Advance Placement Human Geography

Study Guide

Directions: Read each question CAREFULLY then choose the best

choice for each of the following questions.

1. The crucial element in language is

a) vocabulary.
b) grammar.
c) alphabet.
d) vocalization.

2. In technically advanced societies there is likely to be

a) a standard language.
b) many basic languages.
c) limited expansion of language.
d) standard pronunciation.

3. Dialects are most often marked by actual differences in

a) accents.
b) pronunciation.
c) vocabulary.
d) syntax.

4. A geographic boundary within which a particular linguistic feature occurs is called a/an
a) isogloss.
b) sound shift.
c) international border.
d) cultural boundary.

5. There are ___ principal language families of the world.

a) 10
b) 15
c) 20
d) 25

6. The language tree diagram of language divergence has some branches with dead ends. These
represent
a) standardized or non-changing languages.
b) language subfamilies.
c) isolated languages.
d) extinct languages.

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7. The two theories of the Proto-Indo-European language dispersal are the conquest theory and
a) the spread of agriculture.
b) massive migration.
c) extensive trade routes.
d) missionary activity.

8. Which development helped with the rise of national languages beginning in the fourteenth
century?
a) invention of the printing press
b) agricultural revolution
c) Celtic migrations
d) fall of the Roman Empire

9. A language that is the product of a process of convergence which allows speakers of two or
more languages to communicate is
a) a standardized language.
b) a common language.
c) a lingua franca.
d) a lingua germanica.

10. Convergence processes yielding a synthesis of several languages produce a pidgin language.
When this language becomes the first language of a population it is referred to as a
a) dialect.
b) creole language.
c) language subfamily.
d) lingua franca.

11. Countries in which more than one language are in use are called
a) multilingual.
b) monolingual.
c) unilingual.
d) non-lingual.

12.The systematic study of the origin and meaning of place names is called
a) deep reconstruction.
b) namology.
c) toponymy.
d) lexicography.

13.The greatest concentration of streets memorializing Martin Luther King are found in:
a) the West
b) the Northeast, particularly Massachusetts
c) the Midwest, especially Illinois
d) the South, especially Georgia

14. When African colonies became independent countries, one of the first acts of many of the
new governments was to
a) conduct a census.
b) build a new capital city.

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 c) change the names of places that had been named after colonial figures.
d) build new road systems.

15. Persuasion will not lead people to change the language they speak, but it can induce them to
a) profess adherence to a new faith.
b) abandon their culture.
c) abandon their economic activities.
d) move to a new region.

16. The belief that inanimate objects (e.g. trees, mountains, boulders) contain spirits is
a) atheism.
b) agnosticism.
c) agrarianism.
d) animism.

17. Zoroastrianism is similar to Islam and Christianity in that it is

a) a world religion.
b) monotheistic.
c) a missionary religion.
d) polytheistic.

18. Which of the following is not generally a characteristic of an ethnic religion?

a) found in a particular culture
b) always polytheistic
c) spatially concentrated
d) does not seek outside converts

19. The faith that is most widely dispersed over the world is
a) Christianity.
b) Islam.
c) shamanism.
d) Buddhism.

20. The Hindu religion is one of the oldest of the great religions and may have begun ______
years ago.
a) 6,000
b) 4,000
c) 3,000
d) 1,500

21. Hinduism arose in the _____________ River valley.

a) Indus
b) Ganges
c) Brahmaputra
d) Krishna

22. One of the unique characteristics of Hinduism is that it

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 a) is so young.
b) is a very simple religion.
c) emerged without a prophet, book of scriptures, and without evolving a bureaucratic
structure comparable to those of the Christian religions.
d) has so few followers.

23. The fundamental doctrine of the Hindu faith is

a) karma.
b) monotheism.
c) a detailed book of scripture.
d) a violent ideology.

24. Buddhism has its source in

a) India.
b) Japan.
c) China.
d) Thailand.

25. The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, who came to be known as the Buddha
(enlightened one) was perhaps the first prominent Indian religious leader to
a) reject the eating of meat.
b) acknowledge sacred animals, such as cattle.
c) speak out against the Hindu caste system.
d) accept Karma.

26. Geomancers, those who know the desires of the spirits of ancestors, dragons and tigers
occupying the natural world are associated with
a) karma.
b) feng-shui.
c) Lamaism.
d) monotheism.

27. The youngest major religion is

a) Hinduism.
b) Judaism.
c) Islam.
d) Christianity.

28. Jerusalem is a sacred place for

a) Jews.
b) Muslims.
c) Christians.
d) all of the above

29. At the global scale, political geographers study the spatial manifestations of political
processes expressed in the organization of territories with permanent population, defined territory
and a government. These spatial units are called
a) countries.
b) states.
c) nations.

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 d) regions.

30. At the global scale, political geographers study the spatial manifestations of political
processes expressed in the organization of territories with permanent population, defined territory
and a government. These spatial units are called
a) countries.
b) states.
c) nations.
d) regions.

31. Robert Sack’s view of human territorial behavior implies an expression of control over space
and time. This control is closely related to the concept of
a) nationhood.
b) colonialism.
c) sovereignty.
d) warfare.

