2012
BECE
Social Studies Past Questions – Paper One
1.
Indiscipline is a problem in the Ghanaian society because it
A. reduces productivity
B. destroys the educational system
C. leads to high birth rate
D. encourages bribery and corruption
SHOW ANSWER
A. reduces productivity
2.
Which of the following is a primary activity?
A. Plywood processing
B. Fruit canning
C. Cocoa cultivation
D. Textile production
SHOW ANSWER
C.
Cocoa cultivation
3. The
Akans are believed to have migrated from
A. Old Ghana Empire
B. The Chad basin
C. Benin Republic
D. Ile Ife
SHOW ANSWER
A. Old Ghana Empire
4. The most important symbol which identifies
Ghana as an independent state is the
A. Speaker’s Mace
B. National Flag
C. State Sword
D. Coat-of-arms
SHOW ANSWER
B.
National Flag
5.
Which of the following diseases is caused by pollution of water bodies?
A. River blindness
B. Asthma
C. Cholera
D. Hepatitis B
SHOW ANSWER
A.
River blindness
6. A
day is either gained or lost when one moves across longitude
A. 180°
B. 24° E
C. 15° W
D. 0°
SHOW ANSWER
A. 180°
7. The
most cherished value expected of an adolescent in the Ghanaian society is
A. hospitality
B. patience
C. generosity
D. chastity
SHOW ANSWER
D. chastity
8.
Which of the following cultural practices is a drawback to development in the
Ghanaian society?
A. Celebration of festivals
B. Naming and outdooring ceremonies
C. Belief in the activities of demons
D. Performing puberty rites
SHOW ANSWER
C. Belief in the activities of demons
9. The
symbol above on topographic maps represents
A. settlements
B. farmlands
C. marshy areas
D. areas liable to flood
SHOW ANSWER
C. marshy areas
10. On
a relief map, the colour brown usually represents
A. plains
B. mountains
C. water bodies
D. lowlands
SHOW ANSWER
B.
mountains
11. An
extensive area of lowland is called a
A. ridge
B. valley
C. plain
D. plateau
SHOW ANSWER
C.
plain
12. Which of the following vegetation types is not found
in Ghana?
A. Sahel woodland
B. Guinea savanna
C. Mangrove forest
D. Tropical rain forest
SHOW ANSWER
A.
Sahel woodland
13. The
main type of vegetation found in the south-western part of Ghana is the
A. rain forest
B. coastal grassland
C. guinea savanna
D. mangrove forest
SHOW ANSWER
A. rain
forest
14.
Lunar eclipse occurs when the
A. sun comes between the earth and the moon
B. moon comes between the sun and the earth
C. earth comes between the sun and the moon
D. earth rotates on its axis from West to East.
SHOW ANSWER
C.
earth comes between the sun and the moon
15. The
type of rainfall formed by the meeting of two air masses of different
temperatures is
A. relief
B. frontal
C. convectional
D. orographic
SHOW ANSWER
B.
frontal
16.
Which of the following continents is uninhabited?
A. Asia
B. Antarctica
C. Australia
D. Europe
SHOW ANSWER
B.
Antarctica
17. One
problem created in the rural areas as a result of rural-urban drift is
A. increase in streetism
B. creation of slums
C. environmental degradation
D. increased incidence of broken homes
SHOW ANSWER
D. increased
incidence of broken homes
18.
Which of the following factors may cause rural-urban drift?
A. Better employment opportunities in the urban areas
B. Better health facilities in the rural areas
C. Even distribution of social amenities in the country
D. Absence of recreational facilities in the urban areas
SHOW ANSWER
A.
Better employment opportunities in the urban areas
19.
