GEOG 5003, Spring 2012
FIRST EXAM (8 questions, 50 points, 15% of final grade)
NAME: _______________________________________________
This first exam is due by 5 pm on Friday, 2 March.
PLEASE LEAVE A PRINTED COPY OF YOUR EXAM IN Li Xu's MAILBOX BY 5 PM.
You don't have to print the graphics contained in this file if you want to save paper & ink.
The exam is open-book, meaning you can use paper and web-based reference materials to
answer the questions. You may also discuss the questions with others in our class. However,
the answers must be expressed in your own words and must represent your own work and
reasoning. If you must use a direct quote, be sure to list the source.
The questions are intended as short answer, rather than essay. By this I mean, most can be
answered for full credit in several sentences, one or two short paragraphs, or with a sketch or
diagram. Sometimes I find that when I distribute exams electronically, people are tempted to
write more than is really needed simply because space is available in the file.
1. (6 points). On page 41 of his chapter "Graphical Excellence" Tufte singles out this map by
Charles Minard of Napolean's Russian Campaign of 1812-1813 as "the best statistical graphic
ever drawn." State and discuss TWO reasons why Tufte holds this view in terms of his principles
for graphical excellence.
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2. (6 points) Visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/aug/22/libya-middle-easttripoli-interactive
Describe how the cartographers have arranged the various map elements in a visual
hierarchy. Be specific. You can draw a diagram or copy the map into your answer.
Note: For questions 3 and 4, you can either write your answer below or prepare a map
and attach it to your exam.
I would like you to develop a graduated-color map of gender ratios (male/female) by state for the
U.S. and District of Columbia. Because of gender differences in life expectancy, as well as the
gendered structure of the U.S. economy and workforce, women usually outnumber men in places
with aging and large retiree populations. Men sometimes outnumber women in places where
there is rapid growth in the mining and extractive industries, forestry, construction, and some
types of agriculture since these sectors of the economy tend to employ more men (about 11% of
total male workforce) than women (less than 1% of total female workforce).
The "states.shp" file you used for the U.S. campaign strategy project contains data for the 2003
female and male population of the U.S. You can create a gender ratio by selecting "Males" as
the quantity value to be mapping and "Female" as the value to use for normalization.
Choose color
sequence in
question 6.
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Choose
classification
method and
number of
categories in
question 5.
3. (7 points) Of the classification options available in ArcMap, which method or methods would
be appropriate for grouping the data and why: Natural Breaks (Jenks); Standard Deviation;
Quantiles; Defined Interval; Geometric or Equal Interval? And how many categories would you
employ?
4. (7 points) What color combination would you use for this map if you had to print the map on
paper? If you use ColorBrewer or the charts in Appendix A of Designing Better Maps, print the
page with the color specifications for your choice.
5. (6 points) Visit:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Presidential_04/2004_County_Results_Final.html
These maps make it appear that the Republican George Bush won "landslide" elections in
2000 and 2004, even though both were actually very close races (2000 being so close that
it was decided in court).
What characteristic of this choropleth map makes the display so misleading--that is,
seeming to show a landslide when the elections were quite close?
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6. (6 points) We discussed this map in class. It is from the book Crumbling Empire: The
German Defeat in the East, 1944 (2001) by Samuel W. Mitchum, Jr. It depicts the
disposition of Nazi and Soviet forces in the period of the battle for Budapest, Hungary's
capital, and this map is very difficult to read. Critique this map in terms of Jacques
Bertin's visual variables. Make at least three concrete suggestions of how visual
variables could be used more effectively to improve this map. The only limitation on
your suggestions is that this must remain a black-and-white map, so you cannot suggest
changes involving the use of hue.
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7. (6 points) The following map from the New York Times (August 24, 2005) tries to
show regional trends in obesity. Based on what we discussed about classification
schemes, critique this map and how the selection of cutpoints influences its message.
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8. (6 points). Using the ideas introduced by Cynthia Brewer in Chapter 3 of Designing Better
Maps, indicate ways the lettering of this map could be improved. Source: William Wyckoff,
Creating Colorado: The Making of a Western American Landscape, 1860-1940 (New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1999), figure 67," Population decline in Eastern Colorado, 1890-1900."
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