Semester Practice Test

semester practice test

Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Recalling Facts and Ideas

____1.What are the two types of location that geographers use as reference points?

a. / high and low
b. / human and physical
c. / absolute and relative
d. / population and coastal

____2.An area that ____ is called a formal region.

a. / has boundaries determined by a common characteristic
b. / includes people who speak a variety of languages
c. / has different types of transportation systems
d. / includes both rural and urban populations

____3.Why are maps useful to geographers?

a. / A great deal of statistical information can be recorded on a map.
b. / Maps can show the history of a country at a glance.
c. / There are many different types of maps.
d. / Maps can show some information better than writing can.

____4.Statistical data, such as census numbers,

a. / are of little practical use to geographers.
b. / are always more accurate than interviewing people in person.
c. / never can be misunderstood.
d. / help geographers determine which factors in a given situation are most important.

____5.Geographers use history to

a. / help understand the altitude of a region.
b. / make predictions about the future geography of an area.
c. / help determine what places looked like in the past.
d. / learn about latitude and longitude in ancient times.

____6.Geographic information on human activities

a. / can help planners decide whether to build new schools.
b. / is used only by geographers.
c. / is kept in confidential government files.
d. / cannot be used to interpret present-day trends

____7.The ____ divides the earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.

a. / International Date Line
b. / Prime Meridian
c. / Tropic of Cancer
d. / Equator

____8.What is meant by the term relative location?

a. / the exact spot at which a place is found on the globe
b. / the location of a place in relation to other places
c. / the location of a place unrelated to other places
d. / the distance of a place from the Prime Meridian

____9.Which of the following is not part of the grid system?

a. / lines of longitude
b. / lines of location
c. / the Prime Meridian
d. / the Equator

____10.What name is given to the study of the connections between people and their physical environment?

a. / people-place reaction
b. / animal-location relationships
c. / human-environment interaction
d. / geography-location interaction

____11.A functional region focuses on

a. / a time period in a specific part of the world.
b. / the distant future and how geography will change in an area.
c. / a central point and the surrounding territory linked to it.
d. / a system of related regions that cover large continents.

____12.The study of ____ is called physical geography.

a. / the movement of earth’s human population
b. / the earth’s physical features
c. / both the physical and human features of the earth
d. / political, cultural, and economic factors around the world

____13.Which of the following is a use of geography?

a. / making predictions about a population’s future water needs
b. / determining how an ancient civilization spread
c. / deciding where to build a new highway
d. / all of the above

____14.Why would a geographer be likely to read two population density maps?

a. / to find out which area has the larger supply of natural resources
b. / to determine which area has the greater need for services
c. / to locate the capital of each area
d. / to determine the highest elevation in each area

____15.What is another term for human geography?

a. / relative location
b. / physical geography
c. / cultural geography
d. / statistical geography

____16.Geographers study political science to learn

a. / about the economies under which different people live.
b. / how to analyze the weather in an area.
c. / how people in different places are governed.
d. / about mapmaking.

____17.Geographers use a grid system in order to

a. / identify the precise location of any place on Earth.
b. / determine the number of people living in a given area.
c. / provide information for historians.
d. / calculate the elevations of mountains and depths of oceans.

____18.Migrants entering a long-established society

a. / will be welcomed by everyone.
b. / will have no impact on the society.
c. / may transform the society’s culture.
d. / will be forced to return to the place from which they came.

____19.When we say that a city is located at longitude 120°E, we mean that it is located

a. / west of the Prime Meridian.
b. / east of the Prime Meridian.
c. / north of the Equator.
d. / east of the Equator.

____20.A human geographer

a. / analyzes human aspects of culture.
b. / analyzes human physiology.
c. / focuses study on ways in which humans and animals interact differently with their surroundings.
d. / focuses on all aspects of the environment.

____21.Land takes up about ____ of the earth’s surface.

a. / 70 percent
b. / 15 percent
c. / 30 percent
d. / 20 percent

____22.What is the highest point on the earth?

a. / Mount Whitney
b. / the eastern highlands of Africa
c. / Mount Denali
d. / Mount Everest

____23.Which of the following best describes the earth’s inner core?

a. / liquid and extremely hot
b. / solid and cool
c. / liquid and cool
d. / solid and extremely hot

____24.Accretion, a type of tectonic activity, occurs when

a. / a sea plate moves over another sea plate.
b. / a sea plate slowly slides under a continental plate.
c. / a continental plate slides under a sea plate.
d. / a continental plate splits into two parts.

____25.Erosion is the wearing away of Earth’s

a. / inner core by tectonic activity.
b. / surface by wind, glaciers, and moving water.
c. / mantle by the forces of magma and gravity.
d. / crust by the pull of the sun and the moon.

____26.The water cycle shows us that the earth’s water

a. / moves around the earth and is decreasing each year.
b. / moves around the earth and is increasing each year.
c. / moves around the earth but maintains a consistent total amount.
d. / does not move around the earth but maintains a consistent total amount.

____27.A stream is a body of water that

a. / is completely surrounded by land.
b. / flows through land areas.
c. / is fed only by rainfall.
d. / must end up flowing to an ocean.

____28.Groundwater comes from

a. / rain, melted snow, lakes, and rivers.
b. / rain, aquifers, oceans, and streams.
c. / oceans, rain, lakes, and rivers.
d. / deserts, valleys, mountains, and oceans.

____29.Three types of ____ are seas, gulfs, and bays.

a. / oceans
b. / cloud formations
c. / landforms
d. / bodies of water

____30.Four major types of landforms are

a. / mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains.
b. / oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams.
c. / geysers, hot springs, snowfields, and cliffs.
d. / cities, towns, villages, and counties.

____31.The ____ is the deepest known depression on Earth.

a. / Pacific Plate
b. / Dead Sea
c. / Mariana Trench
d. / Isthmus of Panama

____32.____ are known as the terrestrial planets.

a. / Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Mars
b. / Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
c. / Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter
d. / Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus

____33.Asteroids are found mainly between

a. / Mercury and the sun.
b. / Earth and the moon.
c. / the orbits of Saturn and Mars.
d. / the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.

____34.What do many scientists believe about the earth’s continents?

a. / They were pulled apart over a period of one or two centuries.
b. / They were pushed together over millions of years.
c. / They once were joined in a single massive supercontinent.
d. / They look the same today as they did millions of years ago.

____35.Cracks in the earth’s crust are called

a. / moraines.
b. / continental shelves.
c. / plates.
d. / faults.

____36.Surrounding the inner core of the earth is

a. / a liquid outer core.
b. / a solid outer core.
c. / the crust.
d. / the mantle.

____37.What is magma?

a. / the solid rock at the earth’s core
b. / part of the earth’s solid crust
c. / molten rock within the earth
d. / solid rock of iron and nickel

____38.All planets except Pluto are grouped into

a. / terrestrial planets and gas giant planets.
b. / suns and moons.
c. / terrestrial planets and outer planets.
d. / free-moving planets and orbiting planets.

____39.Physical weathering takes place when

a. / large masses of rock are welded together by volcanic action.
b. / large masses of rock are broken into smaller pieces.
c. / chemicals slowly break down rocks over many years.
d. / winds blow dirt away from rocks.

____40.What are the three layers of the earth?

a. / ground, air, and water
b. / core, mantle, and crust
c. / water, mantle, and crust
d. / core, mantle, and air

____41.Places located in high latitudes have

a. / a very warm climate.
b. / the same weather as places in other latitudes.
c. / a mix of extremely hot and extremely cold weather.
d. / the coldest climates on Earth.

____42.Elevation and climate

a. / are very closely related.
b. / have little effect on each other.
c. / are two terms for the same condition.
d. / are almost impossible to measure accurately.

____43.What are ice ages?

a. / periods of time when glaciers receded to cover only the poles
b. / eras during which Earth’s orbit kept the planet far from the sun
c. / periods of time when glaciers covered much of the earth
d. / times when human and animal life thrived in high latitudes

____44.Which of the following climate regions has the widest temperature range?

a. / arctic
b. / subarctic
c. / marine west coast
d. / tropical

____45.The atmosphere

a. / creates the tides.
b. / has no effect on heat gain or loss.
c. / allows heat to escape quickly in order to cool the planet.
d. / keeps heat from escaping too quickly into space.

