Bece Past Questions & Answers-2014 (Social Studies)

JUNE 2014
SOCIAL STUDIES 2
ESSAY
SOLUTIONS

NOTE: Sample essays are not provided because some students tend to memorize them instead of using them as a guide, thereby promoting monotony in their essays and hence, negatively affecting their creativity.

SECTION I
THE ENVIRONMENT

Answer one question only from this section

1. (a) Differences between a map and a sketch.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS

(b) The four main cardinal points that are used in showing direction.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS
North, south, east and west

(c) The two main seasons and the periods in which they occur in Ghana.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS
The wet season and the dry season
The wet season is from March to October
The dry season is from November to February

(d) How a cyclonic rainfall occurs.

SUGGESTED POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY
(i) Two air masses (one warm, the other cold) meet and form a front.
(ii) The warmer air rises over the colder air, since it is lighter /has lower density
(iii) As the warm air continues to rise, it cools and condenses to form cumulus clouds as a result of temperature fall within the troposphere.
(iv) As the cooling continues, the clouds condense further and fall as rain

SUGGESTED DIAGRAM FOR FORMATION OF CYCLONIC RAINFALL

2. (a) Two major relief features in Ghana
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
(i) Mountain Afadjato,
(ii) Akwapim-Togo range
(iii) Mampong scarp,
(iv) Gambaga escarpment, etc

(b) Four oceans of the world.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
(i) Arctic ocean,
(ii) Atlantic ocean,
(iii) Pacific ocean,
(iv) Indian ocean
(v) Antarctic / Southern ocean

(c) Four ways by which the forest vegetation in Ghana can be preserved

SUGGESTED POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY

(i) Planting more trees to replace ones that have been cut down / felled – (Reforestation)
(ii) Ensuring that only trees of a certain minimum size can be felled – (Controlled felling)
(iii) Empowering government agencies that are responsible for forest preservation to work more efficiently (eg, the Environmental Protection Agency and The Forestry Commission)
(iv) Planting trees to create a forest – (Afforestation)
(v) Prosecuting / penalizing offenders who flout the forest preservation laws / by-laws / ethics to serve as a deterrent to others.
(vi) Creating forest reserves – forests that are kept from human exploitation
(vii) Preventing overgrazing by cattle and other animals
(viii) Preventing bushfires by public education and other measures
(ix) Planting trees on farms for various reasons – (Agroforestry)

SECTION II
GOVERNANCE, POLITICS AND STABILITY
Answer one question only from this section

3. (a) Explanation of the term colonization.

SUGGESTED ANSWER
Colonization is the process by which one country takes control of the administration of another. The controlling country is termed the colonizer, whereas the country being controlled is the colony. In most cases, the colonizer exploits the markets and resources (human, natural, mineral, financial, etc) of its colony.

(b) Four positive effects of colonization on Ghana.

SUGGESTED POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY

(i) Formal Education – Introduction of formal education by the establishment of schools and colleges

(ii) Introduction of currency notes and coins as the medium of exchange which led to a better commercial system

(iii) Christianity – The spread of Christianity

(iv) Legal System – The introduction of the formal legal system for a better and fairer system of adjudication / settlement of disputes

(v) Health – The establishment of clinics and hospitals and the training of health professionals, which helped to improve the delivery of health to the people

(vi) The development of alphabet for local languages, which led to writing and reading of local languages and English

(vii) Agriculture – The introduction of better agricultural implements and methods, which supported commercial agriculture.

(viii) Architecture – The introduction of new and improved physical structures, which were much stronger and beautiful – a number of which are still standing strong to date.

(ix) Tourism – The forts and castles used by the colonizers have now become tourist sites out of which the state still gets revenue.

(x) Infrastructure – The development of better infrastructure, eg, roads, railway lines, harbour, etc, which has significantly improved the economy of the country.

4. Five contributions of the District Assemblies to the development of Ghana.

SUGGESTED POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY

(i) Promoting and supporting productive activity and social development in the district
(ii) Construction and maintenance of certain social amenities such as markets, drains, schools, etc
(iii) Mobilization of resources at the local levels for development of the district
(iv) Planning and development of the district
(v) Ensuring ready access to Courts in the district for the promotion of justice
(vi) Co-operation with appropriate national and local security agencies, for the maintenance of security and public safety in the district;
(vii) Development, improvement and management of human settlements and the environment in the district;
(viii) Maintenance of law and order, by the making and enforcing of by-laws to maintain peace and stability.

SECTION III
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

5. (a) Four reasons why people embark on tours to different places.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
(i) Educational purposes – to get firsthand knowledge about places and people.
(ii) Recreational purposes – for leisure / entertainment
(iii) Religious /Spiritual purposes – to fulfil a given religious requirement
(iv) Therapeutic /Health purposes – for relaxation / rejuvenation of their physical bodies
(v) Cultural awareness – to learn about other cultures
(vi) Traditional / Cultural purposes – to identify with (feel a part of) a particular culture or tradition.
(vii) Adventure to acquire artefacts

(b) Four ways in which tourism is important to the development of Ghana.
SUGGESTED POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY
(i) Foreign exchange earner for Ghana
(ii) Source of revenue to the government of Ghana.
(iii) Tourist sites promotes the development of communities
(iv) Source of employment for citizens
(v) Promotes environmental preservation
(vi) Helps to attract foreign investors into the country
(vii) Gives a boost to the local artefacts industry

6. (a) Explanation of natural disaster with two examples.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS
A natural event that causes great damage or injury or loss of life
or
A major adverse event, usually causes extensive damage to life and property, resulting from natural processes of the Earth
or
Extreme, sudden event caused by natural factors that injure people and damage property

Examples of natural disaster: flood, earthquake, hurricane, volcanic eruptions

(b) Four reasons why a good layout is necessary for a decent settlement.

SUGGESTED POINTS FOR YOUR ESSAY
• Easy accessibility in times of disasters
• Easy access of utility services
• Easy movement of citizens within the settlement
• Prevention of floods
• Easy directions to places of choice