O-LevelPakistan StudiesThe environment of PakistanMay/June 2015 · Q225 Marks

(a) Study Figs 3 and 4 which give information about the extraction of three metallic minerals in Pakistan in 2010–11. [Figure 3] [Figure 4]

(a)(i)How much iron ore was extracted in 2010–11?[1]
(a)(ii)State the difference between the type of information being provided in Fig. 3 compared to that in Fig. 4.[1]
(b)(i)Give one use for the mineral chromite and name one area where it is extracted in Pakistan. Use Area[2]
(b)(ii)What are the benefits of extracting mineral resources for local people and the national economy?[4]
(b)(iii)Explain the effects of mineral extraction on the natural environment.[4]
(c)(i)Fig. 5 is a diagram of a thermal power station. [Figure 5] Choose three terms from the list below and use them to label the diagram in three of the spaces provided. reservoir transformer boiler turbine cooling tower steam[3]
(c)(ii)Explain why burning fossil fuels in power stations is unsustainable.[4]
(d)Pakistan Railways now carry less than 10 percent of Pakistan's passenger traffic and 5 percent of its freight. To what extent is it possible to develop railways further in Pakistan? Support your answer by using examples you have studied.[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 (May/June 2015). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

[1] (a) (i) 329 000 tonnes (accept 327000 tonnes to 331000 tonnes)
[1] (a) (ii) Fig. 3 shows quantities/amounts/tonnes whereas Fig. 4 shows proportions/share/percentages of the total amount (Bar v Pie alone = 0)
[2] (b) (i) Used in steel/bridges/railway carriages/furnace linings/tools; Muslimbagh/Zhob (Valley)/Wad
[4] (b) (ii) Local people: Employment opportunities; Higher/more stable incomes; Higher living standards/settled lifestyle; Business opportunities for local/ancillary industries/services; Improvement to local infrastructure such as roads/electricity (infrastructure alone = 0); Local use of raw materials with example (do not double mark raw material in national economy). National economy: Raw material for named sectors of economy, e.g. energy, construction, agriculture, industry; Named raw material; Industrialisation / industry developed; Revenue/taxes for government; Export earnings/contributes to balance of payments/source of foreign exchange/ exports increase; Reduces national debt/deficit; Reducing imports
[4] (b) (iii) Deforestation to clear land; Destroys habitat/wildlife/plants; Land deformation/destruction/destroys land; E.g. holes/pits/depressions/tips/spoil heaps/flooding; Ash waste/ash ponds/toxic waste; Subsidence even after mining activity finished; Noise pollution from machinery/blasting/scares/disturbs wildlife; Air pollution from dust and smoke; Water pollution – seepage into ground water/rivers/seas
[3] (c) (i) Credit any three correct of (L to R): boiler, steam, turbine, transformer, reservoir, cooling tower
[4] (c) (ii) Releases carbon dioxide/contributes to global warming/climate change; Will exhaust/run out eventually/non-renewable/cannot be replaced; Having to be extracted from increasingly inaccessible/inhospitable places, e.g. Arctic/ deep sea; Named environmental damage other than air pollution, e.g. oil spills from tankers/ pipelines; Becoming expensive; Production/prices controlled by cartels, e.g. OPEC; Many countries, e.g. Pakistan, have few deposits and have to import
[6] (d) Indicative content (development of points or examples in parentheses). Possible: Government/private funding (providing faster trains, e.g. Shalimar Express/launching new services/computerising ticket system); Allowing private operating companies who pay to use track; Electrification; Changing single track to dual (e.g. Khanewal to Lodhran); Foreign funding (e.g. Karakoram Express, Lahore to Karachi, launched 2002, mostly funded by China). Not possible: Hilly/difficult terrain (especially SW Balochistan/high mountains in N/NW); Much of network single line/track; Lack of maintenance over a long period (worn out rails/sleepers); Inefficiently managed (overstaffed/operational inefficiencies/delays/corruption/uneconomic stations); Outdated locomotives; Shortage of rolling stock; Lack of funding