BECE 2024 Social Studies Questions & Answers for October Exam -Set 2

BECE 2024 Social Studies Questions and Answers for candidates preparing for the next BECE Examination: The 2024 Social Studies Questions for October cover examinable areas for this year’s BECE for Junior High School Candidates.

Check out how the answers have been written. This is how you are expected to write your social studies answers for the best scores and grade.

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.

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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.

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.

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READ: 2022 BECE Questions and Answers for Candidates (Download Now!)

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.

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.

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READ: BECE 2024 Social Studies Questions & Answers for October Examination -Set 1

BECE 2024 Social Studies Questions & Answers -Set 2

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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Source: Ghana Education News