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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why was 1816 called "the year without a summer"?
(a) Because people were so depressed by the dark and cold that year.
(b) Because there was so much ash and debris in the air that sunlight could not warm Earth enough for summer.
(c) Because the Little Ice Age was beginning and it was getting colder.
(d) Because extensive flooding prevented farmers from being able to sow seeds or harvest crops.

2. How does de Blij suggest that you give directions if you do not know which way is north, south, east, or west?
(a) He suggests drawing a map to use as a reference.
(b) He suggests using global positioning software.
(c) He suggests giving directions based on an analog clock face.
(d) He suggests giving directions based on landmarks.

3. What profession does de Blij say should include training in cartography?
(a) Art.
(b) Teaching.
(c) Politics.
(d) Law.

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

5. Which of the following is one of the characteristics of a nation-state?
(a) A territory that exists within boundaries that can be drawn on a map.
(b) A people who wander from place to place as nomads.
(c) A territory that is governed by several allied governments.
(d) A people who speak the same language but live in different countries.

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

7. How did the volcano explosion in Sumatra affect life on Earth?
(a) It was connected with the beginning of the evolution of modern humans.
(b) It caused an incredible explosion of genetic diversity, producing many new species.
(c) It caused an evolutionary bottleneck in which much genetic diversity was lost.
(d) It caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

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

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

10. Which of the following activities requires the skills of a geographer?
(a) Studying the history and current events of a particular country.
(b) Comparing the structures of government in two different cultures.
(c) Tracking outbreaks of disease and predicting where diseases will spread in the future.
(d) Traveling to a distant place and blogging about the trip in an online journal.

11. Which of the following empires thrived during the Medieval Optimum?
(a) The Empire of Alexander the Great.
(b) The Aztec and Mayan Empires.
(c) The Roman and Han Empires.
(d) The Russian and French Empires.

12. What other university departments does de Blij feel should be resurrected, along with geography departments?
(a) Departments of regional studies.
(b) Interdisciplinary studies departments.
(c) Sociology departments.
(d) History departments.

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

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

15. What does the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea do?
(a) It establishes fishing seasons and limits.
(b) It establishes a procedure for tsunami notification.
(c) It establishes recognized ocean borders.
(d) It gives biologists the right to study the ocean floor.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the biggest problem facing relief agencies trying to provide food for famine victims?

2. Which of the following factors has the greatest effect on population growth?

3. What war does de Blij say could have been better handled if U.S. leaders had had a better grasp of geography?

4. What historical event may have given rise to the stories in many cultures of a Great Flood?

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

(see the answer keys)

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