Geography Paper 3 WASSCE (SC), 2019

Question 5


(a) Highlight four characteristics each of the following:

(i) Time Zone;
(ii) International Dateline.

(b) If two towns A and B are located on different time zones and the time in town A is 9.00 am while the time in town B is 6.00 pm the same day, calculate the longitude of town B if the longitude of town A is 300 W.

Observation

 

This question was also popular among the candidates and quite a good number of those who answered the question were able to highlight some characteristics of Time Zone and International Dateline. However, a significant number of them had challenges calculating the longitude of a town B when the time of town A was given. The candidates were expected to answer thus:


(a)(i) characteristics of Time Zone

- group of places intosimilar time characteristics based on longitudes

-places within the same longitude are places in the same time zone

-adopts a uniform time zone

-areas with large latitudinal stretch could have more than one time zones

-the world is grouped into 24-hour time zones

-the time of places east of the meridian is ahead of the time west of the meridian

(ii) International Date Line

-it is the 180 meridian

- an imaginary line

-the longitude which marks the difference in the day/time

- a day isgain when it is crossed to the east

-a day is lost when it is crossed to the west

-It joins the Meridian to form a Great Circle

(b) (b) Calculation of Longitude of town B

-Longitude of town A=30⁰W

-Time in town A=9.00am

-Time in Town B=6.00pm

-Longitude of Town B=

-15⁰ of longitude is = 1 hour=1 mark

-Difference in time between town A and B is 9.00am and 6.00pm=9.00 hours=2 marks

-Difference in Longitude=9 hours x 15⁰=135=1 mark

-Time of town B is 6.00pm which is ahead of Town A

-Therefore Town B is to the east of town A

-Longitude of town B=30⁰w-135⁰=105 ⁰E