Simple explanations with answers to CSEC Geography 2019 multiple choice Attached is the 2019 CSEC Geography multiple choice paper. Explanation is attached for each question.

1. Prepared By Oral Johnson
Simple explanations to CSEC Geography 2019 Multiple Choice
1. The direction of the trigonometrical station at Shotover from Roberston Halt is south east.
Answer is B
2. The contour interval is the difference between a contour line and the next. The contour interval
is 250m. One of the contour is 250m and the next one is 500m. The difference between both is
250m. Answer is D
3. The highest point in in grid square 7045 is approximately 2500. There is a contour line that is
without a height in the grid and that is the highest point. The closest contour to the contour line
that is not numbered is 2250. Therefore the contour line will be 2250 + 250 which is the contour
interval. Therefore the highest point is 2500. Answer is B
4. The bearing of Roberton Halt from the trigonometrical station at Shotover is 2950
. Answer is C
5. Whenever the term range is used in relation to temperature it is always the difference between
the maximum and minimum temperature. The maximum temperature is 28 and the minimum
temperature is 25. Therefore the answer is 30
C. Answer is B
6. The rainfall pattern indicates rain throughout the year which is typical of the equatorial regions
Answer is A
7. The type of climate is equatorial. The equatorial region has the lowest annual temperature
range out of all ecosystems on the planet. The temperatures are high all year round and usually
there is not much variation from month to month. Rainfall totals usually exceed 2000m and rain
falls every month. There is no dry season. Answer is B
8. Rivers flow downhill and therefore by examining the contours closely the river is flowing from
south west to north east. Answer is D
9. Easting lines are lines that run from north to south on a map but increase in value eastwards.
Answer is B
10. The lowest annual number of visitors in any month was 30,000. You have to look at the y axis
carefully as the number of arrivals are in thousands (000’s). Answer is C
11. The highest numbers of visitors arrived in the summer months. June, July and August had the
highest number of arrivals. Answer is D
12. The type of settlement that is most likely to develop between Y and X would be a linear
settlement. Because there is a road running along y and x and typically linear settlements are
usually along main lines of communication. Answer is A
13. The type of farming system that is most likely at X is would be commercial arable farming. Based
on the scale of the area surrounding x is approximately 4km. This is very large and commercial
farming usually take place on these large plots of land and also there is an absence of contours
which mean the terrain is flat. Answer is D
14. The relationship between longitude and time is that time changes by 4 minutes for 10
. Every 150
is an hour or 60mins. Therefore one degree is 60mins/15 which is equal to 4. 10
=4 minutes.
Answer is C
15. The man difference between weather and climate is time. Weather usually changes over a short
time, can be seconds, minutes, and hours. Climate is average weather conditions over a 30-35
year period. Answer is A

2. Prepared By Oral Johnson
16. Once there are certain characteristics such as hot and rained heavily every day, this is typical of
equatorial climates. Vegetation layers such as the emergent and the canopy can grow to heights
of 40 m and above. They usually absorb all the sunlight and prevents undergrowth as all layers
below them receive little to no sunlight. Answer is C
17. The hottest months of the year are the also the driest. A climograph usually shows rainfall and
temperature. The line graph represents the temperature and the bar graph represents rainfall.
By looking at the graphs the first three months of the year have the highest temperatures. The
bars that represent rainfall for these three months are the lowest out of all the months of the
year. Answer is A
18. The annual temperature range is 120
C. The maximum temperature is around 230
C and the
minimum temperature is 110
C. Remember the range is the difference between the maximum
and the minimum temperature. Answer is B
19. Most of the area of forest vegetation shown in map T is found in areas with the highest
elevation. Forests are typically in mountainous region. This is typical of forests in the Caribbean
region. Answer is D
20. The coconut cultivation is along the coastline in Tobago. The coastal areas of Caribbean
countries are usually gently sloping or flat and therefore the elevation or heights are usually low.
By looking at the rainfall graph there is some parts of the coconut cultivation that receives less
than 1000mm of rain while there are other sections that receive between 1000-1500mm of rain.
Therefore the answer is that areas of coconut cultivation are under 150m in height and they
have under 1500mm of rainfall. Answer is A
21. The contour profile of point R to X would look like C. Contour lines usually indicate the steepness
of the terrain. When contour lines are further apart it is usually gently sloping and when it is
closer the terrain is usually steep. The dip slope the back side of the feature is gently sloping as
the contours are further apart. C would be the best answer as the back slope is gently sloping or
not as steep and it is evident in C. Answer is C
22. The features found at T on the map would be a bay and a beach. The crescent like shape where
y is represents a bay. Bay usually have crescent like shapes and are usually between two
headlands. Beaches usually occur in bays. They’re sometimes called bayhead beaches. There is
also the sand symbol which can be seen in the legend. It is a sandy beach. Answer is A
23. The slope between T and V would be steep because the contour lines between them are close
together. Closely spaced contours usually represents a steep terrain. Answer is A
24. The value of manufactured products exported greater than 75% of the total exports is Barbados.
By looking at the graph the primary products exported was about 24%. Therefore the remaining
manufactured exports would be more than 75%. Answer is A
25. The plate margin show in the diagram is a convergent plate boundary. This is where two plates
collide. The diagram is showing an oceanic continental convergence where the oceanic crust is
subducting into the mantle. Answer is C
26. The features formed at R are volcanoes. When the oceanic crust subudcts it melts to form a new
magma. This magma is less dense and it rises through the continental crust to form volcanoes.
Answer is A
27. The section which starts at 2900km from the surface is the core. To be specific it is the outer
core and scientist believes that the outer core is liquid. Answer is A

3. Prepared By Oral Johnson
28. The population density for Barbados is approximately 1, 678 persons per square mile. The
formula for calculating population density is equivalent to dividing the population by the area of
a country. Therefore the calculation would be 278 580 / 166. Answer is C
29. Based on the data in the table the answer is that Barbados has a higher density than Guyana.
Barbados population density is 1678 and Guyana is 9. Answer is C
30. As one climbs a mountain, the surrounding temperature decreases. The higher you go the cooler
it gets. Answer is A
31. Vegetation contributes to the development of soils by producing humus. When vegetation such
as leaves fall to the ground it gets decomposed by microorganisms. The decomposed vegetation
is brown and dark colored in nature and is also called humus. It is rich in minerals as and it
increases the fertility of the soil. Answer is B
32. The slow downhill movement of debris and soil under the influence of gravity is best described
as soil creep. Soil creep is slow and can hardly be seen by the human eye. Only the evidence
shown over time can tell you that a soil creep is occurring. Answer is B
33. Igneous rocks are usually formed as a result of the cooling and solidification magma or lava.
Crystals are often formed during the process. Answer is A
34. The volcanoes in the Caribbean are associated with a convergent plate boundary. Two oceanic
plates collided to form the volcanic island arc in the eastern Caribbean. Answer is C
35. Erosion is usually concentrated in the upper course. All the landforms in the upper course such
as waterfalls, interlocking spurs, potholes, v shaped valleys, and rapids were all formed as a
result of erosion. Answer is A
36. The type of slope shown in the landform maybe described as a concave slope. Concave slopes
are usually gentler at the base of the slope and it get progressively steeper at the top. This is
indicated by contour lines that are further apart at the base and closer together at the top.
Answer is D
37. The greatest influence on tourism in the Caribbean is climate. Our peak tourism period coincides
with the cold winters in the temperate countries. People usually want to escape the cold
temperatures in the winter to experience the warm and sunny climate in the Caribbean. Even
when it is winter in the Caribbean the temperatures are high enough. Answer is A
38. Haiti had the largest percentage of people employed in Agriculture. This is evident just by
looking at the graph. Answer is A
39. In 2017, the country with the lowest percentage of people employed in agriculture was
Barbados. Answer is B
40. The countries that experienced the greatest decline in agriculture were Dominican Republic,
Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago. Answer is D
41. The intrusive feature is sill. Sills are horizontal sheets of solidified magma. Crater, caldera and
lava plateau are all extrusive volcanic features. Answer is A
42. The landform at x is a spit and is a usually formed as a result of coastal deposition and longshore
drift. Erosion is out of the picture as if the coastal area is erosive then it would prevent the
formation of the spit. Spits are coastal depositional features. Answer is B
43. The temperatures are high in the Caribbean due to our location or latitude. Places nearer to the
equator usually experience higher temperatures. Closer to the equator the sun’s rays is
concentrated over a small area and it has smaller distance of atmosphere to travel through.
Answer is B

4. Prepared By Oral Johnson
44. The dotted line in the diagram represents a watershed. A watershed is an area of highland that
usually separates a drainage basin from a next. Answer is C
45. The drainage pattern in the area is dendritic pattern. This typically occur on rocks that are
uniform and looks like tree branches with lots of twigs. Answer is D
46. Solar is the source of energy that is least likely to harm the environment. Natural gas and oil are
non-renewable resources and they both emit harmful gases in the atmosphere. Areas
surrounding nuclear plants are not conducive to living after some number of years. Radioactive
waste can be harmful to the environment. Answer is B
47. Mangroves perform a protective function as it acts as buffer to incoming waves. Therefore
mangroves will reduce erosion of the coastline. Answer is D
48. The process by which beach material is moved along the coast by wave action is called
longshore drift. This is the zig-zag movement of materials along the coastline. Answer is C
49. Raw materials are very important when considering the location of primary industries. A good
example is Bauxite industries in the Caribbean. Bauxite factories are usually located close to the
bauxite deposits. This is because of the bulkiness of this raw material. Transportation cost also
increase with bulkiness and also with distance. So factories usually locate close to the raw
materials in order to reduce the cost of transportation. Answer is D
50. Poor housing conditions is a major problem of urban areas in Caribbean countries. For e.g. there
is a serious housing problem in Kingston. Kingston is very small in physical size and the
population is particularly high. As a result squatter settlements usually develop and here
residents build their homes with inferior materials such as boards and zinc. Some structures
don’t have running water or proper sanitation facilities. Answer is D
51. Exhaust fumes from motor vehicles contribute most to the pollution of the environment of
capital cities in CARICOM. A large number of vehicle passes through Kingston every day and
furthermore these cars are run by oil, gasoline or petroleum. A byproduct is the emission of
harmful gases and this will come from the exhaust fumes. Answer is C
52. Harmful gases, liquids and solids which affect the earth and its inhabitants are examples of
pollutants. They pollute the atmosphere and as such they’re called pollutants. Answer is A
53. Fertility increases as humus content increases. The decomposed vegetation contains useful
minerals that is now returned to the soil. Humus is rich is nutrient. Fertility means how much
nutrients are in the soil. The higher the nutrient content the more fertile the soil is. Answer is B
54. Early settlers would most likely to have built a town at Y. Locating close to a river was very
important in the early days. The rivers could be used for washing and cleaning. In addition, the
areas around the river would be fertile and can support the development of agriculture. Answer
is C
55. Unhealthy coral reefs would be indicated by extensive areas of bright white coral. When water
temperatures are high the zooxanthelae that provides the color for the corals escape. This is
called coral bleaching and the corals would then have a white color. This means that the coral
reef is unhealthy. Answer is D
56. When factories are set up in the Caribbean the cost of living never reduces. Increased export
and job opportunities usually result as well as reduction in the importation of consumer goods.
Whatever is it that we are producing we wouldn’t import it as much. Countries usually import
what they don’t produce. Answer is B

5. Prepared By Oral Johnson
57. The problem of household waste may be reduced by burying and covering with soil. This is
especially true of organic waste. Things such as banana skin, remains or orange can be buried.
These are called biodegradable materials. They can be decomposed by microorganisms in the
soil and they will eventually form humus and become a part of the soil. Answer is D
58. The Bauxite industry in the Caribbean has declined because of the cost of production has
become extremely high. Our bauxite companies are usually operated by international
companies. Our labour cost was high as employees were paid high wages. Labour cost is also
considered in the production cost. These international investors are not loyal to as because they
can always find cheaper labour elsewhere. So because of the high production cost the bauxite
owners left. Answer is A
59. The size of the labour force is not a problem affecting industrial development in the Caribbean.
Even though our populations are not high as other countries but there are always people
looking for job opportunities. Labour would not be a problem if there should be any industrial
development in the Caribbean. Answer is B
60. The emission of greenhouse gases can be reduced by increasing the use of renewable resources
such as solar power and reducing the use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural
gas. When coal and oil are burnt they release carbon dioxide. Natural gas is predominantly
methane and can be released from several different sources. Reducing the use of this will
definitely reduce greenhouse gases. Chlorofluorocarbons are not good for the environment as
not only it may contribute to global warming but it depletes the ozone layer. CFCs are man-
made gases and it’s not naturally occurring as carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane and other
gases. After 1987 some countries had place bans on the use of chlorofluorocarbons. Answer is C