Barrons AP Human Geography Practice Exam
Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers
or completions. Select the one that is best in each case.
1. Core-periphery models of economic development generally describe the idea that
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the core dominates the periphery through cultural imperialism.
peripheries are often characterized by quaternary economic activities.
outsourcing is inevitable.
the development of core countries has been achieved at the expense of peripheral countries.
industrialization is a deterministic process.
2. The nineteenth century emigration of Scotch-Irish families to Chicago, as a result of communications
from friends and relatives who preceded them, is an example of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
internal migration
chain migration
net migration
counterurbanization
reluctant migration
3. Which of the following factors has contributed most to deindustrialization in the North American
manufacturing belt?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the cumulative effects of agglomeration
healthcare costs
competition from foreign imports
internal migration to sunbelt states
the decline of labor unions
4. Which of the following types of maps use isolines to convey change over space?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
cartograms
azimuthal projections
topographic maps
mental maps
location charts
5. A group of college students in Austin, Texas, choose to spend their spring break vacation in South Padre
Island, Texas, instead of Miami Beach, Florida. This choice represents the concept of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
intervening opportunity
redistricting
stimulus diffusion
backwash effect
transhumance
6. According to Central Place Theory, lower-order goods include items such as
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
pesticides and fertilizers
highways and railroads
textiles, furniture, and electronics
durable goods
milk, bread, and gasoline
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7. According to von Thunen’s model of agricultural land use, which of the following products should be
grown closest to the market?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
wheat
beef
strawberries
rice
peppers
8. A country that has not experienced a (first-stage) demographic transition typically has which of the
following?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
high birth rates and high death rates
high unemployment
postmodern architecture
ethnic enclaves
intervening obstacles
9. Which of the following regions has the lowest hog production per capita in the world?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the American South
the Southern cone
the Middle East
Oceania
Iberia
10. Which of the following is the best example of a stateless nation?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Israel
Kurdistan
Cuba
Kazakhstan
North Korea
11. Which of the following countries has a declining population?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Iran
Saudi Arabia
China
South Africa
Germany
12. As the number of jobs in the basic sector of a local economy increases, what happens to the number of
jobs in the non-basic sector?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
stays the same
decreases
increases more rapidly than basic sector jobs
declines toward zero
there is no way to predict
13. Which of the following statements best describes the subject matter of cultural ecology?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
flows of energy and materials in an urban region
interactions between ethnicities in a stateless nation
human-modified natural landscapes
interactions between human societies and the physical environment
characteristics of geographic regions
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14. Which of the following language families has the greatest number of total speakers across the globe?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
English
Indo-European
pidgin
Romance
Sino-Tibetan
15. Furniture-makers often choose to locate near the timber that supplies the wood needed to produce the
furniture because
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
furniture is a bulk-reducing industry.
good timber is hard to find.
furniture makers are footloose firms.
the factory has reached a break-bulk point.
forests tend to have cheap land.
16. Which of the following does NOT act as a centripetal force for a state?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
patriotism
unitary state organization
sovereignty
linguistic homogeneity
sub-state nationalism
17. A pilgrim to Our Lady of Lourdes in France is most likely to be a(n):
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Hindu
Buddhist
Muslim
Catholic
Jew
18. Unemployment data for large urban areas in developing regions of the world is usually incomplete due
to
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
government inefficiency.
the fact that many people work in the informal sector.
the dominance of service-based economic activities.
slow world syndrome.
a lack of export processing zones.
19. Data gathered through the U.S. Census affects the political process by
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
inciting violence among elected officials.
over-counting urban populations.
gerrymandering.
determining the amount of electoral votes given to each state.
determining which states hold the primary elections.
20. Which of the following variables is spatially correlated with per capita carbon dioxide emissions?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Fordism
ancillary costs
Sustainable development
Gross Domestic Product
Purchasing Power Parity
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21. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the Green Revolution?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
development of chemicals used in agricultural production
technological inputs such as hybrid seeds
exportation of agricultural techniques from developed to developing countries
organic and sustainable agriculture
more intensive production of agricultural goods in developing regions
22. The urban region that spans from Tijuana, Mexico, to Ventura, California, is an example of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
a megacity
an edge city
a conurbation
an urban agglomeration economy
a metropolitan area
23. Jenny’s Grandma emigrated from Dublin to New York, and the journey took her 4 days by boat.
Jenny’s brother migrated from New York to Dublin, but his journey only took 7 hours by plane. This is an
example of:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
least-cost travel
transferability
topological space
demographics
time-space convergence
24. Which of the following contributes most to hierarchical diffusion?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
spatial scale
gravitation
network links between specialized nodes
contagious contact between people
friction
25. The religious practices of several South American groups combine elements of Catholicism with the
traditional religions of their ancestors. This is an example of a(n)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
polyglot
relocation diffusion
cultural lag
cultural syncretism
cultural imperialism
26. Poland is an example of a(n)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
microstate
compact state
elongated state
enclave
perforated state
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27. Today, most of the North American population lives in which of the following?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
farming areas
rural non-farming areas
small towns
central business districts of large cities
metropolitan areas
28. High-quality schools, cultural activities, and safe neighborhoods draw many families to the St. Louis
area each year. These are all examples of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
local religion
boosterism
pull factors
heartland theory
domino theory
29. Suburbanization can lead to all of the following, except:
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
inner city decay
improved mass transit
landscape homogenization
urban sprawl
loss of productive farmland
30. Services such as haircutting, grocery-stores, and veterinarians are all apart of which sector of a local
economy?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
basic sector
primary sector
primate sector
non-basic sector
e-commerce sector
31. No map is an accurate representation of the earth’s surface because
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the distance decay effect prevents accurate representation
all maps are geoids
a sphere cannot be projected onto a flat surface without distortion
all maps are mental maps
all maps are, to some extent, preference maps
32. Even if a rapidly growing country institutes a strict population policy, such as 1 child per couple, the
country’s population will continue to grow quite rapidly for several generations because of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
demographic momentum
the baby bust
emigration
forced migration
push factors
33. Which of the following qualifies as a core area of the United States?
(A) the greater Peoria area
(B) the Phoenix-Tucson area
(C) the Seattle-Tacoma area
(D) the New York-Washington D.C. area
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(E) the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
34. Which of the following variables is NOT taken into account in the Demographic Accounting Equation?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
total fertility rate
deaths
births
immigration
emigration
35. Which of the following is the BEST example of a lingua franca?
(A)
(B)
(D)
(E)
(D)
German
Swahili
Cantonese
Afrikaans
Italian
36. Which of the following countries does this population pyramid most likely represent?
[Insert figure 3.19, population pyramid 1 (Kenya), but do NOT include the label of Kenya or rapid growth.]
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
United States
Kenya
Denmark
Canada
Italy
37. What is true about the dependency ratio depicted in this population pyramid?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
dependency is a function of overpopulation
the economically productive members of society are supporting many children
a significant number of dependents include individuals over the age of 65
it shows a 100-year doubling time
the country has reached carrying capacity
38. In Central Place Theory, why are optimal market areas hexagonal?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Hexagons prevent overlap or unaccounted space in market areas.
Hexagons are most like circles.
They are not hexagonal.
Hexagons contain multiple nuclei.
Hexagons illustrate the sector model.
39. Lima contains 26% of Peru’s population. As such it is a great example of a(n)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
world city
primate city
gateway city
edge city
city beautiful
40. Which of the following is the best example of a footloose industry?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
a brick and mortar firm
a sawmill
a company that sells books over the internet
truck farming
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(E) a processed food conglomerate
41. Increasingly, large corporations are locating factories in these areas to take advantage of cheaper labor
and relaxed environmental and tax regulations.
