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Chapter: Introduction: World Regional Geography

Multiple Choice

1.  A large-scale map shows:
A)  a small area
B)  a large area
C)  there is no relationship between the scale on a map and the size of the area shown
D)  an unbalanced area
E)  the entire world

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions on the Map

2.  The ratio of distance on a map to actual ground distance is known as:
A)  the map legend
B)  the map scale
C)  the map revolution
D)  the cartographic rule
E)  a functional region

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions on the Map

3.  Which of the following statements concerning map scale is false?
A)  The fractional scale 1:1,000,000 means one inch on the map represents one million inches on the ground.
B)  If the linear scale of a map is twice another, its aerial representation is four times larger.
C)  To represent a large area on a small map, a small scale is used.
D)  Larger-scale maps allow for greater detail in depicting regions and subregions.
E)  A map with the fractional scale 1:103,000,000 has a larger scale than one of 1:1,000,000.

Ans:  E
Difficulty:  Hard
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions on the Map

4.  A classification system is known as a:
A)  dichotomy
B)  taxonomy
C)  hierarchy
D)  phylum
E)  none of the above

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

5.  The area that surrounds and is served by a city is known as its:
A)  periphery
B)  formal region
C)  hinterland
D)  core
E)  relative location

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

6.  In regional geography, relative location:
A)  is more meaningful and practical than absolute location
B)  refers to the latitude of a place
C)  refers to the longitudinal position of a point on the Earth's surface
D)  a and b above
E)  all of the above

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

7.  A functional region:
A)  is defined on the basis of some variable, such as the area where corn is grown
B)  is exemplified by a city and its hinterland
C)  is also known as a formal region
D)  has a transition zone at its center
E)  is the same as a homogeneous region

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

8.  Which of the following statements is incorrect?
A)  Regions marked by internal homogeneity are classified as formal regions.
B)  Regions conceptualized as “spatial systems” are collectively identified as functional regions.
C)  A country likely constitutes a formal political region because within its boundaries certain conditions of nationality, law, and political tradition prevail.
D)  Functional regions are generally more static and immobile than formal regions.
E)  Functional regions have a core and a periphery.

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Hard
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

9.  The difference between formal and functional regions is:
A)  the nature of the unifying properties: static homogeneity vs. functional cohesion
B)  the area involved: formal areas are very large, while functional areas are smaller
C)  the formal region is urban in nature, the functional region is rural
D)  the age of the regions: the functional region is normally much older than the formal region
E)  the formal region characterizes the non-Western world, the functional region is typically European or North American

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

10.  All regions possess all of the following except:
A)  location
B)  area
C)  homogeneity
D)  boundaries
E)  regions possess all of the above

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

11.  Wegener's supercontinent is known as:
A)  Tectonica
B)  Atlantis
C)  Eurasia
D)  Pangaea
E)  Wegneria

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

12.  Water covers about _____ percent of the Earth's surface.
A)  5
B)  10
C)  50
D)  70
E)  85

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

13.  The process by which a tectonic plate consisting of less heavy rock rides up over a heavier plate is known as:
A)  subduction
B)  tectonic uplifting
C)  volcanism
D)  continental drifting
E)  physiographic collision

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

14.  The current interglacial period is known as the:
A)  Wisconsinan
B)  Wegenerian
C)  Pleistocene
D)  Global Warmup
E)  Holocene

Ans:  E
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

15.  Which water body is surrounded by a geologically-active Ring of Fire:
A)  the Great Lakes
B)  Arctic Ocean
C)  Atlantic Ocean
D)  Pacific Ocean
E)  the Gulf of Mexico

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

16.  Which of the following statements is true?
A)  Desertification occurs only on the Eurasian landmass.
B)  Deserts are mainly found on the eastern sides of the continents.
C)  Rainfall is least dependable in the drier portions of the world.
D)  Wegener derived the theory of climatic regions.
E)  None of the above.

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Hard
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

17.  Which of the following statements about the A climates is incorrect?
A)  They are referred to as humid equatorial climates.
B)  They are characterized by heavy precipitation and high year-round temperatures.
C)  In the Af climate, precipitation rates increase suddenly due to the arrival of the  monsoons.
D)  The Aw subtype is identified as savanna.
E)  They include monsoon climates.

