O Level Geography: Economic Development — Practice Questions

These are original practice questions written in the style of Cambridge O Level Geography (2217) assessment objectives. They are not taken from any past paper and are not endorsed by Cambridge International. Scenarios are deliberately generic — substitute your own learned case study’s real names, places and figures wherever the question asks for one.

Use these questions alongside the Economic Development study guide and revision notes.

Section A

1. State one economic indicator, one social indicator, and one composite indicator of development, giving an example of each. [3]

2. Name the four sectors of production, and state which two grow in relative importance as a country develops. [3]

3. State the three parts of the systems model used to describe a farming or industrial system. [3]

4. Name the four environmental risks specified in Theme 3.7. [2]

5. State two natural causes and two economic or political causes of food shortages. [4]

Section B

6. A country has a high GNP per capita but a comparatively low life expectancy and literacy rate.

(a) Explain why using GNP per capita alone would give a misleading picture of this country’s development. [2] (b) Explain why a composite index such as the Human Development Index gives a more balanced picture. [2]

7. Using a named transnational corporation you have studied, describe its global links and explain one positive and one negative impact of its operations on the country where it has invested. [6]

8. A government is deciding whether to expand nuclear power or invest further in renewable energy.

(a) State one advantage and one disadvantage of nuclear power. [2] (b) State one advantage and one disadvantage of renewable energy. [2] (c) Explain why a balanced conclusion on this decision should depend on the country’s specific circumstances rather than favouring one source absolutely. [2]

9. Using a named industrial zone or factory you have studied, explain how three location factors (from land, labour, raw materials, fuel and power, transport, and markets) influenced its location. [6]

10. A coastal area has seen rapid growth in tourism over the past decade.

(a) Suggest one physical attraction and one human attraction that might explain this growth. [2] (b) State one benefit and one disadvantage of this tourism growth for the receiving area. [2] (c) Suggest one measure that could make tourism in this area more sustainable. [2]

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Answers

1. Economic: GNP per capita [1]. Social: literacy rate or life expectancy [1]. Composite: the Human Development Index (HDI), which combines several measures into one score [1].

2. Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary [1–2]. Tertiary and quaternary grow in relative importance as a country develops, as employment shifts away from primary activity [1]. (Secondary employment rises during industrialisation but falls in relative importance in the most developed economies, so it is not one of the two.)

3. Inputs, processes and outputs [3, one mark each; for an industrial system, outputs additionally include waste].

4. Any four of: soil erosion, desertification, enhanced global warming, pollution (water, air, noise or visual) [2, allow 1 mark for any two correct].

5. Natural causes: any two of drought, floods, tropical storms, pests [2]. Economic/political causes: any two of low capital investment, poor transport and distribution, conflict [2].

6. (a) GNP per capita is only an economic measure and does not reflect social wellbeing, so a country could appear developed by this measure alone while its population experiences poor health and education outcomes, as shown by the low life expectancy and literacy rate here [2]. (b) A composite index combines economic and social measures into one score, avoiding the distortion of relying on a single indicator, so it would more accurately reflect this country’s mixed picture of high income alongside lower social outcomes [2].

7. Answers will vary depending on the transnational corporation studied, but should include: a description of its global links (for example, where it is headquartered, where it operates or sources materials, and the scale of its investment or workforce in the country studied) [1–2]; one positive impact, such as job creation, skills transfer, or infrastructure investment [1–2]; and one negative impact, such as loss of local control over resources, profit repatriation, or environmental cost [1–2]. Full marks require concrete, place-specific detail (named locations, sectors, or figures) rather than generic statements.

8. (a) Advantage: nuclear power is a reliable, high-output source with low ongoing carbon emissions once built [1]. Disadvantage: very high upfront construction cost and the unresolved long-term problem of radioactive waste disposal [1]. (b) Advantage: renewable sources produce little to no carbon emissions during operation and use naturally replenished resources [1]. Disadvantage: output can be unreliable or weather-dependent (for example, wind or solar), and some renewable infrastructure requires significant land area [1]. (c) A balanced conclusion should depend on context because factors such as a country’s available capital, existing infrastructure, climate and geography, and capacity to manage risk or waste safely will make one source more suitable than the other in different countries, rather than either source being universally the better choice [2].

9. Answers will vary depending on the industrial zone or factory studied, but should explain three named location factors with place-specific detail — for example: proximity to raw materials reducing transport costs [1–2]; access to a large or skilled labour force in the area [1–2]; and good transport links (road, rail, port or air) enabling the movement of inputs and finished goods to markets [1–2]. Full marks require the explanation to be tied to the specific named location studied, not stated as a generic list of factors.

10. (a) Physical attraction: for example, a beach, coastline or favourable climate [1]. Human attraction: for example, historic sites, hotels and resorts, or accessible transport links [1]. (b) Benefit: income and employment for the local population [1]. Disadvantage: environmental damage (for example, to coastal ecosystems) or cultural disruption to the local community [1]. (c) Any reasonable sustainable-management suggestion, for example: limiting visitor numbers at sensitive sites, investing tourism revenue in environmental protection, or promoting off-season tourism to spread demand more evenly [2].

A note on case-study preparation

All seven of Theme 3’s subtopics require a named, specific case study (eight in total, as 3.2 requires two), and questions 7 and 9 above are written to be answered with whichever real example you have studied — substitute your own transnational corporation or industrial zone into the same question structure rather than treating the generic prompt as the full answer. Because a single well-learned case study can often support more than one subtopic (a transnational corporation can supply detail for both development’s global links and industry’s location factors, for instance), prioritise depth over breadth: learn three or four examples with genuine place-specific facts you can write under exam conditions, rather than eight shallow ones you can only describe in general terms.