2022 BECE Social Studies Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates

These 2022 BECE Social Studies Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates have been provided to aid students in preparing for their examination.

1. Explain the term environment and name four components of it.
The environment is the social, physical, artificial and natural surroundings within which man dwells.

2. List six (6) constituents/components of the environment.
Air , water , mountains and valleys, living organisms, buildings, land

3. State five(5) components of the physical environment

i. Air which is mainly from trees (Oxygen).

ii. Weathered or broken down rocks (soil).

iii. Drainage features which include the sea, rivers, lakes and the like.

iv. Climate which is the average weather condition of a place for at least 30 years.

v. Relief features such as highlands or mountains and lowlands or valleys.

4. What is the social environment?

The social environment is the interpersonal relationship or interrelationship between human beings, their natural surroundings and the environment they create.

5. What is the physical environment?

The physical environment is the surroundings within which man, animals and plants dwell is termed the physical environment. Plants, animals, buildings are all found in the physical environment.

2022 BECE Social Studies Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates

6. Explain the term natural environment and give two reasons why we fail to protect our natural environment.

The natural environment is all free gifts of nature including land, things on, above and beneath the land which are made available to man. Examples of components of the natural environment are relief features, resources beneath the earth crust such as mineral deposits.

7. Explain the following environmental terms.
i. Pollution
ii. Desertification:
iii. Re-Afforestation

i. Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances into the atmosphere (thus into the air, land, or water).

ii. Desertification is the destruction of the natural vegetation cover leading to the exposure of the land to agents of erosion.

iii. Reforestation the restoration (replanting) or restocking of existing forests and woodlands which have been depleted by fire or tree cutting to rebuild the ecosystems.

 

These 2022 BECE Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates have been provided to aid students in preparing for their examination.

8. What is air pollution?

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to the atmosphere including living things.

9. State four (4) causes of air pollution or air degradation.
i. Fumes from the stacks of power plants, manufacturing facilities (factories) and waste incinerators, as well as furnaces and other types of fuel-burning heating devices.
ii. Bad odour from dead and decomposing animals left unattended to pollute the air greatly.

iii. Fumes from the exhaust of motor vehicles (Cars, trucks, jet airplanes
and) other combustion engine vehicles like marine vessels and aircrafts
cause air pollution.

iv. Waste deposition in landfills, which generate methane and smog.

10. State four effects of air pollution.
i. Air pollution causes respiratory diseases which affect the lungs.

ii. Skin diseases such as rashes are caused by air pollution.

iii. Air pollution leads to the destruction of the vegetation cover of the land through acid rain.

iv. Each year people die from cardiopulmonary disease linked to breathing in of degraded air.

v. The health effects caused by air pollution include difficulty in breathing, wheezing, coughing and aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiac conditions.

vi. Global Warming.The earth traps more heat due to the presence of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. Consequently, the planet is getting warmer which may lead to drastic climatic changes such as disturbances in rainfall patterns, melting of ice and rise of sea levels.

vii. Depletion of Ozone Layer.The ozone layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation thereby protecting the surface of the earth from its exposure. Air pollutants called chlorofluorocarbons (or CFCs) deplete the ozone layer, allowing more ultraviolet radiation through to the surface of the planet.
viii. Acid rain, a direct result of pollutants, causes lakes and streams to be acidic. This poses a threat to aquatic life as well as the food chain in general. It is also harmful to plants and degrades buildings and monuments.

11. What is land degradation?

Land degradation is the gradual process by which the natural state and quality of land or soil is degraded or damaged making it less economically useful and less biologically diverse through man’s activities.

12. Explain three causes of land pollution or degradation.
i. Indiscriminate bush burning through slash and burn farming method, palm wine tapping, and hunting destroy the land, habitat of animals and render it unfit for agriculture purposes.

ii. The indiscriminate disposal of solid waste such as Industrial waste, Quarry waste, sand, ore and minerals and domestic waste in the form of garbage, faeces, cans and plastics cause extensive damage to land.

 

2022 BECE Social Studies Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates

iii. Overgrazing by Livestock contributes greatly to land degradation leading to erosion.

iv. The excessive use of chemicals and fertilizers in the form of pesticides, weedicides and fertilizers contribute to land degradation.

v. Urban sprawl and commercial development leads to the clearing of arable land and virgin forest which contributes to the vulnerability of land and causes extensive damage and misuse of land.

vi. Excessive sand winning, mining activities both legal and illegal (Galamsey operations) done through open cast method and deep shaft methods get rid of vegetation leaving the soil to the mercy of erosion.

13. State five (5) effects of land degradation.
i. Excessive sand winning, overgrazing poor farming practices speed up soil erosion with the help of agents of erosion such as wind and water.

ii. Soil acidification and alkalinisation; the formation of acid sulfate soil results in barren or poor soil structure which reduces crop yields.

iii. The destruction of vegetation (habitat) through bush burning and indiscriminate felling of trees lead to the extinction of wildlife.

iv. The destruction of vegetation speeds up the evaporation of rivers and streams near water bodies leading to shortage of water.

v. The destruction of vegetation leads to the loss of useful and medicinal herbs.

 

These 2022 BECE Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates have been provided to aid students in preparing for their examination.

14. Suggest four (4) solutions to land degradation.
i. Farmers should practice good farming practices such as mixed farming, growing of cover crops and planting in rolls.

ii. Illegal mining activities (galamsay operations) and sand winning should be discouraged as they destroy the land.

iii. Governments through town and country planning offices should help plan and maintain communities to prevent the wasting or misuse of land.

iv. There should be intensified education on the effects of land degradation.

v. Stiff punishment must be given to illegal miners (Galamsay) to deter like minded people from engaging in the same activity.

 

 

15. What is water pollution?
Water pollution is the destruction or contamination of water bodies (lakes, rivers, lagoon and others) through the introduction of harmful substances into the aquatic environment resulting in the reduction in the quantity and quality water and its ability to sustain aquatic life.

16. State four causes of water pollution or degradation.
i. The disposal of solid and liquid waste in the form of garbage, toxic liquid from industries and homes, human excreta and the like into rivers and lagoons contaminate the water bodies. Example Odor river and the Korle lagoon are both contaminated water bodies in Ghana.

ii. The over application of agro-chemicals in the form of pesticides, insecticides and weedicides may be washed by rain into nearby rivers and streams and make the water bodies impure.

iii. Water pollution can also be caused by the spilling of petroleum products (oil) from outboard motors, oil tankers and oil extraction plants on the high seas can easily contaminate water and put aquatic and human life in danger.

iv. Animals allowed to drink from water bodies end up introducing dirt and germs into the water thereby making the water unsafe for human use.

v. Human activities such as washing and bathing in streams and rivers pollute water sources in Ghana. .

vi. The use of bad fishing practices such as the use of DDT and dynamites contaminate water bodies.

vii. Acid rains caused by a combination of harmful gasses emitted into the atmosphere form water vapour, condenses, falls as rain and contaminates water bodies.

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These 2022 BECE Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates have been provided to aid students in preparing for their examination.

17. State four effects of water degradation or pollution

i. The disposal of liquid and solid waste such as garbage and toxic liquid may cause shortage of clean and safe water for domestic and industrial use.

ii. When water is polluted it makes it more expensive to treat water for human use.

iii. Aquatic animals like fish, crabs and lobsters are killed by DDT and the dynamite used in fishing. Such fishes are unwholesome for human consumption.

iv. Water bodies may “die” through the disposal of refuse, scrap metals, and human excreta into streams and rivers.

v. Contaminated water exposes people to health hazards such as cholera, guinea worm, typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases.

We hope these 2022 BECE Social Studies Predicted Questions and Answers for Candidates were helpful.

 

Source:Wisdom Eli Kojo Hammond|humanrightsreporters.com

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