rupununi Savannas in Guyana
(D) Soufrierein St. Vincent

Items 25 -26 refer to the diag ram below.

27. '1hevalley labelled A in thcphotograph above

is MOST likely formed as a result of

(A) folding
(B) faulting
(C) running water
25. The CORRECT order of the features (D) mass movement
identified by I, II, Ill, IV, on the diagram
above i~
28. Which of the following BEST describes the
(A) cave, arch, c liff, stack pattern formed b y the sides ofthe valley in the
(B) arch, cave, stack, cliff photograph above?
(C) stack, cliff, arch, cave
(0) c lifl,cave,stack, arch (A) Meanders
(B) Termces
(C) Knick-points
26. Which of the following processes is NOT (0) Imcrlockingspurs
likely to bean important agent in the formation
of the labelled features, I, IJ, Jll, LV, on the
diagram above? 29. WhichofthefollowinggroupscontainsONLY
processes ofwind erosion?
(A) Abrasion
(B) Corrosion (A) Abra~ion,detlation, attritio n
(C) Deposition (B) Corrosion, attrition, plucking
(D) Hydmulicaction (C) Plucking, corrosion, deflation
(D) De flation, abrasion, hydraulic action

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30. Whichofthefollowingcooditionsmayrcsult 34. The MOST important factor ex.plaining the
from man ' sutilizationofthe natural environ- difference between weather and climate is
mem?
(A) location
I. Soil erosion (B) rainfall
II. Pollution (C) temperature
HI. Depletion of natural resources (D) time

(A) land II only

35.
(B)
Tropical or easterly waves in the Caribbean
1 andU!only
are MOST common during the months
(C) II and III on!y
(D) I, II and III
(A) June to July
(B) May to October
(C) December to March
31. Which of the following stat~:mcnts is NOT
(D) November to December
true about waves'!

(A) They arc caused by wind blowing 36. Four climatic features are lis ted below.
over the surface of the water.
(B) On nearing the beach, the speed of I. I,ow pressure a 11 the year around
waves s lackens and the tops are n. High annual rainfall, mostlyconvec-
thrown forward . tiona!
(C) On approaching the coast, the body Ill. Small annual range of temperature
of water forming the waves rv. High average daily temperature
increases rapidly.
(D) The stronger the wind and the greater Whichofthe following climatic types is char-
the fetch, the more powerful the acterised by ALL of the features described
waves arc. above?

(A) Equatorial
32. It is most likely that recent hunicanes in the (B) Tropical Marine
Caribbeanhavecaused few er deaths because (C) Tropical Continental
(D) Cool Temperature Interior
(A) families no longer live in unsafe areas
(B) many hurricanes have occurred 37. The concentration of minerals in the lower
during the day l ayers of a soil profile is the result of.
(C) thcmajorityofthepopulationgoes to
stonn shelters (A) erosion
(D) there have lx..ocn improved forecasts (H) leaching
ofhunicane tracks (C) capillarity
(D) illuviation

33 . The proct:ssinwhichwatervapourcoolsand 38 . Whichoftht: following is NOT likely to result

forms water droplets is tenned from s lash and bum agriculture on steep
slope-~?
(A) t:vaporation
(B) condensation (A) Erosion ofslopes
(C) convection (B) Flooding on lowlands
(D) precipitation (C) Deeper soil on slopes
(D) Rapiddownhillmovementofwatcr

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items 39 - 41) refer to the diagram below which shows the three layers in an
equatorial forest.
45 m

- U pper layer

IS m
M iddle Layer
9 m
I
r L ow er layer

39. Plants which grow in the lower layer are 40 The trees which grow in the upper layers have
adapted to growing in buttress roots MAINLY becausc the

(A) lowhumidity (A) creepersgrow

creepers grow around
aroundthe
thetrees
trees
IB) shaded areas (B) rainfall
rainfallisisheavy
heavy
(C) bright sunlight (C) temperatures
temperaturesare archigh
high
(D) windy conditions (D) treesare
trees aretall
tall

41, Which o f the following arc ways in which 42. IslandB has an areaof20 km2and a population
natural vegetation adapts to climatic condi­ o f l000people. Whatisthepopulationdcnsity
tions? o f Island B?

I. Developmentofwater-storageorgaiis
Devel opment ofwater-storage organs (A) _L per km2
II. Shedding
Sheddingooffleaves
leavesduring
during the
Ihedry
dry 50
season (B) 50 per kra3
III. Developmentof
Development oflong
longroots
roots
IV. Development
Development oof f special
special types
types of
of (C) 500 per km2
leaves
(D) 20000perkm !
(A) IIand
andIIIfonly
only
(B) III
IIIand
andIV IVonly
only
(C) 1,11
1,11and
and111
111only
only
(D) I,I,IT}
IT}III
IIIand
andIVIV

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43. Which ofthe following areas would have its 47 . Which of the following statements is true of
HIGHESTpopulationderu.'ityinthedaytime? subsistence farming?

(A) A mral tishing village (A) Individual fwmsarequitesmall.

