AP Human Geography Midterm Review
Copeland
2015
In preparation of your upcoming Midterm for Friday, Oct. 30, it is suggested you complete the following review
questions from Units 1-4. I would also suggest using the Barron’s Guide as a means of preparation as well. Remember,
your Midterm accounts for 8% of your final grade. The examination will consist of multiple choice questions.
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Who was Eratosthenes? What was his major contribution? What term did he coin or develop?
Explain spatial perspective. Give one example and explain how to look at something from a spatial perspective.
What was Carl Sauer’s argument regarding cultural and natural landscapes?
List and explain 3 modern day tools used by geographers.
Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative data in regards to geographic study.
List and explain 2 ways you can describe location.
Who is George Perkins Marsh?
List and define 3 types of regions.
Explain the difference between large scale and small scale.
What are the two distinct basic types of diffusion?
What are the three types of expansion diffusion?
What are the two types of cognitive (mental) maps?
What separates a Mercator projection from a Fuller’s projection? What projection is a compromise between the
two?
What are the four themes of geographical thought? Who was responsible for these four themes?
What is the current estimated population of the world?
Where are the four population concentrations? List the characteristics of each, patterns issues and concerns.
Where in the world are there other populated clusters?
Where are the four sparsely population regions?
Compare and contrast physiological, agricultural and arithmetic density.
Compare and contrast the different population solution attempts by China and India. What were they? Were
they successful – why or why not?
Define and compare CBR and CDR.
What is NIR?
What is TFR? What age group does it deal with and why?
What is considered the ideal TFR?
What is doubling time? Explain it. Who should be concerned with it?
What is IMR?
Define the role of infant mortality and fertility in the scope of the NIR.
What areas/regions in the world have high NIR?
What areas/regions in the world have high CBR? Why do you think these regions have high CBR?
What areas/regions in the world have high TFR? Explain why.
How is IMR tied to Life Expectancy?
What is demographic transition?
How many stages make up the DTM?
Explain each of the four proven stages in demographic transition. Be sure to note the changes in CBR and CDR
and reasons for the changes.
What stage includes the Agricultural Revolution? What was it?
How do these stages relate /influence population growth?
Compare and contrast the Industrial Revolution and the Medical Revolution?
When and why did each of the above revolutions play a role in population growth?
List the purpose and structure of a population pyramid. (Describe how one can read a pyramid).
How will baby boomers impact the future population pyramid of America?
Describe the current shape of the population pyramid for the United States? Why is it this shape?
What is a gender/sex ratio? How and why are areas different in regards to this?
43. How can countries be in at different stages in the demographic transition phase? (Use Cape Verde, Chile and
Denmark as examples)
44. With what concept is the “S” curve associated?
45. Who was Thomas Malthus?
46. Define and describe Malthus’ theory on overpopulation.
47. Who were the Neo-Malthusians? What was their argument?
48. What did the critics of Malthus say? Was his theory truly reality?
49. What have been the true reasons for declining birth rates?
50. What has been the role of economic development and the distribution of contraceptives?
51. What areas have been dealing with the issue of contraceptives? What are some of the opposing thoughts?
52. Define epidemiologic transition.
53. What world events issues fall into each epidemiologic stages? (Understand what it was, what happened and when
it was)
54. What are the three types of population control policies that states could adopt? Provide current or historical
examples of each?
55. What problems will China face in the future because of its One-Child Policy? How is that problem reflected in
the shape of its population pyramid?
56. What characterizes a possible stage 5 in the Demographic Transition Model?
57. Why would we have a stage 5 in the DTM? What countries might be considered stage 5?
58. What is the difference between emigration and immigration?
59. What is migration a form of? Explain.
60. Explain the application of the gravity model in relation to migration.
61. List, explain and give examples of the 3 types of push and pull factors.
62. What obstacles may be involved in migration? Explain the concept of intervening obstacle?
63. What is the difference between a migrant and a refugee?
64. Compare and contrast internal and international migration.
65. What is the difference between interregional and intraregional migration?
66. According to Ravenstein, what are the key characteristics of migrants?
67. What has been the trend of global migration?
68. Describe the waves of U.S. immigration patterns from colonial times to peaks of the 19th century to the late 20th
century
69. What has been the European legacy of migration – how has the demographic transition played a role?
70. What influence has European culture had on the US?
71. What is the issue with undocumented workers?
72. Describe the local, national and global impacts of undocumented immigration to the US.
73. List the obstacles that immigrants face?
74. Explain how US quota laws have affected migration.
75. Define brain drain. Who benefits from it and who is hurt by it?
76. Compare and contrast guest workers with time-contract workers.
77. What differences, issues and concerns involve the economics of refugees and migrants? Discuss emigrants from
Cuba, Haiti and Vietnam as examples.
