Caribbean Examinations Council

Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate [CSEC]

Specimen Paper 2004

Items 1 – 2 are based on the diagram below.

1. The term which would be used to describe ALL these people living together in a common household is a/an

(a) extended family(b) nuclear family(c) single parent family(d) common law

2. The part of the diagram that is encircled represents a family structure described as

(a) extended(b) common law(c) single parent(d) nuclear

3. Which one of the following statements is NOT true of the nuclear family?

(a) Members are provided traditionally with a secure environment.(b) Parents have the major responsibility for child care.(c) Parents are responsible for the socialization of the children.

(d) Grandparents usually share residence and contribute financially.

4. Which one of the following BEST defines the term ‘spouse’?

(a) Mother-in-law or Father-in-law(b) Husband or Wife(c) Fiancé or Fiancée (d) Godfather or Godmother

5. Some adolescents challenge the views and attitudes of adults.

Such a situation is usually associated with

(a) the generation gap(b) parental pressure(c) sibling rivalry(d) peer pressure

6. During the harvest, the whole family takes part in reaping the crop.

The statement above refers to the family as an

(a) agent of procreation(b) agent of socialization(c) economic unit(d) emotional support group

7. Which of the following will MOST likely lead to sibling rivalry in the home?

I. Favouritism on the part of parents

II. Extended family structureIII. Absence of grandparents

(a) I only(b) II only(c) I and II only(d) II and III only

8. Which of the following statements support the idea of equal rights for men and women?

I. Men and women who do the same job should get the same pay

II. Men and women should maintain traditional roles in the family

III. Men and women should be allowed to share in national decision making

(a) I and II only(b) I and III only(c) II and III only(d) I, II and III

9. Which of the following has contributed MOST to changes in the traditional roles of mothers in the family in the Caribbean?

(a) Women have fewer children today than a generation ago.(b) More mothers have jobs outside the home today than a generation ago.(c) The nuclear family has become more widespread than it was before.

(d) The Church plays a greater role than the mother in socializing children.

10. Which of the following household types would be LEAST likely to have adult members?

(a) Single parent(b) Sibling(c) Nuclear(d) Joint

11. Maxine Lewis lives with her unmarried mother and father. This union between her parents can BEST be described as

(a) compassionate(b) conjugal(c) friending(d) common law

12. Which of the following is a characteristic of the extended family?

(a) Family ties are weak.(b) Age and sex roles are not clearly defined.(c) Income and residence are shared among at least two generations.(d) Intermarriage among close relatives is permitted.

13. A congregation is a formal group MAINLY because members

(a) go to church regularly(b) perform the same rites(c) are selected by other members(d) live in the same community

14. The system under which a country is governed by a few influential people is known as

(a) anarchy(b) democracy(c) oligarchy(d) republicanism

15. Which of the following are characteristics that an organization MUST have?

I. Rules and regulationsII. Punctuality of members

III. Specific functions

(a) I and II only(b) I and III only(c) II and III only(d) I, II and III

16. ‘Norms’ can BEST be defined as

(a) patterns of expected behaviour performed by members of society(b) rules and regulations governing public servants(c) standards of behaviour prescribed by the church(d) patterns of behaviour which carry no sanctions by society

17. Which of the following cases may be tried ENTIRELY in a magistrate’s court?

(a) A company declares bankruptcy.(b) A company wishes to file for divorce.(c) A person accused of murder.(d) A youth is accused of stealing.

18. Which of the following actions is a civic responsibility?

(a) To criticize the government’s policies(b) To obey the laws and serve one’s country(c) To serve the interests of one’s family(d) To serve the interests of one’s employers

19. Representation and bargaining are features of

(a) trade unions(b) sports groups(c) informal groups(d) religious organizations

20. Which of the following occurrences is a characteristic of an institution?

(a) No organizational structure(b) No specific function(c) Strongly held values(d) Open membership

21. Which of the following occurrences is NOT a feature of the first-past-the-post system of elections?

(a) The party obtaining the most votes gets all the seats in parliament.(b) The country is divided into

constituencies.(c) The elected candidates represent their constituencies.(d) A party may obtain a small majority of votes but a large majority of seats.

Items 22 – 23 refer to the following illustration.

22. Which of the following freedoms are the demonstrators exercising?

I. Freedom of assemblyII. Freedom of the press

III. Freedom of expressionIV. Freedom to earn wages

(a) I and II only(b) I and III only(c) I, II and III only(d) I, II, III and IV

23. The promises featured above are usually detailed in

(a) a political party’s manifesto(b) the constitution of a nation(c) a statement of intent to a government

(d) a treaty between government and workers

Item 24 refers to the following illustration.

24. The organization that issues the instruction on the sign above has demonstrated

(a) loyalty(b) cooperation(c) leadership(d) authority

25. Which of the following statements BEST describes ‘population density’?

(a) The total number of people living in a country at a particular time(b) The average number of people per square mile in a country(c) The number of births per year per thousand of population(d) The number of people that a country’s resources can support

26. Which of the following characteristics of a population would be recorded in a census?

I. Voting preferenceII. Age

III. Sex

(a) I and II only(b) I and III only(c) II and III only(d) I, II and III

27. Which of the following population features would contribute to a natural increase in population?

I. High fertility ratesII. Low infant mortality

III. High female emigration

(a) I only(b) I and II only(c) II and III only(d) I, II and III

Items 28 – 29 refer to the diagram below.

28. During which of the following periods was there the GREATEST change on the unemployment rate?

(a) 1986 – 1988 (b) 1987 – 1989 (c) 1989 – 1991

(d) 1990 – 1992

29. Which one of the following statements is true?

(a) More people were unemployed in 1989 than in 1988.(b) The unemployment rate rose steadily over the period 1986 – 1992.(c) The unemployment rate rose steadily after 1989.(d) The unemployment rate fell steadily after 1989.30. Lack of sufficient resources to support

the demands of a nation’s population is known as

(a) population density(b) overpopulation(c) under-population(d) depopulation

31. An improvement in the standard of living in a country is MOST likely related to a

(a) rapid growth in shanty town settlements(b) labour force that is healthier and more productive(c) rise in the cost of goods and services(d) sharp increase in the birth rate

32. The resources of a country are BEST described as

(a) the minerals that are found there(b) the minerals found and the crops grown(c) all living and nonliving things that can be used(d) the substances which are imported to increase production

33. Which of the following resources would be LEAST important to a country’s programme to promote eco-tourism?

(a) Forests(b) Coral reefs(c) Bauxite and petroleum(d) Rivers and waterfalls

34. A country’s budget has a surplus when revenue is

(a) greater than expenditure(b) equal to expenditure(c) less than expenditure(d) sufficient to finance development

35. Which of the following activities is an example of environmental abuse?

(a) water conservation(b) air pollution(c) land reclamation(d) afforestation

36. Which of the following industrial activities would produce the LEAST air and water pollution?

(a) production of alumina(b) furniture manufacture(c) refining of petroleum(d) cement production

37. Which of the following occurrences is NOT a common feature of small-scale fishing industries in the Caribbean?

(a) small craft operating in coastal waters(b) advanced technology for finding shoals(c) low level or absence of fish-processing techniques(d) variety in the types of fish caught

38. Which one of the following statements is true of natural gas in the Caribbean? It is

(a) used for domestic and industrial purposes(b) a renewable source of energy(c) produced in most countries of CARICOM(d) a more widely used fuel than oil39. Reafforestation is the process through

which

(a) a forest is regenerated naturally(b) a government regulates the rate of felling of timber(c) a planned programme of replanting trees is implemented(d) steep hillsides are planted in forest

40. Which one of the following is NOT a valid reason for the development of solar energy in the Caribbean?

(a) it does not pollute the environment(b) the Caribbean will be able to control the world’s supply of energy(c) it is a source of energy that is not exhaustible(d) it will allow savings on fuel consumption costs

41. Which of the following activities would NOT reduce the supply of animal protein from the sea?

(a) over-fishing in the major fishing grounds(b) destruction of mangrove swamps(c) dumping of raw sewage in coastal waters(d) rapid growth of coral near fishing grounds

42. Which of the following occurrences may result when large areas of forest are destroyed?

I. Erosion on hillsidesII. More water in natural

underground reservoirsIII. Muddy sea and river water

(a) I and II only(b) I and III only(c) II and III only(d) I, II and III43. Which of the following results are likely

to benefit countries which replant forests in areas where they were destroyed?

I. Reduced soil erosionII. Steady timber supplies

III. Employment opportunities

(a) II only(b) I and II only(c) II and III only(d) I, II and III

44. Which one of the following is NOT a direct effect of the migration of Caribbean people?

(a) gain in skilled labour to developed countries(b) marked improvements in the literacy rate in the Caribbean(c) influence of external ideas on the lifestyles of the Caribbean people(d) reduction of the unemployment rate in the Caribbean

45. Which of the following occurrences is MOST important to the economic development of many Caribbean countries?

(a) increased wages for unskilled workers(b) increased importation of consumer goods(c) increase in the number of early school leavers(d) increase in the level of investment

46. Which of the following are factors attracting Caribbean people to migrate to the USA?

I. Job availabilityII. Educational opportunity

III. Racial discriminationIV. Modern lifestyle

(a) I and II only(b) I, II and III only(c) I, II and IV only(d) I, II, III and IV

47. Which one of the following occurrences is LEAST likely to lead to the development of the human resources of a country?

(a) increase in the cost of living(b) increase in the minimum wage(c) improvement in health services(d) improved educational opportunities

48. A ready, cheap source of energy accelerates the economic development of a country by

(a) opening up new markets(b) enlarging the pool of labour(c) reducing the cost of production(d) increasing household energy consumption

49. Which one of the following actions by government is MOST likely to improve the standard of living of a country?

(a) encouraging the development of a welfare system(b) increasing taxes on land and houses(c) restricting the development of physical resources(d) providing more and varied educational opportunities.

50. A country’s road, bridges and sewage system are aspects of a country’s

(a) infrastructure(b) non-renewable resources(c) natural resources(d) renewable resources

Item 51 refers to the following statement.

It would be extremely difficult for West Indian nations to cope with twentieth

century problems as individual mini-states with mini-resources.

51. Which one of the following is MOST clearly suggested by the speaker?

(a) support for economic integration in the Caribbean(b) opposition to political independence for individual Caribbean states(c) opposition to foreign investment in the region(d) support for stronger cultural links among Caribbean states

52. Which one of the following is NOT a means through which Caribbean people can achieve economic development?

(a) self-reliance in agro-based industries(b) reduction of dependence on extra- regional imports(c) local investment by the private and public sector(d) high levels of spending on luxury items

53. Which one of the following should be LEAST important for a young person choosing a career?

(a) advice of peers(b) qualifications and training(c) parental advice and guidance(d) interests, skills and aptitude

54. The administrative organ of the Caribbean Community is the

(a) CARICOM Secretariat(b) West Indian Commission(c) Common Market Council(d) Heads of Government Conference

55. Which one of the following is the MOST important aim of the trading arrangements within CARICOM?

(a) to increase the markets and revenue of the larger territories(b) to increase travel and contact among the people of the region(c) to promote economic development in the region(d) to ensuring that goods from outside of the region become cheaper

56. The Treaty of Chaguaramas led to the establishment of the

(a) Caribbean Free Trade Association(b) Organization of Eastern Caribbean States(c) West Indies Federation(d) Caribbean Community

57. The CARICOM Secretariat is MAINLY responsible for

(a) implementing decisions taken by committees of the Caribbean community(b) making policy decisions regarding the Caribbean community(c) ensuring the efficient operation of the Caribbean community(d) promotion of industrial activity within the Caribbean community

58. In the future, CARICOM nationals may not need a passport to travel to any CARICOM country.

This development is MOST likely to have an immediate effect on

(a) freedom of movement(b) regional security(c) trade liberalization(d) economic integration

59. Which one of the following statements BEST describes the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States [OECS]?

(a) A sub-regional grouping of smaller countries within CARICOM(b) A federation of smaller CARICOM countries(c) A group of CARICOM countries with identical domestic policies(d) A group of CARICOM countries with a common head of state

60. Which one of the following aspects of CARICOM does the Common External Tariff [CET] relate?

(a) political integration(b) economic integration(c) freedom of movement(d) regional security