O-LevelPakistan StudiesThe environment of PakistanOct/Nov 2023 · Q125 Marks

Study Fig. 1.1, a map showing southern Pakistan and surrounding countries. [Figure 1.1]

(a)(i)Name the province labelled V and the two cities labelled W and X on Fig. 1.1. V W X[3]
(a)(ii)Using Fig. 1.1 only: – state the straight-line distance between city X and city W. ........................................................... km – state the direction of city X from city W.[2]
(a)(iii)Identify the line of latitude labelled Y on Fig. 1.1. Y[1]
(a)(iv)Using Fig. 1.1 only, describe the location of the mountains labelled Z.[3]
(b)(i)Define and give an example of 'natural topography'. definition example[2]
(b)(ii)Explain two ways deserts restrict agricultural activities in Pakistan. You should develop your answer. 1 2[4]
(c)Suggest four ways, other than agriculture, that deserts can be used by people. 1 2 3 4[4]
(d)To what extent is building additional motorways and major roads in all areas of Pakistan essential for its future economic development? Give reasons to support your judgement and refer to examples you have studied. You should consider different points of view in your answer.[6]

This question uses a diagram from the original paper, which isn't shown here. Open the full paper from the past papers archive to see it.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

[1] V = Balochistan
[1] W = Quetta
[1] X = Gwadar
[1] 640 (km) (Accept 620-660)
[1] south west or SW
[1] Tropic of Cancer/23.5°N (accept 23.0°N–23.9 °N or 23 °N)
[1] western/south-western part of Pakistan
[1] near border with Afghanistan/near international boundary/near to a province level boundary
[1] in eastern/central part of the province
[1] near to Kharan Desert
[1] between the Kharan Desert and the River Indus
[1] between 26°-30 °N and 66°-67.5°E
[1] direction from any other feature located on the map (Max 1) E/SE of Kharan Desert/Iran
[1] direction from any other feature located on the map (Max 1) W/SW/NW of India/River Indus
[1] direction from any other feature located on the map (Max 1) S/SE of Afghanistan
[1] direction from any other feature located on the map (Max 1) N/NE of Arabian Sea
[1] distance from any other feature named on the map (Max 1) 20-420 km from Kharan desert
[1] distance from any other feature named on the map (Max 1) 100-500 km from Arabian Sea
[1] distance from any other feature named on the map (Max 1) 80-400 km from the River Indus
[1] the surface/physical features of the land/landscape
[1] the forms and features of the land's surface
[1] the terrain
[1] crater/desert/floodplain/hill/lake/mountain/pass/peak/plain/plateau/ravine/ridges/river/trough/valley or any other named physical feature, e.g. mountains: Western Mountains, Safed Koh Ranges, Waziristan Hills, Sulaiman Range, Kirthar Range, North-Western Mountains, Hindu Kush, Northern Mountains, The Karakoram, The Himalayas, Central Himalayas, Lesser Himalayas, The Siwaliks, Salt Range
[1] plateaux: Balochistan Plateau, Potwar Plateau
[1] passes: Kurram Pass, Khyber Pass, Lawarai Pass, Shundur Pass, Khunjerab Pass, Babusar Pass
[1] valleys: Swat, Chitral, Dir, Gilgit, Hunza, Baltistan, Murree & Gallies, Kaghan
[1] deserts: Kharan Desert, Thar Desert, Thal Desert
[1] rivers: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Kabul, Hab, Dasht
[1] Indus Plain - Lower & Upper
[2] climate is dry/rainfall is very low/scarce/lack of water; so not many varieties of crops can grow there (dev) cannot adapt to the extreme climate conditions
[2] extreme heat/hot climate makes working/living conditions very difficult; hence there are few settlements for workers (dev) few markets to sell goods to
[2] very few towns/sparse population; so there is little demand for growing many crops in these areas
[2] strong winds/moving sand; crops would be constantly buried/covered in sand
[2] soils are infertile/lack nutrients/rocky/rugged/barren land; they do not contain any alluvium/would need a lot of fertilisers for crops to grow
[2] little vegetation to provide shade/shelter from winds; plants can be scorched/crops damaged by winds/fodder has to be provided
[2] pests (such as locusts) are prevalent; which means they would destroy the crops grown/pesticides would be needed
[2] deserts are remote/inaccessible; so it is difficult/expensive to transport crops to other areas to sell/to markets
[2] growing crops in deserts would be very costly; because they would need irrigation systems
[2] sand is difficult to drive farm machinery/vehicles over; which makes using equipment difficult
[1] mining/drilling/extraction (of sand/gas/oil/coal/other minerals)
[1] location of solar panels/solar farms/for solar power
[1] location of brick kilns/factories/manufacturing/cottage industries
[1] power lines/communication masts/roads/railway building
[1] building settlements
[1] military training/military bases
[1] people can follow a traditional/nomadic lifestyle
[1] waste disposal sites
[1] Tourism/leisure purposes (max 2): tourist attractions/hotels/desert safari/wild camping/glamping/camel rides/hot air ballooning/photography/hiking/trekking/climbing/quad biking/sand boarding/extreme sports/camel racing/rally driving
[0] No valid response
[1-2] Level 1: Simple point referring to one view (1) / Simple points referring to any view (2)
[3-4] Level 2: Developed point referring to one view only (3) / Developed points referring to both views or developed point and a relevant example (4)
[5-6] Level 3: Developed points referring to both views with evaluation or relevant example (5) / Developed points referring to both views with evaluation and relevant example (6)
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is essential for future economic development because: would allow ease of movement for people/goods/raw materials to previously inaccessible areas/regions
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is essential for future economic development because: would allow opportunity for the exploitation of minerals/raw materials which would otherwise be too expensive/inaccessible to extract
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is essential for future economic development because: would encourage business opportunities to be more widespread across the country rather than focussed in the major towns and cities
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is essential for future economic development because: could prevent/reduce rural to urban migration as people would be more able to commute
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is essential for future economic development because: business corridors could be set up
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is not essential for future economic development because: there is no need to build roads in all areas of Pakistan due to uneven population distribution, low demand in some regions makes cost unreasonable
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is not essential for future economic development because: it is expensive to build roads and railways in the northern areas due to extreme temperatures and steep slopes
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is not essential for future economic development because: businesses want to locate in or near to main towns and cities which already have roads
[DEV] Building additional motorways and roads in all areas is not essential for future economic development because: investment would be needed in rural areas to encourage business to locate/re-locate there, alongside new roads