(A) offshore financial centers
(B) export processing zones
(C) the slow world
(D) Islamic cities
(E) ghettos
42. Seoul, South Korea can be found at 37 00 N, 127 30 E. These coordinates describe Seoul’s
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
orientation
absolute location
cartographic position
Mercator projection
situation
43. According to the rank-size rule of urban-area distribution, a city that has a rank of four
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
would have been the fourth city founded in the country
would contain four times the population of the country’s largest city
would have four sectors
would have a forty-mile hinterland
would contain one-quarter the population of the country’s largest city
44. The favelas found on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro were originally examples of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
conurbations
squatter settlements
urban hazards
gentrification
rimlands
45. People in the Middle East have long faced which of the following environmental problems?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
primary succession
urban sprawl
aforestation
desertification
desalinization
46. A functional region differs from other region types in that it
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
has no center
has a focal point or node
has political boundaries
has an absolute location
obeys the rank-size rule
47. Who of the following is most likely to participate in gentrification?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
hippies
yuppies
exurbanites
commuters
squatters
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48. Which of the following is the best description of a country’s carrying capacity?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the ability of its resource base to sustain the population
its land area
its gross national product
its agricultural output
its mineral wealth
49. Which of the following is a correct statement about most primate cities in the world?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
they are located in developing regions
they are world cities
they have been revitalized
they lack segregation
they were founded during the medieval period
50. Activities such as delivery, accounting and food services can all be described as
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
processing services
diametric services
indigenous services
ancillary services
topologic services
51. Which of the following features would NOT be a barrier to spatial interaction?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
national boundaries
transportation networks
the friction of distance
intervening opportunities
hazards
52. This map projection—which distorts the sizes of landmasses, particularly toward the poles—is called
[insert figure 2.1]
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the Robinson Projection
the Hierarchical Projection
the Polar Projection
the Mercator Projection
the Topological Projection
53. Which of the following is true of slash and burn agriculture?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
it has been practiced in many tropical areas for millennia
it is universally destructive for biological diversity
it occurs mainly in the cores
it is usually followed by transhumance
it is a response to high fertility rates
54. Aristotle subscribed to this view, which holds that the sophistication of a cultural group is a product of
the physical geography within which it developed.
(A) neo-Malthusianism
(B) environmental determinism
(C) transculturationism
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(D) regionalism
(E) cultural ecology
55. New York City and Los Angeles are 3,000 miles apart in terms of absolute distance, but they are quite
connected economically and culturally. This is phenomenon is called
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
topological space
multiculturalism
systematic connectivity
remote sensing
transferability
56. Many information technology firms choose to locate in the San Francisco Bay Area, despite the high
cost of living, because it is home to many highly skilled workers. This is phenomenon is called
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
agglomeration
anthropocentrism
human development
bulk reducing
deglomeration
57. Which of the following distinguishes folk culture from popular culture?
(A) folk cultures vary greatly over space but little over time
(B) folk cultures vary greatly over time but little over space
(C) folk cultures are syncretic but popular cultures are not
(D) popular cultures are syncretic but folk cultures are not
(E) only folk cultures have rituals and traditions
58. Johnny has a large garden where he grows a significant portion of his family’s fruits and vegetables.
Johnny is practicing
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
organic agriculture
subsistence agriculture
the green revolution
vegecide
swidden agriculture
59. Assuming a world population of 6.8 billion and an annual growth rate of 2%, how many people will be
added to the world’s population in the next year?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
6.936 billion
136,000
1,360,000
13,600,000
136,000,000
60. A politician who redraws a voting district with convoluted boundary line in order to improve her
party’s prospects in the next election, is said to have
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
filibustered
gerrymandered
broken the law
created relic boundaries
engaged in territorial organization
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61. In North America, which of the following frequently consumed items results from plantation
agriculture?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
corn
cotton
bananas
strawberries
oranges
62. The import substitution schemes implemented by developing countries in the 1970s were designed to
help them transition out of which sector of the economy?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
quaternary
primary
secondary
industrial
e-commerce
63. The initial spread of HIV between large cosmopolitan cities (e.g. Miami, San Francisco, New York)
exemplifies which type of diffusion?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
longitudinal
stimulus
hierarchical
contagious
relocation
64. This cartogram displays which of the following variables?
[insert figure 2.6]
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
relative area
world population
human development
proportional symbols
national integration
65. Which of the following U.S. cities conforms to the multiple-nuclei model of city structure?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Los Angeles
Chicago
San Francisco
Washington, D.C.be
New Orleans
66. Dramatic improvements in transportation and communications technology over the last several
decades have led to which of the following geographic observations?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
increase in relative location
decrease in locational hazards
decrease in hierarchical diffusion
a new coordinate system
decrease in the friction of distance
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67. Which of the following is important in determining national fertility rates?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
evangelism
carrying capacity
gentrification
women’s empowerment
land tenure
68. Which of the following is being portrayed on the above map?
[Insert figure 6.10]
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
the core-periphery model
the economic core region of China
the Asian hinterland
a megacity
a rust belt
69. A U.S. county is an example of which of the following region types?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
functional region
thematic region
bureaucratic region
administrative region
vernacular region
70. Lines of latitude
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
meet at the poles
are parallel
are referred to as meridians
intersect from time to time
define the international dateline
71. In which of the following countries would you expect to find the lowest rate of population growth?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Algeria
Austria
Brazil
Indonesia
the United States
72. Neocolonialism is essentially synonymous with which economic development philosophy?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
sustainability theory
dependency theory
regionalization theory
Marxism
Rostow’s stages of development model
11
73. You have two maps. One shows population density by state, other shows population density by
county, and the two reveal entirely different patterns. This is an example of
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
preference
map projection
scale of inquiry
a mental map
visualization
74. Economic activities that involve the transformation of raw materials into value-added manufactured
goods are called
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
organic activities
secondary economic activities
tertiary economic activities
subsistence activities
primary economic activities
75. When factories choose to locate near a major port where raw materials are shipped, their location
decision is most likely influenced by
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
economic enclaves
an effort to minimize break of bulk costs
centripetal forces
spatially fixed costs
greenwashing
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FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
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1.
The two maps above depict the second and third largest cities in the United States: Los Angeles and Chicago.
A) Describe how the two cities differ in terms of their spatial organization.
B) Which models of urban spatial organization would you use to describe these two cities? Why?
C) Explain two ways in which the experience of living and working in these two cities might differ as a
consequence of their spatial organization.
2.
Global population growth is often cited a cause of environmental problems, such as climate change and
biodiversity loss.
A) Provide one argument in support of this thesis and one argument against it.
B) People who want to enact government regulations to slow population growth are often said to be neoMalthusians. What does this mean?
C) Describe the concept of carrying capacity. Why do you think it is such a controversial concept when
applied to human populations?
3.
All map projections are distorted representations of the Earth’s surface.
A) Why is this the case?
B) Name two map projections, and describe the distortions they each produce.
C) The Robinson projection is commonly used in publications such as National Geographic. Explain why
a publisher might want to use the Robinson projection for general purposes.
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Responses to Multiple Choice Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
D The economic core countries, during colonization, exported massive amount of raw materials
from their colonies in peripheral countries. This economic relationship, according to this model,
largely persisted after decolonization.
B Chain migration describes the spatial pattern of migratory movement between two nodes that
results from friends and relatives establishing a community, both socially and economically, in a
new area.
C Foreign imports of manufactured goods that can be produced with cheaper labor and less
expensive regulations overseas has lead to the demise of many manufacturing facilities in North
America.
C Isolines do a good job conveying gradual change in a variable over space. As such isolines are
typically used to show elevation changes in topographic maps.
A Both South Padre and Miami Beach offer similar amenities for college students on spring
break; for the Texas students South Padre’s closer location makes it a likelier choice for their
spring break destination.
