Theme

1 Data Response Questions

Question 1:
Theme 1: Tropical Environments
South Indian Floods 2015

The 2015 South Indian floods resulted from heavy rainfall during the period of November
December 2015. They affected regions of the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh, with Tamil Nadu and the city of Chennai particularly hard- hit. More than 500 people
were killed and over 1.8 million people were displaced. With estimates of damages and losses
ranging from nearly US$3 billion to over US$15 billion, the floods were the costliest to have
occurred in 2015 and among the worst natural disasters of the year.

(a) With reference to Resource 1, describe the pattern of annual precipitation. [4]

(b) Using Resources 1 and 2, identify areas in India most likely to be affected by floods. [4]

(d) With reference to Resource 3, identify possible challenges as a result of precipitation
received at Tamil Nadu. [5]

(e) Using Resource 4 and your own knowledge, account for the extent of damage and losses in
Tamil Nadu as a result of the floods in 2015. [7]

Source: Adapted from MJC, CT 2016.

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 Resource 1 for Question 1
Rainfall Data for India

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 Resource 2 for Question 1
Flood Hazard Map for India

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Resource 3 for Question 1
Rainfall received during the months of November- December for Tamil Nadu from 1921-2009

Resource 4 for Question 1
Article on floods in Chennai in November- December 2015

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Question 2:
Theme 1: Tropical Environments
South Indian Floods 2015

Bangladesh is a densely populated country that is susceptible to frequent floods. Resource 1
shows the flood risk areas, differentiated by depth of floods, in Bangladesh. Resource 2 shows a
climograph of Dhaka, one of the cities in Bangladesh. Resource 3 shows the Ganges-
Brahmaputra river basin. Resource 4 shows the aftermath of floods in Dhaka in 2015.

(a) Describe the distribution of flood risk in Bangladesh in Resource 1. [3]

(b) Describe the variations in precipitation in Resource 2. [3]

(c) With reference to Resources 2, 3 and your own knowledge, explain why floods may occur in
Bangladesh. [5]

(d) Using Resource 4 and your own knowledge, explain how floods may impact the people living
in Dhaka. [5]

(e) Using relevant Resources and your own knowledge, recommend whether a dam should be
built at the location marked X on Resource 1 to reduce flood risk in Dhaka. Justify your
decision. [9]

Source: Adapted from YJC, CT 2016.

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 Resource 1 for Question 2
Flood risk areas, differentiated by depth of floods, in Bangladesh

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 Resource 2 for Question 2
Climograph of Dhaka, Bangladesh

mm

Month of the year

Resource 3 for Question 2

Ganges-Brahmaputra river basin

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 Resource 4 for Question 2
Aftermath of floods in Dhaka in 2015

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Question 3:
Theme 1: Tropical Environments
Factors affecting Drainage Basins in the Mekong River

The Mekong River is located in Southeast Asia. It flows approximately 4,900 kilometers from
the Tibetan Plateau all the way to Cambodia, spanning across 6 countries. The Mekong River
supports the largest inland fishery in the world, with total production in 2008 of 3.9 million
tons, valued at between US$3.9-7 billion.

Resource 1 shows the Mekong Basin, with the respective levels of water contribution from each
riparian state and the insert shows the map location of the Nakhonsawan Province in Thailand.
Resource 2 shows the landuse pattern in the Mekong River basin. Resource 3 shows a series of
existing and proposed dams along the Mekong River. Resource 4 shows a photograph of The
Grand Canyon, a stretch of the upper part of the Mekong River in China, while Resource 5
shows a photograph of a stretch of the lower stretch of the Mekong River at Cambodia.
Resource 6 is taken from a newspaper article on Thailands plan to draw water from the
Mekong River in February 2016.

(a) Describe the pattern of landuse in the Mekong Basin as shown in Resource 2. [4]

(b) Explain how human activities as shown in Resource 2 and 3 may affect the hydrologic cycle
in the Mekong River basin. [5]

(c) With reference to Resource 4 and 5, suggest how and why the channel form may vary
between the upper and lower course of the river. [6]

(d) With reference to Resource 1, 2 and 5, explain how Thailands extraction of water from the
Mekong River may impact other countries within the drainage basin of Mekong. [5]

(e) Explain how the arrival of short duration and high intensity rainfall may affect hydrologic
processes in the segment of the river as shown in Resource 6. [5]

Source: Adapted from CJC, CT 2016.

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 Resource 1 for Question 3

*The percentages indicate the contribution

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Resource 2 for Question 3

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Resource 3 for Question 3
Dam Construction along the Mekong River

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Resource 4 for Question 3
Upper Stretch of the Mekong River

Resource 5 for Question 3
Lower Part of the Mekong River

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Resource 6 for Question 3
Drought-hit Thailand Taps Mekong River

A dry canal in Nakhonsawan province, north of Bangkok. The dry spell has caused the formation
of a hardened desert crust on the soil, which is enriched with calcite or silica. Thailand expects
to extract up to 47 million cu m of water from the Mekong River over the next three months to
irrigate its farms inland.

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Theme 2 Data Response Questions

Question 4:

Theme 2 Development, Economy and Resources
Research and Development by transnational corporations

Resource 1 shows the breakdown of research and development (R&D) income and expenditure
by transnational corporations (TNCs) in 2007. It also reveals the flow of R&D expenditure
between regions. Resource 2 shows Apples actual and expected expenditure on R&D from
years 2004 to 2016. Resource 3 gives a breakdown of R&D expenditure for some TNCs in 2009.

(a) Compare the breakdown of R&D expenditure for higher-income and lower-income countries
as shown in Resource 1. [4]

(b) Supporting your answer with evidence from Resource 1, identify the region with the highest
outward flow of R&D investments and suggest one reason for the country identified. [4]

(c) Describe Apples changing contribution to R&D as shown in Resource 2. [3]

(d) Compare and account for the locational trends of headquarters (HQs) as shown in Resource
3. [6]

(e) Using Resource 3 and your own knowledge, explain whether investing more into R&D is an
effective strategy for Apple to remain competitive. [8]

Source: Adapted from ACJC, CT 2016.

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Resource 1 for Question 4

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 Resource 2 for Question 4

Resource 3 for Question 4

TNC Location Location R&D Sales R&D

of of main spending ($US Intensity
corporate R&D ($US million) (R&D as a
HQ million) (2009) % of sales)
(2009)
Apple USA USA 1 333 42 905 3.1%
Google USA USA 2 843 23 651 12.0%
3M USA USA 1 293 23 123 5.6%
GE USA USA 3 300 155 777 2.1%
Toyota Japan Japan 7 822 204 363 3.8%
Microsoft USA USA 9 010 58 437 15.4%
P&G USA USA 2 044 79 029 2.6%
IBM USA USA 5 820 95 759 6.1%
Samsung South South 6 002 109 541 5.5%
Korea Korea,
USA,
Japan
Intel USA USA 5 653 35 127 16.1%

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