Asante was colonized by the British through
A. agreement
B. force
C. persuasion
D. plebiscite
SHOW ANSWER
B.
force
20. Right to life means
A. living forever
B. living without interference
C. acquiring wealth
D. sustaining the family line
SHOW ANSWER
B.
living without interference
21. Independence of the judiciary implies that
judges
A. should get everything free
B. should not pay taxes
C. can do whatever they like
D. should be free from political interference
SHOW ANSWER
D. should be free from political interference
22. One
major cause of conflicts in the Ghanaian society is
A. the development of slums in the cities
B. inadequate number of law enforcement agents
C. the encouragement of inter-ethnic marriages
D. unacceptable way of choosing leaders
SHOW ANSWER
D.
unacceptable way of choosing leaders
23. The
international organization formed to maintain world peace after the Second
World War is known as
A. The League of Nations
B. United Nations Organisation
C. Commonwealth of Nations
D. Non-aligned Movement
SHOW ANSWER
B.
United Nations Organisation
24.
After independence, Ghana automatically became a member of the
A. African Union
B. League of Nations
C. Commonwealth of Nations
D. Non-Aligned Movement
SHOW ANSWER
C.
Commonwealth of Nations
25. The
executive arm of government comprises of the President, the Cabinet and
A. Civil servants
B. Lawyers
C. the Speaker
D. the Chief Justice
SHOW ANSWER
A.
Civil servants
26. One
way of preventing ethnic conflict in Ghana is through
A. payment of compensation
B. creation of jobs
C. celebration of festivals
D. tolerance and dialogue
SHOW ANSWER
D.
tolerance and dialogue
27.
Family planning is beneficial to Ghanaians because it
A. helps in giving respect and honour to fathers
B. increase life expectancy of children
C. helps restore the health of mothers
D. brings about equitable distribution of income
SHOW ANSWER
D.
brings about equitable distribution of income
28.
Labour can be productively increased through
A. moral education in society
B. training and retraining
C. extension of working hours
D. people doing sacrificial work
SHOW ANSWER
B.
training and retraining
29. One
traditional way of preserving fish in Ghana is
A. canning
B. freezing
C. salting
D. boiling
SHOW ANSWER
C.
salting
30. One
factor responsible for the low rate of economic development in Ghana is
A. misappropriation of state resources
B. misuse of individual resources
C. increase of taxes on industries
D. slow rate of population growth
SHOW ANSWER
A. misappropriation
of state resources
31.
Which of the following means of saving ensures continuity of firms after
suffering losses?
A. Treasury bill
B. Insurance
C. Company shares
D. Government bonds
SHOW ANSWER
B.
Insurance
32.
Travelling to see and enjoy facilities and sceneries in other places is
referred to as
A. leisure
B. tourism
C. pleasure
D. entertainment
SHOW ANSWER
B.
tourism
33.
Workers in Ghana are required by law to contribute towards their future upkeep
through
A. Company shares
B. Treasury bills
C. Government bonds
D. Social Security schemes
SHOW ANSWER
D.
Social Security schemes
34. A
constitution may be defined as the
A. bye-laws of a country
B. decrees of a country
C. customary laws of a country
D. highest law of a country
SHOW ANSWER
D.
highest law of a country
35. An
advantage of a good layout for settlement is that
A. it reduces overcrowding of families
B. it promotes trading and church activities
C. it makes the inhabitants very rich
D. modern houses and schools are built
SHOW ANSWER
A. it reduces
overcrowding of families
36. One
responsibility of the Ghanaian citizen is to
A. protect the police
B. pay taxes
C. work and earn a living
D. worship freely
SHOW ANSWER
B. pay
taxes
37. In
order to protect one’s rights, a citizen should be
A. a law student
B. a youth leader
C. educated on them
D. an observer at court sittings
SHOW ANSWER
C.
educated on them
38.
Which of the following personalities was a member of the United Gold Coast
Convention?
A. Kojo Botsio
B. J.B. Danquah
C. Krobo Edusei
D. K. A. Gbedemah
SHOW ANSWER
B. J.B.
Danquah
39. The
primary function of the legislature is to
A. administer justice
B. make laws
C. register citizens
D. protect wrong doers
SHOW ANSWER
B. make
laws
40.
