csec study guide - may 8, 2012

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012 11

WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER

Sankofa Arts and Facilitation presents V-Day Kingston 2012, a production of Eve Ensler’s ‘The Vagina Monologues’, held at the PhilipSherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona on Friday, April 27.

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE |12 MAY 8-14, 2012

DEBBION HYMANContributor

OBJECTIVEAT THE end of the lesson you should

be able to describe the constitutionalarrangements undertaken in the DutchAntilles and Puerto Rico.

DUTCH

THE TRIPARTITE KINGDOMThe Dutch Caribbean still had the old

colonial system intact until 1939. Thecolonial assemblies or statens were fullycontrolled by the wealthy Dutch familiescomprising planters and merchants. Thetop official would have the governorappointed in Holland.

By 1939, the emerging middle classwithin the Dutch Caribbean waslobbying for increased autonomy. Anumber of political parties also began toemerge which were interested in gainingself-government. Their efforts paid offand in 1949 the colonies were granteduniversal adult suffrage and internal self-government.

In 1954, the Dutch colonies weremade partners in a tripartite Kingdom.By the Charter of the Kingdom of theNetherlands the three equal members ofthe one kingdom were declared. Thesewere the Dutch Antilles, Suriname andthe Netherlands. Each Kingdom was tokeep full internal self-government whiledefence and foreign affairs were to be ajoint responsibility. The Dutch had losttheir colonies in the East Indies andwould do anything to keep the ones inthe Caribbean appeased.

Many Dutch Caribbean persons werecomfortable with a tripartite kingdominstead of independence as they wouldstill receive aid and preferential tradewith Holland. However, those whoopposed it complained that they wereunable to develop a national identity.

Economic difficulties were to arise inthe Dutch Caribbean in the 1960s. Thesewere as a result of:

(1) Mechanisation in the oil industrywhich resulted in the decline in the

number of jobs.

(2) Rising unemployment.

The government tried intervening bycreating jobs in the light industry andtourism sector. There was some success,but not enough jobs were created andthe unrest continued. This resulted inlabour unrest and calls for autonomyfrom the colonies. Holland began toseriously contemplate the idea of fullindependence for its colonies. Manywished to remain a part of the tripartitekingdom except Suriname. Under theleadership of Henk A. E. Arron,Suriname negotiated and gainedindependence in 1975.

PUERTO RICO

COMMONWEALTHIn 1902, Puerto Rico was still

uncertain about its rule. As you recall theUS gained control of Puerto Rico afterthe Spanish-American War. Many had aproblem with US colonialism andlobbied for this to change. This changecame in 1952 when Munoz gainedgeneral acceptance for aCommonwealth. Puerto Rico became an‘associated free state’ (Estado LibreAsociado) of the US with its owngovernor and bi-cameral legislaturewhich managed its own budget and allinternal affairs.

The power of the US president toappoint officials was removed. Also, theUS Congress could no longer overrulelaws passed in Puerto Rico. However,the US remained responsible for defenceand foreign affairs. Puerto Rico was toremain in the US commercial sphere andall US tariffs were to apply but PuertoRicans did not pay federal income tax.Puerto Ricans became US citizens buthad no vote in federal elections. Since1952, the supporters of Commonwealthhave been challenged by thosedemanding complete statehood orcomplete autonomy, but the 1952compromise still had generalacceptance.

Debbion Hyman teaches at St Hugh’s HighSchool. Send questions and comments to [email protected]

Constitutionalarrangements

yl:history yl:biology

in the Dutch Antilles & Puerto Rico

How to get thebest results

MONACIA WILLIAMSContributor

HI THERE, students! A grade one to anyone whodeduced from this week’s title that we are nearing theend of the time that we have been spending together

this year! I am surely going to miss the sessions that we haveshared with each other and I sincerely hope that you havebenefitted in some way from them. I know that I have!

Our sessions have forced me to check and recheck theinformation that I have been sharing to ensure its accuracy,and it has also forced me to analyse the information in orderto try to present it to you in a format that will help you tounderstand the various concepts. I hope that in some smallway I have succeeded! Let us now look to see how best wecan use all of this information that you have learnt.

Remember how your exam is set up? There are threepapers, Paper 03 represents the school- based assessment,which is now history, and there is nothing you can do now toalter that mark so we will not spend any time thinking aboutit. Paper 01 is the multiple-choice paper. It consists of 60multiple-choice items and they cover the entire syllabus.Paper 01 does not provide items for a guessing game; neitheris it a contest providing prizes for the candidate who finishesin the shortest possible time. Each question requires seriousanalysis and thought before you attempt to shade in aresponse!

Be reminded also that poor shading techniques can createproblems for you. Avoid using your eraser and invest in thecorrect pencil. Your pencil must be HB, not H and definitelynot 2H! The shading from the soft (HB) pencil is what thecomputer handles best, erasing what you consider anincorrect answer provides the computer with 2 options and itmight not chose the one that you want it to choose so do noterase. Use the time given wisely and read each questioncarefully before deciding on an answer. Take careful note ofthe words that are in capitals and in bold. These are the keywords and they are important in helping you to understandthe questions.

Paper 02 is the paper that deals with structured (Section A)and extended essays (Section B). This is the paper that moststudents tend to dread. It consists of three structured andthree extended essay questions, each worth 15 marks. Thereis a difference, however. The 15 marks are much harder toearn from Section A than from Section B. Why is this so?This is because Section A requires precise, well-reasonedanswers and few students are very good at giving these!

How then can you manipulate this paper to get maximummarks? Do not spend time answering all of the questions inSection A before you attempt Section B. If you do this youwill find that you will spend too much time on Section A and

not have enough time for Section B where you are more likelyto gain more marks. What do you do then? Do question onein Section A and then go to question four in Section B andcontinue like this until you get to the end. This way all thequestions will be given equal attention.

ANSWERING SECTION A� Read the question carefully, until you understand what

it is asking. Annotate, deduce, distinguish, differentiate,discuss, explain, precaution, suggest are words that arealmost always on the question paper. Do you know whatthese words mean? If you do not, how are you going toanswer the questions correctly? Hint: If you have not yetdiscovered it, there is a glossary of terms at the back of yoursyllabus.

� Section A’s questions are to be answered in the spacesor ruled lines that are provided with the question. Althoughyou might not think so, the spaces provided are adequate forthe answers that are to be given. Do not write over thequestion in your answer! You are wasting time and space.

ANSWERING SECTION B� Again, read each question carefully. Each question is

divided into several sections. Look at the marks allotted toeach and use this as a guide to the length and depth of youranswer. A question that has six marks assigned to it cannothave the same number of points as one to which three marksare assigned.

� Do not provide answers for questions that are notasked. For example, you are asked Why are you doingbiology? You do not answer by writing: Biology is awonderful subject that deals with the study of livingorganisms. You answer: I am doing biology because I want tobecome a pharmacist and it is one of the requirements.

� Use the information in the different sections of thequestions to help you to focus your thoughts on theinformation that you need to recall. Believe me, it is quitepossible to write one full page and get 0 marks.

� Learn to spell biological terms and words. It isimportant and it is a habit that you must develop. Many ofyou aspire to become medical workers. Think of what wouldhappen if certain key words relating to the patient treatmentwere to be spelt incorrectly!

� Learn to draw biological structures. Do not practisethese drawings in your head, practise them on paper! This isthe only way that you will be able to test your knowledge andskill.

� Annotate your drawing. It saves time!� Do not rewrite the annotations in the body of your

answer; you’ll be wasting time!

Now go and get some past papers and practise. Good luck!

Monacia Williams teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions andcomments to [email protected]


ROXANNE WRIGHTContributor

RAY REYNOLDS sells electrical goods at manufacturer’s recommended price. The manufacturer allowsReynolds a trade discount of 25% off the recommended retail price when Reynolds buys the goods.

Reynolds’ sales for the year ended December 31, 2010, at recommended retail price, are $280,000.

At the beginning of 2011, Reynolds decides to reduce selling price by cutting 10% off the recommendedprice. His sales for the year ended December 31, 2011, at the reduced price, are $360,000. [>1]

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CALCULATE THE:a.i. Gross Profit for 2010

ii. Gross Profit for 2011

The following information relates to Reynolds’ stocks during the two years ended December 31, 2011.Stock at cost January 1, 2010 $6,000Stock December 31, 2010 $8,000Stock at cost December 31, 2011 $1,000

CALCULATE THE:b.i. Rate of stock turnover for 2010.

ii. Rate of stock turnover for 2011.

SOLUTION:

Accountingfor stock

yl:principles of accounts

Can you imagine that we have come to the end of the 2011-2012 principles of accounts’ weeklypresentation? It was indeed a productive period in which meaningful presentations were made. I sincerelyhope you followed weekly and each assisted with your total preparation which is needed for you to do wellin your external examination.

To enhance your preparation and performance in your examination I encourage you to:� Take sufficient pens, pencils, a rubber, a ruler and a calculator with you on exam day. This can be a psychological booster. Use new pens for ‘spares’.� Listen carefully to instructions being announced by the invigilator. If anything is unclear, ask questions before the start as this could save you a great deal of time.� Stay positive and remember that at least after the exam you can relax and not have to do any further revision. This thought will help you to relax.

As you sit in the examination room, make sure you:� Have everything necessary, i.e. question paper, answer booklet, additional sheets.� Read all the instructions carefully to check that you know exactly how many questions you are required to answer from Section 01 and Section 02.� Keep thinking positive and do your best.� Just answer the question.� Hand in all the answer sheets at the end of the examination.

I am confident that if you adhere to the instructions on your exam question paper, number the questionsyou attempted correctly, answer the questions asked and hand in your answer sheet, the examiner will dojustice to your script. After all this, there should be no doubt that your examination result will be a truereflection of the hard work, diligence and dedication that you had put out in preparing for this subject.

When you get out of the examination room, remind yourself you now have one less exam to sit, socelebrate and await the result. If you have another exam, continue to study for it.

We know you can so just do it. Success is yours, claim it on exam day. The exam result will prove you right.

Cheers!

Roxanne Wright teaches at Immaculate Academy. Send questions and comments to [email protected]

Mr. Sidney Bartlett, director of culture in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, caught by ourcameras as he was about to demonstrate how to blow the abeng for Jeanette Lewis, publicrelations manager at Flow.The occasion was the Kingston Pon di River Literary, Art andMusic Festival held recently at Boone Hall Oasis.The abeng is a musical instrument madefrom the horn of an animal and was used by Maroons as a method of communication.


ExamReviewFRANCINE TAYLOR-CAMPBELLContributor

PLEASE ATTEMPT the following questions.

1. When manganese (II) nitrate Mn(NO3)2 is heated, the onlyproducts are manganese (IV) oxide and a brown gas. Whenmanganese (IV) oxide is added to hydrogen peroxide, a colourless gasR is given off. R relights a glowing splint. When manganese (IV) oxideis added to hot concentrated hydrochloric acid, a yellow-green gas isgiven off. S bleaches damp litmus paper.

(a) Identify the gases represented by the letters Q, R and S.(b) State the formula of manganese (IV) oxide.(c) Write equations for the action of heat on (i) sodium nitrate (ii) lead (II) nitrate.(d) Oxygen can react with metals and non-metals to form oxides. Write a balanced equation to show how oxygen reacts with (i)

sodium (ii) sulphur.(e) What would you observe if water is added to the product formed in each of the reactions and the solution tested with a few drops of litmus solution?

ANSWERS1.(a) The gases Q, R, S are nitrogen dioxide (NO2), oxygen (O2) and chlorine (Cl2), respectively.

(b) Formula of manganese (IV) oxide - MnO2.

(c) 2NaNO3(s) ===== 2NaNO2(s) + O3(g)2Pb(NO3)2 ==== 2PbO(s) + 4NO2(g) + O2 (g)

(d) Na (s) + O2(g) === 2Na2O(s); S (s) + O2(g) ==== SO2 (g)

(e) A very vigorous reaction would take place when water is added to sodium oxide, which would also dissolve. This solution would cause no change to the blue litmus solution. The sulphur dioxide produced would dissolve in the water, forming a solution which would change the blue litmus solution to red.

2. A student made the following remark.“To prepare lead nitrate, add dilute nitric acid to lead carbonate and to prepare lead chloride, add dilute hydrochloric acid to lead carbonate.” To what extent do you agree or disagree with the methods described above. Give reasons for your answer. Give full details of how you would prepare solid samples of lead nitrate and lead chloride starting from lead carbonate. (11 mks)

3. This question is based on the following oxides; carbon dioxide, copper II oxide, sodium oxide, carbon monoxide, silicon dioxide and sulphur dioxide.(a) Which oxide has a macromolecular structure?(b) Which oxide is used to bleach wood pulp in the manufacture of paper?(c) Which oxides are acidic and which are basic?(d) Which oxides are common atmospheric pollutants?(e) Which oxide is the main constituent of sand?(f) Which oxide produces a blue solution when heated with dilute sulphuric acid?

Francine Taylor-Campbell teaches at Jamaica College. Send questions andcomments to [email protected]

yl:chemistryANSWERS

3.(a) Silicon dioxide(b) Sulphur dioxide

(c) Carbon dioxide, silicon dioxide and suphur dioxide areacidic while copper II oxide and sodium oxide are basic

(d) Carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide(e) Silicon dioxide

(f) Copper II oxide ( CuO + H2SO4= CuSO4blue + H2O)

Walter Dix, third from left, of the USA Red team, wins with Jamaica’s Oshane Bailey coming in third overall with a time of 38.98, in the second heat of the USA vs the world men’s4 x 100 during the Penn Relays athletics meet Saturday,April 28, in Philadelphia. USA Red team won with a time of 38.40.


MARJORIE HENRYContributor

GREETINGS TO you, my young readers! I hope that yourexaminations are going well. Of course, you know that this isonly possible when you are well prepared; that is, you have

reviewed the topics in the different subjects not only by studying thenotes that the teacher has given you in class, but you have also readfrom your textbooks and done additional reading from other sources.These are ways you are able to gain adequate information on thesubjects you have chosen to sit in the external examinations.

As you are well aware, if you do not prepare yourself for theexaminations to ensure a passing grade, then you must be prepared tofail. I am certain that your goal is to do well in the examinations andnot to fail.

At this stage you should be well aware of the format of yourgeography examinations. As the syllabus informs us, the examinationwhich is done at the general proficiency level, comprises three papers:Paper 01, Paper 02 and Paper 03/1 OR Paper 03/2. Paper 01 and 02are assessed externally. Paper 03/1 is a school-based assessment andis assessed internally by the teacher and moderated by CXC. Paper03/2 is an alternative to the school-based assessment and is intendedfor those registered as private candidates.

Much time was spent discussing aspects of Paper 03/1 at the startof this series of lessons before I moved on to Paper 02. In closing offmy discussion on Paper 02 I would like to remind you of someimportant things relating to that it. These are tabulated below:

1. The paper has four sections, each corresponding to the foursections of the syllabus. These are Section A - mapwork; SectionB - natural systems; Section C - human systems; Section D -

human-environment systems.

2. Section A - Mapwork is the first question on the paper. Thisquestion one is the only compulsory question on the Paper 02,in contrast to the other sections where you have choices. For

Sections B, C, and D, you must choose only one question. You will,therefore, do a total of four questions.

3. You are required to begin each question on a new page. Pleasenote that you do not do continuous writing when answeringquestions in this subject. Each question has subsections and the

answers must be written in the same manner. You are not required tobegin each subsection on a different page.

4. State clearly the question you are doing. Develop the habit ofwriting the question you are answering at the top of the page. Forexample, ‘Answer to Question 2’. Question 2 may have parts,

namely (a), (b), (c) and (d). Each or some of these may also besubdivided, for example, part (a) may have (i), (ii) and (iii). Whenwriting the answer, indicate the section you are answering, that is -Part (a) (i), Part (a) (ii) and so on.

5. Ensure that you write the answers in the correct sections. Youcannot put the correct answer for Part (a) (i) at Part (a) (ii). Youwill get no score for it. Careful work must always be done.

6. The duration of Paper 02 is two and a half hours. Manage thistime well. A suggestion for this is to spend about 40 minutes onquestion one and 35 minutes on each of the other questions.

Since Section A is compulsory, use the first 5 minutes to read throughthe rest of the paper from Section B to D.

7. Select the one question from each of these sections that you arebest prepared to do. Since you can be tested on different specificobjectives in any one question, read through the question

carefully and make sure you can answer all of it.

