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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does de Blij describe as a modern proponent of environmental determinism?
(a) Ellsworth Huntington.
(b) Stephen Oppenheimer.
(c) Jared Diamond.
(d) Brian Fagan.

2. What was Earth like during its first 800 million years?
(a) Earth had a temperate climate.
(b) Earth had warm and cool regions.
(c) Earth was covered in ice.
(d) Earth was very hot.

3. What country has a "one child only" policy for families?
(a) Guatemala.
(b) Nigeria.
(c) China.
(d) India.

4. What does a geostationary satellite do?
(a) It remains stationary over a particular point on Earth's surface.
(b) It produces maps of changing weather conditions.
(c) It can discern features of tiny objects on Earth's surface.
(d) It sends data to GPS devices in cars.

5. Which of the following countries does de Blij think will play an important role in the new world order?
(a) Great Britain.
(b) France.
(c) Somalia.
(d) India.

6. What issue has caused conflicts along the border between Germany and the Netherlands?
(a) Mining rights.
(b) Civil rights.
(c) Human rights.
(d) Water rights.

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

8. Why did life expectancy in Botswana fall from 60 to 39 between 1994 and 2004?
(a) Because of drought and famine.
(b) Because of poor sanitation and hygiene.
(c) Because of severe flooding and cholera.
(d) Because of the AIDS epidemic.

9. Why does de Blij call global warming a misnomer?
(a) Because the globe will probably cool down, not warm up.
(b) Because warming will probably be regional, not global.
(c) Because Earth has been steadily cooling off since the Hadean period.
(d) Because global warming occurs throughout Earth's history.

10. What job does de Blij say should not have been eliminated by government budget cuts?
(a) Ambassador to foreign countries.
(b) Geographic attache.
(c) Congressional aide.
(d) Government cartographer.

11. What causes the drift of Earth's continents?
(a) The Moon's gravity.
(b) Ocean currents and tides.
(c) Ice Ages.
(d) Plate tectonics.

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

13. In which of the following countries is the population decreasing?
(a) Russia.
(b) Albania.
(c) Mexico.
(d) Saudi Arabia.

14. How did the Little Ice Age affect Europe?
(a) It caused the fall of the Minoan civilization.
(b) It produced a golden age.
(c) It strengthened empires.
(d) It caused famines.

15. What had to happen before Earth's land masses could form?
(a) Earth's crust had to begin to cool into rock.
(b) Life had to begin to evolve.
(c) The Moon had to begin orbiting Earth.
(d) The oceans had to form.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following countries adds nine or ten million people to the world's population every year?

2. What problem has historically been an issue between Canada and the United States?

3. What technological development revolutionized cartography?

4. How did Dr. John Snow use maps to save lives in London during the 19th century?

5. What did scientists think was happening to the climate in the 1950s, when de Blij was in graduate school?

(see the answer keys)

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