Chapter 1 Study Questions Introduction to Human Geography
Directions:
You are to answer each of the following questions on a separate sheet of paper in complete sentences. Answer each question in such a way
that you know what the question was. You will be able to use these answers on any study question quiz that takes place in the classroom.
You will NOT be able to use THIS sheet, so make sure your answers are as clear as possible. A “G” indicates that you are to use the glossary to
define a particular term.
Sample Question: p. 11
Q: What does geography and being geographically literate involve? How does this make geography and history related?
A: Geography, and being geographically literate, involves much more than memorizing places on a map. History is related to geography because history is not merely
memorizing dates.
The Spatial Perspective, pages 11-12
1. Define spatial perspective (G).
2. Why were the five themes of geography introduced?
The Five Themes, pages 12-14
3. Define location (G).
4. What does location highlight?
5. What is location theory (G- first sentence only)?
6. What is the human-environment (G) interaction?
7. Define region (G).
8. Why did the concept of region develop? (The concept of region developed
because phenomena….)
9. Why is it important that we understand the regional geography of a place?
10. Define place (G).
11. What do all places have in common?
12. How do people develop a sense of place? A perception of place?
13. To what does movement refer? What is movement an expression of?
14. On what does spatial interaction between places depend? (define each
using the text on page 14)
Cultural Landscape, pages 14-16
15. Define landscape (G).
16. How do geographers use the term landscape?
17. What is the cultural landscape (G)?
18. Whose work is most closely identified with this concept? What does he say
about it?
19. Define sequent occupance (G). Who proposed this term?
20. What did Peirce Lewis say about the cultural landscape of a place?
Introduction to Human Geography: Chapter 1 Study Questions
Why Do Geographers Use Maps, and What Do Maps Tell Us? page 16
21. Define cartography (text).
22. What are maps used for?
23. Define absolute location (G). How do you show absolute location on a
map?
24. What is the most frequently used coordinate system?
25. Define global positioning system (GPS) (G).
26. How does geocaching work?
27. What is relative location (text)?
28. Which type of location doesn’t change and which one does?
Mental Maps, pages 16-17
29. What are mental maps (text)?
30. Define activity space (text).
31. How do our mental maps relate to our activity space?
32. How do mental maps reflect a person’s activity space?
Generalization in Maps, pages 17-18
33. Define generalized map (text).
Remote Sensing and GIS, pages 19-22
34. What is it called when geographers monitor the Earth from a distance?
What do they use to do it?
35. How is remotely sensed data collected?
36. Name three examples of the use/purpose of remote sensing.
37. What is Google Earth?
38. Define geography information systems (GIS) (G).
39. How do geographers use GIS?
Page 1
Why Are Geographers Concerned With Scale and Connectedness?
pages 22-24
40. How do geographers study places and patterns?
41. What are the two meaning of scale in geography?
42. Why must geographers be sensitive to their scale of analysis?
43. What should geographers be wary of?
44. Define rescale (G).
45. What does Victoria Lawson mean by the term jumping scale?
Regions, page 25-29
46. Why do geographers divide the world into regions?
47. What do regions serve as?
48. What are some of the criteria we use to identify and delimit a region?
49. Define a formal region (G).
50. What is a functional region (G)?
51. What things does a functional region share?
52. How is the functional region defined as a spatial system?
53. Define perceptual region (G).
54. What are the things that a perceptual region can include?
55. Who classified the United States’ perceptual regions of the United States?
What were his regions named?
56. Describe the “New South.” (long answer)
Culture, page 29
57. What concept lies at the heart of geography?
58. To what does “culture” refer? (long answer)
59. What did Hoebel say about culture?
60. Define culture trait (text). Give an example.
61. What does it mean to say, “Culture traits are not necessarily confined to a
single culture”?
62. Define culture complex (G). Give an example.
63. What is a cultural hearth (G) AND (text).
64. What does independent invention (G) mean?
Introduction to Human Geography: Chapter 1 Study Questions
Connectedness Through Diffusion, pages 29-31
65. How does diffusion occur?
66. What is cultural diffusion (text)?
67. On what does cultural diffusion depend? Explain thoroughly.
68. Define the concept of time-distance decay (G).
69. Describe a cultural barrier (text).
70. Look closely at Figure 1.22 on page 30. Study it.
71. Define expansion diffusion (text).
72. What are the three forms of expansion diffusion? (define all three from the
text)
73. Give a one word example of each of the three types of diffusion.
74. How does expansion diffusion spread?
75. How is relocation diffusion different from expansion diffusion?
76. How does relocation diffusion occur most frequently?
What are Geographic Concepts, and How Are They Used in Answering
Geographic Questions?
Rejection of Environmental Determinism, pages 32-33
77. What does the doctrine of environmental determinism (text) hold?
78. Describe Sydney Markham’s views on environmental determinism.
Possiblism, page 33
79. What does a geographer who uses the possiblism (text) approach to
geography argue?
80. What are the limitations of possiblism and how do human cultures push
those boundaries?
81. Define cultural ecology (text).
82. Define political ecology (text).
Today’s Human Geography, page 33
83. What are the sub-disciplines of human geography?
84. What is cultural geography?
Page 2