Structured questions

Sample answer 1:

(a) Two reasons for intergenerational conflict in the family might be firstly the failure of parents and
children to communicate with each other, and secondly children not helping in the home when they are
asked to. Or children choosing fun activity or play when they have not completed their homework.

(b) One reason for sibling rivalry might be jealousy between siblings, another reason might be parents being
unfair, treating one child better than another.

(c) One reason for conflict between adult partners might be different expectations of their roles, for
example the woman might expect the man to help in the home. Another reason might be infidelity,
when one partner is unfaithful to the other.

(d) (i) Families could communicate more effectively by family members listening carefully and respectfully
to each other, speaking clearly to each other and sharing ideas and feelings without blaming each other.

Justification
Listening carefully will work because when people listen they understand the other person’s point of
view.

Speaking clearly will work because it helps to get the message across and aid understanding. Being
respectful reduces anxiety and anger in communication.

Sharing ideas and feelings will work because it helps to break down barriers between people, whereas if
someone feels blamed then they are unlikely to listen properly or sympathetically.

Sample answer 2:

(a) (i) Sonia’s family will be a single-parent family.

(ii) Sonia’s family will be an extended family of three generations.

(b) Sonia could have abstained from sexual intercourse or she could have used effective contraception.

(c) Schools prepare students for parenthood by teaching them skills such as literacy and numeracy so they
can get a job and support a family. Schools also help students to prepare for parenthood through Health
and Family Life Education.

(d) (i) Schools could let students practise looking after babies and small children. They could also teach
courses in child development.

JUSTIFICATION
Practice in looking after babies and small children would help students to understand the responsibility
involved in looking after children.

It would help them understand what it feels like and how much hard work and patience are involved, so
students would not then want early pregnancies.
 Courses in child development would help students later to understand what to expect from their
children and how to help them develop.

Sample answer 3:

(a) (i) A temple meets society’s religious needs.

(ii) A national stadium meets society’s recreational needs.

(b) Recreational institutions meet people’s emotional and mental health needs, by enabling them to socialise
and take part in cultural activities. Sports facilities help people to exercise and keep physically fit.

(c) Spending money on promoting healthy lifestyles saves money on health care as people are less likely to get
lifestyle diseases if they keep fit and have a healthy diet.
Or: Spending money on promoting healthy lifestyles promotes a healthy and productive labour force.

d) (i) SUGGESTIONS
A religious institution could set up a healthy living youth club, with fitness and cooking activities.

Religious institutions can teach about healthy lifestyles, and find ways to relate healthy living to the values and
beliefs they are teaching.

Religious institutions can make sure that all their activities are healthy, for example by making sure any
communal meals or meals provided for the elderly are healthy. This concern for health will set a good example
for young people.

(ii) JUSTIFICATION
Setting up a healthy living club will help young people socialise together and share values, activities and
knowledge about healthy living. They will get practice in healthy cooking and can exercise together, forming
good habits for life.

Teaching about healthy lifestyles will provide young people with knowledge that they can then use to change
their behaviour. By relating this to religious beliefs and values they will motivate young people.

By modelling healthy living in all their activities religious institutions will show that healthy living is not just for
young people but for everyone, and for life. This will set an example which young people can follow and enable
young people to take part along with others.

Sample answer 4:

a) (i) The type of electoral system used in Dreamland is first-past-the-post.

(ii) The person who will form the government and choose the Cabinet is the Prime Minister, who is
usually the leader of the winning political party.

b) It is important for democratic countries to have a secret ballot to prevent people being intimidated or
being paid to vote a certain way.
c) People may try to vote twice by voting once as themselves and again pretending to be someone else.
D. (i) SUGGESTIONS
The electoral commission supervise and monitor the campaigns by political parties to make sure they follow the
rules and are not corrupt or violent.

They try to prevent corruption or intimidation of voters by having officers in attendance at the polling stations
and ensuring that all the regulations about the voting process are followed.