People who buy company shares receive
A. profits
B. dividends
C. loans
D. overdrafts
SHOW ANSWER
B.
dividends
2012
BECE
Social Studies Past Questions – Paper Two
1.
(a) State four problems created in the urban areas by
rural-urban migration
1b.
(b) Describe four measures that can be adopted to reduce
rural-urban migration
SHOW ANSWER
(a) Problems created in the urban areas by
rural-urban migration
(i) Increase in streetism
(ii) Creation of slums
(iii) Increased environmental degradation
(iv) Increased cost of living
(v) Reduced access to social amenities
(vi) Increase in criminal activities
(vii) Increased unemployment rate
(viii) Reduced economic productivity
[any four]
(b) Measures that can be adopted to reduce
rural-urban migration
(i) Creation of more job opportunities in the rural areas
The government and other bodies must create more employment opportunities such
as cottage industries, plantations, factories, etc in the rural areas. The
existing rural industries must also be improved upon in order to make them more
productive and lucrative. These measures would encourage those who move from
the rural to the urban areas in search of jobs to stay and work in the rural
areas and still earn sufficient income to cater for themselves and their
families.
(ii) Attractive government incentives for corporate bodies and
firms
The government must provide attractive incentives to corporate bodies and firms
to entice them to set up branches / agencies of their businesses in the rural
areas. Some of these incentives could be tax rebates, tax holidays, manpower
training, subsidies, award schemes, etc, which would eventually draw lots of
businesses / industries to the rural areas. This should serve as motivation for
rural dwellers to stay and work there.
(iii) Provision of more/ better social amenities in rural areas
There is the need for the provision of new and improved social amenities
(modern infrastructure) such as public toilets, schools, potable water,
electricity, information and communication services, recreational centres, etc,
in the rural areas. This would make life in the rural areas more attractive and
interesting. Rural dwellers would therefore be enticed to stay
(iv) Amendment of negative cultural practices
Certain cultural practices or aspects of them that are not desirable must be
either changed or modified. Some of these practices are puberty rites,
widowhood rites, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, etc. Certain
aspects, of these practices, which are painful, shameful, humiliating or
dehumanising must be either stopped or modified to more acceptable forms. If
this is done it would take away the fear that makes some people escape and
hence encourage them to stay in the rural areas.
(v) Modernisation of agricultural industry in the rural areas
Agriculture is the main source of livelihood in many rural communities.
However, most youthful rural dwellers today find the use of simple tools and
methods for agriculture boring, tiresome and less productive. The times when
subsistence farming was enough are past and gone. What is needed in these
modern times is the introduction of current state-of-the-art technology and
implements in the agricultural sector in the rural areas. This ensures higher
interest in agriculture as well as increased yield / productivity, which would
mean increased financial income for the agriculturists in the rural areas.
(vi) Educating the rural populace on dangers involved with urban
migration and opportunities in rural areas.
Quite a number of rural folks migrate to the urban areas without even knowing
what awaits them there. It’s important that governmental agencies and other
socially oriented organizations render intensive education to the rural folks.
They must educate them on both the challenges involved in migrating without
proper planning to the urban areas and the opportunities still available in the
rural areas. Some of these challenges could be lack of accommodation, lack of
employment opportunities, getting of infectious diseases, involvement in social
vices due to peer pressure or stress and hence danger of being arrested and
being sent to prison, etc. Some of the opportunities in rural areas are ease of
accommodation, acquisition of land for business or residence, lesser temptation
for social vices, etc.
[any four]
2.
a(i) What is superstition?
a(ii) Give two examples of superstitious beliefs
b Outline five effects of superstitious beliefs
on a community.
SHOW ANSWER
2.(a) (i) Superstition
A belief system based on perceptions of the supernatural or the spiritual realm
rather than on factual reasoning
a.
(ii) Examples of superstitious beliefs
? The belief that certain animals must not be killed
? The belief that some particular plants/ trees must not be cut
? The belief that one must not sweep at night
? The belief that one must not whistle while taking a bath
? The belief that a child’s tooth that comes out must be thrown on a rooftop.
? The belief that one must not work on ones farm on certain days
? The belief that a couple must not have sex outdoors (even when no one is
watching)
? The belief that one must not go fishing on specific days
2b.
(b)
Effects of superstitious beliefs on a community
Positive Effects
(i) They help to facilitate safety of the community
(ii) They help to inculcate acceptable social habits in the society
(iii) They help to uphold law and order
(iv) They support the preservation of the environment
(v) They help to maintain personal hygiene
Negative Effects
(vi) They discourage scientific advancement and technology
(vii) They generate conflicts among members of the community
(viii) They create intense and unreasonable fear in the community
(ix) They slow down development / progress in the community
(x) They sometimes permit abuse of one’s human rights
(xi) They create suspicions among persons in a community
(xii) They discourage creativity concerning innovative solutions to societal
problems
[any five]
3a.
(a) Why was the Watson Commission set up?
3b.
(b) Give four reasons for the 1948 riots
SHOW ANSWER
(a) Why the Watson Commission was set up
The Commission was set to
(i) investigate the causes of the 1948 riots and
(ii) make recommendations to the colonial administration on how to prevent
future occurrences
(b) Reasons for the 1948
riots;
(i) The shooting and killing of 3 ex-servicemen on 28th February 1948 at the
Christianborg crossroad while on a march to the Osu Castle to present a
petition to the Governor
(ii) The difficulties (no jobs, no pension allowance, no homes) of the
ex-service men.
(iii) The Alan Burns Constitution was not favorable, because it did not offer
enough opportunity (seats) for local (Ghanaian) participation in the
legislative and executive councils.
(iv) There were insufficient facilities for education and health
(v) The introduction of Conditional Sales (forced buying of unneeded items,
before buying what was actually needed)
(vi) The widely held belief that the white man was superior to the black man
was shattered during the world war as Ghanaian soldier fought alongside British
soldier.
(vii) Employment difficulties for school leavers
(viii) Cutting down of cocoa trees that had been affected by the swollen shoot
disease
(ix) High prices of essential commodities, which was caused by general shortage
(x) The monopoly and other negative practices of the Association of West
African Merchants (AWAM) made several African businesses suffer and hence
brought great economic hardships to the local people.
[any four]
4a.
(a) Identify four sources of conflicts in Ghana
(b) Explain four effects of conflicts in Ghana
SHOW ANSWER
(a) Sources of conflicts
in Ghana
(i) Chieftaincy disputes
(ii) The media (both print and electronic)
(iii) Suspicion and intolerance among individuals and groups
(iv) Land ownership problems
(v) Human rights abuse
(vi) Religious beliefs
(vii) Gender discrimination
(viii) Marital misunderstandings
(ix) Political differences
(x) Tribal /ethnic / racial / cultural differences
(xi) Socialization (personal standards of social ethics)
(xii) acculturation
[any four]
(b) Effects of conflicts
in Ghana
(i) Fear and Insecurity
When a conflict occurs, people either lose their sense of security or actually
become insecure. Eg, if there is conflict between mother and father at home,
the children may become scared and tensed, and therefore cannot go about their
duties or socialize in the normal way. In the case of regional / ethnic
violence, people become fearful and hence are unable to carry out their usual
socio-economic or other activities.
(ii) Disruption of social activities
Conflicts interfere with the normal conduct of society. Activities such as
family socialization, children attending school, workers carrying out duties,
utility services operating, transportation services running, etc, may all be
stopped due to physical destruction of social amenities, insecurity or
suspicion.
(iii) Economic downturn
Conflicts cause a general decline in the economy. This is because businesses
and other service providers may be forced to shut down / suspend /
significantly reduce their services, thereby lowering the per capita income.
This situation also results in reduced provision of goods and services ( less
productivity). In such circumstances, prices of the few goods and services on
the market are greatly hiked (increased), thereby creating intense economic
hardship in the nation.
