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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 Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI, Mona on Friday, April 27. YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012
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Constitutional arrangements in the Dutch Antilles & Puerto Rico DEBBION HYMAN
number of jobs.
How to get the best results MONACIA WILLIAMS
Contributor
Contributor
(2) Rising unemployment.
OBJECTIVE AT THE end of the lesson you should be able to describe the constitutional arrangements undertaken in the Dutch Antilles and Puerto Rico.
DUTCH THE TRIPARTITE KINGDOM The Dutch Caribbean still had the old colonial system intact until 1939. The colonial assemblies or statens were fully controlled by the wealthy Dutch families comprising planters and merchants. The top official would have the governor appointed in Holland. By 1939, the emerging middle class within the Dutch Caribbean was lobbying for increased autonomy. A number of political parties also began to emerge which were interested in gaining self-government. Their efforts paid off and in 1949 the colonies were granted universal adult suffrage and internal selfgovernment. In 1954, the Dutch colonies were made partners in a tripartite Kingdom. By the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands the three equal members of the one kingdom were declared. These were the Dutch Antilles, Suriname and the Netherlands. Each Kingdom was to keep full internal self-government while defence and foreign affairs were to be a joint responsibility. The Dutch had lost their colonies in the East Indies and would do anything to keep the ones in the Caribbean appeased. Many Dutch Caribbean persons were comfortable with a tripartite kingdom instead of independence as they would still receive aid and preferential trade with Holland. However, those who opposed it complained that they were unable to develop a national identity. Economic difficulties were to arise in the Dutch Caribbean in the 1960s. These were as a result of: (1) Mechanisation in the oil industry which resulted in the decline in the 12
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The government tried intervening by creating jobs in the light industry and tourism sector. There was some success, but not enough jobs were created and the unrest continued. This resulted in labour unrest and calls for autonomy from the colonies. Holland began to seriously contemplate the idea of full independence for its colonies. Many wished to remain a part of the tripartite kingdom except Suriname. Under the leadership of Henk A. E. Arron, Suriname negotiated and gained independence in 1975.
PUERTO RICO COMMONWEALTH In 1902, Puerto Rico was still uncertain about its rule. As you recall the US gained control of Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War. Many had a problem with US colonialism and lobbied for this to change. This change came in 1952 when Munoz gained general acceptance for a Commonwealth. Puerto Rico became an ‘associated free state’ (Estado Libre Asociado) of the US with its own governor and bi-cameral legislature which managed its own budget and all internal affairs. The power of the US president to appoint officials was removed. Also, the US Congress could no longer overrule laws passed in Puerto Rico. However, the US remained responsible for defence and foreign affairs. Puerto Rico was to remain in the US commercial sphere and all US tariffs were to apply but Puerto Ricans did not pay federal income tax. Puerto Ricans became US citizens but had no vote in federal elections. Since 1952, the supporters of Commonwealth have been challenged by those demanding complete statehood or complete autonomy, but the 1952 compromise still had general acceptance. Debbion Hyman teaches at St Hugh’s High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
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I THERE, students! A grade one to anyone who deduced from this week’s title that we are nearing the end of the time that we have been spending together this year! I am surely going to miss the sessions that we have shared with each other and I sincerely hope that you have benefitted in some way from them. I know that I have! Our sessions have forced me to check and recheck the information that I have been sharing to ensure its accuracy, and it has also forced me to analyse the information in order to try to present it to you in a format that will help you to understand the various concepts. I hope that in some small way I have succeeded! Let us now look to see how best we can use all of this information that you have learnt. Remember how your exam is set up? There are three papers, Paper 03 represents the school- based assessment, which is now history, and there is nothing you can do now to alter that mark so we will not spend any time thinking about it. Paper 01 is the multiple-choice paper. It consists of 60 multiple-choice items and they cover the entire syllabus. Paper 01 does not provide items for a guessing game; neither is it a contest providing prizes for the candidate who finishes in the shortest possible time. Each question requires serious analysis and thought before you attempt to shade in a response! Be reminded also that poor shading techniques can create problems for you. Avoid using your eraser and invest in the correct pencil. Your pencil must be HB, not H and definitely not 2H! The shading from the soft (HB) pencil is what the computer handles best, erasing what you consider an incorrect answer provides the computer with 2 options and it might not chose the one that you want it to choose so do not erase. Use the time given wisely and read each question carefully before deciding on an answer. Take careful note of the words that are in capitals and in bold. These are the key words and they are important in helping you to understand the questions. Paper 02 is the paper that deals with structured (Section A) and extended essays (Section B). This is the paper that most students tend to dread. It consists of three structured and three extended essay questions, each worth 15 marks. There is a difference, however. The 15 marks are much harder to earn from Section A than from Section B. Why is this so? This is because Section A requires precise, well-reasoned answers and few students are very good at giving these! How then can you manipulate this paper to get maximum marks? Do not spend time answering all of the questions in Section A before you attempt Section B. If you do this you will find that you will spend too much time on Section A and
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not have enough time for Section B where you are more likely to gain more marks. What do you do then? Do question one in Section A and then go to question four in Section B and continue like this until you get to the end. This way all the questions 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 are almost always on the question paper. Do you know what these words mean? If you do not, how are you going to answer the questions correctly? Hint: If you have not yet discovered it, there is a glossary of terms at the back of your syllabus. Section A’s questions are to be answered in the spaces or ruled lines that are provided with the question. Although you might not think so, the spaces provided are adequate for the answers that are to be given. Do not write over the question 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 to each and use this as a guide to the length and depth of your answer. A question that has six marks assigned to it cannot have the same number of points as one to which three marks are assigned. Do not provide answers for questions that are not asked. For example, you are asked Why are you doing biology? You do not answer by writing: Biology is a wonderful subject that deals with the study of living organisms. You answer: I am doing biology because I want to become a pharmacist and it is one of the requirements. Use the information in the different sections of the questions to help you to focus your thoughts on the information that you need to recall. Believe me, it is quite possible to write one full page and get 0 marks. Learn to spell biological terms and words. It is important and it is a habit that you must develop. Many of you aspire to become medical workers. Think of what would happen if certain key words relating to the patient treatment were to be spelt incorrectly! Learn to draw biological structures. Do not practise these drawings in your head, practise them on paper! This is the only way that you will be able to test your knowledge and skill. 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 and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
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Accounting for stock ROXANNE WRIGHT
Contributor
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AY REYNOLDS sells electrical goods at manufacturer’s recommended price. The manufacturer allows Reynolds 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 recommended price. 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 $6,000 Stock December 31, 2010 $8,000 Stock 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:
Can you imagine that we have come to the end of the 2011-2012 principles of accounts’ weekly presentation? It was indeed a productive period in which meaningful presentations were made. I sincerely hope you followed weekly and each assisted with your total preparation which is needed for you to do well in 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 questions you attempted correctly, answer the questions asked and hand in your answer sheet, the examiner will do justice to your script. After all this, there should be no doubt that your examination result will be a true reflection 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, so celebrate 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 kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
Mr. Sidney Bartlett, director of culture in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, caught by our cameras as he was about to demonstrate how to blow the abeng for Jeanette Lewis, public relations manager at Flow. The occasion was the Kingston Pon di River Literary, Art and Music Festival held recently at Boone Hall Oasis.The abeng is a musical instrument made from the horn of an animal and was used by Maroons as a method of communication. YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012
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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’s 4 x 100 during the Penn Relays athletics meet Saturday,April 28, in Philadelphia. USA Red team won with a time of 38.40.
Exam Review
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?
ANSWERS 1.(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)
FRANCINE TAYLOR-CAMPBELL
Contributor
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 and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
(d) Na (s) + O2(g) === 2Na2O(s); S (s) + O2(g) ==== SO2 (g)
PLEASE ATTEMPT the following questions.
3.(a) Silicon dioxide (b) Sulphur dioxide
ANSWERS
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(c) Carbon dioxide, silicon dioxide and suphur dioxide are acidic while copper II oxide and sodium oxide are basic
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)
(d) Carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide (e) Silicon dioxide
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(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.
(f) Copper II oxide ( CuO + H2SO4 = CuSO4 blue + H2O)
1. When manganese (II) nitrate Mn(NO3)2 is heated, the only products are manganese (IV) oxide and a brown gas. When manganese (IV) oxide is added to hydrogen peroxide, a colourless gas R is given off. R relights a glowing splint. When manganese (IV) oxide is added to hot concentrated hydrochloric acid, a yellow-green gas is given 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)
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For your information MARJORIE HENRY
Contributor
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REETINGS TO you, my young readers! I hope that your examinations are going well. Of course, you know that this is only possible when you are well prepared; that is, you have reviewed the topics in the different subjects not only by studying the notes that the teacher has given you in class, but you have also read from your textbooks and done additional reading from other sources. These are ways you are able to gain adequate information on the subjects you have chosen to sit in the external examinations. As you are well aware, if you do not prepare yourself for the examinations to ensure a passing grade, then you must be prepared to fail. I am certain that your goal is to do well in the examinations and not to fail. At this stage you should be well aware of the format of your geography examinations. As the syllabus informs us, the examination which 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 02 are assessed externally. Paper 03/1 is a school-based assessment and is assessed internally by the teacher and moderated by CXC. Paper 03/2 is an alternative to the school-based assessment and is intended for those registered as private candidates. Much time was spent discussing aspects of Paper 03/1 at the start of this series of lessons before I moved on to Paper 02. In closing off my discussion on Paper 02 I would like to remind you of some important things relating to that it. These are tabulated below:
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. The duration of Paper 02 is two and a half hours. Manage this time well. A suggestion for this is to spend about 40 minutes on question one and 35 minutes on each of the other questions. Since Section A is compulsory, use the first 5 minutes to read through the rest of the paper from Section B to D.
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. Understand what the question is requiring of you. Identify the word 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 three conditions necessary for successful coral reef formation’, you simply list (i) Coral reefs can only survive in saline water (ii) Corals grow only in fairly shallow water (iii) Corals grow in clean, clear water.
. The paper has four sections, each corresponding to the four sections of the syllabus. These are Section A - mapwork; Section B - natural systems; Section C - human systems; Section D human-environment systems. . Section A - Mapwork is the first question on the paper. This question 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. . You are required to begin each question on a new page. Please note that you do not do continuous writing when answering questions in this subject. Each question has subsections and the answers must be written in the same manner. You are not required to begin each subsection on a different page.
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. State clearly the question you are doing. Develop the habit of writing the question you are answering at the top of the page. For example, ‘Answer to Question 2’. Question 2 may have parts, namely (a), (b), (c) and (d). Each or some of these may also be subdivided, for example, part (a) may have (i), (ii) and (iii). When writing the answer, indicate the section you are answering, that is Part (a) (i), Part (a) (ii) and so on.
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. Ensure that you write the answers in the correct sections. You cannot put the correct answer for Part (a) (i) at Part (a) (ii). You will get no score for it. Careful work must always be done.
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. Select the one question from each of these sections that you are best prepared to do. Since you can be tested on different specific objectives in any one question, read through the question carefully and make sure you can answer all of it.
However, if you are asked to ‘Explain three conditions needed for successful coral reef formation’, you must expand on the three conditions that you gave, showing how each impacts on the growth of coral reefs. In short, to explain is making a greater demand on you than to list. The discussion will continue in the next lesson. Marjorie Henry is an independent contributor. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
Members of the Cornwall College debate team who nabbed first prize in the Half Moon Earth Day Symposium.
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yl:information technology NATALEE A. JOHNSON
Contributor
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OOD DAY, students. This is lesson 34 of our series of lessons. In this week’s lesson, we will continue and conclude the unit on information processing.
DATA VERIFICATION The errors we examined in the previous lesson would warrant the need for data verification. Data verification is the process of checking for errors that might have been entered in the computer from a source document or when data is copied from one medium or device to another. Two methods of data verification are double entry and proof reading/visual checks.
Information processing to the months of a year and not exceeding the number of hours in a day.
REASONABLENESS CHECKS
The double entry method is the process of entering data more than once using a program that checks each second entry against the first. If the data entered is not the same, it will not get processed and the system will allow for the re-entry of data to ensure the data entered is accurate. An example of this process would be when you are required to enter your password twice when setting up your email to confirm your password. Proofreading, on the other hand, checks the data entered against the data on the original source document. This method can be time consuming as it requires the user to read the information from the source document and check it against what was entered in the system. Visual checks utilize on-screen prompts. When a set of data is entered, it is redisplayed on the screen. The user is prompted to read it and give a confirmation that the data entered is correct. If the data is incorrect, it is required to be re-entered.
DATA VALIDATION Data validation employs several ways of checking for the accuracy and completeness of data. Let us examine the different methods you can use to validate data.
RANGE CHECKS Range check ensures that the data entered is within a particular range. Examples of such a check would be data pertaining to the number corresponding 16
Reasonableness checks ensure that data is reasonable, that is, the data entered is realistic. For example, a student enrolled in first form has a particular date of birth. His or her age, when calculated by the computer system, should correspond (say age 11). Thus, a child who is 17 years old cannot be linked to a date of birth which would make him/her younger.
DATA TYPE CHECKS Data type checks, also called character checks, ensure that the right type of data has been entered. They ensure that if you intend to enter numbers, only numbers are allowed to be entered, and if only characters or symbols are intended to be entered, then only that type of data is allowed.
CONSISTENCY CHECKS Consistency checks compare data you have entered against other data you have entered. If you enter a person’s year of birth and age in separate fields, a consistency check will ensure that the two fields correspond with each other.
PRESENCE CHECKS This check ensures that required data is always present. For example, if in a database information is stored on a set of employees, and each employee must have an ID number. A presence check will ensure that the ID field is not left blank. On the other hand, there are cases where some fields in a database may be optional, for example, not everybody may have a house number but they have cellphones. So, the field which stores a customer house number may be left blank.
CHECK DIGIT A check digit is an extra digit added to the end of a code. It is used to detect errors caused from transcription and also to ensure that codes originally produced by a computer and are reentered into another computer are correct. It is calculated from the other digits in the number. Check digits are included in barcode numbers.
PARITY CHECK All data is transmitted as a sequence of 1s and 0s. A common type of error that occurs during data transmission is that a bit is swapped from a 0 to a 1 or a 1 to a 0 created from electrical interference. Parity checks detect this type of error by adding an extra digit to data to make the total number of 1s or 0s either odd or even.
permanent, such as an employee’s personal data, and data that is less permanent, which is updated on a regular basis, such as the hours worked by an employee. A transaction file is a temporary one which is used to update the master file after a certain time, whether weekly or daily. A transaction file adds a new record, updates and deletes records of a master file. See a diagram illustrating this process below (figure 1). There is also another file, known as a transaction log, which keeps a record of changes to the transaction file. This will keep a record of the history of what transactions have taken place and not just the recent one.
SEQUENTIAL FILE ORDERING FILE ORGANISATION AND ACCESS File organisation and access relates to the use of records, fields and files stored in a database. You would have been exposed to all three terms when you did the productivity tool: database in class.
A FILE HAS THREE IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS:
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 that businesses and organisations utilise. They are a master file and transaction file.
This is where records are stored in a logical or sorted order. Records can be arranged according to name, date, size or any other field in ascending order.
SERIAL FILE ORDERING This is similar to sequential file ordering, except the records are not stored in any particular order (unordered). They are simply stored one after the other as they are added, similar to new items on a shopping list where as you go along you add what you need. This type of ordering is often used to capture transactions as they occur during the day. Sequential access means that records are accessed one by one in the order in which they are stored until the right one
A master file is a permanent file which is kept up to date and stores the main information, summary data and key fields in the data. The master file contains two types of data: data that is
YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012
is located. Serial access is similar as you can access the records in the same manner in which they were stored.
RANDOM FILE/DIRECT ORDERING Files are stored in any order using a key. The file is organised like a one dimensional array where each array element has an index/subscript to mark its location. Random access or direct access allows you to access the record you want without having to go through any others, unlike sequential access. The computer locates the data item using the indices.
INDEX SEQUENTIAL FILE ORDERING AND ACCESS Index sequential file ordering uses an indexed file to store records similar to an index in a textbook. Records are stored in this file in sequential order and a set of indices is used to refer to each item stored in the file. Each record can be accessed by its index number. Thus, this file ordering is a combination of sequential and direct file ordering and is utilised when records need to be sorted sequentially but individual records must be accessed quickly. By using both methods (sequential and direct), the following can be done: you can go through each record sequentially (one after each other) and you can access a specific file directly (there is no need to go through any previous data). This lesson bring us to last of our series of IT lessons. On this note, I would like to remind you to practise as many past-paper questions as possible, which will allow you to have an idea of the manner in which you will be tested, how the questions will be structured and key areas on which you are likely to be tested. All the best in your examinations!! Remember, if you have failed to prepare, you should be prepared to fail. Natalee A. Johnson teaches at Ardenne High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
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THE WAY WE WERE 5
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They thought that we did not speak English Our words lilted up to the grey skies Fell in sweet cadences to our ears only. We learned that a bloomer was bread. We learned to count shillings and pence Not dollars and cents. Stood waiting in the greengrocers To buy Irish potatoes for West Indian soup. They thought I was too young to understand them They did not understand us. Still waiting, while the greengrocer And his headscarfed customer discussed us. Listened to the whole conversation on how Ugly we were, but then They looked at me standing Patiently waiting for My turn to buy Irish potatoes, ‘At least she’s pretty,’ they, The ugly ones said And lo and behold They were talking about me assuming still that I did not speak English.
Poetry analysis (part 2) NATASHA THOMAS-FRANCIS
Contributor
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ELLO, ALL. I hope you are not getting too anxious as the examination period nears. You just need to stick to your study schedule, take some time to relax and you should be prepared when you sit your examinations.
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(c) The phrase ‘lo and behold’ suggests that she was surprised that the people in the grocery shop were talking about her. She did not expect that their conversation would have included any reference to her.
As I promised last week, we are going to look at a poem. a) To whom does ‘we’ refer in the poem? (2 marks)
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now resides, she would use ‘shillings and pence’, but in her own country she would use ‘dollars and cents’.
Took piano lessons from an elderly Smooth-cheeked, old English lady Who lived music, ergo life. The piano teacher pushed silver, grey, angel’s hair From her face and talked to me Prepared me for exams, which I took. Knew that I understood English, better than most Gave me warm Ribena before I entered cold exam rooms Fingers stiff with fear, vocal cords contracted with the curse of shyness Made me skip grade I, go straight to grade ? She always knew what I could do Taught 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.
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 that you have attempted to answer the questions. If you did, you can now take a look at the suggested answers below: (a) In order for you to identify the ‘we’ in the poem, you would need to first identify the persona/speaker. The persona is a West Indian girl who is now living in England. In the poem she represents the West Indian people. The pronoun ‘we’, then, refers to West Indian people. (b) Again, it is important for you to understand that the persona is a West Indian migrant. In England, where she
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(d) The persona has been offended by the comments of the other customers. She has a strong sense of self in that she does not accept that she is ‘ugly’. She also has bold opinions about the customers, projecting the term on them instead. (e) In the first two stanzas the persona recounts an awful experience she had encountered. However, in stanza three, there is a contrast as she relates the kind treatment of an old English lady. Therefore, the change in tone and attitude occurs in line 23 (beginning of stanza three). (f) The phrase ‘knew that I understood English, better than most’ shows the confidence of the persona. However, the phrases ‘Fingers stiff with fear’ and ‘vocal cords contracted with the curse of shyness’ depict the vulnerability of the persona. (g) The adjective ‘warm’ is indicative of the endearing nature 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 provide explanations along with my answers, but this was done as a guide. In the exams, you need to be very specific in your answers so that you do not overwrite and run out of time. Review this week’s lesson with your classmates. Have a break-time discussion of the poem using the poetry analysis which I gave you last week. Have a great week! Natasha Thomas-Francis teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
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yl:english literature
Let’s discuss BERYL CLARKE
Contributor
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I HARD-WORKING and dedicated students! Examinations are here and I hope you are all ready, having prepared well for anything that CXC ‘throws’ at you. We are unable to finish discussing A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The themes include love, love’s difficulty, dreams and magic. The love potion is integral to the way the play develops and ends. The workmen who dramatise a farcical tragedy to celebrate the Duke’s nuptials cannot be overlooked as well. They bring humour and underscore in their choice of drama the underlying darkness of this play. Please pay close attention to the way the women are treated by their male partners. The English lit exam consists of two papers. Paper 01 is the one we call unseen because the questions will be set on a poem and a prose extract and a drama extract that you are not likely to have seen before. There will be 15 short-answer questions and all are compulsory! There will be 20 marks for each genre/mode - so a total of 60 marks are allocated to this paper which will contribute 36 per cent to the whole exam. You will have one and a half hours to complete the entire paper. Paper 02 has 12 essay questions. This is a change from last year’s as well as the January paper. This one is divided into three sections. Section one deals with drama. There are two books, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Old Story Time in this section. Two questions will be set on each of them and you must answer one of the four. Thirtyfive marks are allocated for this section and each of the other two sections from which you will answer questions.
The members of Edwin Allen’s 4x800 metres team at the 2012 Penn Relays. From left: Carla Thompson, Dezreen Montaque, Sanikee Gardener, Marleen Eubanks. 18
Section two has the poetry questions. Here you will be given two comparative questions to answer one. Please remember that in responding to a question on poetry,
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you need to use information from two poems. The prose questions are to be found in section three. Here there will be six questions. You must answer one. There will be two on Songs of Silencce, two on The Wine of Astonishment and two on the short stories, one of which will be named. Overall, you must do three questions on this paper, each worth 35 marks. In addition to the 25 marks which will be awarded for content and argument, a maximum of 10 marks is allowed for structure, development and competence in the mechanics and language. Please make sure to brush up on your knowledge of literary devices, including being able to recognise the writer’s purpose in using them. Remember to organise your essays according to the way the questions are set without skipping lines or putting down your information as if you are making notes. You will be writing essays. This means that for each question you answer on Paper 02 you should begin with an introduction then three or four paragraphs in which you develop separate points as required. You should then close with a conclusion. Do not wait until you get into the exam to categorise the poems and short stories. In fact, please do so now if you have not done so already. By this I mean to group or classify them according to their themes. You would, for instance, put ‘Ol’ Higue’ and ‘Le Loupgarou’ together, concentrating on the ways in which they are alike and those that show that they are different. Stick to the works on the present syllabus. Now go into the exam room and do your best! God bless!
Beryl Clarke is an independent contributor. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
yl:mathematics
Statistics
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:
CLEMENT RADCLIFFE
Contributor
WE WILL continue the review of statistics with the solution to last week’s homework.
HOMEWORK 1) 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
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.
SOLUTION Since 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 A. Express the above with respect to class boundaries. B. Draw the histogram and frequency polygon to represent the data.
SOLUTION A.
HISTOGRAM
B.
We will now proceed with analysis of data. The aim is to arrive at informed decisions from the data. The following is one way in which this may be done: (A) Measures of Central Tendency or Average These are the values which best represent the data, namely mean, median or mode.
EXAMPLE The scores obtained by a class of 10 students in a test were: 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 7, 11, 12. 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.
CALCULATE I. The modal mark II. The median mark III. The mean mark
SOLUTION 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
I. 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 the number 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 2 III. The mean mark = Sum of scores = 3+3+4+4+4+6+6+7+11+12 = 60 =6 Number of scores 10 10 As the average is the value which best represents the group, you should be able to determine when it is 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 a test: 5, 3, 4, 6, 5, and 7
YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012
CALCULATE I. The modal mark III. The mean mark
II. The median mark
Next week we will continue to look at other ways to arrive at informed decisions from data. Clement Radcliffe in an independent contributor. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
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yl:office administration HYACINTH TUGMAN
Contributor
H
ELLO, STUDENTS! Last week I gave possible answers to the lesson that was published on April 24. You will, however, notice that 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 machine b. Risograph, printer, fax machine c. Fax machine, photocopier, shredder d. Photocopier, fax machine, printer 2. The word ‘skills’ means the same as: a. Abilities b. Attitudes c. Qualifications d. Experience 3. Which of the following would be suitable for communicating with persons in another country? a. Teleconferencing b. Voicemail c. Cellular phone d. Telephone 4. Factors that influence the selection of communication include: a. Cost b. Nature of message c. Need for a written record d. All of the above 5. Interpersonal relationships relate to: a. Persons meeting to plan events b. Private and personal matters c. Attitudes and behaviour towards others d. The pattern of events in an office setting 6. The tickler system normally follows the: a. Numerical system b. Alphabetical system c. Geographical system d. Chronological system 7. An itinerary outlines all the following except: a. Arrival time
Try this! b. Passenger name c. Airline number d. Hotel reservations 8. The transfer of files to a storage room is known as: a. Archiving b. Deleting c. Organising d. Cross-referencing 9. This document lists the items in the order in which they are to be discussed at a meeting. a. Notice b. Minutes c. Agenda d. Standing order 10. Filing done for the whole organisation at one place by specialised staff is: a. Organised b. Computerised c. Centralised d. Confidential 11. A customer wishing to purchase goods or services on credit should use a: a. Credit note b. Credit card c. Letter of credit d. Credit transfer 12. Which of the following offices promotes the firm’s products? a. Sales b. Marketing c. Public relations d. Factory 13. An application in response to an advertisement is called a/an a. Unsolicited application b. Follow-up letter
c. Solicited application d. Job-offer letter 14. Another name for résumé is a. Curriculum b. Personal data sheet c. Testimonial d. Career prospect 15. If you are preparing for an interview, it is wise to: a. Evaluate the position b. Consider the job description c. Research the organization d. Obtain the training and qualification 16. When there is no ‘quorum’, the meeting must be: a. Adjourned b. Held in camera c. Delayed d. Postponed 17. What is used to indicate that a folder has been removed from the filing cabinet: a. Out card b. Index card c. Divider d. Cross-reference 18. The fastest way to make payments worldwide is by: a. Email b. Credit card c. Facsimile d. Electronic transfer 19. A debit note is sent to a customer to inform him/her that his/her account has been: a. Increased b. Reduced c. Outstanding d. Balanced
ANSWERS 1 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 comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
University of Pennsylvania president Amy Gutmann (left) with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller during the Penn Relays athletics meet Saturday, April 28, in Philadelphia.
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YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012
yl:principles of business YVONNE HARVEY
Contributor
H
I, EVERYONE. This is our penultimate lesson for this academic year. We will not be able to complete marketing, but you can do some reading on the problems encountered in the distribution process and the solutions to these problems. Last week we discussed land transport. This week we will consider air and water transport. Next week will be our final lesson. It will be a guide to the examination with tips to ensure that you do well.
AIR TRANSPORT
Forms of transportation
RIVER TRANSPORT This provides a means of moving goods and people into inland areas, although they are of little importance in the Caribbean as a whole. In Belize, however, extensive use has been made of rivers for many years for the transport of lumber, and in Guyana river transport is used for heavy traffic. In Jamaica, there is rafting on the Rio Grande, the Martha Bra and Lethe rivers.
SEA TRANSPORT
(part 2)
Sea transportation is very important, particularly in international trade. It is a cheap but slow form of transportation. It is particularly important in the Caribbean region since we are a group of islands surrounded by sea. Large, heavy or bulky cargo can be transported by sea, for example machinery, vehicles, grain or oil. Many islands depend almost entirely on sea transport for their livelihood.
This is the youngest but most highly technical form of transport and can be broken down into: (i) Passengers (ii) Freight It is constantly expanding in both areas, especially since the end of World War II. It is now the normal means of transporting passengers, mail, newspapers, live animals and highly perishable items over long distances. It makes a major contribution to the tourist industry. It is more expensive than sea freight but it has the advantage of speed and flexibility. It is very suitable for light but valuable items and for things that are urgently needed; even heavy items can be carried by air if necessary.
Forms of sea transport include sailing ships (used in fishing and coastal trade and pleasure boating), passenger liners (carry passengers, mail and a limited amount of cargo), cargo liners (carry cargo on a ‘regular line’ between specified ports, trams (same as cargo liners, but do not travel on fixed routes), tankers (carry oil and other bulk liquids), specially built ships (specially designed for one specific cargo such as sugar, bauxite or bananas, barges (large flat bottom boats used on rivers and canals. There are also refrigerated ships for the transport of perishables, for example fruits, vegetables and flowers.
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
ADVANTAGES
Greater access to most parts of the world 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 be transported in specially designed ships.
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
DISADVANTAGES
Can only carry cargo as far as the ports A relatively slow method of moving freight.
CANALS This is important in Guyana. Used for transporting sugar cane, rice, timber, people and tourists. Well, my friends, that’s it for this week. See you all next week. RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Students from the Language Education Department at the University of the West Indies (UWI) perform at Stage Ablaze Conference 2012 at the UWI campus on Friday,April 27. YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012
Yvonne Harvey teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com
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yl:social studies
Exchange a few words MAUREEN CAMPBELL
Contributor
“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” C.S. Lewis
C
OMMUNICATION MAY be defined as a process by which we give and express meaning in an effort to create common understanding. 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 these skills aids in our development and keeps changing areas of our lives at home, school, in our community, at work and abroad.
Channel, encoding: How is the message to be sent to a receiver? In words or other symbols? The recipient, decoding: The receiver must translate the message, whether it is in words or symbols, into a concept or information that he or she can understand. Three main ways/forms of communicating includes non-verbal and verbal. Non-verbal describes the process of conveying meaning in the form of non-word messages, also known as body language. Some forms of non-verbal communication include pictograms, screams, signals, signs, gestures, postures, mime and art forms.
Communication should be effective. Communication occurs and is effective only if the receiver understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to convey. Communication can be further seen as the activity of conveying information.
Oral or verbal communication refers to the spoken word, which can also employ visual aids and non-verbal elements to support the conveyance of meaning. It includes speeches, presentations, discussions and aspects of interpersonal communication.
Communication has been derived from the Latin word ‘communis’, meaning to share. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient.
There are also different media used in communicating messages such as mail, telegraph, telex, telephones, courier, radio, television, print, satellite, facsimile, computers, video cassette, recorders, cellphones, portable music players.
The message, the thought: This is the first information that exists in the mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea, information or feelings.
During the transmitting of the message, two elements will be received: content and context. Content, which we can define as the
actual words or symbols of the message, is known as language, the spoken and written words combined into phrases that make grammatical and semantic sense. We all use and interpret the meanings of words differently, so even simple messages can be misunderstood. Many words, symbols have different meanings which may 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 to communication. Factors that may cause breakdown in communication include age, gender differences, prejudices, beliefs, ideology, status, unresolved conflict, mistrust and failure of equipment. Our culture, background and bias can affect communication positively as well as negatively. This is so as they allow us to use our past experiences to understand something new. If the meaning of the message 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.
ACTIVITIES You 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 of expression, propaganda, freedom of the press, oral traditions, voicemail, electronic mail, website, teleconferencing, telecommunications, pager, encoding, libel, slander, Internet, copyright, plagiarism.
NOTE
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RICARDO MAKYN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Students from various high schools at Stage Ablaze Conference 2012 at the University of the West Indies campus on Friday, April 27. 22
YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | MAY 8-14, 2012
You 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 and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com