____46.In which months do equinoxes take place?

a. / June and December
b. / October and April
c. / July and January
d. / March and September

____47.An oasis is a place in the desert at which

a. / large cities often are found.
b. / there is water and lush vegetation.
c. / the temperature is hotter than in the surrounding area.
d. / desert winds collide to produce sandstorms.

____48.Because of the tilt of the earth,

a. / not all places receive the same amount of light at one time.
b. / there is a lack of light at the Equator at the winter solstice.
c. / the polar areas are dark for the entire summer.
d. / all of the above

____49.Global winds that blow in fairly constant patterns are called

a. / trade winds.
b. / westerlies.
c. / polar easterlies.
d. / prevailing winds.

____50.The earth rotates on its axis one time each

a. / day.
b. / week.
c. / month.
d. / year.

____51.The natural vegetation of a desert is

a. / fir and pine trees.
b. / scattered shrubs and cacti.
c. / coconut, banana, and mango trees.
d. / evergreen trees and ferns.

____52.Wind patterns are

a. / caused by the moon’s pull upon the earth.
b. / relatively unimportant as climate factors.
c. / important factors in the earth’s climates.
d. / almost impossible to determine and track.

____53.The seasons result from

a. / the moon’s revolution and its tilt in relation to the earth.
b. / the earth’s rotation and its tilt in relation to the sun.
c. / the earth’s revolution and its tilt in relation to the sun.
d. / the movement of the continents due to continental drift.

____54.Which of the following affect temperatures on the earth?

a. / the earth’s position in relation to the sun
b. / the phases of the moon
c. / tidal ebb and flow as influenced by the sun
d. / the number of hours in a calendar day

____55.Prevailing winds blow ____ because of the Coriolis effect.

a. / in a straight line
b. / in a complete circle
c. / backward
d. / diagonally

____56.What are the two kinds of tropical climates?

a. / tropical rain forest and tropical desert
b. / tropical rain forest and tropical Mediterranean
c. / tropical marine west coast and savanna
d. / tropical savanna and tropical rain forest

____57.The ____ is the northernmost point on the earth to receive the sun’s direct rays.

a. / Tropic of Capricorn
b. / Equator
c. / Tropic of Cancer
d. / North Pole

____58.The earth’s polar areas lie in the

a. / mid-latitudes.
b. / high latitudes.
c. / major latitudes.
d. / low latitudes.

____59.The earth’s atmosphere

a. / thins as elevation increases.
b. / thins as elevation decreases.
c. / stays the same at all elevations.
d. / thickens during solar equinoxes.

____60.The ____ causes day and night.

a. / revolution of the earth
b. / rotation of the earth
c. / orbit of the earth
d. / earth’s gravity

____61.Renewable resources are those that

a. / can be used up over time.
b. / can be replaced.
c. / are of very little value.
d. / can be made usable only through modern technology.

____62.What is an embargo?

a. / a tax on profits
b. / an agreement to stop taxing goods and services
c. / a ban on trade by one country with another
d. / an export tax that is put in place to stimulate the economy

____63.Subsistence farming means

a. / growing only enough food for local use.
b. / growing food to sell in markets worldwide.
c. / working on a farm that is owned by a major corporation.
d. / having a constant surplus of food.

____64.When the death rate is higher than the birthrate, ____ exists.

a. / zero population growth
b. / doubling time
c. / population density
d. / negative population growth

____65.Cities and their surrounding areas are known as

a. / urban towns.
b. / city regions.
c. / metropolitan areas.
d. / suburbs.

____66.Every culture creates a social system by

a. / treating each person equally.
b. / treating its members as if they had to earn privileges.
c. / organizing its members into smaller groups.
d. / organizing its members into one large group.

____67.At the end of the 1900s, the world experienced the ____ Revolution.

a. / Industrial
b. / Agricultural
c. / Green
d. / Information

____68.Which statement about a unitary system of government is accurate?

a. / Key powers are held by the national government.
b. / Power is shared equally between the people and the government.
c. / The national government is made up of many small, self-governing states.
d. / The government allows the people to make most political decisions.

____69.What is a tariff?

a. / a tax imposed on imported goods
b. / a tax imposed on excess merchandise
c. / a plan under which governments give money to private businesses
d. / a necessary part of a free-trade agreement

____70.A monarchy is a form of government in which

a. / the government is run by the people.
b. / a king or queen has chief control of the state.
c. / an elected parliament makes all the laws.
d. / there are no laws.