Their officers carefully supervise the counting of votes and declaration of winners to make sure that all votes are
counted once, and not counted twice or not at all, and the correct winner is announced.

(ii) JUSTIFICATION
By supervising the campaigns of political parties, the commission can ensure that none of the parties cheats by
inaccurate claims, by paying for additional advertising time, or using any other corrupt or unfair practices. If the
commission discovers something wrong they can publicise this, speak to the party concerned, apply sanctions
such as fines, or declare the election unreliable.

By being present at the polling station commission officers can check that election regulations are being
followed. If the rules are ignored, they can take action to put things right, such as asking the police to attend,
moving people away from the station itself, or applying sanctions.

By being present at the vote counting electoral commission officers can check that procedures for gathering and
counting votes are correctly followed and that all the parties are happy that the election is free and fair. If there
is a problem they can act to put it right or declare the vote unreliable.

Sample answer 5:

a) (i) The country with the highest voter turnout is country X.

(ii) The country with the lowest voter turnout is country Y.

b) (i) ‘Voter participation’ means the number or percentage of eligible voters who actually vote.

(ii) ‘Eligible voters’ are those adults aged 18 and over who have registered to vote. Groups such as
people under 18 years old, those in prison or locked away in mental health institutions are not eligible to
vote.

c) The low turnout in country Y could be because of voter apathy, thinking that all the parties are the
same, or disillusion with politics. Another reason could be that voters were happy with the performance
of the existing Government.

d) (i) STRATEGIES
One strategy to increase voter turnout is to listen to the public’s concerns and frame policies which address
these.

Another strategy is to help voters to vote by providing transport to and from the polling station, especially for
the elderly, disabled or persons from remote areas.

(ii) JUSTIFICATION/EXPLANATION

By selecting policies which are of great concern to people a party can engage people’s interest and convince
them that voting will benefit them personally.

By arranging for transport to the polling station for people who say they would like to vote for a party, the party
can ensure that people don’t stay at home. They may also feel helped by the party and under an obligation to
vote for them.
Sample answer 6:

a) (i) Age and gender.

(ii) Guyana
(iii) Trinidad and Tobago

b) Knowing the number of pre-school children helps to plan for the number of school places and for the
provision of health care services.

Knowing the number of elderly people helps to plan for the appropriate health care services, day care centres
and old people’s homes.

The numbers of children and older people not working are dependent on the working population so government
can plan education and welfare programmes.

c) The Guyanese pyramid is wider at the bottom and gets thinner as you go up, showing that it has a
predominantly young population, whereas in Trinidad and Tobago the pyramid is wider in the middle, showing
that it has more people of working age.

d) (i) SUGGESTIONS
A government may need to provide additional health care, such as nursing care and care for those with chronic
conditions such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

A government may need to provide pensions or welfare benefits for poor older people.

(ii) JUSTIFICATION/EXPLANTION
Additional health care improves longevity and quality of life, enabling older people to contribute to their families
and communities for longer.

Pensions and welfare benefits reduce poverty in old age and enable older people to live better quality, healthier
lives and contribute to their communities.

Sample answer 7:

a) (i) Net migration is the difference between immigration and emigration. If emigration is higher then net
migration is negative.

(ii) Brain drain is when a large number of highly educated, qualified and skilled people leave a country to
go elsewhere to work.

b) (i) Country A = –20.5. Country B = –0.4.

(ii) One factor which may cause the apparent high levels of emigration for country A may be the lack of
employment opportunities in country A.

A second factor may be that country A has a very small population in the first place so the proportion of
people leaving is very high.

c) One reason might be that a small nation does not want to spend lots of money and resources educating
young people for them to take their skills elsewhere. This may lead to low skill levels and slow economic
development in the country.

A second reason might be that it would like to retain its citizens and own unique culture, especially while
they are of child-bearing age, in order to increase the indigenous population.
d) (i) SUGGESTION
Country A could encourage immigrants by providing grants to help them settle.

Country A could encourage immigrants by providing free healthcare and education for them.

Country A could encourage immigrants by providing employment opportunities and training.

(ii) JUSTIFICATION/EXPLANATION
Providing grants to help immigrants settle would be an incentive to come to country A rather than go elsewhere.
It would reduce the expense of moving house and country.

Providing free healthcare and education would encourage immigrants to come and to stay, and make them feel
welcome.

Providing employment opportunities and training would encourage immigrants to come and to stay and enable
them to send money home to dependents.

Sample answer 8:

a) (i) The literacy rate is the percentage of the adult population who can read and write.

(ii) People cannot function well at work or contribute to a modern economy or to their communities unless they
can read and write. They cannot access the information they need to be good citizens or good parents.

b) (i) Barbados and St Kitts and Nevis have the longest periods of compulsory education.

(ii) It matters less the number of years a child spends in education, what is important is the quality of the
education received and the knowledge and skills gained.

c) One reason children drop out of school early is because their families are poor and they are needed to work
and bring in an income. Another reason is that some children become disenchanted with school and truant or
leave because they do not have the proper parental guidance.

d) (i) STRATEGIES
One strategy might be improving the quality of teaching and learning opportunities by providing teachers with
additional training to keep students interested and engaged.

A second strategy might be to provide school truancy (absence) officers to follow up on children who have a
tendency to drop out.

A third strategy might be to ensure that all children learn to read and write by putting remedial services in place
early.

Provision of welfare services for poor families and support forums for parents.

(ii) JUSTIFICATION/EXPLANATION
Improving the quality of teaching and teachers by additional training will encourage children to enjoy school and
motivate them to stay.

School truancy officers can follow up on children who are absent or appear to be starting to drop out, help those
children to come back to school, help them with any problems they have and encourage parents to ensure their
children come to school.

Putting remedial services in place early to ensure that all children learn to read and write will enable all children
to succeed at school and therefore be able to access the curriculum and feel motivated to continue in school.
Sample answer 9:

a) Global warming is the way the temperature of the atmosphere and seas of planet Earth is gradually
rising.

b) (i) One effect of global warming is changes in climate patterns with more severe and extreme weather
events such as storms and droughts.

Another effect is melting of the polar ice-caps, causing rising levels of sea water that may affect fishing,
tourism and agriculture. Rising waters may cause coastal flooding and destroy settlements.

(ii) I think increasingly severe hurricanes is a more serious effect for my country because it already
experiences severe hurricanes in many years and lies directly in the path of many major storms.
Hurricanes destroy houses, and other buildings and infrastructure, and are often accompanied by
flooding too.

Or:
I think rising sea levels are more serious for my country because most people live in low-lying coastal
regions. Rising sea levels will destroy some coastal settlements permanently, along with the destruction
of coral reefs and mangroves, which will expose the coasts to storms. Low-lying river valleys will also be
affected and farm land will be lost.

Both hazards can interrupt production leading to a decline in economic output through lower earnings to
business and income to people. There are also added costs of replacing equipment, buildings and infrastructure.
In addition natural hazards can discourage tourists and foreign investors from coming to the Caribbean.

c) One factor is carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere from vehicles and factories caused by
burning fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in
the atmosphere and cause higher temperatures.

Another factor is deforestation, as burning forests release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and loss
of forests means that less carbon is stored by trees.

d) (i) SUGGESTIONS
Families could walk or cycle instead of using cars.

They could eat less meat.

They could install solar panels to heat water and for electricity use at home.

(ii) EXPLANATION
By walking or cycling instead of using cars, families can use less fossil fuels and reduce their carbon dioxide
emissions.

By eating less meat they would reduce the number of livestock which are kept by farmers. Livestock farming
causes methane emissions and methane is another greenhouse gas which causes global warming.

By installing solar panels to heat water and generate electricity for use at home families could reduce the
amount of electricity they take from the national grid, most of which is made by burning fossil fuels such as coal,
petroleum and natural gas.
CARICOM: NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Sample answer:
A natural hazard is a climatic or geomorphic event such as a hurricane, flood, drought, earthquake or
volcanic eruption. A natural hazard becomes a natural disaster when it causes considerable damage to
people’s lives and property.
Two types of natural hazard which affect the Caribbean are hurricanes and earthquakes. A hurricane
can affect a Caribbean economy by destroying crops, factories and other buildings of economic
importance, as well as damaging houses and infrastructure. Tree crops such as bananas and cocoa take
a long time to be replaced. An earthquake can destroy or damage settlements and prevent people from
earning a living, as well as destroying infrastructure and buildings.
Both hazards can interrupt production leading to a decline in economic output through lower earnings
to business and income to people. There are also added costs of replacing equipment, buildings and
infrastructure. In addition natural hazards can discourage tourists from coming to the Caribbean.
The regional organisation which manages disasters in the Caribbean is the Caribbean Disaster
Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Caribbean countries need to work together to manage
disasters so that they can pool their expertise for rehabilitation and health etc, and so that they can
share the burdens of the costs involved.
Community organisations can assist in the event of a natural disaster in a neighbouring country by
sending trained personnel to help, by collecting and sending food, clothing and other much-needed
supplies, and by contributing to the costs of regeneration. Trained personnel can help by searching for
survivors or preventing diseases from spreading. Sending food, clothing and other much-needed
supplies helps communities and families to survive and also makes them feel cared for by their
Caribbean neighbours. Contributing to the costs of rebuilding helps people to get back to their normal
life more quickly so that they can once again be self-sufficient.

FACTORS THAT HINDER REGIONAL INTEGRATION

Sample answer:
Two geographical factors which hinder integration are firstly, the fact that the Caribbean region consists
mostly of small island states separated by large areas of sea, and secondly, the fact that the larger
mainland countries, Belize and Guyana, lack good infrastructure into their interiors.
Two natural resources which are distributed unequally are petroleum and forests.
Integration is hindered by the industrial problem of low productivity, because of small population and
land size, and limited capital for expansion. Caribbean territories have similar resources and produce
similar goods.
One challenge to the region from outside is the involvement of multi-national companies in the
exploitation of resources such as oil and tourist resources.
CARICOM Heads of Government may be able to persuade people to adopt a common currency. They can
explain the advantages of a common currency, for example, improving ease and efficiency of trade,
reducing the costs of business, especially importing and exporting, and encouraging multicentre tourism.
People may be persuaded by encouraging them to feel an identity with the region rather than their own
nations. This could be done by promoting Caribbean regional sports teams and cultural events. The Heads
of Government could provide incentives for the adoption of a common currency. Examples would be tax
incentives on transfers of funds from one Caribbean country to another, or savings and investment
opportunities for ordinary people.
By understanding the advantages of a common currency, and the fact that it is likely to improve standards
of living, people are more likely to view it favourably. If people feel an identity with the region rather than
their own nations, they will feel less concerned about losing their national currencies. If people receive
monetary incentives for the adoption of such a currency they are more likely to see the benefits.

WORKING TOWARDS INTEGRATION

Sample answer:

Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, my speech is entitled working towards integration of the Caribbean
region. I would like to begin by identifying two ways in which individual school students can contribute
to integration.
Firstly we can contribute by understanding the benefits of integration, the issues involved and in
communicating what we know to our families and communities. Secondly we can contribute by the way
we spend our money. If we purchase goods and services from the Caribbean region as a whole, rather
than from other countries such as the USA, this will help in the integration process. It will increase intra-
regional trade and enable regional businesses to succeed, as well as reducing imports from outside the
region, so saving on foreign exchange in Caribbean countries.
There are many regional agencies which can affect us as individuals in a positive way, such as the
University of the West Indies, which provides university level courses in person and by distance learning
to people all over the region, and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) which helps to improve
health and reduce the spread of disease in our region. Businesses can also contribute to integration by
improving their competitiveness and increasing the range and quality of the goods they produce.
Lastly I would like to suggest three strategies which local business leaders could adopt to increase their
exports to the Caribbean region. Firstly they could improve their market research in other countries within
the region. Secondly they could improve their marketing to these countries by using the internet, social
media sites and other means. Thirdly they could increase the quality of their goods and services.
Improving their market research in other countries within the region would make them aware of the
products already available and the needs and preferences of consumers. Improving their marketing to
these countries by using the internet, social media sites and other means would make consumers more
aware of their products. Increasing the quality of their goods and services would mean that their products
were always reliable, could compete well with imported goods from overseas and stand out as the best.
CARIBBEAN BUSINESSES COMPLAIN:
Electricity Outages And Lack Of High Speed Broadband Is Affecting Our Profits
Sample answer:
Caribbean businesses are suffering from electricity outages and lack of high speed broadband. Electricity
outages occur when electricity supplies stop or are switched off for short or long periods. High speed
broadband is a fast connection to the internet which allows the effective and speedy uploading and
downloading of large files such as images and video and enables rapid communication over the internet
using video calls.
Another group of people who are adversely affected by lack of high speed broadband are students using
distance or online courses or researching material for essays and projects.
A third group of people affected are people wanting to download films to watch or watch films online.
Governments should ensure that high speed broadband is available everywhere firstly in order to ensure
that businesses have the tools they need to expand and be competitive in the modern world. Secondly
high speed broadband is important for students and others wanting to educate themselves and others.
In order to achieve better broadband services, businesses can lobby their representatives in parliament
to persuade them to put high speed broadband in place. Pressure from Parliament along with
government investment in the infrastructure can help to ensure that communications companies put high
speed broadband in place. Businesses can also work together through their business associations to
persuade the internet companies that this is essential and that if they provide the service then it will be
used and the communications companies will benefit and grow. Lastly, large businesses, including
multinationals operating in the region, can work together with CARICOM, national governments and
communications companies to set up high speed hub areas in major cities and industrial centres, using
the profits from this to roll out high speed broadband to other more rural and remote locations.

PRESSURE GROUP CALLS FOR CENSORSHIP OF VIOLENCE ON TV’

Sample answer:
Censorship is the control of the content of all forms of media. Many people think that violent images and
explicit sexual images should be censored. TV programmes should be censored because firstly children
and young people may be watching, and individuals may get the wrong message. Content or images may
be difficult to understand. Secondly, many adults would be upset, disturbed or offended by some kinds of
images, for example images may be inappropriate or culturally inaccurate.
Programme makers can protect children and young people from the effects of seeing violent images by
taking particular care about programmes before a ’watershed’ time such as 9 pm. They can issue parental
warnings about violent scenes before programmes are shown, even after this time. Thirdly they can make
sure that their programmes do not contain very upsetting violent images at any time.
By taking particular care to censor violence from all programmes before a ’watershed’ time such as 9 pm,
after which most young children should be in bed, they can still show some violent scenes after this time,
while still protecting children. Issuing parental warnings about violent scenes before programmes are
shown, allows parents to decide and protect their own children. However, as children often watch TV on
their own, making sure that programmes, which come into people’s homes, do not contain very upsetting
violent images at any time, will be successful in protecting children.

THE WISE USE OF CREDIT

Sample answer:
Credit is the ability of a consumer to obtain goods or services and pay for them later, based on trust that
payment will be made.
Three different types of credit used for purchasing goods are credit cards, loans and hire purchase. One
type of credit used for purchasing houses is mortgages.