E Lower order goods are everyday items that nearly everyone uses regularly, such as milk, bread,
and gasoline, which are readily available in small towns despite the small market area.
C Strawberries have a short shelf life, are difficult to transport given their fragile nature, but
comparatively expensive. Growing them near the market minimizes transportation costs, while
higher profits, comparatively, makes up for the higher cost of land.
A Before a country’s population transitions into stable growth, it goes through 4 stages, the first
of which is characterized by both high birth and death rates.
C The Middle East contains strong concentrations of followers of Islam and Judaism. Neither
religion, when followed devoutly, allow for the consumption of pork.
B The Kurdish ethnic group, which is mostly concentrated in the Middle East along the
Turkey/Iraqi border, does not have political autonomy.
E Germany, like many countries in Western Europe, has below replacement level fertility. As
such their population, in terms of total numbers, is in decline.
C Service jobs support those employed in the basic sector of a local economy. As the number of
people employed in the basic sector of an economy increases, a greater number of services (e.g.
delivery, accounting, maintenance etc.) are required to support those basic industries.
D Cultural ecologists are interested in the relationship between societies and their surrounding
natural environments.
B While Mandarin Chinese (Sino-Tibetan) has the highest number of primary speakers
worldwide, English, from the Indo-European family, has the greatest number of speakers when
people who speak it as a second language are taken into account.
A The weight of the wood is much higher than the weight of the furniture, thus the furnituremaking factory locates close to the factory to minimize weight-based transportation costs.
E Substate nationalism often leads to secessionist movements or movements promoting some
level of political autonomy.
D Our Lady of Lourdes is a popular pilgrimage destination in Western Europe, a region where
Catholicism is the most popular religion.
B In urban areas in developing countries, a large number of individuals make a living in the
informal sector, occupations which are not formally registered with the local government.
D Electoral votes are distributed according to population. By providing fairly regular population
counts, the decennial Census determines redistribution of electoral seats according to population
shifts.
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20. D Countries with high GDPs are typically also highly industrialized and highly urbanized, the
energy required for both leads to massive amounts of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
21. D The Green Revolution entailed intentional diffusion of agricultural technologies and products
from developed to developing countries. Much of what was introduced was not suitable to both
local environments and local techniques.
22. C This corridor exemplifies an area of continuous urban development as such it is called a
conurbation.
23. E Improvements in both transportation and communication technologies in the last several
decades have, in effect, shrunk the relative distance between places.
24. C Hierarchical diffusion describes spread of something through major nodes with high
specialized interactivity (e.g. economic transactions between London, New York, and Tokyo).
25. D A cultural syncretism describes the process of two or more beliefs, languages or other cultural
traditions combining and form new traditions with elements of the parent groups.
26. B Poland’s relatively round shape makes it spatially compact.
27. E Metropolitan areas contain both the central business district and the suburban areas of a large
urban complex. The majority of Americans currently live in suburbs of large metropolitan areas.
28. C Pull factors are those that draw individuals to particular destinations when making migration
decisions.
29. B Suburbanization is dependent on the automobile and has been one of the biggest culprits in the
demise of mass transit systems in many urban areas.
30. D Basic activities form the economic base of an area through generation of income from “exports”
or goods sold outside of the area’s boundaries. Non-basic activities are essentially service
activities that rarely generate new income, but rather keep money circulating through an area or
region.
31. C It is impossible to accurately transform something 3-dimensional into something 2dimensional as such all flat maps are distorted in some way.
32. A Because of the large number of young people is countries with rapidly growing populations,
even if a strict population policy is implemented, that policy operates on a very large population
base.
33. D The New York-Washington D.C. area contains the greatest concentration of both political and
economic decision-making power.
34. A The demographic accounting equation provides a population total, as such it only takes into
account additions to population through birth or immigration, or subtractions through death or
emigration.
35. B Even though Swahili is the native language for the Swahili tribe, it has become the language of
trade for most of East Africa, and is the only one of four languages officially used by the African
Union.
36. B Population pyramids with wide bases indicate rapid population growth, a trend dominant in
most of Africa.
37. B The dependency ratio describes the relationship between economically productive members of
society, generally those between the ages of 16-65, and those that depend on them, individuals
above and below those age brackets.
38. A The hexagon is the only shape that perfectly distributes a plain into evenly divided market
areas, whose size depends on the order of the commodities offered.
39. B Primate cities contain a disproportionate amount of a country’s population. This pattern often
emerges in states that were either former colonies or current or former monarchies.
40. C Footloose industries can locate anywhere costs of production and shipping do not vary over
space. With current delivery options, the price to ship most everyday goods, such as books, varies
only by weight not by distance.
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41. B Export processing zones are essentially overseas manufacturing free zones, typically in the
developing world where labor is cheaper and regulations are few.
42. B Absolute location is a precise measure of location, typically using latitude and longitude
coordinates.
43. E According to the rank size rule, a city’s population is 1/nth the largest city’s population where n
is the city’s rank within a urban population hierarchy within a country.
44. B Urban areas in developing regions of the world have experienced extremely rapid rates of
urbanization over the last several decades. As people stream into the city looking for work, they
build informal housing on the outskirts, or squatter settlements. In different places, these areas
go by different names. CHANGE QUESTION ON TEST
45. D Arid environments become increasingly desertified within increasing human activity. As
population grows in the Middle East, continued pressure on the limited water resources, causes
greater proportions of the landscape to essentially dry up and turn into desert.
46. B Functional regions are defined by the spatial interaction between a node and the area serviced
by that node, for example the spatial circulation pattern of a particular newspaper.
47. B Yuppies, or young urban professionals, enjoy the amenities of a revitalized downtown and
typically the income to afford higher real estate prices in gentrified districts.
48. A Carrying capacity, as its name implies, describes a population that a local resource base is able
to sustain.
49. A Primate cities often result from colonization; former colonies often concentrated all economic
and administrative activities in one area, a pattern persisting after decolonization.
50. D Ancillary services include all the various subordinate activities necessary for a industry to
operate, but are often not included within their direct employment base.
51. B Transportation networks facilitate interaction over space.
52. D The Mercator projection is a cylindrical projection, meaning that sizes of landmasses are
mostly correct near the equator; towards both poles landmass’ areas become tremendously
distorted.
53. A Slash and burn provides nutrients to soil in tropical areas which typically have poor soil.
Societies that have evolved near the equator have been employing this technique since ancient
history.
54. B According to environmental determinism, the characteristics of the local environment
determine level of sophistication within a society, such that, according to this view, temperate
climates produce the most advanced civilizations.
55. A Topological space essentially describes the level of connectedness between two locations; New
York and L.A. are extremely connected, both economically and culturally, to one another despite
the physical distance between them.
56. A Agglomeration describes the benefits of locating an industry near to similar industries; the
benefits include a clustered labor pool, specialized services, knowledge spillovers, and in this case
access to top-notch universities and their graduates, among other things.
57. A Pop culture is constantly changing and looks pretty much the same wherever you go whereas
folk cultures look very different from each other, but traditions and practices stay the same over
time.
58. B Subsistence agriculture describes production of food for consumption by you, your family, and
possibly members of your community.
59. E 6.8 billion * 0.02 = 136,000,000.
60. B Named after Governor Eldridge Gerry in Boston ? [need details], gerrymandering involves
drawing political boundaries such that a particular person or party is favored or disfavored.
61. C Bananas are grown on large plantations, which mostly exist in equatorial regions.
62. B Import substitution involved developing countries increasing their manufacturing base such
that they would no longer need to import manufactured goods from overseas.
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63. C AIDS spread first to major metropolitan areas where both large population sizes and
significant inflow/outflow of people facilitated the spread of the disease.
64. B Cartograms shrink or expand a polygon, in this case countries, to show their proportion of
whatever it is that is being represented. Areas of high population, such as China and India, are
noticeably larger on this map.
65. A Los Angeles, a city largely developed after the automobile, contains several “cities” within the
city that have their own downtowns/central business districts.
66. E Because of both rapid transportation and information technologies it is much easier to interact
with other connected places across the globe.
67. D As women’s education levels and status and role in their societies increases, the less likely they
are to have large families.
68. B The east coast of China, with its temperate climate, access to major rivers and access to the
ocean, contains the most economically productive provinces within China.
69. D Administrative regions have boundary lines that are determined and agreed upon by governing
bodies, as is the case with U.S. counties.
70. B Lines of latitude, also called “parallels”, are named as such because they run parallel to the
equator, thus they never intersect.
71. B Many countries in Western Europe are currently experiencing negative population growth,
meaning fertility rates are below replacement level.
72. B Dependency theory basically posits that a dependent relationship exists between former
colonies and their former colonizers. Former colonies continue to supply raw materials to the
former colonies and in return rely on them for manufactured goods.
73. C The scale of inquiry determines the level of detail at which you can explore a particular
phenomenon. At the county level, you are likely to get a much greater sense of variability over
space compared to the state level.
74. B Secondary economic activities transform primary goods (raw materials) into value-added
products.
75. B Break of bulk describes the process of transferring materials or goods from one transportation
type to another, e.g. from cargo ships to trains. As this transfer can be costly, most firms seek to
minimize this expense.
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EXPLANATIONS FOR THE FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
1. The two maps above depict the second and third largest cities in the United States: Los Angeles and
Chicago.
A) Describe how the two cities differ in terms of their spatial organization.
B) Which models of urban spatial organization would you use to describe these two cities? Why?
C) Explain two ways in which the experience of living and working in these two cities might
differ as a consequence of their spatial organization.
Feedback
The response to this question, as in all free response questions, must address all of the question
components. The student must first provide a comparison of the spatial layouts of Chicago and Los
Angeles; readers will likely look for how transportation played a role in the layout of each of the cities.
For each of the two cities, the correct model should be identified; in the case of Los Angeles it would be
the multiple nuclei model and in the case of Chicago, the concentric zone model. In addition to
identifying the models, the response should include a description of why each city conforms to each of the
two models.
Finally, a student should address what these differences in spatial layout mean in terms of day to day
living. Again, the readers will likely be looking for the role of transportation in daily living in each city as
well as living arrangements.
Student Answer
Los Angeles is a sprawling suburban metropolis without a strong central core in the form of a large
downtown area. Its businesses and neighborhoods are spread out across a large geographic region, and it
contains numerous “nodes” of business, educational, and cultural activity. This is because Los Angeles
developed from a collection of much smaller communities that eventually grew together. By the time Los
Angeles began to see its greatest population growth, during the 1950s, the city had developed a
transportation system built around freeways and the automobile. Los Angeles is frequently cited as an
example of the multiple nuclei model of urban spatial organization.
Chicago experienced much of its development in the 19 th century, several decades before Los Angeles. It
developed with a strong central core, which became even stronger after the city was rebuilt following
several fires. Chicago’s suburbs emanate outward from the central business district, called “The Loop.”
Rents decrease as one moves outward, and living conditions become less congested. Chicago is, therefore,
an example of the concentric model of urban spatial organization.
These aspects of Chicago and Los Angeles have clear implications for the lives and lifestyles of the people
who live and work there. Many Angelinos (residents of LA) live in single story, single family homes with
yards and garages, while many Chicagoans live in apartments or in homes that lack spacious yards. Yet,
Angelinos pay for their extra space. In Los Angeles many people live far from their places of work, and
must commute by automobile each day to reach their destinations. In Chicago many people live close
enough to their workplaces to walk, and the city boasts some of the best public transportation in the
country, and many people use it for their daily commutes.
Analysis of the Student’s Response
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This response would definitely receive full points as it addressed each of the question components in a
very organized and comprehensive manner.
2. Global population growth is often cited a cause of environmental problems, such as climate change and
biodiversity loss.
A) Provide one argument in support of this thesis and one argument against it.
B) People who want to enact government regulations to slow population growth are often said to
be neo-Malthusians. What does this mean?
C) Describe the concept of carrying capacity. Why do you think it is such a controversial concept
when applied to human populations?
Feedback
The readers will likely have a rubric that contains several possible arguments for both the pros and cons of
population growth; as such your response is somewhat open-ended. However, there will be limited
possibilities, meaning you must present an established argument for each side and must clearly explain
each position.
Secondly, you must clearly define the term “Neo-Malthusian” and describe what it means in terms of
population control.
Finally, you must discuss the concept of carrying capacity. Again, this portion of the question is
somewhat open-ended, but the readers will have limited possibilities that they will accept as viable
responses.
Student Response
People in developed countries often cite global population growth as a cause of environmental problems
because they believe that natural resources and ecological systems become stressed when more and more
people use them. Yet, government representatives and scholars from developing countries with rapidly
growing populations often argue that consumption, not population, is the primary cause of environmental
problems. They blame the wealthier countries, which consume a much larger portion of the Earth’s
resources, for pressuring ecosystems and squandering resources.
The term neo-Malthusian refers to people who generally believe in the ideas of Thomas Malthus as
articulated in his Essay on the Principle of Population (1798). Malthus argued that overpopulation causes
the decline of natural resources, conflict between humans, and even such calamities as starvation and
warfare. Yet, it is inevitable because population growth will inevitably outpace increases in food
production that determine the Earth’s carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity is a controversial concept, however, because there is no way to measure it or even define
it. Carrying capacity is always changing as a result of resource consumption, technological advancement
and other factors. Moreover, it is not the total supply of food that limits human population. The famines
that Malthus described are always the result of a many factors that include political repression and the
uneven distribution of wealth, land, and natural resources—not just global food supply.
Analysis of the Student’s Response
This is definitely a sophisticated response that would likely earn all 9 points for the question. The student
comprehensively addressed each component of the question using well articulated arguments to discuss
the main points.
4. All map projections are distorted representations of the Earth’s surface.
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A) Why is this the case?
B) Name two map projections, and describe the distortions they each produce.
C) The Robinson projection is commonly used in publications such as National Geographic.
Explain why a publisher might want to use the Robinson projection for general purposes.
Feedback
Your response must essentially define the term “projection” and talk about why projections never
completely accurately represent the earth’s surface. In your response, you must choose two different map
projections; it would be recommended to choose two different types of map projections (e.g. equal area
compared to conformal) and discuss what each projection type preserves and distorts. Finally, you must
discuss the Robinson projection as a compromise projection and the benefits of having a projection type
that preserves nothing in favor of being aesthetically pleasing.
Student’s Response
All maps are distorted representations of the Earth’s surface because the Earth is a flat sphere, or geoid,
and as a three dimensional object it cannot be perfectly represented on a two dimensional map. As a
result, all map projections distort either shape, size, distance, or direction of features on the Earth’s
surface. There is no one best type of projection; all have their pluses and minuses, and all are
compromises.
The Mercator projection preserves accurate compass direction, but distorts the areas of the landmasses
relative to each other. The Peters projection retains the accurate size of landmasses but distorts their
shape. The Robinson projection is popular because it attempts to balance all four projection errors. It
does not maintain accurate distance, size, shape, or direction, but it minimizes errors in all four. It is also
aesthetically pleasing, which is why publishers often prefer to use it for basic global maps.
Analysis of the Student’s Response
This student obviously has a solid knowledge of map projections as the response was answered
comprehensively, accurately, and concisely. This response is a reader’s dream!
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