32. The promotion of the acquisition of wealth through plunder, colonization, and the protection
of home industries and foreign markets during Europe’s rebirth was called
a) imperialism.
b) neo-imperialism.
c) mercantilism.
d) new colonialism.

33. The rise of the modern state idea, where territory defined society rather than society defining
territory, swept through Europe in the
a) Middle Ages.
b) 1600s.
c) 1800s.
d) Twentieth Century.

34. When not all people within a state identify with the dominant sense of nationality, movements
for separation of nation and territory may arise. For example the ______in ___________.
a) English, Great Britain
b) Basques, Spain
c) Waloons, Belgium
d) Irish, Ireland

35. Which is an example of a stateless-nation?

a) Korea
b) Kurds
c) Hungary
d) Switzerland

36. The European state idea spread throughout the world through
a) European colonialism.
b) economic development.
c) League of Nations planning.
d) contagious diffusion.

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37. The boundaries of independent African states were drawn at the Berlin Conference and were
essentially drawn
a) arbitrarily.
b) along ethnic lines.
c) along religious lines.
d) along ecological lines.

38. Which is not characteristic of unitary state governments?

a) highly centralized
b) capital city functions as core of power
c) suppression of regional subcultures
d) concerned with fostering diversity of regional cultural expression

39. The movement of power from the central government regional governments is referred to as
a) revolution.
b) pluralism.
c) supranationalism.
d) devolution.

40. Distance, remoteness and marginal location enhance the potential for devolution. This form of
devolution is referred to as
a) ethnic devolution.
b) spatial devolution.
c) economic devolution.
d) economic marginalization.

41. The process of adjustment of the number of representatives in the U.S. House of
Representatives to reflect shifts in population patterns is known as
a) gerrymandering.
b) territorial representation.
c) electoral geography.
d) reapportionment.

42. A series of concrete pillars _________ the northern boundary of Kuwait with Iraq.
a) defines
b) delimits
c) demarcates
d) determines

43. A boundary between countries is a

a) line on the ground only.
b) line shown only on maps.
c) point of separation on and below the surface only.
d) vertical plane that cuts through the rocks below and air above.

44. The first political geographer who studied the state in detail was Friedrich Ratzel who

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postulated that the state resembles a biological organism. His organic theory identified
______________ as a state’s essential life giving force.
a) population
b) a strong military
c) space
d) mobility

45. The first major experiment in regional supranationalism was undertaken in Europe before
World War II and involved the three countries
a) the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
b) Belgium, Germany, and France.
c) Britain, Belgium, and Norway.
d) France, Poland, and Germany.

46. The layout of a city, the physical form and structure, is referred to as
a) urban morphology.
b) urban grid.
c) city plan.
d) urban street pattern.

47. Where did the first urban development originate?

a) Southeast Asia
b) Southwest Asia
c) North Africa
d) Western Europe

48. What structures dominated the urban landscape of the ancient Mesopotamian cities?
a) temples
b) multiple dwellings
c) business buildings
d) educational institutions

49. The relative location of a city refers to its

a) site.
b) situation.
c) genealogy of development.
d) approximate latitude and longitude.

50. In Burgess’ concentric zone model, the zone of transition became

a) a suburb.
b) deteriorated with more CBD encroachment.
c) a working class area.
d) a gentrified upscale new urban neighborhood.

1. Persuasion will not lead people to change the language they speak, but it can induce them to

7
 a) profess adherence to a new faith.
b) abandon their culture.
c) abandon their economic activities.
d) move to a new region.

2. The belief that inanimate objects (e.g. trees, mountains, boulders) contain spirits is
a) atheism.
b) agnosticism.
c) agrarianism.
d) animism.

3. Zoroastrianism is similar to Islam and Christianity in that it is

a) a world religion.
b) monotheistic.
c) a missionary religion.
d) polytheistic.

4. Which of the following is not generally a characteristic of an ethnic religion?

a) found in a particular culture
b) always polytheistic
c) spatially concentrated
d) does not seek outside converts

5. The faith that is most widely dispersed over the world is

a) Christianity.
b) Islam.
c) shamanism.
d) Buddhism.

5. The Hindu religion is one of the oldest of the great religions and may have begun ______ years
ago.
a) 6,000
b) 4,000
c) 3,000
d) 1,500

6. Hinduism arose in the _____________ River valley.

a) Indus
b) Ganges
c) Brahmaputra
d) Krishna

7. One of the unique characteristics of Hinduism is that it

a) is so young.
b) is a very simple religion.
c) emerged without a prophet, book of scriptures, and without evolving a bureaucratic
structure comparable to those of the Christian religions.

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 d) has so few followers.

8. The fundamental doctrine of the Hindu faith is

a) karma.
b) monotheism.
c) a detailed book of scripture.
d) a violent ideology.

9. Buddhism has its source in

a) India.
b) Japan.
c) China.
d) Thailand.

10. The youngest major religion is

a) Hinduism.
b) Judaism.
c) Islam.
d) Christianity.

11. Jerusalem is a sacred place for

a) Jews.
b) Muslims.
c) Christians.
d) all of the above