The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is around the corner and candidates need to prepare for Social Studies which is a core subject. Hence we are sharing these 2022 BECE Tough Questions and Answers for October Candidates.
We encourage all candidates to study well and read through these suggested answers and questions. More importantly, candidates are advised to look at how the answers have been written. Do the same thing with all Social Studies Questions so as to score the best marks.
2022 BECE Tough Questions and Answers for October Candidates
Question 1. What are tribal marks?
Tribal marks are identifiable or visible bodily marks that distinguish members of an ethnic group from members of other ethnic groups. The marks range from a single scratch to several marks found on the cheeks, face, chest, abdomen, back, arms and legs. Knives, blades, sharp edge metals and broken bottles are some of the tools used to make the cuts. Some people may apply powdery substances on the cut. It is practiced in most Ghanaian communities especially in the north.
Question 2. State five reasons why the tribal mark practice should be abolished.
Gi. Tribal marks expose the child to many health hazards because the instruments used in operation are unsterilized. This may lead to the contraction of HIV/AIDS and Tetanus leading to death.
ii. The marks mar the god given beauty of the child making him or her ugly.
iii. It’s a painful act that traumatizes the child especially if it is than at an early age.
iv. The act violates the child’s fundamental human rights because it is than without the consent of the child.
v. Children with tribal marks are very often ridiculed, teased and laughed at by his or her colleagues at school. Even adults suffer this same problem.
Question 3. What is cruel widowhood rite (women)?
This is a rite or a practice that a woman or man goes through following the death of the husband or a wife respectively. During the rite, the living spouse is made to sleep with the corpse of the dead husband, the woman walks barefooted, and she is not fed.
She is also made to use stone as her pillow, forbidden to shake hands with anyone and is give a clean shave. To worsen her troubles, she is pulled with a rope made to swallow the saliva of the dead husband as well as drink the water collected after the corpse has being bathed.
These things are done with the believe that, it would strengthen the living spouse, make her release the difficulties she would go through without the husband and ensure that she is not hunt by the ghost of the dead husband.
Question 4. What is witches camp?
It is a practice where women, usually old women are accused of being witches and as a result are bound, beaten and confined in a camp outside their traditional abode. They are forced to accept what they are being accused of in other to save themselves form more torture. Pepper may be sprinkled in her eyes just to increase the pain she has to endure. Gambaga witch camp in the northern region has become the home of hundreds of both young and old females accused of witchcraft.
Let us now look at the second set of questions for BECE candidates and the suggested answers for each.
Question 5. State five reasons why the witches camp practice should be abolished.
i. The practice has superstitious bases and since it can’t be scientifically proven, it must be abolished.
ii. It infringes on the fundamental human rights of the falsely accused women.
iii. Innocent women both young and old are falsely accused of being beaten and taken through all kinds of inhuman treatment.
iv. The accused get stigmatized and their children are ridiculed in school forcing them to become dropouts without any future.
v. The accused become lonely due to neglect by friends and family members.
Question 6. What is Female Genital Mutilation?
Female Genital Mutilation or Female Circumcision or Clitoridectormy is a genital operation in which the clitoris of the female is cut off or removed normally by a skillful woman using a hook and a razor or blade or any sharp object available. In some cases a greater portion of the virginal is sewn leaving a small open for urinating and menstruation.
This practice makes the circumcised girl loose the urge or desire for sexual act. Those who practice it believe the clitoris is made clean through the act.
Question 7. State five reasons why the Female Genital Mutilation practice should be abolished.
i. The cutting off of the most sensitive part of the female genital organ denies them their sexual satisfaction and enjoyment during marriage.
ii. It infringes on the fundamental human right of the girls.
iii. The victims go through excruciating and agonizing pain which affects them psychologically and also creates menstrual complications as a result of the sharp tools used in the barbaric act.
iv. It is a criminal act under the laws of Ghana and society frowns on it.
v. It leads to complicated and difficult childbirth which causes the death of mother and child or either of the two.
vi. The unsterilized crude tools and instrument used may lead to the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tetanus
Question 8. What are superstitious beliefs?
Superstitious beliefs are fears of the unknown which cannot be proved scientifically or logically. Examples of such beliefs are the belief in juju, witchcraft and curses and the like.
Question 9. Identify six sources of superstitious beliefs.
i. Fetish priests, juju men, soothsayers and false prophets exhibit supernatural powers which cannot be proven.
ii. Taboos which are inhibition or ban resulting from social custom is a source of superstitious beliefs. Example in Ghana some people do not sweep at night or go to sea on Tuesdays.
iii. African movies contain great levels of superstation no wonder most of the Ghanaian and Nigerian movies have to do with witchcraft and juju men.
iv. Fairy or folk tales told to children about small imaginary creatures with magical powers and abilities are sources of superstition since such stories are not true.
v. Illiteracy they say is a disease and it is another source of superstition as uninformed people end up believing every cock and bull story they hear.
vi. Myths are traditional stories of ancient times accepted as true and are believed but do not exist.
Question 10. Briefly explain three positive effects of superstitious beliefs.
i. It provides our generation the chance to know how our forefather thought and their beliefs in an age when science was not known to them.
ii. Superstition helps protect our environment as it prevents us from farming in certain places just to preserve the natural vegetation.
iii. Superstition helps maintain law and order as well as the respect for authority through taboos enforced by chiefs and elder with the community as the watchdog.
iv. Taboos that prohibit working on certain days help provide rest for workers such as farmers, hunters and fish folks.
Question 11 . State five negative effects of superstitious beliefs.
i. Superstitious beliefs lead to illogical fear as people become afraid of being harm.
ii. It does not permit the search for logical and scientific solutions to problems of society thereby killing development initiative
iii. It creates tension and a state of deep-seated ill-will among people if they are made to believe that their troubles are caused by another person.
iv. It brings about unnecessary spending and waste of scarce financial resource and time on mallam, false prophets and juju men.
v. It promotes crime in the form of ritual killings as may be demanded by the juju man for sacrifice.
Question 11. Differentiate between a compass and a compass rose.
A compass is a navigational instrument consisting of a marked self aligning magnetized pointer used for determining direction relative to the Earth’s magnetic poles but a compass rose is a figure or a symbol displayed on a map showing the direction of North relative to the other cardinal points of the compass — north, south, east, and west.
Question 12: What is the angular difference between all cardinal points on a four(4) cardinal point compass?
3600 / 4 cardinal point = 900
- ii. What is the angular difference between all cardinal points on an eight (8) cardinal point compass?
3600 / 8 cardinal point = 450
iii. What is the angular difference between all cardinal points on a sixteen (16) cardinal point compass?
3600 / 16 cardinal point = 22 ½ 0
Question 13. List five factor to consider when giving direction
- The direction shown on a prismatic compass.
- Prominent or important land marks such as church, mosques and community centre.
- Direction and location of the sun.
- Characteristics of the environment one is coming from.
These 2022 BECE Tough Questions and Answers for October Candidates are for revision purposes. We wish all BECE candidates the best of luck as they revise with these questions and answers.
