AP Human Geography
Economic Development
Multiple Choice Test
1.
Name______________________
Date_______________________
Period_____________________
Economic development, as currently defined and measured, is best defined as the
A. value in the output of goods and services
B. value of a product compared to the needed labor
C. uneven distribution of income
D. division of jobs into different sectors
E. improvement in material conditions of a population
2. The relatively developed regions (MDCs) include all but which of the following?
A. Anglo-America
B. Eastern Europe/Soviet Union
C. Middle East
D. Western Europe
E. Australia/Pacific
3. During the past quarter century, the difference in per capita GDP between the relatively developed (MDC)
and developing regions (LDC) has
A. decreased
B. remained constant
C. widened
D. been zero
4. The value of output of total goods and services in a year in a country (within its borders) is its
A. level of economic development
B. gross domestic product
C. productivity
D. gross national product
E. value added
5. A map showing per capita GDP can be used to estimate all but which of the following?
A. The average level of material well being in a country
B. The distribution of wealth within the countries
C. The number of countries below the poverty level
D. The spatial distribution of global wealth
6. Compared to more developed countries, developing countries have a higher percentage in which sector of
the economy?
A. primary
B. secondary
C. tertiary
D. quarternary
E. quinary
7. Economic activities that involve the extraction of natural resources, such as lumbering, fishing, mining, and
agriculture, are called
A. subsistence activities
B. organic activities
C. secondary economic activities
D. primary economic activities
E. tertiary economic activities
8. Tertiary sector jobs involve the
A. processing of information
B. extraction of materials from the earth
C. provision of goods and services
D. manufacturing of raw materials
E. jobs at the highest level of society like CEOs and college professors
9. In more developed countries, employment is currently increasing in the
A. primary sector
B. secondary sector
C. tertiary sector
D. all three sectors
10. The large percentage of population involved in agriculture in China indicates that
A. the country imports most of its food
B. few people are unemployed
C. most people consume an inadequate amount of calories
D. most people must produce food for their own survival
E. the newest agricultural technology is widespread
11. According to the Human Development Index, which of the following would be considered a social
measurement of development?
A. Literacy rate
B. Gross Domestic Product
C. Energy production per capita
D. Infant mortality rate
E. Life expectancy
12. People are most productive in more developed countries because they
A. work harder
B. have access to more machinery
C. have a higher value added per person
D. are better educated
E. they are part of a trading bloc (international organization for trade)
13. In LDCs, consumer goods such as televisions are
A. available for sharing by large numbers of people
B. completely unknown and unfamiliar to most people
C. essential to rural life
D. owned by a majority of the people
E. a measure of economic wealth
F. A and E
G. B and E
14. Despite a lack of raw materials, all but which of the following countries have become developed by
focusing on world trade and integration into a global marketplace?
A. Japan
B. Singapore
C. North Korea
D. South Korea
E. Saudi Arabia
15. Which of the following is most likely to be positively correlated with gross domestic product (GDP) per
capita?
A. infant mortality rate
B. carbon monoxide emissions per capita
C. rate of natural increase
D. rice production per capita
16. Which of the following countries would have the largest percentage of its workforce engaged in the
tertiary sector?
A. Peru
B. Nigeria
C. Germany
D. Iraq
E. China
17. Compared to LDCs, MDCs have higher rates of all but which of these educational characteristics?
A. Percentage of GNP spent on education
B. Literacy rate
C. Number of teachers per pupil
D. Number of years attending school
18. Which of the following is not a good indicator of a country’s level of economic development?
A. infant mortality rate
B. crude death rate
C. crude birth rate
D. natural increase rate
19. Only a small percentage of the population in LDCs has access to consumer goods that are widespread in
MDCs. These lucky few are usually
A. government officials
B. urbanites (living in cities)
C. wealthy elites
D. all of the above
E. none of the above
20. The idea that developing countries must continue to rely on developed countries to buy their exports and
are heavily influenced by large transnational corporations is a concept of
A. neocolonialist theory
B. neoliberal theory
C. sustainable development
D. structural change theory
E. self-sufficiency approach
21. Core-periphery models are generally based on the idea that
A. all world regions are equally developed
B. levels of social and economic development are fairly uniform between core areas and peripheral
areas
C. sharp spatial contrasts in social and economic development exist between economic heartlands and
outlying subordinate areas
D. the growth and prosperity of core countries has not been achieved at the expense of peripheral
countries
E. the economic and social heart of a territory should be at its geographical center
22. The development practice of import substitution would most likely be found in a state which has adopted
A. the Rostow model for development
B. a self-sufficiency approach to development
C. the International trade Approach
D. no development policies at all
E. a trade bloc
23. The Great Big Tennis Shoe Corporation makes its shoes with leather from a company in Argentina, the
shoelaces and thread from companies in the United States, and the rubber for the soles from Indonesia.