78. Describe regional migration patterns in the US – specifically changes, interior settlement, and the south.
79. What has been the migration from rural to urban areas? Why?
80. What has been the migration from urban to suburban? Why?
81. What has been the migration from metropolitan to non-metropolitan areas? Why?
82. Define folk and popular culture.
83. What separates acculturation from assimilation?
84. Explain how hip hop music shows globalization and local diversity.
85. Typically, how has folk culture diffused, if it does? Give an example and explain the process of diffusion.
86. How is a folk culture’s uniqueness developed?
87. Define taboo. Why do people avoid certain plants and animals? Give 3 examples.
88. Why are there cultural differences in housing?
89. Explain the rapid diffusion of clothing in MDCs.
90. What are popular culture food preferences based on?
91. How has television diffused worldwide? What role do televisions and other media avenues have on popular
culture?
92. Regarding lesser developed countries, where will the internet diffuse quicker?
93. What are some of the negative impacts of popular culture? Give example of where these negative impacts can be
seen.
94. How can the media be a negative impact and threaten cultures?
95. What role has the western world played in the news media? What do the critics say (mention who the critics
are as well)?
96. What type of landscapes do popular cultures produce? Give an example.
97. How are these landscapes diffused?
98. List and explain 2 negative impacts on the environment because of popular culture.
99. What is commodification? How does it relate to cultural appropriation?
100. How is a cultural complex tied to a cultural region?
101. What type of culture is language – material or non-material?
102. How many speak English? What language is spoken more often in the world?
103. How many countries in the world have English as their official language? What country, surprisingly, does not
have English as its official language?
104. Why is the English language so widely diffused?
105. From the 1900s until today, who is the responsible for English diffusion?
106. Explain the origin of English in England.
107. Define dialect. How can they develop? Give an example of a British dialect.
108. Explain why there may be different dialects in different parts of England.
109. What is British Received Pronunciation?
110. What is an example of a multilingual state? Monolingual state?
111. Define isogloss and list 3 that are found in the US.
112. Why are there dialects on the eastern part of the US?
113. How is English related to other languages?
114. Define language family. What part of the language tree is it?
115. What is the largest, most widespread language family and how many branches are there?
116. Explain the division of the Germanic branch.
117. List and explain each of the MAIN Indo European branches (explain any internal divisions within that branch).
118. How did Romance languages originate and diffuse?
119. Specifically, how did Spanish and Portuguese diffuse?
120. What is the second largest language family? Where are most of these languages spoken?
121. What is the most spoken language of the Sino-Tibetan family?
122. Where do we find the Afro-Asiatic Family? The Altaic family? The Uralic Family?
123. What is the lingua franca of Sub-Saharan Africa?
124. Using Belgium as example, how can language be a dividing factor in a country? In contrast, what has happened in
Switzerland?
125. Define isolated languages and compare and contrast the languages of Basque and Icelandic languages.
126. How is creole language related to pidgin languages?
127. List and define the 2 types of religion. List all the religions that fall under each of those 2 categories.
128. How can universalizing religions be divided?
129. List the 3 major branches of Christianity.
130. List the 3 largest universalizing religions.
131. Distinguish between monotheism and polytheism. Identify religions associated with each.
132. What are the 5 Pillars of Faith in Islam?
133. Explain the difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims
134. What do Buddhists believe?
135. What is the largest ethnic religion?
136. Compare and contrast Confucianism and Daoism.
137. Identify the hearth of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.
138. Why is there a lack of diffusion of ethnic religions? What is the exception and why?
139. List the holy places for each major religion.
140. Where does each religious group worship?
141. How can religion cause conflict?
142. How did communism affect/view religion?
143. Why is Jerusalem an area of contested geography in regards to religion?
144. What group is associated with the term diaspora? What does this term mean?
145. What is a dowry?
146. What measurements are used to determine the development of a country in regards to the treatment of
women?
147. Define ethnicity.
148. Can ethnicity be globalized like language and religion? Why or why not?
149. What are the 2 largest ethnicities in the US (list percentages).
150. How are ethnicities clustered?
151. Describe how ethnicities are concentrated in the US.
152. Define the difference between Latino and Hispanic. Is this group broken down further?
153. Where are African American clusters? Give an example.
154. Where are Hispanic clusters? Give an example.
155. Explain neighborhood clustering. How and why has it happened? Give examples.
156. Describe relative locations of ethnicities in Los Angeles.
157. What are the ghettos – what did they resemble in the past? Describe the accommodations of American
ghettos.
158. What is the difference between race and an ethnic group? List the 3 ethnic differences in the US.
159. Describe the difference between being black and being African American. What is the distinction?
160. What is the relationship between ethnic groups and nationalities?
161. What is a nation state? Describe them in Europe.
162. Define and describe nationalism. What is it an example of?
163. What is the largest former multinational state? How is it now divided?
164. Do ethnicities clash? If so, why?
165. What area of the world specifically had ethnic conflicts?
166. What happened when the British ended colonial rule in India in 1947?
167. Why was India and Pakistan separated?
168. Describe the ethnic dispute between Pakistan and Kashmir.
169. When did the ethnic dispute begin in regards to Sri Lanka? What is the issue? The groups?
170. Define ethnic cleansing.
171. What has been the end result of ethnic conflicts?
172. List what has recently happened in the Balkan Peninsula. List groups involved.
173. What 6 countries are now former Yugoslavia?
174. Define balkanization – where does this term come from?
175. Describe the ethnic cleansing of central Africa. Explain the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsis.
176. Define state:
177. Define sovereignty:
178. Why is there a dispute in determining the actual number of states in the world today?
179. List the 6 largest states in order:
180. What is a microstate? How does it differ from a city-state?
181. By definition, what is a colony?
182. Define colonialism.
183. Define imperialism.
184. Summarize three reasons Europeans sought colonies.
185. Which country had the largest empire? Second largest?
186. Why do boundaries cause problems?
187. Describe a compact state and give an example.
188. Describe a prorupted state and give an example.
189. Describe an elongated state and give an example. Why does this shape lead to possible disputes within a state?
190. Where do we find perforated states?
191. What is a fragmented state? Provide an example.
192. Of the five state shapes, which ones are conducive to devolutionary movements?
193. Where are most of the world’s landlocked states? Why there?
194. What problems do landlocked states have?
195. What are the three types of boundaries?
196. Provide examples of physical boundaries that separate states, not sub-states.
197. What are the two basic forms of governing found in the world today? Where do we find them? Why do
certain sized-states have a certain form of governing?
198. Where are unitary states most common? Why?
199. Why are the boundaries of electoral districts occasionally redrawn? How often is this done in the US?
200. What is gerrymandering?
201. What are the two basic types of gerrymandering?
202. How is gerrymandering combined with ethnicity/race for political use?
203. What is a theocracy? Provide examples.
204. Where is Shari ’a Law typically applied?
205. Describe the differing schools of geopolitics. Identify the author of each school. What foreign policies could a
country implement based on how it views geopolitics?
206. What is the purpose of the United Nations today? How many countries currently make up the United Nations?
207. What was the initial purpose of the European Union? How many countries make up the EU today? How does
it benefit member countries? What is the downfall of the EU?
208. Explain the concept of devolutionary movements. Why do unitary
209. How did colonialism later impact the economic system known as capitalism?
210. How is terrorism an example of devolutionary movements?
211. What countries support terrorism?
212. What are the four basic types of terrorism?
213. Who has nuclear capability in the world today?
***Disclaimer
The above information/questions are an excellent way to streamline your preparation for the upcoming APHG Midterm. They may
or may not represent actual questions from the Midterm. Nor is your Midterm limited to only the information found above. With
that being said, if you complete the above material and understand the above material, you will do quite well on the Midterm.
Midterm: Friday, Oct. 30