View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did scientists think was happening to the climate in the 1950s, when de Blij was in graduate school?
(a) Global upheaval.
(b) Global cooling.
(c) Global warming.
(d) No change in climate.

2. What approach to foreign affairs is fostered by the decision not to teach geography in public schools?
(a) An international outlook.
(b) Isolationism and parochialism.
(c) Callous disregard for the welfare of other societies.
(d) Paternalism toward developing countries.

3. What human event coincided with the end of the Little Ice Age?
(a) The rise of the Han Dynasty.
(b) The fall of the Roman Empire.
(c) The Industrial Revolution.
(d) The French Revolution.

4. What two inventions have done the most to increase life expectancy?
(a) Effective soap and the flushing toilet.
(b) The stethoscope and the hypodermic needle.
(c) The electrocardiogram and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.
(d) Electricity and electric lights.

5. What did Georgetown University decide to do in response to the geographic illiteracy of incoming students?
(a) It required all students to pass a geography test in order to graduate from Georgetown.
(b) It required all students to take four years of geography.
(c) It required all students to take a class called Map of the Modern World.
(d) It required all students to pass a geography test as part of the admissions process.

6. What do geographers mean when they use the abbreviation "B.P."?
(a) Before the Postglacial Optimum.
(b) Before the Present.
(c) Before the Past Era.
(d) Before the Pleistocene.

7. How many countries are there in the world?
(a) Nearly 100.
(b) Nearly 400.
(c) Nearly 200.
(d) Nearly 300.

8. Who formulated a grid that is still used to make map projections of the world?
(a) Gerardus Mercator.
(b) Ferdinand Magellan.
(c) Battista Agnese.
(d) Captain Cook.

9. What caused the second Agricultural Revolution?
(a) The influx of technology brought back by merchants from China.
(b) The warm weather that was perfect for farming.
(c) The need to find ways to produce more crops to feed starving people.
(d) The cultural exchange brought about by colonialism.

10. Why does de Blij feel that American students need to study geography?
(a) To better understand plate tectonics.
(b) To protect national security.
(c) To receive a well-rounded education.
(d) To better understand history.

11. How will Earth's population in the year 2015 compare with Earth's population in "the year without a summer"?
(a) Earth will have about the same number of people in 2015 as it did then.
(b) Earth will have double the number of people in 2015 than it did then.
(c) Earth will have seven times more people than it did then.
(d) Earth had seven times more people that year than it does now.

12. What were the first modern humans called?
(a) Neanderthals.
(b) Homo erectus.
(c) Homo habilus.
(d) Cro-Magnons.

13. Why does de Blij feel that Americans have an obligation to be well informed?
(a) Because Americans have economic ties to many other countries.
(b) Because the decisions made by Americans affect the entire planet.
(c) Because it is important to be a good citizen.
(d) Because part of being well educated is understanding geography.

14. If Earth's population keeps growing at the present rate, how high will it be by the year 2035?
(a) One million.
(b) One billion.
(c) Twenty billion.
(d) Eight billion.

15. What life forms are threatened during Earth's Ice Ages?
(a) All life forms.
(b) Only marine life.
(c) Only land animals.
(d) Only plant life.

Short Answer Questions

1. What other world does geography traditionally deal with, in addition to the human world?

2. How wide is each coastal country's territorial sea?

3. Which of the following revolutions occurred during the time period in which the nation-state was becoming popular?

4. What kind of a map did Vladimir Koppen devise?

5. What was Earth like during its first 800 million years?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 666 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample