CSEC January 2015 Examinations

Human and Social Biology

1. (a) Kate is suffering from asthma.

(i) Give ONE asthma-related sign or symptom that Kate would most likely experience.
(1 mark)

(ii) State TWO measures OTHER THAN medication that Kate should adopt to manage her
asthma (2 marks)

(iii) Describe the effects of asthma on Kates respiratory tract (2 marks)

(iv) Asthma is a respiratory disease that affects the young and the old. Would asthma be
classified as infectious or chronic? (1 mark)

(b) The bar graph in Figure 1 shows the incidents of asthma in a population in the Caribbean.

Chart Title
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Lean smokers

Lean non-smokers obese smokers obese non-smokers

Figure 1. Incidence of asthma in a Caribbean population

(i) Based on the information in Figure 1, which TWO factors reduce the risk for asthma?
(2 marks)

(ii) Describe the trend illustrated in Figure 1. (3 marks)

(c) Every year tons of Sahara dust are transported over the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean.

Source: cxcpaper.blogspot.com
Figure 2 shows the yearly deposition of Sahara dust in the Caribbean,

Chart Title
25

20

15

10

0
J F M A M J J A S O N D

Figure 2. Yearly deposition of Sahara dust in the Caribbean

(i) Which month has the LOWEST level of Sahara dust? (1 mark)

(ii) Which month has the HIGHEST level of Sahara dust? (1 mark)

(iii) Suggest TWO health implications of high levels of Sahara dust in the atmosphere (2 marks)

Source: cxcpaper.blogspot.com