1. Which of the following describes a concern for a country with an aging population?

A. As a country’s population ages, the life expectancy for the younger population of the country decreases and
healthcare costs decline.
B. As a country’s population ages, the infant mortality rate decreases and there is an increased need for daycare
centers.
C. As the proportion of older people in the country increases, fewer young workers are available to contribute tax
revenues to support programs that provide services to the older population.
D. As the proportion of older people in the country increases, the sex ratio becomes disproportionally skewed
toward males.
E. As the proportion of older people increases, the total population decreases because older people do not have
children.

2. Which of the following spatial patterns is best explained by bid-rent theory?

A. Concentric rings of different agricultural activities surrounding a city in the midwestern United States
B. Rural-to-urban migration increasing the population density to eastern China
C. Linear settlements located along a major road in a densely forested area of Brazil
D. Dispersed settlement throughout a large mountainous area of Switzerland
E. The conversion of agricultural land to suburbs surrounding a city in the southeastern United States

3. Based on the map, which of the following can be identified as a true statement about Northern Ireland?
A. It is united with the rest of the island to form a sovereign nation-state.
B. It forms its own sovereign nation-state predominately made up of the Irish ethnic group.
C. It is a frontier that is not formally part of a state, but the United Kingdom claims the area.
D. It is physically separate from the rest of the United Kingdom, a multinational state.
E. It is a stateless nation, as the entire island of Ireland is under the control of the United Kingdom.

4. Which scenario best explains the process of assimilation?

A. A family immigrates to a new country, settles near others from their homeland, and conducts most of their
day-to-day activities within their ethnic neighborhood.
B. Despite the large number of historic churches in France, many French identify as nonreligious and believe that
religion is a private matter.
C. The island of Mauritius has large populations of Christians, Hindus, and Muslims. The constitution of Mauritius
prohibits discrimination and protects freedom of religion.
D. The American government educated Native American children in American-style boarding schools. All of the
children were taught English, and girls were taught how to be homemakers.
E. Hinduism diffused from India to Bali, where it blended with traditional Balinese beliefs to create a form of
Hinduism unique to Bali.

5. Which of the following best explains a benefit of membership in the European Union?
A. Member states are eligible to receive loans from the European Union, which protects states against recession.
B. Member states receive equal numbers of international migrants, which ensures even distribution of resources.
C. Member states receive annual payments from the European Union, which boosts gross national income.
D. Member states have more secure borders, which guards against conflict.
E. Member states form a single market, which creates a powerful economic bloc.

6. Based on a comparison of the zones in the model shown, which of the following best explains how the model is
limited in its representation of present-day urban land-use patterns?
A. The model does not account for the prices of agricultural land on the urban periphery, where land prices continue
to decline.
B. The model does not show that taller buildings constructed in the central business district are a result of increased
land costs.
 C. The model does not indicate that land for apartment buildings is more expensive than land for single-family
homes.
D. The model does not account for the existence of suburbs composed of single-family homes where the housing
structure is more expensive than the land it is built on.
E. The model does not show the cost-to-distance effects of multiple suburban central business districts and the
pattern of residential areas that surround them.

7. Which of the following best explains what the concentric zone model and bid-rent curve illustrate about patterns of
urban areas?
A. Together they show how housing prices rise exponentially in rural areas.
B. Together they show how land prices rise exponentially closer to the central business district.
C. Together they show how rents for apartments drop precipitously closer to the central business district.
D. Together they show how rents for agricultural land rise exponentially farther from cities.
E. Together they show how rents for commercial office space rise exponentially on the urban periphery.

