Marjorie Henry, Contributor

As the New Year begins, I wish that it will be a productive and rewarding one for you, especially in the area of your academic pursuit. I always like to take this opportunity, at the start of the year, to remind students sitting the external examinations in the summer, that these examinations are only a few short weeks away. This is not intended to scare you, but rather to sharpen your focus on examination preparations. Naturally, you want to do well and, to realise this, you must begin to review your work already done, even from now. Do not try 'cramming' at the last minute. This, undoubtedly, is the formula for failure. May I further suggest that you research and or read your prescribed textbooks on topics you have left to be done, being guided by your syllabus, of course. This is applicable to all the subjects that you plan to sit in the external examinations.

This term is also the one that you have to complete and submit the school-based assessment (SBA) projects for the different subject areas. Please try to manage your time wisely as you work at completing them on time, according to the deadline your teachers have set. If you had taken my suggestion, given early in the last term, your field report for the geography SBA should be just about ready for submission. With that out of the way, it means that you have a little more time available for the SBA for other subjects.

Last month, I started to review the questions given in the June 2008 examination in Section D, the section that covers topics from the syllabus under natural hazards and environmental degradation. As I indicated then, there are three questions in this section, numbered 8 to 10. I have already gone through question 8. Today, I will begin the discussion on question 9. Here is section (a) of that question.

Study Table 7 which shows carbon dioxide emissions per person and GNP per capita for selected countries and answer the questions below.

TABLE 7: CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS PER PERSON (TONNES) AND GNP PER CAPITA

Sources: Wilson, 2004 and
Collins-Longman Atlas, 2002

(i) Which country had the SMALLEST increase in carbon dioxide emission per person between 1980 and 2001? (1 mark)

(ii) Calculate the change in carbon dioxide emissions per person for Canada. (2 marks)

(iii) State the relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and the GNP per capita of the countries. (1 mark)

As I pointed out before, for section (a) of any given question on paper two, a stimulus material is given. This can be a diagram, map, chart, table, among other things. Two or three questions are given based on the information in whatever is given. In this question then, the answers for the three questions are found in the given table. So, take a few minutes to study the table before you attempt to write your answers.

Let me offer some guidelines in arriving at the answers for (i) and (ii) above. For sub-section (i), look closely at the figures given in columns two and three for each country. You would have observed that in 2001, the increase in carbon dioxide emissions per person occurred in three countries, namely, Antigua, Jamaica and Grenada. Now calculate the amount of increase in these three then select the country with the smallest increase.

Decrease in carbon dioxide emission

For sub-section (ii), notice that there is a decrease in the emission of carbon dioxide per person for Canada in 2001, hence the negative value is the important factor here.

Here are the answers for section (a)

(i) The country that had the SMALLEST increase in carbon dioxide emissions per person between 1980 and 2001 is Jamaica.

(ii) The change in carbon dioxide emissions per person for Canada is - 2.9 tonnes

(iii) The relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and GNP per capita is that countries with a large GNP have high carbon dioxide emissions.

The discussion continues in the next lesson.

The Northern Caribbean University (NCU) student ambassadors for 2008-2009, Joel Jump (left) and Popsann Lambert (centre), are elated to receive copies of the 2009 Adventist devotional, 'Always Joyful', from Pastor Patrick Allen, president of the Adventist Church in the West Indies Union and chairman of the board of governors of NCU. The occasion was a courtesy call on Allen recently, during which they discussed various issues affecting young people in the church and society, in general. - Contributed