Consumers can use credit wisely by never borrowing more money than they can easily pay back, never
borrowing from ‘loan sharks’ and always paying off credit cards at the end of the month.
These three strategies will each help to keep a consumer out of debt: If someone borrows more money
than they can easily pay back, then they may struggle to meet other demands on their finances too and
may have to forfeit the item they have bought or go bankrupt or even lose their home. Loan sharks charge
very high interest rates and borrowing from them can escalate very quickly, making it difficult to pay
back the loan. Borrowing on a credit card is free until the end of the month. If someone does not repay
the full amount then they will be charged interest and the debt will rise. By paying on time they do not
have to pay interest.

CONSERVING RESOURCES AT HOME

Sample answer:
Conserving resources means looking after natural and manmade items we use on a daily basis without
wasting them. Conservation involves reusing products such as plastic bags, recycling previously used
materials such as glass bottles and aluminium foil, and reducing the amount of new resources we use.
Families can conserve water at home by not leaving the tap running when they clean their teeth, and by
using rainwater to wash cars instead of tap water. Reduce the amount of water used for showering, and
washing the family laundry together instead of doing individual loads.
The country will benefit from citizens saving water as fresh water is a scarce resource, it uses electricity
and other resources to provide clean drinking water to households. More water will be available in
storage for use during dry periods or droughts if citizens practice conservation. There will be reduced
water lock-offs to citizens and fewer cases of waterborne illnesses caused by people using unsanitary
water supplies. The government will save revenue that would have to be spent on finding other sources
of water or storing water.
Families can conserve electricity at home by not using air conditioning in cooler periods, or turning the
air conditioning up by a few degrees. They can reuse plastic bags, pass clothing on to younger members
or other families and mend articles which break, rather than throwing them away and replacing them.
Families can also recycle items such as paper, cardboard, aluminium cans and glass.
By conserving electricity families use less and therefore contribute less carbon dioxide to global warming.
They also leave more scarce resources such as oil, used to make electricity, for future generations. By
reusing items families reduce their use of resources and of electricity used to make new items. They also
save fossil fuels used to transport new items, so conserving resources for future generations. Similarly by
recycling materials, families reduce their carbon emissions and their use of resources. Instead of being
put into landfill these items and materials are used by others.

DEVELOPING TOURISM PRODUCTS

Sample answer:

A tourism product is an event or feature that particularly attracts tourists to a destination or holiday,
such as sandy beaches or a music festival. For health tourism Caribbean countries with hot and mineral
springs can offer hotel spas with therapeutic massages, sauna and other activities such as exercise
classes. Some countries can also offer low-cost plastic surgery and dental care. Sport tourism includes
activities such as scuba diving, sailing and golf.
Nature lovers are attracted to the Caribbean because of the rare animals, birds and plants in different
ecosystems that they can view in a short time relatively close to each other. Nature lovers can enjoy
rivers, waterfalls, caves and beaches that are safe and accessible. Nature lovers are also attracted by the
marine life associated with coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangroves.
The tourist board can increase the variety of tourism products on offer by encouraging hotels to specialise
in different types of tourism products and expand the activities they offer. Local colleges can provide
training in areas such as spa treatments, health and beauty, sports and fitness, and guided wildlife walks.
Communities can be encouraged to set up small-scale enterprises such as eco-lodges or small music,
cooking and crafts centres.
Encouraging hotels to specialise in different types of tourism products and expand the activities they offer
will increase the variety of products available to tourists in different establishments. This would attract a
variety of visitors from different regions. Ensuring that colleges provide training in various new tourism
areas will guarantee that there are sufficient skilled workers available to offer the new tourism products.
Encouraging and helping communities to set up small-scale enterprises will increase the variety of
products as these will be different from those provided by large hotels and resorts. Therefore more
citizens would benefit from the tourism industry.
 SOME IMPORTANT PICTURES

Impact of tourism on the physical and socio-cultural environments of the Commonwealth Caribbean