The shoes are assembled in factories in China and the shoes and ultimately sold in Europe and the United
States. All of the following factors help explain why this global assembly line process occurs except
A. improvements in data communications
B. relatively low transportation costs due to shipping in containers on ships
C. decreasing incomes in the developed regions of the world
D. relatively low labor costs in different regions of the world
E. the durability of the goods being processed
24. The biggest problem in promoting economic development through the international trade approach is
A. inability of LDCs to supply the increased demand for many goods in MDCs
B. high cost of petroleum
C. lack of regional cooperation among LDCs
D. perpetuation of dependence on MDCs
25. Saudi Arabia has successfully employed the international trade approach primarily because of
A. consumer spending
B. petroleum reserves
C. regional cooperation
D. traditional social customs
E. foreign direct investment
26. The principal benefit of the self-sufficiency approach is to promote
A. balanced growth of all economic sectors
B. global competitiveness for local industries
C. the maintenance of a large bureaucracy
D. equal distribution of resources
27. Which of the following countries has pursued a self-sufficiency approach to development?
A. Singapore
B. Saudi Arabia
C. India
D. France
E. Taiwan
28. The biggest problem faced by developing countries in financing economic development is
A. confrontation with MDCs
B. identifying unique economic assets
C. inability to repay loans
D. promoting self-sufficiency
E. building infrastructure projects
29. One way a state can attract funding for development is to attract foreign direct investment. At present,
almost all transnational corporations which provide such investment are located in a handful of countries
including all of the following except
A. USA
B. France
C. United Kingdom
D. Canada
E. Japan
30. Most of the foreign investment in LDCs is currently going to which two continents?
A. South America and Asia
B. Asia and Africa
C. Africa and South America
D. South America and Australia
E. Australia and Asia
31. Which of the following regions most clearly falls into a “semi-peripheral” region of development, sharing
characteristics of both MDCs and LDCs?
A. Sub Saharan Africa
B. North Africa
C. Central Asia
D. the Middle East
E. South Asia
32. Which set of data best describes the overall structure of a highly developed country’s workforce (% of
workforce engaged in each sector)?
A. Primary 75%, secondary 15%, tertiary 10%
B. Primary 25%, secondary 50%, tertiary 25%
C. Primary 10%, secondary 30%, tertiary 60%
D. Primary 50%, secondary 25%, tertiary 25%
E. Primary 33%, secondary 33%, tertiary 34%
33. Which
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
of the following statements regarding LDCs is false?
Development is often very unevenly geographically distributed
People in urban areas have much better access to consumer goods
People in rural areas tend to be wealthier and healthier
Cars and telephones are concentrated in the cities
All of the above are false
34. Which
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
of the following could best be used as an indicator of the level of health and welfare in a country?
the literacy rate
the average number of calories and/or percentage of protein consumed
the total number of hospitals and doctors
the rate of natural increase
productivity and value added indicators
35. On a global scale, in which of the following sectors do most people work?
A. Primary
B. Secondary
C. Tertiary
D. Quaternary
E. Quinary
36. Which
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
of the following is not true of the so-called “Four Asian Dragons”?
They include Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong
The have limited natural resource bases
They initially focused development on a limited number of industries
They have all proved to be successful in terms of development
The only problem they have had has been high labor costs
37. The World Trade Organization was formed by countries which
A. conducted the vast majority of international trade
B. had limited access to raw materials
C. wished to promote balanced growth in LDCs
D. had been left out of other supranational organizations such as the EU and NAFTA
E. opposed the idea of international restriction-free trade areas
38. On a polar projection, developing countries appear to be located
A. in the southern hemisphere
B. in a core region
C. in peripheral locations
D. clustered in an inner ring
39. The increasing similarity in technologies and ways of life among societies at the same level of development
reflects an increase in
A. technology gap
B. culture hearths
C. cultural convergence
D. comparative advantage
E. multiplier effect
40. In which of the following regions would women be most likely to be heavily involved in working while and
many of them do not practice some sort of contraception?
A. Middle East
B. North America
C. Australia
D. Sub Saharan Africa
E. South Asia
41. Which
LDC?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
of the following, in general, would not help one in determining whether a country was an MDC or an
Gender Empowerment Measure
Ratio of girls to boys enrolled in primary school
Maternal mortality rates
A map showing women in agriculture
A map showing where mortality rates are high/low for girls under age 1
42. As a country develops, a smaller percentage of the workforce tends to be employed in
A. agriculture because industrialization decreases the value of rural land
B. agriculture because investment in technology increases yields and decreases labor demands
C. industry because the profit from extracting natural resources increases
D. industry because productivity increases as labor costs rise
E. services because technology increases efficiency in the provision of services
43. Which
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
of the following are basic and non-basic functions, respectively?
A barber shop and a grocery store
A car manufacturing plant and a tire manufacturing plant
A steel mill and a grocery store
A pizza parlor and a tire manufacturing plant
A university and a military base
41-46 (6 points) Draw three lines on the graph below to indicate the percentage of a population’s total workforce
involved in the three sectors of the economy: primary, secondary, tertiary. Label each line. Also label
where the five stages of Rostow’s Model would be placed.
High %
Medium %
Low %
__________________________________________________________
pre-industrial society
industrial society
post-industrial society
47. Which of the following is probably true about a country today that has a high agricultural density?
A. It can probably be found south of the Brandt Line
B. It is probably a MDC
C. It has more secondary sector jobs
D. It is in stage 1 on the Demographic Transition Model
E. It has a governmental policy of transmigration
48. The largest sector of the economy in post-industrial countries is
A. Primary
B. Secondary
C. Tertiary
D. Quaternary
E. Quinary
49. Which of the following would one most likely find in MDCs?
A. Technological artifacts are similar because of cultural convergence
B. Mentifacts are similar from country to country
C. Relocation diffusion of fence types made from locally available resources
D. A preponderance of sharia religious laws
E. Languages exclusively from the Indo-European language family
50. Which of the following would one most likely find in a LDC?
A. Governments involved in sending troops for peacekeeping missions with the United
Nations
B. Net out-migration
C. Interfaith or intrafaith boundaries
D. Antecedent boundaries
E. Syncretic religions
51. After reading the scenario below, identify which statement is best represented in the story.
The Disney Products Company wants to market and sell Little Mermaid sunglasses with American flags on the sides. The shop
around and find that it would be more expensive to produce these in the United States.. They contract with a company in
Bangladesh to produce the sunglasses because they can make them for less.
A. The U.S. used purchasing power parity
B. Bangladesh has comparative advantage
C. Bangladesh experienced friction of distance D. Stimulus diffusion occurred
52. According to Wallerstein’s World System Analysis, which of the following is the eventual outcome of the
theory?
A. Permanent division of wealthy core countries and poor peripheral countries
B. Creation of one giant super core with the rest of the world as a periphery
C. Evolution toward multiple cores that exchange goods, services, and resources
D. Current system of cores and periphery exists with the periphery becoming increasingly financially
dependent on the core
E. Devolution of core, replaced by multiple semi-periphery regions supported by the resources of nearby
periphery regions
53. Which of the following development schools of thought advocates the best strategies for development are
the use of micro loans for women and the poor, small-scale community-based projects, and resource
conservation?
A. Appropriation
B. Sustainable development
C. Modernization
D. Neoliberal counterrevolution
E. Dependency
54. Based on the concept of Wallerstien’s world-system analysis, which of the following countries best fits the
description of semi-periphery in the early 21st Century?
A. Afghanistan
B. China
C. Great Brita
D. Germany
E. Nigeria
55. Based on a Harvard Institute study, which attempted to quantify differences in national economic
development, which of the following factors are common in highly developed countries of the world?
A. Low latitude ecological zones and peripheral global locations
B. Low latitude ecological zones, peripheral global locations, and rules of law that prohibit corruption and
breach of contract
C. Large and expanding population, rules of law that prohibit corruption and breach of contract, marketbased economies
D. Low latitude ecological zones, rules of law that prohibit corruption and breach of contract, and marketbased economies
E. Rules of law that prohibit corruption and breach of contract, and market-based economies
The correct answer is bolded – explain WHY this answer makes sense over the other answers.