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Date	May 2019	Marks available	1	Reference code	19M.1.HL.TZ1.16
Level	Higher level	Paper	Paper 1	Time zone	Time zone 1
Command term	Identify	Question number	16	Adapted from	N/A

Question

Deforestation and agricultural activities including the production of crops and livestock are thought to play a major role in the greenhouse effect. The graph shows annual trends in rates of deforestation and the production of soybeans and cattle in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil in the period from 2001 to 2010.

[Source: 'Decoupling of deforestation and soy production in the southern Amazon during the late 2000s.'
Marcia N. Macedo, Ruth S. DeFries, Douglas C. Morton, Claudia M. Stickler, Gillian L. Galford, and Yosio E.
Shimabukuro PNAS January 24, 2012, 109 (4) 1341–1346; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1111374109,
used with permission]

What conclusion can be drawn from the information in this graph?

A. The decline in rates of deforestation led to an increase in production of CO2.

B. Soybean production accounted for a greater proportion of deforestation than cattle production.

C. Forest habitats declined during the first few years of the study.

D. The decline in rates of deforestation is due to an increase in soybean production.

Markscheme

Examiners report

Candidates and some teachers found the graph complicated perhaps because of the twin y-axes and although the discrimination index was reasonable, fewer candidates answered correctly than had been anticipated. Answer A could be eliminated because no data on carbon dioxide production was supplied and D could also be eliminated because an increase in soybean production would if anything increase deforestation rates. Of the remaining two answers, fewer candidates chose the correct answer C than B. The graph shows that rates of deforestation increased between 2001 and 2003 so forest habitats will have declined during the first few years of the study. Presumably some candidates saw the increase on the graph and misinterpreted it as an increase in forest cover rather than in deforestation. The answer that most candidates chose was that soybean production accounted for a greater proportion of deforestation than cattle production. We cannot conclude this because the data provided is for production of soybeans and cattle and we do know what amounts of deforestation were involved in this production.

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Core » Topic 4: Ecology » 4.4 Climate change

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