Observation

The question was attempted by quite a good proportion of the candidates and their performance was quite good. They performed quite well in the (a) and (b) parts of the question but their diagram of the rain gauge in the (a) part of the question was very poor. The expected answers were:

(a)Description of rain gauge

-it is the rain gauge

-it consists of a funnel

-the funnel is either 13-20cm type

-the funnel leads to a glass bottle

-the hole on the funnel is very

-the glass bottle is placed inside a copper cylinder

-the funnel and the glass bottle are all placed in a copper container

-there is a graduated measuring cylinder component

(b) Precautions which must be taken when using Rain gauge

-must be erected high above the ground

- must be fitted about 30 cm above the ground

-must be sited in an open space

-must be fitted firmly to the ground

- records must be taken daily

-the instrument(s) must be protected by a fence

-the level of the water in the measuring cylinder must be read at eye level

-must be read carefully with a steady hand

-the instrument must be half buried upright to ensure stability

-the funnel must be tightly fitted to the copper cylinder

(c)Explanation on how the instrument is used to obtain total annual rainfall

-funnel is removed every day

-any water in the glass bottle is poured into a calibrated measuring cylinder

-the reading is taken at eye level

-the reading is recorded

-the readings are added up for each month

-the total rainfall for the twelve months of the year is added up to give the total annual rainfall.