(iv) Injuries, loss of life and property
Serious conflicts / intense fighting can lead to injuries, loss of lives and
property of inhabitants and state. When tempers rise to uncontrollable levels,
parties involved in the conflict try to inflict the highest possible damage to
their opponents in order to punish them or ‘teach them a lesson’. They
therefore use various kinds of weapons which kill people, cause serious
injuries or destroy property. This could happen in various kinds of conflicts,
from domestic to inter-regional.
(v) Displacements of persons
Displacements of persons occur when people move out of their usual places of
abode/ work, due to conflict, to reside in other areas they consider safer or
more peaceful. People may move out of their family homes /schools /workplace /
worship centre / communities / towns / regions, wherever the conflict may be,
to other places. The new places they move to, even though it may be safer or
more peaceful, may be less comfortable for them, since they may not get the
basic necessities, pleasures or social environment they are used to in their
original places. This could make life difficult or even unbearable for them.
(vi) Creates conditions for human rights abuses
In times of conflict, there is usually a breakdown of law and order, and some
people tend to take undue advantage to abuse the fundamental human rights of
others. While some become fearful and hence ‘coil into their shells’, others
become more careless and violent. The more careless ones then abuse the rights
of the others. Eg, due to conflict, a mother may refuse to feed the child, a
boss may refuse to pay an employee for work done, a religious sect may stop
another from worshiping, a person may kill another person, etc. All these
constitute abuses of human rights.
[any four]
5a.
(a) Give four reasons for saving
(b) Outline four avenues for saving
SHOW ANSWER
(a)
Reasons for saving
(i) Helps to manage one’s finances and avoid over- spending
(ii) Helps to ensure the security of one’s future (‘for a rainy day’)
(iii) Enables one to purchase or do something expensive in future.
(iv) Helps one to make significant investment in a given venture.
(v) Helps to increase one’s financial wealth or net worth.
(vi) Helps one to have a sound and peaceful mind, in order to be more
productive.
(vii) Helps one to be seen as financially reliable and responsible (good
reputation)
[any four
(b) Avenues for saving
(i) Banks (saving account, current account, treasury bill, etc)
(ii) Savings and loans companies
(iii) Social security schemes
(iv) Insurance companies
(v) Credit unions
(vi) ‘Susu’ companies
(vii) Money /Savings box
6)
(a) Give four reasons for the establishment of state owned
enterprises in Ghana
(b) Highlight four problems facing state owned
enterprises in Ghana
SHOW ANSWER
(a) Reasons for the establishment of state owned enterprises in Ghana
(i) Provision of employment for workers.
(ii) Provision of essential goods and services at affordable costs
(iii) Protection of certain sectors which are considered to be of national
interest and pride.
(iv) Large capital required to establish certain vital services may not be
obtained by private enterprises.
(v) Rapid development of the economy
(vi) Maintain control of certain crucial factors that affect the economy
[any four
(b) Problems facing State Owned Enterprises
(SOEs) in Ghana
(i) Low
productivity – Many SOEs are producing at levels well below their capacities.
(ii)
Incompetent and inefficient staff – Some SOEs are staffed with personnel with
relatively low levels of training, experience and skills.
(iii)
Poor working attitude of staff – The working attitudes of many workers in
several SOEs are simply destructive (negative)
(iv)
Political inconsistencies / interference– Each political party that comes to
power has different ideas on how the SOEs must be managed. Hence, there is no
political consistency.
(v)
Insufficient funds / capital – Many SOEs do not have the needed funds to
operate at optimum (best / highest) levels.
(vi)
Bribery, Corruption and Embezzlement – Almost all SOEs in Ghana are perceived
to have various levels of bribery, corruption and embezzlement present in them.
(vii)
Lack of trust by general public – the general public seems to have a low level
of trust in SOEs.
(viii)
Excessive patronage of services – There is excessive patronage of (extreme
pressure on) some SOEs products and services due to the affordable rates and
the monopoly (‘one man show’) that some of them have.
[any four]
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