View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following maps has the smallest scale?
(a) A map of the United States.
(b) A map of a city.
(c) A map of a city block.
(d) A map of the world.

2. Why did the volcano explosion in Sumatra affect Earth's climate?
(a) It shifted one of the plates in Earth's crust.
(b) It sent millions of tons of ash and debris into the atmosphere.
(c) It caused a tsunami.
(d) It heated Earth's atmosphere.

3. Why is the population growing so fast in sub-Saharan Africa?
(a) Religious leaders in those areas encourage families to have more children.
(b) There is plenty of land on which to build more homes for larger families.
(c) Having more children gives a family higher status in certain cultures.
(d) There are no problems with famine or lack of medical care there.

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

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

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

7. When did China first begin to feel the impact of the Little Ice Age?
(a) During the Han Empire.
(b) During the Ming Dynasty.
(c) During the fall of the Roman Empire.
(d) During the Mongol Dynasty.

8. How wide is each coastal country's territorial sea?
(a) Each territorial sea is five miles wide.
(b) Each territorial sea is 188 miles wide.
(c) Each territorial sea is 12 miles wide.
(d) Each territorial sea is 50 miles wide.

9. What were climatic conditions like during the Postglacial Optimum?
(a) Similar to today.
(b) Much colder than they are today.
(c) Much warmer than they are today.
(d) An Ice Age was going on at the time.

10. About what percentage of American students have studied geography in school?
(a) Less than 30 percent.
(b) Less than 50 percent.
(c) Less than five percent.
(d) Less than 10 percent.

11. Where would you expect to find the highest infant mortality rates?
(a) In Sweden.
(b) In Japan.
(c) In Angola.
(d) In the United States.

12. When were the boundaries of nation-states in Africa drawn?
(a) When African countries became independent.
(b) When World War II ended.
(c) When developed countries began sending foreign aid to Africa.
(d) When Europe colonized Africa.

13. Which of the following statements is the best description of Earth's geologic history?
(a) Earth is usually warm but has also had some short Ice Ages.
(b) Earth has had several Ice Ages separated by shorter warm periods.
(c) Earth used to have a tropical climate and has gotten steadily more temperate.
(d) Earth used to have a cold climate and has gotten steadily warmer.

14. How did Dr. John Snow use maps to save lives in London during the 19th century?
(a) He used them to teach firefighters to find their way around London.
(b) He used them to decide where to put streetlights.
(c) He used them to plot new cases of cholera.
(d) He used them to plot the locations of attacks during a crime wave.

15. What does de Blij say that the Snowball Earth theory explains?
(a) It explains why glaciers form during Ice Ages.
(b) It explains Earth's first deep freeze.
(c) It explains how Earth's oceans formed.
(d) It explains the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Short Answer Questions

1. What problem resulted from the drawing of political boundaries in Africa by European powers?

2. How is topography shown in United States Geological Survey maps?

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

4. Why does de Blij feel that American students need to study geography?

5. What technological development revolutionized cartography?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 668 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample