2013_DHS_H1_EC_QP

1 © DHS 2013 Name: Index Number: Class: DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL Preliminary Examination Year 6 Economics 8819/1 Higher 1 Section A Case Study Section B Essay 25 September 2013 3 hours Additional Materials: Writing Papers PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name and class on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. You may use a soft pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Please start on a fresh sheet of paper for a new question. Section A Answer all questions. Section B Answer one question. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely into three separate bundles, one for each question. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. Circle the question number you have attempted in Section B. Section A Section B Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 This document consists of 8 printed pages including this cover page. [Turn over

2 © DHS 2013 Section A Answer all questions in this section. Question 1 Disasters across Southeast Asia Extract 1: Thai Prime Minister to Take Command of Flood Control Efforts The Prime Minister said that she would take direct command of flood control in Thailand as criticism of the government mounted after da ys of conflicting messages. The continued confusion added to analysts’ fears that Thailand’s performance and a lack of adequate infrastructure to handle flooding would lead to a long-term loss of foreign investment. With more than 300 lives claimed and about 14,000 companies employing more than 600,000 workers forced to shut down, Thailand’s floods have brought steep costs not only to the country’s own economy but also to foreign investors and export markets, principally Japan. Being the leading exporter of computer disk drives, the floods were expected to cause a temporary worldwide shortage. Its automotive industry, the biggest in the region, is also one of the hardest hit industries. Although most factories are expected to reopen, analysts said the harshest long-term toll of the floods would be to Thailand’s reputation as a stable and reliable home for foreign investors. In a survey compiled before the floods, the World Bank ranked Thailand, despite last year’s political turmoil, as the world’s 17th most attractive country to do business. To salvage its reputation, the government will have to spend heavily on a system of canals and set up an efficient flood control system, a good that cannot be confined to those who have paid for it. Adapted from New York Times, 21 October 2011 Table 1: Statistics for Thailand 2008 – 2012 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 GDP (constant 2005 US$, billions) 199.5 194.9 210.1 210.3 223.8 Components of GDP (% of GDP) % Private consumption expenditure 56.0 54.8 53.7 55.