8. A political polling company wants to use census data to collect information on voters in a city by neighborhood. Based
on the types of information collected in the survey form, which of the following could be mapped using census data?
A. The number of voting-age residents per household
B. The political party affiliation of the average resident
C. How residents voted in the last election
D. How voters might vote in the next national election
E. How voters stand on current issues

9. Which of the following best explains why New York City has more specialized stores than do smaller urban places in
the United States?
A. Its status as a primate city
B. The rank-size rule
C. The gravity model
D. Central place theory
E. The Burgess concentric zone model

10. Which of the following correctly compares the impact of centripetal forces at the local scale with the impact of
centripetal forces at the national scale?
A. Centripetal forces may cause uneven development at the local scale but not at the national scale.
B. Centripetal forces at both the local scale and the national scale may lead to increased cultural cohesion.
C. Centripetal forces may lead to stateless nations at the national scale but not the local scale.
D. Centripetal forces may result in nationalism at the local scale but not at the national scale.
E. Centripetal forces at both the local scale and the national scale may lead to failed states.

11. Which of the following concepts explains the decision to relocate market-oriented factories in the United States
from the Midwest and Northeast to locations in the southern United States or Mexico?

A. Comparative advantage, because products can be made more efficiently in the southern United States and
Mexico. Operating costs and wages are lower, and the manufactured products are easily transported to major
United States markets.
B. Growth poles, because governments in southern United States cities and Mexico strive to stimulate economic
development by providing a guaranteed market for all products manufactured at these locations.
C. Just-in-time delivery, because the United States population is shifting to the south and west, and the Mexican
population is growing. It is critical to produce goods closer to the consumer base to reduce shipping times.
D. Complementarity, because the regional economy of the midwestern and northeastern United States is shifting
to the service sector. There is little interest in maintaining manufacturing at these locations.
E. Post-Fordist production, because traditional midwestern and northeastern manufacturing centers in the
United States are unable to keep up with the technological changes of modern industry.

12. Which of the following explains an unintended consequence of China’s antinatalist one-child policy?
A. A dramatic reduction of the birth rate and a decline of the rate of natural increase rate, resulting in lower
 population growth.
B. Agricultural families were forced to relocate to the nearest city to search for employment, resulting in increased
urban population.
C. A projected shortage of working-age people to care for the rising elderly population, resulting in an increase in the
cost of living for older people.
D. Decreased spending on childhood expenses, such as education and nursery supplies results in a drop in domestic
economic productivity.
E. A decreased emphasis on education due to the decreasing numbers of school-age children results in a loss of
international competitiveness.

13. Palm oil, an edible vegetable oil used in processing packaged food products, is obtained from the fruit of the oil
palm tree, grown only in the tropics. Which of the following explains how global demand for palm oil has proved
beneficial and detrimental for countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia?
A. Palm oil exports provided substantial corporate profits, but increased government subsidies to palm oil farmers
led to increased poverty in the two countries.
B. Palm oil exports provided substantial corporate profits, but the process led to high rates of unemployment for
farmworkers at harvest time.
C. Palm oil exports provided substantial corporate profits, but the growth in the industry resulted in heavy
deforestation in both countries.
D. Palm oil exports provided increased income to the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia, but the number of
farmers employed on palm oil plantations decreased in the two countries.
E. Palm oil exports aided in increasing the wealth of the two countries but also increased the diversity of plants in
the two countries.

14. Which of the following countries is best described as being at Stage 3 of the demographic transition mode
A. China: birth rate = 13, death rate =7
B. Democratic Republic of the Congo: birth rate = 44, death rate = 10
C. Bolivia: birth rate = 24 , death rate = 7
D. Ivory Coast: birth rate = 37, death rate = 13
E. Hungary: birth rate = 10, death rate = 13.

15. Which of the following features is most useful for describing the cultural landscape shown in the image?
A. The ethnicity of the people in the image
B. The dragon that the people are holding
C. The French language on the banner hanging from the building
D. The density of the crowd
E. The clothing of the people participating in the parade

16. Market research reports and profiles of voting districts like those shown are examples of spatial analysis products.
Which of the following data sources is most frequently used to create the spatial analysis products shown in the examples?
A. School enrollment records
B. Census surveys
C. Tax receipts
D. Loan applications
E. Utility bills

17. Which of the following describes a federal form of governance?

A. A centralized government creates a barrier to local participation in the political process.
B. Autonomous regions act outside the authority of a central government.
C. Federal states encourage devolutionary movements and break apart quickly.
D. Laws are enacted in a single language to promote cultural unity.
E. Multiple substates have local control and are unified to pursue common goals at the national level.

18. Chinese porcelain was highly valued in Europe for its beauty, style, and durability. However, imported porcelain
from China was very expensive. Crafters in Germany and England developed new methods of making porcelain using
feldspar and bone rather than the kaolin that was used in China. This new porcelain was viewed as having similar
quality to Chinese porcelain, and the new methods continued to be used in Europe.
This example describes what type of diffusion?
A. Relocation diffusion, because the Chinese brought their porcelain to Europe
B. Stimulus diffusion, because the Europeans adapted a Chinese concept to fit their own needs
C. Contagious diffusion, because people throughout the world adopted the use of porcelain
D. Hierarchical diffusion, because only the wealthy could afford porcelain
E. Expansion diffusion, because the porcelain-making process spread from China to Europe

19. Which of the following is the correct organizational scale for the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS)?
A. Global
B. Supranational
C. National
D. State
E. Local

20. Which of the following best explains a likely effect of Brazil’s population distribution?
A. More uniform economic growth throughout the entire country as urban areas expand westward
B. Increased cultural unity as more people live in close proximity to one another in eastern Brazil
C. Uneven economic development as eastern Brazil experiences more growth than the sparsely inhabited western
regions
D. The expansion of available farmland as people move to the cities, allowing more rural land to be farmed
E. More efficient political administration and improved governance as the population becomes more clustered

21. Which of the following statements best explains why English is the most widely spoken language in North
America?

A. The English language initially diffused to North America through the process of relocation diffusion. A number of
colonies were established and settled by people from Great Britain.
B. The English language diffused throughout North America through the process of hierarchical diffusion. The
language was initially spoken in cities and was gradually adopted by people living in rural areas.
C. The English language diffused to North America through the process of contagious diffusion. Christian
missionaries were responsible for the spread of the language among the indigenous population.
D. The English language was established as the official language of all of the British colonies in North America.
Over time, it diffused throughout the population from the colonial leadership to the population.
E. The English language became a widely spoken language in North America in the twentieth century. This
primarily occurred as a way of unifying the immigrant populations in both the United States and Canada.

22. Which of the following statements best explains a limitation of the political map shown in conveying economic
information?
A. In the context of currency, the borders between the member states are irrelevant.
B. In the context of free trade, the borders between the member states are irrelevant.
C. In terms of an international division of labor, there are no variations in wage rates across the borders of member
states.
D. In terms of consumer prices, there are no variations in price amounts across the borders of member states.
E. In terms of manufacturing, there are no variations in production costs across the borders of member states.

23. Which of the following terms best describes regions that make up the political geographic divisions within a
country?
A. Cultural
B. Perceptual
C. Vernacular
D. Physical
E. Formal

24. A refugee enters the European Union in Italy and is temporarily housed in Germany. He is then granted asylum and is
permanently settled in Sweden. Which of the following describes this type of migration that is facilitated by the
European Union’s open border policies?
A. Chain migration within the refugee’s family and social network
B. Guest worker migration based upon the free movement of labor
C. As an internally displaced person within a single state
D. Step migration across member states to a final destination
E. As a rural-to-urban migrant seeking employment opportunities

25. Which of the following best explains the governance of the shaded areas shown on the map?
A. These areas are established as nation-states for indigenous peoples at the local scale.
B. These areas show territory occupied by indigenous peoples as stateless nations at a local scale.
C. These areas show territory controlled by indigenous peoples as a single multi state nation.
D. These areas show where indigenous peoples have a limited amount of self-government at a national scale.
E. These areas are lands of indigenous peoples that are sovereign independent states at an international scale.

26. Which of the following best explains how the expansion of feedlots for raising cattle has affected environmental
sustainability in rural areas?
A. Concentrating large numbers of farm animals in small spaces has decreased the release of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere.
B. Runoff from animal waste has increased the pollution in local water supplies.
C. Feed grains have eliminated potentially harmful invasive plant species from farmland.
D. Land development has increased the available water supply for other farming practices.
E. Composted manure has introduced valuable nutrients into previously depleted soils.

27. Which of the following best explains how the English language diffused to the location shown in the image?
A. This location is the hearth of the English language, and English is the area's traditional language.
B. English was the standard language of the Catholic Church and diffused to this location through religious practices.
C. English was voluntarily adopted in this location as a useful lingua franca.
D. English came to this location recently via imported popular culture such as movies and music.
E. The English language was imposed on this location through a process of economic and political domination.

28. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the data shown in the table?
A. There are a large number of women in the Spanish legislature, but few women have been elected in Kuwait.
B. Spain and Kuwait are countries that have very similar levels of economic and social development.
C. An increase in per capita wealth will almost always result in an improvement in gender equity in a country.
D. Spain and Kuwait are countries that have very different levels of economic development.
E. There is a close correlation between the two statistics displayed on the chart above.

29. Although gentrification can revitalize cities by rehabilitating residential areas, which of the following problems can be
explained by the type of building renovations shown in the before and after images?
A. More parking leading to decreased public transportation use
B. Higher rents causing displacement of existing residents
C. New buildings causing environmental sustainability issues
D. Disuse changing areas into zones of abandonment
E. Unfair real estate practices resulting in housing and insurance discrimination cases

30. The presence of media hubs, coalitions focusing on specific environmental challenges, and headquarters for
multinational corporations in major cities help explain how such cities
A. avoid participation in global processes and decision making
B. are linked globally in ways that transcend national political boundaries
C. are isolated and dependent on national political boundaries for security
D. preserve cultural heritage and contribute to increasing isolation
E. generate individual wealth and drive economic development within cities boundaries

31. Which of the following is a general theory in geography that can be used to quantify and predict the interaction
between two cities based on population sizes, distance between the places, the number of migrants moving from one place
to the other, or the flow of trade goods between the two locations?
 A. Central place theory
B. World system theory
C. Concentric zone model
D. Multiple nuclei model
E. Gravity model

32. During the Green Revolution, agricultural practices from more developed countries diffused to less developed
countries in Asia and Africa. Which of the following best explains the Green Revolution's highly variable level of
success in increasing agricultural yields?
A. The increased yield of the Green Revolution in sub-Saharan Africa decreased the incidence of famine, but the
program was unsuccessful in India because of poor soil quality.
B. Small-scale farmers in Asia often lacked the resources necessary to acquire the hybrid seeds and the chemical
inputs to grow them, leaving large gaps in the success of the Green Revolution outside of urban cores.
C. The Green Revolution was not successful in China because the strain of rice produced was prone to widespread
crop failures, and China dropped out of the program.
D. Rice production surpassed all other crop production in sub-Saharan Africa, but corn production in Mexico was
less successful because of the negative impact on the environment.
E. Persistent famine has occurred in India since new technologies associated with the Green Revolution were
implemented because only the wealthy could afford the increased cost of the improved strains of rice.

33. Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the data shown in the table?
A. Countries with the highest HDI rankings also have the highest GII rankings.
B. Countries with high GII rankings are required to have high gross national income per capita.
C. Countries with the highest HDI rankings do not necessarily have the highest rates of women’s labor-market
participation.
D. Countries with lower GII rankings tend to have longer life expectancies at birth.
E. Countries with the highest HDI rankings do not necessarily have high literacy rates and levels of education.

34. Which of the following best explains how immigration affects the cultural landscape of religion?
A. Immigrants often retain their religion during the process of acculturation, contributing to religious diversity within
the cultural landscape of the receiving country.
B. Immigrant communities fuse their own religion with the dominant religion in the receiving country to create a
syncretic religion.
C. Ethnic religions do not diffuse past their hearth, so immigrants must adopt a new religion when relocating to a
new country.
D. Immigrants bring their religion with them when they relocate, and their religion quickly spreads to the
overwhelming majority of citizens in the receiving country.
E. Immigrants’ original religions disappear as immigrants fully assimilate into their new culture and adopt the
dominant religion of the area.

35. Why have many family farms in North America been replaced by agribusiness farms since the 1980s?
A. A decrease in the consumption of meat has resulted in less demand for cattle, which are mainly raised on family
farms.
B. Agribusiness farms have the resources to take advantage of economies of scale.
C. Little available land for pasture farming has resulted in more concentrated agribusiness operations.
D. More interest in genetically modified foods has led to an increase in agribusiness farms, which have greater
access to advanced technology.
E. Water shortages in regions where family farms were once common have led to a rise in agribusinesses in regions
with more favorable climates.
36. In the context of industrialization, how does the use of the building materials in Image 1 compare to the use of
building materials in Image 2 ?
A. The change from stone to iron bridges had no impact on industrialization because stone was readily available and
stronger than iron.
B. The change from stone to iron bridges created a great demand by Europeans for bridges because iron bridges were
less expensive to build.
C. The scarcity in stone for building bridges facilitated the need to import new materials such as iron, leading to
globalization and the rise of industrialization in Europe.
 D. The development of the metals industry led to the construction of higher and longer bridges, a reduced need for
stone as a building material, and rapid industrialization.
E. Bridges of stone were not constructed in Europe until modern times because the use of iron as a building material
developed in the United States and did not diffuse to Europe until the early twentieth century.

37. Which of the following describes information a geographer could identify from the map of urban populations in
Brazil?
A. Urban areas with rapid population growth
B. Distribution of high and low incomes
C. Areas with negative population growth
D. Patterns of arithmetic density within specific regions
E. Urban areas most at risk for overpopulation

38. Which of the following best explains what the central business district data indicate?
A. Business owners want to have fast Internet available for their consumers in order to improve online ratings for
local services and generate return customers.
B. Consumers demand that the fastest Internet service available before they will consider visiting a city or selecting
a hotel for work or business trips.
C. Politicians and activists have made Internet connectivity a basic right of urban residents and feel that
governments should provide services to increase the connectivity of citizens.
D. Government policy makers and business partners have focused infrastructure efforts on creating a downtown
work environment that is positive for economic development.
E. Communications companies expect that increasing Internet speeds will lead to increased number of subscribers
to their networks.

39. Sheep production in New Zealand and poultry production in Arkansas produce food animals for human
consumption. Which of the following best describes the differences in the agricultural practices and land use for these
products?
A. Sheep production is an example of intensive agriculture requiring large amounts of fertilizer, whereas poultry
production is an example of extensive agriculture practiced mainly in more developed countries.
B. Sheep production and poultry production are both examples of extensive agriculture practiced on large areas of
land, but requiring different climates.
C. Sheep production is an example of extensive agriculture requiring large pastures, whereas poultry production is an
example of intensive agriculture often practiced indoors.
D. Sheep production and poultry production are both examples of intensive agriculture practiced on small areas of
land but requiring different amounts of labor and capital.
E. Sheep production is an example of extensive agriculture that is declining because of an insufficient supply of open
land, whereas poultry production continues to be practiced on small areas of land.

40. Which of the following best explains the Internet’s homogenizing effect on global language patterns?
A. The English language is widely used on the Internet.
B. Social media applications commonly support dozens of different languages.
C. Many governments censor citizens’ Internet access.
D. An increasing number of Internet users communicate exclusively through emojis.
E. The Internet accelerates communication so that people from different cultures can interact quickly and easily.

41. Which of the following explains why Korea and Vietnam were viewed as shatterbelts during the Cold War?
A. Korea and Vietnam were politically controlled by regional powers.
B. Korea and Vietnam kept two political adversaries geographically separated.
C. Korea and Vietnam fragmented into new states due to internal tensions.
D. Korea and Vietnam tried to control land and sea areas around their states.
E. Korea and Vietnam experienced conflict due to a dispute between global powers.

42. Which of the following scales is represented in the map shown?

A. Local, showing the towns and township areas in a county
B. Regional, showing the states or provinces in one part of a country
 C. State or province, showing the counties or parishes
D. Neighborhood, showing the block along street boundaries
E. Block, showing the property lines and names of owners

43. Compare the centralized power of the Soviet Union with the contemporary Russian Federation, in terms of the control
of territory. Which of the following statements does the information in the map best support?
A. Russia is a global power with concentrated power in East Asia.
B. Russia is a multistate nation made up of numerous sovereign independent entities.
C. Russia’s autonomous regions illustrate a strategy to counter the difficulty in governing such a large area from a
single centralized location.
D. Russia is an ethnically diverse region with many subnational units.
E. Russia used to control fifteen additional republics that regained their independence in 1990.

44. The images show a topographic map and a geographic information systems (GIS) representation of Mount Shasta in
California. Which of the following statements best explains why these printed images are geometrically distorted
representations of Earth’s surface?
A. Some maps do not show the actual coloration of Earth’s surface and vegetation.
B. GIS can only display two-dimensional layers.
C. The planet’s gravitational poles are not located at the poles of Earth’s axis.
D. The three dimensions of Earth’s surface are displayed on a two-dimensional page.
E. Printed maps alter the sense of place that people can have about a location.

45. Why would a town planner use a map at the 1:24,000 scale rather than a map at the 1:250,000 scale?
A. The map at the 1:24,000 scale shows a much larger area.
B. The map at the 1:24,000 scale is easily converted to non-metric measurements.
C. The map at the 1:24,000 scale shows the town close-up in more detail.
D. The map at the 1:250,000 scale shows the town in too much detail.
E. The map at the 1:250,000 scale shows too small of an area to see the whole town.

46. The map shows medical technology growth poles in the United States. Which of the following statements best
explains a limitation of the map in showing the geographic context of these growth poles?
A. Each growth pole location is a small special economic zone occupying a few city blocks.
B. Each growth pole location has an international division of labor where low-technology jobs are handled in less
developed countries.
C. The pattern of medical technology growth poles across the country indicates the transformation of post- Fordist
production systems.
D. Each growth pole location is supported by an international network of researchers and multinational corporate
partners.
E. The pattern of medical technology growth poles across the country indicates a dependence on just-in-time
production systems.

47. Which of the following best explains a geographic characteristic shared by megacities in the global periphery?
A. Megacities developed due to major investments in high-speed railways and subway systems.
B. Abundant job opportunities in megacities lead to low unemployment rates.
C. Deindustrialization is causing megacity populations to decline.
D. Megacities demonstrate unplanned growth patterns and often contain squatter settlements.
E. Megacities were built in strategic defensive locations and maintain a strong military presence.

48. Which of the following best explains the practice of placing indigenous children in boarding schools in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
A. The schools were intended to promote multiculturalism by introducing European culture to indigenous youth.
B. Many schools appropriated indigenous culture by using tribal names for sports teams.
C. The schools represented a traditional cultural trait of many indigenous societies.
D. The schools were intended to blend indigenous and European cultures through syncretism.
 E. The schools were intended to diffuse Christianity and assimilate indigenous youth into European culture.

49. In the United States House of Representatives there are a fixed number of 435 seats divided among the states based
upon each state’s relative population size. Changes in the number of representatives, as shown on the map, affect politics
at which of the following scales?
A. City
B. County
C. State
D. Regional
E. National

50. Which of the following explains why a country with a high physiological density (e.g., Japan, Egypt, or the
Netherlands) risks exceeding its carrying capacity?
A. The population is clustered in key areas, so rural populations will not have easy access to public services such as
schools and hospitals.
B. The population places a large amount of pressure on the arable land to produce enough food without risking
severe environmental degradation.
C. The population is evenly dispersed throughout the country, so it is difficult to maintain infrastructure such as
roads and telecommunication networks for the entire country.
D. There is a large number of people per unit of total land area, so there is no available land for farmers to raise
crops and other food products.
E. The amount of farmers per unit of land area in these countries is too low to be able to support their populations.