8. Understand what the question is requiring of you. Identify theword that tells you what to do. These include study, define,describe, state, list, name, explain, compare. Each requires a

different level of response. If, for example, you are asked to ‘List threeconditions necessary for successful coral reef formation’, you simplylist (i) Coral reefs can only survive in saline water (ii) Corals grow onlyin fairly shallow water (iii) Corals grow in clean, clear water.

However, if you are asked to ‘Explain three conditions needed forsuccessful coral reef formation’, you must expand on the threeconditions that you gave, showing how each impacts on the growth ofcoral reefs. In short, to explain is making a greater demand on youthan to list.

The discussion will continue in the next lesson.

Marjorie Henry is an independent contributor. Send questions and comments [email protected]

For your informationyl:geography

Members of theCornwall Collegedebate team whonabbed first prize inthe Half Moon EarthDay Symposium.


NATALEE A. JOHNSONContributor

GOOD DAY, students. This islesson 34 of our series oflessons. In this week’s lesson, we

will continue and conclude the unit oninformation processing.

DATA VERIFICATIONThe errors we examined in the

previous lesson would warrant the needfor data verification. Data verification isthe process of checking for errors thatmight have been entered in the computerfrom a source document or when data iscopied from one medium or device toanother. Two methods of data verificationare double entry and proofreading/visual checks.

Thedouble entry

method is the process ofentering data more than once using aprogram that checks each second entryagainst the first. If the data entered is notthe same, it will not get processed andthe system will allow for the re-entry ofdata to ensure the data entered isaccurate. An example of this processwould be when you are required to enteryour password twice when setting upyour email to confirm your password.

Proofreading, on the other hand,checks the data entered against the dataon the original source document. Thismethod can be time consuming as itrequires the user to read the informationfrom the source document and check itagainst what was entered in the system.

Visual checks utilize on-screenprompts. When a set of data is entered, itis redisplayed on the screen. The user isprompted to read it and give aconfirmation that the data entered iscorrect. If the data is incorrect, it isrequired to be re-entered.

DATA VALIDATIONData validation employs several ways

of checking for the accuracy andcompleteness of data. Let us examinethe different methods you can use tovalidate data.

RANGE CHECKSRange check ensures that the data

entered is within a particular range.Examples of such a check would be datapertaining to the number corresponding

to the months of a year and notexceeding the number of hoursin a day.

REASONABLENESSCHECKS

Reasonablenesschecks ensure that data is

reasonable, that is, the data enteredis realistic. For example, a studentenrolled in first form has a particulardate of birth. His or her age, whencalculated by the computer system,should correspond (say age 11). Thus, achild who is 17 years old cannot belinked to a date of birth which wouldmake him/her younger.

DATA TYPE CHECKSData type checks, also called

character checks, ensure that the righttype of data has been entered. Theyensure that if you intend to enternumbers, only numbers are allowed tobe entered, and if only characters orsymbols are intended to be entered, thenonly that type of data is allowed.

CONSISTENCY CHECKSConsistency checks compare data you

have entered against other data you haveentered. If you enter a person’s year ofbirth and age in separate fields, aconsistency check will ensure that thetwo fields correspond with each other.

PRESENCE CHECKSThis check ensures that required data

is always present. For example, if in adatabase information is stored on a setof employees, and each employee musthave an ID number. A presence checkwill ensure that the ID field is not leftblank. On the other hand, there are caseswhere some fields in a database may beoptional, for example, not everybodymay have a house number but they havecellphones. So, the field which stores acustomer house number may be leftblank.

CHECK DIGITA check digit is an extra digit added to

the end of a code. It is used to detecterrors caused from transcription andalso to ensure that codes originallyproduced by a computer and are re-entered into another computer arecorrect. It is calculated from the otherdigits in the number. Check digits areincluded in barcode numbers.

PARITY CHECKAll data is transmitted as a sequence

of 1s and 0s. A common type of errorthat occurs during data transmission isthat a bit is swapped from a 0 to a 1 or a1 to a 0 created from electricalinterference. Parity checks detect thistype of error by adding an extra digit todata to make the total number of 1s or 0seither odd or even.

FILE ORGANISATION ANDACCESS

File organisation and access relates tothe use of records, fields and files storedin a database. You would have beenexposed to all three terms when you didthe productivity tool: database in class.

A FILE HAS THREE IMPORTANTCHARACTERISTICS:

� A file can either be permanent or temporary� The manner in which the records of the file are organised on a secondary storage device (file organisation)� The manner in which records are accessed

There are two main types of files thatbusinesses and organisations utilise.They are a master file and transactionfile.

A master file is a permanent file whichis kept up to date and stores the maininformation, summary data and keyfields in the data. The master filecontains two types of data: data that is

permanent, such as an employee’spersonal data, and data that is lesspermanent, which is updated on aregular basis, such as the hours workedby an employee.

A transaction file is a temporary onewhich is used to update the master fileafter a certain time, whether weekly ordaily. A transaction file adds a newrecord, updates and deletes records of amaster file. See a diagram illustratingthis process below (figure 1).

There is also another file, known as atransaction log, which keeps a record ofchanges to the transaction file. This willkeep a record of the history of whattransactions have taken place and notjust the recent one.

SEQUENTIAL FILE ORDERINGThis is where records are stored in a

logical or sorted order. Records can bearranged according to name, date, sizeor any other field in ascending order.

SERIAL FILE ORDERINGThis is similar to sequential file

ordering, except the records are notstored in any particular order(unordered). They are simply stored oneafter the other as they are added, similarto new items on a shopping list where asyou go along you add what you need.This type of ordering is often used tocapture transactions as they occurduring the day.

Sequential access means that recordsare accessed one by one in the order inwhich they are stored until the right one

is located. Serial access is similar asyou can access the records in the samemanner in which they were stored.

RANDOM FILE/DIRECTORDERING

Files are stored in any order using akey. The file is organised like a onedimensional array where each arrayelement has an index/subscript to markits location. Random access or directaccess allows you to access the recordyou want without having to go throughany others, unlike sequential access. Thecomputer locates the data item using theindices.

INDEX SEQUENTIAL FILEORDERING AND ACCESS

Index sequential file ordering uses anindexed file to store records similar to anindex in a textbook. Records are storedin this file in sequential order and a setof indices is used to refer to each itemstored in the file. Each record can beaccessed by its index number. Thus, thisfile ordering is a combination ofsequential and direct file ordering and isutilised when records need to be sortedsequentially but individual records mustbe accessed quickly.

By using both methods (sequentialand direct), the following can be done:you can go through each recordsequentially (one after each other) andyou can access a specific file directly(there is no need to go through anyprevious data).

This lesson bring us to last of ourseries of IT lessons. On this note, Iwould like to remind you to practise asmany past-paper questions as possible,which will allow you to have an idea ofthe manner in which you will be tested,how the questions will be structured andkey areas on which you are likely to betested. All the best in yourexaminations!! Remember, if you havefailed to prepare, you should beprepared to fail.

Natalee A. Johnson teaches at Ardenne HighSchool. Send questions and comments [email protected]

Informationprocessing

yl:information technology


NATASHA THOMAS-FRANCISContributor

HELLO, ALL. I hope you are not getting too anxious asthe examination period nears. You just need to stickto your study schedule, take some time to relax and

you should be prepared when you sit your examinations.

As I promised last week, we are going to look at a poem.

a) To whom does ‘we’ refer in the poem? (2 marks)

b) What currency (money) is used in the narrator’s own country? (2 marks)

c) What does “lo and behold” (line 20) tell us about the speaker’s reaction to the conversation? (2 marks)

d) What does the speaker’s use of “they, the ugly ones” (line 18 and 19) tell us about the speaker? (3 marks)

e) Identify the point in the poem (that is, the line) at which there is a dramatic change in tone and attitude. (2 marks)

f) Identify two phrases in stanza 3 that tell us about the personality of the persona. (2 marks)

g) What does “Gave me warm Ribena” (line 30) tell us about the narrator’s attitude to the English lady? (2 marks)

TOTAL: 15 MARKS

I hope that you’ve read the poem at least twice and thatyou have attempted to answer the questions. If you did, youcan now take a look at the suggested answers below:

(a) In order for you to identify the ‘we’ in the poem, youwould need to first identify the persona/speaker. Thepersona is a West Indian girl who is now living in England.In the poem she represents the West Indian people. Thepronoun ‘we’, then, refers to West Indian people.

(b) Again, it is important for you to understand that thepersona is a West Indian migrant. In England, where she

now resides, she would use ‘shillings and pence’, but in herown country she would use ‘dollars and cents’.

(c) The phrase ‘lo and behold’ suggests that she wassurprised that the people in the grocery shop were talkingabout her. She did not expect that their conversation wouldhave included any reference to her.

(d) The persona has been offended by the comments ofthe other customers. She has a strong sense of self in thatshe does not accept that she is ‘ugly’. She also has boldopinions about the customers, projecting the term on theminstead.

(e) In the first two stanzas the persona recounts an awfulexperience she had encountered. However, in stanza three,there is a contrast as she relates the kind treatment of anold English lady. Therefore, the change in tone and attitudeoccurs in line 23 (beginning of stanza three).

(f) The phrase ‘knew that I understood English, betterthan most’ shows the confidence of the persona. However,the phrases ‘Fingers stiff with fear’ and ‘vocal cordscontracted with the curse of shyness’ depict thevulnerability of the persona.

(g) The adjective ‘warm’ is indicative of the endearingnature of the English lady. The persona’s attitude is,therefore, one of gratitude and appreciation.

Were your answers similar to the ones I’ve presented?You would have noticed that I sought to provideexplanations along with my answers, but this was done as aguide. In the exams, you need to be very specific in youranswers so that you do not overwrite and run out of time.

Review this week’s lesson with your classmates. Have abreak-time discussion of the poem using the poetryanalysis which I gave you last week.

Have a great week!

Natasha Thomas-Francis teaches at Glenmuir High School. Sendquestions and comments to [email protected]

Poetryanalysis

(part 2)

yl:english language

THE WAY WE WEREThey thought that we did not speak EnglishOur words lilted up to the grey skiesFell in sweet cadences to our ears only.

5 We learned that a bloomer was bread.We learned to count shillings and penceNot dollars and cents.

Stood waiting in the greengrocersTo buy Irish potatoes for West Indian soup.They thought I was too young to understand them

10 They did not understand us.Still waiting, while the greengrocerAnd his headscarfed customer discussed us.Listened to the whole conversation on howUgly we were, but then

15 They looked at me standingPatiently waiting forMy turn to buy Irish potatoes,‘At least she’s pretty,’ they,The ugly ones said

20 And lo and beholdThey were talking about meassuming still that I did not speak English.

Took piano lessons from an elderlySmooth-cheeked, old English lady

25 Who lived music, ergo life.The piano teacher pushed silver, grey, angel’s hairFrom her face and talked to mePrepared me for exams, which I took.Knew that I understood English, better than most

30 Gave me warm Ribena before I entered cold exam roomsFingers stiff with fear, vocal cords contracted with the curse of shynessMade me skip grade I, go straight to grade ?She always knew what I could doTaught me new ways to look at life.

Adapted from Maureen Roberts’ The way we were in the Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain,Penguin Group, 2000, pp. 152-155.


BERYL CLARKEContributor

HI HARD-WORKING and dedicatedstudents! Examinations are here andI hope you are all ready, having

prepared well for anything that CXC ‘throws’at you. We are unable to finish discussing AMidsummer Night’s Dream. The themesinclude love, love’s difficulty, dreams andmagic. The love potion is integral to the waythe play develops and ends. The workmenwho dramatise a farcical tragedy to celebratethe Duke’s nuptials cannot be overlooked aswell. They bring humour and underscore intheir choice of drama the underlyingdarkness of this play. Please pay closeattention to the way the women are treatedby their male partners.

The English lit exam consists of twopapers. Paper 01 is the one we call unseenbecause the questions will be set on a poemand a prose extract and a drama extract thatyou are not likely to have seen before. Therewill be 15 short-answer questions and allare compulsory! There will be 20 marks foreach genre/mode - so a total of 60 marksare allocated to this paper which willcontribute 36 per cent to the whole exam.You will have one and a half hours tocomplete the entire paper.

Paper 02 has 12 essay questions. This isa change from last year’s as well as theJanuary paper. This one is divided into threesections. Section one deals with drama.There are two books, A Midsummer Night’sDream and Old Story Time in this section.Two questions will be set on each of themand you must answer one of the four. Thirty-five marks are allocated for this section andeach of the other two sections from whichyou will answer questions.

Section two has the poetry questions.Here you will be given two comparativequestions to answer one. Please rememberthat in responding to a question on poetry,

you need to use information from twopoems.

The prose questions are to be found insection three. Here there will be sixquestions. You must answer one. There willbe two on Songs of Silencce, two on TheWine of Astonishment and two on the shortstories, one of which will be named.

Overall, you must do three questions onthis paper, each worth 35 marks. In additionto the 25 marks which will be awarded forcontent and argument, a maximum of 10marks is allowed for structure, developmentand competence in the mechanics andlanguage.

Please make sure to brush up on yourknowledge of literary devices, includingbeing able to recognise the writer’s purposein using them. Remember to organise youressays according to the way the questionsare set without skipping lines or puttingdown your information as if you are makingnotes. You will be writing essays. Thismeans that for each question you answer onPaper 02 you should begin with anintroduction then three or four paragraphs inwhich you develop separate points asrequired. You should then close with aconclusion.

Do not wait until you get into the exam tocategorise the poems and short stories. Infact, please do so now if you have not doneso already. By this I mean to group orclassify them according to their themes. Youwould, for instance, put ‘Ol’ Higue’ and ‘LeLoupgarou’ together, concentrating on theways in which they are alike and those thatshow that they are different. Stick to theworks on the present syllabus. Now go intothe exam room and do your best! God bless!

Beryl Clarke is an independent contributor. Sendquestions and comments to [email protected]

Let’sdiscuss

yl:english literature

The members of Edwin Allen’s 4x800 metres team at the 2012 Penn Relays. From left: CarlaThompson, Dezreen Montaque, Sanikee Gardener, Marleen Eubanks.


CLEMENT RADCLIFFEContributor

WE WILL continue the review of statistics with the solution to last week’s homework.

HOMEWORK1) Express the following scores in a frequency table and plot the histogram.22, 15, 0, 22, 11, 9, 0, 14, 20, 9, 16, 5, 11, 24,16, 5, 11, 24, 5, 5, 22 , 15, 9, 9, 11

SOLUTIONSince the values range from 0-27, it would be inappropriate to construct a histogram with 28 bars. Using

grouped data as follows: 0-3, 4-7, 8-11 etc., construct the table by first doing the tally

Statisticsyl:mathematics

HISTOGRAM

The following is the homework given last week.The table below shows the number of inches of rainfall which fell over a period of time.

Using a scale of 2 cm to represent 5 inches on the x axis and 1 cm to represent 1 day on the y axis,construct the histogram to represent the data.

SOLUTION

Please note the following with respect to question 2:� The table only records rainfall to the nearest whole number and this is unrealistic.� Class boundaries are recommended when the values are continuous variables.� Class intervals are converted to class boundaries as follows:

YOU WILL NOTICE THE FOLLOWING:� Any value between 0 and 29 can be assigned to a class without difficulty.� Of necessity, the bars will touch.� 0.5 is added and subtracted from the class intervals to obtain the class boundaries.� The frequency polygon is constructed by joining the midpoint of the top of the each bar.

Using the above, please attempt the following:

The table below shows the height of orange seedlings on a farm.

A. Express the above with respect to class boundaries.B. Draw the histogram and frequency polygon to represent the data.

SOLUTIONA.

We will now proceed with analysis of data.The aim is to arrive at informed decisions

from the data. The following is one way inwhich this may be done:

(A) Measures of Central Tendency orAverage

These are the values which best representthe data, namely mean, median or mode.

EXAMPLEThe scores obtained by a class of 10 students in a test were: 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 7, 11, 12.

CALCULATEI. The modal markII. The median markIII. The mean mark

SOLUTIONI. The modal mark or mode is the most frequently occurring mark. In this case it is 4.II. The median mark is the middle value when scores are arranged in order of size. When there is an odd

number of scores it is the single middle value. However, it is the average of the two middle scores when thenumber of scores is even.

From the values given, the 5th mark is 4 and the 6th mark is 6.The median mark is the average of the 5th and 6th values as there is an even number of values. (10) = 4+6 =5

2III. The mean mark = Sum of scores = 3+3+4+4+4+6+6+7+11+12 = 60 =6

Number of scores 10 10As the average is the value which best represents

the group, you should be able to determine when itis appropriate to use any of the three – the mean,the median or the mode.

Now, please work this example for homework:

Six students earned the following marks on atest: 5, 3, 4, 6, 5, and 7

CALCULATEI. The modal mark II. The median markIII. The mean mark

Next week we will continue to look at other waysto arrive at informed decisions from data.

Clement Radcliffe in an independent contributor. Sendquestions and comments to [email protected]

B.


HYACINTH TUGMANContributor

HELLO, STUDENTS! Last week I gave possible answers to thelesson that was published on April 24. You will, however, noticethat those are questions would be from Paper 02. This week I

will turn your attention to Paper 01 which is the multiple- choice one.

1. Combination equipment usually carries the features of the following individual pieces of office equipment.a. Telephone, photocopier, fax machineb. Risograph, printer, fax machinec. Fax machine, photocopier, shredderd. Photocopier, fax machine, printer

2. The word ‘skills’ means the same as:a. Abilitiesb. Attitudesc. Qualificationsd. Experience

3. Which of the following would be suitable for communicating with persons in another country?a. Teleconferencingb. Voicemailc. Cellular phoned. Telephone

4. Factors that influence the selection of communication include:a. Costb. Nature of messagec. Need for a written recordd. All of the above

5. Interpersonal relationships relate to:a. Persons meeting to plan eventsb. Private and personal mattersc. Attitudes and behaviour towards othersd. The pattern of events in an office setting

6. The tickler system normally follows the:a. Numerical systemb. Alphabetical systemc. Geographical systemd. Chronological system

7. An itinerary outlines all the following except:a. Arrival time

b. Passenger namec. Airline numberd. Hotel reservations

8. The transfer of files to a storage room is known as:a. Archivingb. Deletingc. Organisingd. Cross-referencing

9. This document lists the items in the order in which they are to be discussed at a meeting.a. Noticeb. Minutesc. Agendad. Standing order

10. Filing done for the whole organisation at one place by specialised staff is:a. Organisedb. Computerisedc. Centralisedd. Confidential

11. A customer wishing to purchase goods or services on credit should use a:a. Credit noteb. Credit cardc. Letter of creditd. Credit transfer

12. Which of the following offices promotes the firm’s products?a. Salesb. Marketingc. Public relationsd. Factory

13. An application in response to an advertisement is called a/ana. Unsolicited applicationb. Follow-up letter

c. Solicited applicationd. Job-offer letter

14. Another name for résumé isa. Curriculumb. Personal data sheetc. Testimoniald. Career prospect

15. If you are preparing for an interview, it is wise to:a. Evaluate the positionb. Consider the job descriptionc. Research the organizationd. Obtain the training and qualification

16. When there is no ‘quorum’, the meeting must be:a. Adjournedb. Held in camerac. Delayedd. Postponed

17. What is used to indicate that a folder has been removed from the filing cabinet:a. Out cardb. Index cardc. Dividerd. Cross-reference

18. The fastest way to make payments worldwide is by:a. Emailb. Credit cardc. Facsimiled. Electronic transfer

19. A debit note is sent to a customer to inform him/her that his/her account has been:a. Increasedb. Reducedc. Outstandingd. Balanced

ANSWERS1 d, 2 a, 3 a, 4 d, 5 c, 6 d, 7 d, 8 a, 9 d, 10 c, 11 b, 12 b, 13 c, 14 a,

15 c, 16 d 17 a, 18 b, 19 a

Hyacinth Tugman teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and commentsto [email protected]

Try this!yl:office administration

University of Pennsylvaniapresident Amy Gutmann (left)with Jamaica’s Prime MinisterPortia Simpson Miller during thePenn Relays athletics meetSaturday, April 28, inPhiladelphia.


YVONNE HARVEYContributor

HI, EVERYONE. This is ourpenultimate lesson for thisacademic year. We will not be

able to complete marketing, but you cando some reading on the problemsencountered in the distribution processand the solutions to these problems.Last week we discussed land transport.This week we will consider air and watertransport. Next week will be our finallesson. It will be a guide to theexamination with tips to ensure that youdo well.

AIR TRANSPORTThis is the youngest but most highly

technical form of transport and can bebroken down into:

(i) Passengers(ii) FreightIt is constantly expanding in both

areas, especially since the end of WorldWar II. It is now the normal means oftransporting passengers, mail,newspapers, live animals and highlyperishable items over long distances. Itmakes a major contribution to the touristindustry. It is more expensive than seafreight but it has the advantage of speedand flexibility. It is very suitable for lightbut valuable items and for things that areurgently needed; even heavy items canbe carried by air if necessary.

ADVANTAGES� Fastest form of transport� It operates on timetables, mostly on direct routes, therefore, no chaos� It reduces the risk of damage or pilferage� Shorter transit time reduces insurance costs� Effective over long distances� Containers are now being used to speed up cargo loading and unloading� Suitable for light and perishable goods

DISADVANTAGES� High operational costs result in high freight rates and high costs to passengers� Weight and size of cargo are limited� It is sometimes affected by technical difficulties such as adverse weather conditions� Relies on other forms of transport to and from the airport, for example road or rail transport� Not suitable for short distances� Causes noise and pollution� Economic use is limited to certain cargo – light weight, high-value and urgently required cargo.

WATER TRANSPORT

RIVER TRANSPORTThis provides a means of moving

goods and people into inland areas,although they are of little importance inthe Caribbean as a whole. In Belize,however, extensive use has been madeof rivers for many years for the transportof lumber, and in Guyana river transportis used for heavy traffic. In Jamaica,there is rafting on the Rio Grande, theMartha Bra and Lethe rivers.

SEA TRANSPORTSea transportation is very important,

particularly in international trade. It is acheap but slow form of transportation. Itis particularly important in the Caribbeanregion since we are a group of islandssurrounded by sea. Large, heavy or bulkycargo can be transported by sea, forexample machinery, vehicles, grain or oil.Many islands depend almost entirely onsea transport for their livelihood.

Forms of sea transport include sailingships (used in fishing and coastal tradeand pleasure boating), passenger liners(carry passengers, mail and a limitedamount of cargo), cargo liners (carrycargo on a ‘regular line’ betweenspecified ports, trams (same as cargoliners, but do not travel on fixed routes),tankers (carry oil and other bulk liquids),specially built ships (specially designedfor one specific cargo such as sugar,bauxite or bananas, barges (large flatbottom boats used on rivers and canals.There are also refrigerated ships for thetransport of perishables, for examplefruits, vegetables and flowers.

ADVANTAGES� Greater access to most parts of theworld as the sea way is free� A large ship can be propelled with a relatively small amount of power� The natural buoyancy of the water enables ships to carry very heavy loads which leads to economies of scale� Relatively cheap� Specialised cargo such as oil can betransported in specially designed ships.

DISADVANTAGES� Can only carry cargo as far as the ports� A relatively slow method of moving freight.

CANALSThis is important in Guyana. Used for

transporting sugar cane, rice, timber,people and tourists.

Well, my friends, that’s it for thisweek. See you all next week.

Yvonne Harvey teaches at Glenmuir HighSchool. Send questions and comments to [email protected]

Forms oftransportation

(part 2)

yl:principles of business

RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students from the Language Education Department at the University of the West Indies (UWI) perform atStage Ablaze Conference 2012 at the UWI campus on Friday,April 27.


MAUREEN CAMPBELLContributor

“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say infinitely whenyou mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want totalk about something really infinite.” C.S. Lewis

COMMUNICATION MAY be defined as a process by which wegive and express meaning in an effort to create commonunderstanding. It is, therefore, the flow of information from one

person to another. The communication process requires various skills,both intrapersonal and interpersonal, processing, listening, observing,speaking, questioning, analysing and evaluating. The use of theseskills aids in our development and keeps changing areas of our livesat home, school, in our community, at work and abroad.

Communication should be effective. Communication occurs and iseffective only if the receiver understands the exact information or ideathat the sender intended to convey. Communication can be furtherseen as the activity of conveying information.

Communication has been derived from the Latin word ‘communis’,meaning to share. Communication requires a sender, a message, andan intended recipient.

The message, the thought: This is the first information that exists inthe mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea, information orfeelings.

Channel, encoding: How is the message to be sent to a receiver? Inwords or other symbols?

The recipient, decoding: The receiver must translate the message,whether it is in words or symbols, into a concept or information thathe or she can understand.

Three main ways/forms of communicating includes non-verbal andverbal.

Non-verbal describes the process of conveying meaning in the formof non-word messages, also known as body language. Some forms ofnon-verbal communication include pictograms, screams, signals,signs, gestures, postures, mime and art forms.

Oral or verbal communication refers to the spoken word, which canalso employ visual aids and non-verbal elements to support theconveyance of meaning. It includes speeches, presentations,discussions and aspects of interpersonal communication.

There are also different media used in communicating messagessuch as mail, telegraph, telex, telephones, courier, radio, television,print, satellite, facsimile, computers, video cassette, recorders,cellphones, portable music players.

During the transmitting of the message, two elements will bereceived: content and context. Content, which we can define as the

actual words or symbols of the message, is known as language, thespoken and written words combined into phrases that makegrammatical and semantic sense. We all use and interpret themeanings of words differently, so even simple messages can bemisunderstood. Many words, symbols have different meanings whichmay cause barriers to effective communication.

Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood.- Freeman Teague, Jr.

Anything that prevents understanding of the message is a barrier tocommunication.

Factors that may cause breakdown in communication include age,gender differences, prejudices, beliefs, ideology, status, unresolvedconflict, mistrust and failure of equipment.

Our culture, background and bias can affect communicationpositively as well as negatively. This is so as they allow us to use ourpast experiences to understand something new. If the meaning of themessage is changed, it interferes with the communication process.

Noise – the sender and the receiver must both be able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other.

Perception – our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high standing and may be swift to dismiss those of low status.

Message is not clear – distractions happen when the spotlight is focused on the facts rather than the idea.

Environmental – bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights or any other stimulus provide a potential distraction.

Stress – people do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references – our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences and goals.

Geography – distance, climate, etc.

Technology – changes in technology: energy, electronics, transmitter, design of instrument, type of instrument used.

ACTIVITIESYou must be able to define and use correctly the following terms

and concepts:Communication, communiqué, news agency, medium, message,

receiver, sender, transmission, journalism, censorship, freedom ofexpression, propaganda, freedom of the press, oral traditions,voicemail, electronic mail, website, teleconferencing,telecommunications, pager, encoding, libel, slander, Internet,copyright, plagiarism.

NOTEYou need to buy yourself a syllabus if you have not yet done so. It is

essential and serves as your guide to studying for your exams.

Maureen Campbell teaches at St Hugh’s High School. Send questions andcomments to [email protected]

Exchange a few wordsyl:social studies

RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students from various high schools at Stage Ablaze Conference 2012 at the University of the West Indies campus onFriday, April 27.

csec study guide - may 8, 2012

Documents