Question on Development

1a

1 (a) Fig. 1A above shows the natural resources and GDP per capita of a few countries.

With reference to Fig. 1A, describe the relationship between the availability of natural resources in a country and its GDP per capita. [5]

(b) Explain how cumulative causation affects development in core areas. [4]

(c) Discuss how education affects the development of a country. [4]

(d) Suggest reasons why it is difficult to use various indicators to make an accurate comparison of the level of development between any two countries. [4]

(e) Read the extract below by an environmental activist, and assess the feasibility of organic farming replacing “modern farming methods” in the long term. [8]

Today’s modern farming methods are destructive to both man and nature, and should no longer be carried out further. Organic farming is a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term.

Suggested answers

Suggested Answer

With reference to Fig 1A, describe the relationship between the availability of natural resources in a country and its GDP per capita. [5 marks]

• Based on Fig 1, there is no direct or distinct relationship between the availability of natural resources in a country and its GDP per capita.

• Among the four countries, Brazil has the most natural resources, but has the lowest GDP per capita of US$8 600.

• On the other hand, Singapore has no natural resources, but has the second highest GDP per capita at US$30 000.

• This does not mean that there is an inverse relationship between the availability of natural resources in a country and GDP per capita, as Norway is well-endowed with many natural resources, and boasts the highest GDP per capita among the four countries.

• This could suggest that countries need to utilise their natural resources well in order to boost their economy and GDP per capita, and that there are also other factors affecting GDP per capita.

(1 mark for one point above, accept any other plausible answer)


b. Explain how cumulative causation affects development in core areas. [4 marks]



• The process of how the movement of people and resources from a periphery area increases the wealth of a core area is known as cumulative causation.

• A core area attracts workers from the periphery area, as the core often receives new investments for development of industries, and creates more employment.

• As more people live and work in the core area, there is an increased demand for goods and services.

• With increased demand, the core area would draw further investments, leading to the expansion of existing industries and the establishment of new businesses. As more jobs are generated, the general wealth of the people living in the core increases as well. This helps to raise the level of development of the core.
(1 mark for one point above, accept any other plausible answer)

(c) Discuss how education affects the development of a country. [4 marks]

• Education, measured in terms of literacy rate, often determines the types of industries a country’s population can work in. With more people in the country being able to read and write, they have the capability and required skills to work in the secondary and tertiary industries, which contribute more to a country’s GDP.

• On the other hand, low literacy rate in a country would mean that a high proportion of its population is unskilled and only able to work in primary industries such as agriculture, which generate less income.

• With a workforce that has a high literacy rate, a country is more likely to attract foreign investors that employ skilled workers, thus driving the development of the country.

• Education may also play a part in other areas affecting development. For example, people who receive education may be more knowledgeable about the importance of sanitation or infant care. This helps to raise their standard of living, reduce infant mortality, and improve the country’s overall level of development.

(1 mark for one point above, accept any other plausible answer)

(d) Suggest reasons why it is difficult to use various indicators to make an accurate comparison of the level of development between two countries.
[4 marks]

• Different countries may interpret indicators differently. For example, when collecting data on literacy rate, countries may differ on the level of education a person has before he or she is considered literate.

• There may be problems gathering a complete set of data in certain countries. It may be easier to collect data from a country with a highly urbanised population, as compared to a country where many rural areas may be inaccessible or too sparsely populated to gather data accurately.

• When comparing GDP or GDP per capita, it should be noted that the data does not include income generated in the informal sectors. Hence, a country with a low GDP per capita may not truly reflect a low level of development, as its people may be greatly involved in these informal sectors.

• Sometimes, data might be obtained from different sources at different time periods. Hence, data collection or calculation methods may differ from country to country, and data may be more up-to-date in some countries than others.
(1 mark for one point above, accept any other plausible answer)

(e) Read the quote below by an environmental activist, and assess the feasibility of organic farming replacing “modern farming methods” in the long term. [8 marks]


Today’s modern farming methods are destructive to both man and nature, and should no longer be carried out further. Organic farming is a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term.



• Today’s farming methods include the use of chemicals as well as the development of genetically modified (GM) crops. These methods help to increase the production of food, but may bring about adverse effects to both man and nature, as mentioned by the environmental activist.

• For example, the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides may lead to environmental effects such as water pollution and destruction of animal life. In addition, they may also be harmful to the health of consumers, as strains of these chemicals may be found in the food that is produced.

• GM food also contains risks such as the loss of natural species if GM crops genetically pollute natural crops. Potential health hazards are also possible if the food contains genes or substances that are harmful to humans.

• Organic farming minimises these risks, as they practice farming methods that do not use chemicals or GM crops.

• For example, instead of using chemical fertilisers, organic farmers make use of animal manure as fertiliser. They also rear natural predators to pests, instead of spraying pesticides on crops that may end up polluting water bodies or being consumed by man. They also practise crop rotation so as to keep the soil fertile over a long period.


• If current farming methods are employed, the environment may not be sustainable as more and more pollution occurs. By replacing these practises with organic farming, both man and nature would benefit in the long term.

• However, there are several limitations of organic farming that must be overcome if it was to be feasible. As the world’s population grows, the demand of food is ever increasing. Organic farming practises may not be able to produce enough quantity of food to supply the world’s population.

• As organic farming methods require higher costs, these costs would also be transferred to the consumers, thus making food more expensive. This would greatly affect consumers, especially those in less developed countries (LDCs), since they may not be able to afford expensive organic food products. More people may go hungry and suffer from starvation as a result.