____71.Culture hearths are places where

a. / people first discovered fire.
b. / the youngest civilizations began.
c. / early centers of civilization influenced their surroundings.
d. / the Information Revolution first took place.

____72.Why must countries trade with each other?

a. / Each country wants to make other countries happy.
b. / Natural resources are distributed evenly throughout the world.
c. / Natural resources are distributed unevenly among countries.
d. / Otherwise, countries would accumulate too many goods.

____73.What are two major factors that aided the development of complex social systems?

a. / hunting and gathering
b. / trade and increased wealth
c. / decreasing population and disease
d. / the invention of the saw and the rise of forestry

____74.Communism is a command economy with

a. / very strict controls.
b. / few or no controls.
c. / decision-making power in the hands of individual businesses.
d. / a very strong free-enterprise system.

____75.An absolute monarch is one who

a. / shares power with his or her subjects.
b. / has no real power at all.
c. / is elected by the vote of the people.
d. / has unlimited rule of the people.

____76.Farmers who raise crops to sell in the market

a. / are called subsistence farmers.
b. / are called commercial farmers.
c. / rarely have food beyond what they themselves can eat.
d. / rarely can feed themselves because they sell everything.

____77.Which statement about the world’s population is accurate?

a. / It is evenly distributed.
b. / It is decreasing.
c. / It is unevenly distributed.
d. / It is increasing, but at a slower rate than during the 1800s.

____78.Cultures are defined by language, religion,

a. / social groups, favorite sports, and prevailing winds.
b. / and the desire to separate from all other people.
c. / government, natural resources, and bodies of water.
d. / social groups, government, and economic activities.

____79.Some of the factors that change cultures are

a. / trade, migration, and war.
b. / geology and the need for people to stay in one place.
c. / a never-changing water supply and the amount of rainfall.
d. / living in a totally isolated place and not traveling.

____80.An ethnic group is made up of people who

a. / have only their race in common.
b. / have a common language, history, and place of origin.
c. / come from different places but have similar traditions.
d. / put aside their differences to work toward a common goal.

____81.The Grand Banks is located in

a. / Canada.
b. / Alaska.
c. / Maine.
d. / Florida.

____82.What kind of climate is shared by northern California, Oregon, and the state of Washington?

a. / tropical
b. / maritime coast
c. / marine west coast
d. / steppe and tundra

____83.The Pacific Ranges were formed by

a. / volcanic activity.
b. / recent glacier deposits.
c. / the collision of tectonic plates.
d. / the Great Divide.

____84.Tall ____ are common native plants of the Great Plains.

a. / deciduous trees
b. / cacti
c. / conifers
d. / grasses

____85.Rainstorms that form over the Pacific Ocean rarely reach

a. / the Mojave Desert.
b. / the Coast Range.
c. / the Sierra Nevada.
d. / San Francisco, California.

____86.Summers generally are ____ in the eastern United States.

a. / cold
b. / cool and rainy
c. / hot and dry
d. / hot and muggy

____87.The ____ run through the state of West Virginia.

a. / Rocky Mountains
b. / Appalachian Mountains
c. / Cascade Mountains
d. / Sierra Nevada

____88.Because of a combination of cool summers and bitterly cold winters, few plants grow in a ____ climate.

a. / timberline
b. / subarctic
c. / subtropical
d. / tundra

____89.No trees grow in cold climates

a. / below the timberline.
b. / above the timberline.
c. / below the fault line.
d. / above the Great Lakes.

____90.What part did glaciers play in forming the Great Lakes?

a. / Glaciers melted in upstream rivers and streams.
b. / Glaciers forced the earth’s crust upward.
c. / Glaciers carved basins out of bedrock.
d. / Glaciers froze the topsoil.

____91.What kind of climate does Hawaii have?

a. / subtropical
b. / tropical
c. / marine west coast
d. / desert

____92.Both Georgia and North Carolina have ____ climates.

a. / subtropical
b. / tropical
c. / marine west coast
d. / desert

____93.Moist winds from the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic

a. / bring rain and snow to the Great Plains.
b. / form supercells along the East Coast.
c. / usually dissipate at sea.
d. / create muggy summer weather in Washington, D.C.

____94.Along the ____, the land of the high Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain.