2015 N level paper

SECTION A

Answer either Question 1 or Question 2 from this section.

1	A group of students visited a national park in a tropical area to investigate the guiding question ‘Has the opening of the national park had a negative impact on the natural environment?’
	Fig. 1(Insert) is a map of the national park.
(a)	The student devised a questionnaire and asked 100 visitors to complete it.
	Using Fig. 1, suggest a possible site in the national park where the students could conduct the questionnaire.
	·       Village with accommodation			[1]
(b)	Study Fig. 2 (Insert), which shows the results of the questionnaire.
	(i)	Draw a bar graph below to show the results of question 2 on travel.
	·       X axis to label as impact ·       Y axis as number of visitors ·       Each correctly drawn and labelled graph is 1/2mark			[3]
	(ii)	How useful is such travel information to the guiding question, ‘Has the opening of national park had a negative impact on the natural environment?’?
		·       It shows the number of visitors taking private transport such as car and taxi and public transport like bus/coach, train and boat. ·       More private transport will result in more air pollution and disturbance to the animals.		[2]
(c)	The answers to questions 5 and 6 of the questionnaire are shown in Tables 1 and 2 (Insert). Use the results in Tables 1 and 2 to write a short report to answer the guiding question, ‘Has the opening of the national park had a negative impact on the natural environment?’.
	·       Yes. With the opening of the national park, there are more people taking part in events such as jungle trekking/walking, mountain climbing, cave exploration and fishing. ·       These activities have caused many negative impact with highest number of 64 citing noise from visitors and 45 mentioned erosion of footpath. ·       There is also land and water pollution from broken bottles and cans in forests left behind by visitors and litter in the rivers from fishermen and water sport. ·       Trampling by visitors doing hiking has caused damage to vegetation near paths.			[3]
(d)	(i)		Study Fig. 2. Suggest reasons for the design of this questionnaire.	[2]
	·       Questionnaire is kept short and simple so that interviewee will find it easy to complete and will be more willing to do the questionnaire. ·       Options are given for Question 1 to 4 so that collation will be easier and graphs for comparison can be computed. ·       Question 5 and 6 are open-ended to allow visitors to write their own comments.
	(ii)		Suggest a sampling technique for the questionnaire in Fig. 2 and explain how this is administered.
			·       Systematic sampling method. ·       Interviewee is selected at regular interval to complete the questionnaire.	[2]

Question 2

(2)	Students in Melbourne, Australia carried out a weather survey over two weeks in August. The results are shown in Fig. 3 (Insert).
(a)	What equipment would the students need to collect and record the data shown in Fig. 3?
	Thermometer, rain gauge and sling psychrometer.	[3]
(b)	Using the data collected in Fig. 3, complete the graph fore relative humidity and rainfall in Fig.4 for the 20th and 21st August.
	Weather data collected for 2 weeks in August
(c)	Suggest a guiding question that could link rainfall and relative humidity.
	·       The higher the rainfall, the higher the relative humidity	[1]
(d)	The students were investigating the hypothesis ‘as temperature increases relative humidity decreases’. Using the data collected in Fig. 3 and recorded on Fig. 4, state if the evidence supports or rejects the hypothesis. Give reasons for your answer and state if there are any anomalies.
	·       The hypothesis was supported to a large extent. ·       On the 12th and 21st August, the temperature was at its highest of 16°C and the relative humidity was lowest at 45%. ·       On the 14th August, the temperature was at its lowest of 11°C and the relative humidity was at its highest of 95%. ·       There are anomalies at Day 17th where the relative humidity was high at 80% but the temperature was at 13°C and on Day 22nd where the relative humidity was at 70% but the temperature was at 11°C.	[4]
(e)	Suggest what considerations the students should take into account in order to collect accurate data for Fig. 3.
	·       Student should read at the temperature and rainfall on the thermometer and measuring cylinder at eye level to reduce parallax error. ·       Rain gauge should be placed in an open field away from obstruction to collect rainfall. ·       Sling psychrometer should be held away from one’s body above the head to prevent a person’s body heat from affecting the result.	[3]

Section B

Answer one question from this section.

3(a)	Study the 1:25 000 map extract of Basseterre, St Kitts, in the Caribbean.
	(i)	Describe the relief of the area and explain how the relief has affected the location of the airport.
	·       The western side has gentle gradient and it is suitable for planting of plantation. It has a Monkey Hill of 1159m. ·       The eastern side is steeper with the highest point as 566m. ·       As airport needs to be more centralised and it needs flat runaway so it is located in the centre with gentle relief and away from the sea to prevent likelihood of floods.		[3]
	(ii)	Using the 1:25 000 map extract only, describe what might attract tourists to the area.
	·       Nice beautiful beaches for water sports and relaxing. ·       Mountain for hiking. ·       Recreational activities such as golf courses. ·       Beautiful scenery such as bays and ponds.		[3]
(b)	‘Government organisations have a more important role in conserving fragile environments than tourists.’ How far you agree with this statement? Give examples to support your answer.
	Agree Government can draft laws and policies Limit number of visitors to a site Regulate the type of commercial activity in an area Impose entrance fees to a tourist site Eg: Bhutan Work with other government agencies Cooperate more easily with other government agencies to manage the impact of tourism Advantage of being able to utilise a range of government resources However, even the most well-planned and well-funded programme can sometimes fail due to unforeseen factors. Disagree Tourists pay entrance fees as conservation and preservation Provide income opportunities for locals to work in tourism industries such as hotel workers, hotel staff and tour guides. May raise awareness about the destination at home by sharing their experience via word-of-mouth. However, tourists may damage tourist attractions by vandalism and littering or diluting the culture.		[6]

SECTION C

Answer either Question 4 or Question 5 from this section.

4(a)	Explain the term natural hazard and describe the differences between tectonic and climate-related natural hazards.
	·       A natural hazard is a naturally occurring event that threatens human lives and causes damage to property ·       Tectonic natural hazards are caused by plate movements when continental crusts and ocean floor move. ·       Climate-related natural hazards are caused by severe and extreme weather and climate conditions.	[3]
(b)	Study Fig. 5, which shows plate boundaries and the locations of some earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that occurred in 2013.
	Plate boundaries with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in 2013
	Fig. 5
	Describe the distribution of the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in 2013.
	·       Earthquakes and volcanic eruption are concentrated around the Pacific Ring of Fire. ·       Earthquakes and volcanic eruption are found at plate boundaries. ·       However, volcanic eruption are also found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Antarctic Plate and African Plate, Mexico and western side of South America. ·       Earthquakes are located at southern part of Eurasian plate and southern part of Pacific Plate.	[4]
(c)	Study Fig. 6 which shows a convergent plate boundary. Locate any three features from the list below (using letters B to E) on Fig. 6 and then add arrows to show the direction of movement of each plate. An example of a located feature (A) has been completed for you. ·       Oceanic crust           A ·       Continental crust      B ·       Subduction zone      C ·       Mantle                      D ·       Rising magma          E
	A convergent plate boundary
		[4]
(d)	Draw an annotated diagram to explain the formation and features of fold mountains.
	Strong compressional force	[4]
(e)	Study Photograph A (Insert) showing the eruption of Paluweh volcano, Indonesia. Describe the features of this volcano and its eruption.
	·       Active volcano ·       Shield volcano which is not very tall and gentle-sloping. ·       Low silica lava which is fluid and flows over a long distance. ·       Erupts gently as gases are readily released.	[4]
(f)	‘There are more benefits than risks of living in volcanic areas.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answers.
	Disagree ·       Brings about destruction by volcanic materials. ·       The hot lava and rock fragments from volcanoes can lead to widespread damage of property and loss of lives. ·       Inhaling hot ash and gases can cause serious injuries and death. ·       Kilauea in Hawaii since 1983 has destroyed many homes and highways. ·       Pollution ·       Thick clouds of ashes can settle on the ground and block sunlight, suffocate crops and cause severe respiratory problems for people and animals. Fine ash particles cause a serious danger to aircraft engines and structures. Agree ·       Fertile volcanic soil which is very favourable for farming. ·       Java and Bali of Indonesia can support the cultivation of tea, coffee and rice. Beautiful scenery and available activities such as hiking and nice resorts offering spas and hot spring attract a lot of tourists and bring in a lot of revenues. ·       Mount Fuji in Japan which is greatly visited by tourists. ·       Rich in precious stones and minerals which can be extracted after millions of year when the upper layers of volcanic rocks are eroded. ·       An example is diamond which can be used as industrial tools, scientific research and to make jewellery after being refined. ·       Kimberley in South Africa are one of the world’s richest sources of diamond.	[6]
5(a)	Study the 1:25 000 map extract of Basseterre, St Kitts, in the Caribbean. Locate the trigonometrical station on Monkey Hill at 219143 and Kittitian Village at 270115.
	·       Measure the straight line distance between the two points in kilometres.
	·       ANS
	·       Give the compass direction of Kittitian Village from Monkey Hill.
	·       ANS
	·       What is the main land use of the area between Monkey Hill and Kittitian Village?
	·       Sugar cane and coconut	[3]
(b)	What is the difference between climate and weather?
	·       Climate is the average condition of the atmosphere of a specific place over a long period of time, usually over 30 years. ·       Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time.	[2]
(c)	Study Fig. 7, a climate graph for Iquitos, Peru.
	A climate graph for Iquitos, Peru
	Fig. 7
	Describe fully the climate of Iquitos and state which climatic type it is.
	·       Equatorial climate ·       Rainfall is evenly distributed with a high total rainfall of 2875mm. ·       Temperature is high and constant with at least 26°C. ·       There is a small annual temperature range of 1.5°C. ·       It has a high humidity of at least 80%.	[5]
(d)	Explain what an earthquake is and how it is caused. You may use an annotated diagram to help explain the causes.
	·       An earthquake is a vibration in the earth’s crust caused by the sudden release of stored energy in the rocks found along fault lines. ·       Earthquakes occur when there is plate movement along plate boundaries. ·       The plate movements cause the slow build-up of stress on the rocks found on either side of the fault. ·       When the rocks can no longer withstand the increasing stress, they can slip many metres suddenly. ·       Energy is released in the form of seismic waves that caused an earthquake.	[5]
(e)	Study Photograph B (Insert), which shows an area in Christchurch, New Zealand after an earthquake. Using Photograph B, describe the impact of the earthquake.
	·       Earthquake has caused massive destruction of properties such as houses and result in homelessness. ·       It caused destruction of infrastructure such as road and bridges to be unpassable and businesses to be disrupted and tourism to decline. ·       The government needs to incur large economic cost from repairing and rebuilding of the infrastructure and buildings. ·       It can also cause disruption of services such as electricity, water and communication. ·       Earthquakes can also cause loss of lives from associated hazards.	[4]
(f)	‘Rising sea levels caused by climate change will have more impact on the world than changing weather patterns, such as increased temperatures and tropical cyclones.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer.
	Agree Results in more flood Food Crop gets submerged decomposes and dies Destroyed properties, infrastructures and cause more death Low-lying land gets submerged underwater. Singapore, Hong Kong and Venice Disagree Increased in temperature will cause global warming Drought Crops withered and died Tropical cyclones will cause massive death and large destruction to properties, infrastructure and death	[6]