(B) A s quatter settlement {13) Yields per farmer are generally high.
(C) An urban comme rcial centre (C) Largerunountsoffertilisers arc used
(D) An urban residential area on the fann.
(D) Crop cultivation is not as important as
animal rearing.
44. The table below shows birth and death rates
for Country A in 2000.
48. Commercial pastoral ta nning in Caribbean
temtoriesisLEAST iikeJytotakeplacenear
BirthRate Death Rate
urban settlements because
per 1000 per 1000
(A) the size of population is too small to
20 15 support this activity
(B) the soil in these locations is infertile
For2000, the natural increase in Country A is (C) there is easy transmission ofanimal
diseases to humans
(A) 0.005% (D) there are no large areas ofland for
(B) 0.5% grazing
(C) 3.5%
(D) 5.0% 49 . Which of the following factors has NOT
contributed to the development of the gar-
ment industry in the Caribbean?
45. Which ofthe following temtsBESTexplains
the rapid growth in s ize of MOST urban (A) AvailabiJityoflocal raw materials
co:ntr~s in the Caribbean? (B) In centives by local govemments
(C) 'Jbe ne.:d for morejob opportunities
(A) Anageingpopulation (D) The presence of local and regional
(B) A n increase in the number of markets
inunigrams
(C) High birth rates and low infant 50. Which of the following considerations is
mortality
LEAST important in choosing a location tor a
(D) The migration ofpersons from rural
fishing industry?
areas
(A) A large labour force
46. Which of the follow ing features are (B) Neamess to the sea
characteristic of peasant fanns in the (C) Adequate marketing facilities
Caribbean? (D) Adcquatcstoragefacilities

I. Small holdings 51. Which oflhe following is the MAIN reason

II. Large holdings why flour mills in the Caribbean are situated
Ill. Family labour on coastal locations?
IV. Local market
(A) Availability ofcheap labour
(A) I and III only (B) Availabilityofcheappowcrsupply
(B) l and 1Yonly (C) Nearness to the waste disposal facili-
(C) I , Ill and IV only ti<.'S
(D) II, 111 and IV only (D) Nearness to f'aci l ities for unloading
raw materials

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Items 52- 53 are based on the following sketch map.

BlUERJDm:
+ +

!Til MOU!o"rAIN
SEA
~ URBAS CEllo'TRf:
10 mls.
I - MAINIWAD
C-=:1 SECOSDARY "ROAD

52. WhichofthefollowingfeaturesBESTcxplain
whylheUJbanccntrcinthesketchmapabove
is located at Y?

I. The presence of flat land

JI. The nearness to the mountains
lll. The presence of a natUial h arbour

(A) 1and II only

(B) land III only
(C) II and III only
(D) I. II and 111

53. Jn which direction is the urban centre MOST

likely to expand?

(A) East
(B) West
(C) North
(D) South

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Items 5 j - SS are based on the follow ing sketch map.

, Wind d im iio n

J a c k M o u n tain

Bacc Town G ently ttoHfng

V . N land

KEY

Fort Albert Settlement

s E A
. River

Woodland

54. W hich o f the areas, labelled (I), (II), (IV) and (V),
is M O ST LIKELY to be developed as a tourist
resort?

(A) I
(B) II
(C) IV
(D) V

55. Which o f the areas, labelled (!), (II), (!!!) and (IV),
would be the BEST area for locating a new factory
inorder to m inim ize the effects o f airpollution?

(A) I
(B) 11
(C) III
(D) rv

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56. The main reasons for urbanization in the 59. In the long-term, volcanic eruptions can have
Caribbean are beneficial effects to a country by

1. natural increasc ofthe population in 1. relocating people to new areas in the

the cities coun1ry
II. expectation ofmorejobs in the cities II. producing deposits of gold, copper
Ill. migration !rom rural areas to urban and other minerals
areas rn. providing sources of energy to be
IV. migration from urban areas to rural used for electricity needs
areas IV. bringing new materials to the earth's
surface which produce rich soils
(A) I and Ill only
(B) J and IV only (A) ! only
(C) I, II and HI only (B) r, II and IV only
(D) I, III and IV only (C) I, Ill and IV only
(D) II, Ill and IV only

57. AgricuJture is an important economic activity

in the Caribbean because 60. In advance of the approach. of a hurricane,
risk to lives can be reduced by
(A) it is hcavilymechanized
(B) it employs a significant percentage I. relocating people to s hdtc:rs
ofpeople II. evacuatingpeoplelivinginlow-lying
(C) government allocates a significant areas
portion of its budget to the sector III. encouraging people to stock up on
(D) it accounts for a significant portion of fresh supply
the foreign exchange earnings in IV. encouraging p eople to acquire
manycoWllrics generators for their energy needs

{A) I and 11 only

58. Many garment industries in the Caribbean are (B) III and IV on.ly
closing business MAINLY because (C) I, II and III only
(D) All ofthe above
(A) the demand for clothes is falling
(B) cheaper imports are entering the
region
(C) the rates for wages arc lower in
South-East Asia and Mexico
(D) many women refuse to work in the
factories

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