Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies: Natural Resources — Practice Questions (0448)

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, in the style and at the standard of the examination. They are not reproduced past-paper questions — Cambridge International holds copyright in its own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: Natural Resources study guide and revision notes

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Section A

1. Name the three major dams identified in this section, and state one use of a barrage. [3]

2. State two effects of deforestation named in this section. [2]

3. Identify one fishing port region named in this section. [1]

Section B

4. Explain the reasons for, and one consequence of, the Indus Waters Treaty. [4]

5. Deforestation on mountain slopes is causing increased silting of a major dam downstream.

(a) Explain how deforestation leads to increased silting of a dam. [3] (b) Suggest one solution to this problem, and explain how it would help. [3]

6. “Evaluate the extent to which mineral extraction benefits Pakistan’s development.” [6]

7. Explain why fish farming (aquaculture) might be considered a more sustainable approach to fishing than relying solely on marine and inland wild-catch fishing. [3]

8. Explain why plantation development on the Indus Plain and afforestation on mountain slopes and plateaux might require different approaches, despite both aiming to increase forest cover. [3]

9. Name one mineral resource extracted in Pakistan mentioned in this section, and state one use of it. [2]

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Answers

1. Mangla, Tarbela and Warsak [3] (one mark each, or two names plus one mark for stating the third exists; accept two named barrages in place of one dam for partial credit as appropriate). One use of a barrage: controlling and diverting water for irrigation (or maintaining water levels for navigation or flood control) [1].

2. Any two of: soil erosion, silting (of dams/reservoirs), flooding [2].

3. Balochistan (or Sindh) [1].

4. The Indus Waters Treaty was established to divide and manage the use of the Indus river system’s waters between Pakistan and its neighbour, addressing the shared dependence on the same river system for agriculture, industry and domestic supply [1–2]. One consequence: it reduces the potential for conflict over shared water resources by establishing agreed rights and allocations, though disputes over specific projects or compliance can still arise, connecting water supply directly to Pakistan’s wider international relationships [2].

5. (a) Deforestation removes tree roots and vegetation cover that would otherwise hold soil in place [1]; without this cover, rainfall causes increased surface run-off and soil erosion, and the eroded soil is carried downstream by rivers and deposited in the slower-moving water behind a dam, reducing its storage capacity over time (silting) [1–2]. (b) Afforestation (replanting trees) on the affected slopes would help restore root systems that stabilise soil, reducing the rate of erosion and therefore the rate of silting reaching the dam downstream [2–3]. (Terracing or other soil conservation measures, correctly explained, would also gain credit.)

6. A strong evaluation names specific benefits (foreign exchange earnings, employment, contribution to industrial development from extracted minerals such as limestone, gypsum or rock salt) and weighs them explicitly against specific costs (environmental damage from extraction sites, the finite nature of mineral reserves, and the sustainability question of how long extraction can continue at current rates) [3–4]. Full marks require a reasoned judgement — for example, that mineral extraction benefits development significantly in the near term but requires careful, sustainable management of extraction rates and environmental impact to remain beneficial in the longer term — rather than simply listing benefits and costs side by side without reaching a conclusion [2].

7. Fish farming allows fish stocks to be deliberately managed and replenished under controlled conditions, rather than depending entirely on the natural reproduction rate of wild fish populations [1–2], reducing the risk of overfishing depleting marine or inland wild-catch stocks faster than they can naturally recover, which is a specific problem facing Pakistan’s fishing industry as identified in this section [1].

8. Plantation development on the Indus Plain typically takes place on relatively flat, accessible land, which may allow larger-scale, more commercially managed planting aimed partly at producing a usable resource [1–2]. Afforestation on mountain slopes and plateaux is primarily aimed at stabilising steep terrain to prevent soil erosion and reduce the silting of dams downstream, so the choice of species and planting method needs to prioritise root stability and erosion control over commercial yield [1–2].

9. Limestone, gypsum, or rock salt [1] — for example, limestone is used in construction and cement production [1]. (Any correctly matched mineral-and-use pair from the syllabus gains full credit.)

A note on exam technique for this topic

Every answer above deliberately draws on specific, named detail from the syllabus (the three named dams, the Indus Waters Treaty, Balochistan and Sindh’s fishing ports) rather than generic description, matching the study guide’s core advice for this section: Paper 2 questions frequently ask candidates to support a general point with a specific, located example, and vague answers without named detail lose marks even when the underlying explanation is otherwise sound. The same discipline applies across all four parts of this section – water, forests, minerals and fish – since each is assessed against the same underlying sustainability question the study guide identifies: how the resource is used, what damages it, and what would make continued use of it genuinely sustainable, without simply describing each resource as a separate, unconnected topic.