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Hard
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

18.  Rainfall patterns in humid tropical (A) climates are characterized by all except:
A)  substantial precipitation every month, year-round, in the Af (rainforest) subtype
B)  a sudden increase in rainfall resulting from the arrival of the monsoon in the Am (monsoon) subtype
C)  a “double maximum” sometimes involving “long rains” and “short rains” in the savanna (Aw) subtype
D)  the specter of hunger in savanna areas because of comparatively infertile soils and unreliable seasonal precipitation
E)  principally nighttime rainfall in rainforest (Af) areas

Ans:  E
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

19.  Savanna environments belong to the general climate type known as:
A)  dry
B)  humid cold
C)  humid temperate
D)  humid equatorial
E)  polar

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

20.  The Mediterranean climate is classified under which of the following Köppen-Geiger letters?
A)  B
B)  H
C)  Med
D)  C
E)  A

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

21.  Which of the following statements about B climates is incorrect?
A)  B climates only occur in the low latitudes.
B)  B climates may be divided into BW (true desert) and BS (semiarid steppe) subtypes.
C)  A pervasive characteristic of the world's dry areas is a large daily temperature range.
D)  An example of an area exhibiting the BW climate type is the central Sahara.
E)  B climates occur in Australia.

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

22.  Which of the following statements about D climates is incorrect?
A)  They are sometimes referred to as “snow climates.”
B)  They are most frequently found within the interior of large landmasses.
C)  D climates are more common in the Southern Hemisphere than the Northern Hemisphere.
D)  Some highly productive soils are found in areas with D climates.
E)  Parts of the northeastern United States possess a D climate.

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

23.  The prevailing mid-latitude climatic type in the southeastern United States, western Europe, southern Brazil and northern Argentina, and eastern China is the:
A)  humid cold
B)  semiarid moderate
C)  humid temperate
D)  dry winter tundra
E)  dry summer savanna

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

24.  Which of the following major rivers is not associated with one of the world's great population clusters?
A)  Mississippi
B)  Huang He (Yellow)
C)  Rhine
D)  Ganges
E)  Chang Jiang (Yangzi)

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

25.  Which of the following statements is incorrect?
A)  Although East Asia and South Asia have very large populations, both realms still contain extensive areas nearly devoid of permanent population.
B)  More than one-fourth of the world's population presently resides in India.
C)  Megalopolis includes all cities in the U.S. urban complex from Boston to Washington.
D)  The world's third-largest population cluster is located on the Eurasian landmass.
E)  China contains more people than India.

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

26.  The large cluster of population in the northeastern United States is known as:
A)  the urban heartland
B)  Megalopolis
C)  the world-region
D)  the global core
E)  Greater New York

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

27.  Which country is not located within one of the world's three largest population clusters:
A)  Japan
B)  the United States
C)  Pakistan
D)  France
E)  China

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Hard
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

28.  Language families:
A)  originated in the region they are located in
B)  number in the hundreds worldwide
C)  are groups of languages with a shared origin
D)  consist of languages that are mutually understandable
E)  were never affected by colonization during the age of empires

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

29.  Which of the following statements concerning the world's most widely distributed language family is incorrect?
A)  It is known as Indo-European.
B)  It includes English.
C)  It prevails throughout the Americas.
D)  Its many languages are mutually understandable.
E)  Its current geographic extent is the result of colonialism.

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Hard
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

30.  A bridge language of national politics, commerce, and trade is known as a(n):
A)  Extinct language.
B)  Lingua franca.
C)  Indo-European dialect.
D)  Regional speech disparity.
E)  Language family.

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

31.  Which statement below best characterizes the concept of culture?
A)  A civilized pattern of behavior, dominated by appreciation of serious music and good food.
B)  Learned patterns of thought and behavior characteristic of a population or society.
C)  An expression of the artistic qualities in a nation, such as painting and other fine arts.
D)  It plays no role in shaping the human landscape.
E)  It is strongly shaped by the natural environment..

Ans:  B
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

32.  The downtown of an American city, which is usually characterized by a square-grid layout, is called the:
A)  Core-periphery interface
B)  Urban townscape
C)  Central business district
D)  Hinterland
E)  Functional region

Ans:  C
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

33.  States first began to develop:
A)  In areas where cities could begin to command their hinterlands
B)  In open areas between empires
C)  In prehistoric East Africa
D)  After the colonial era ended in the 1950's
E)  In areas where boundaries had already been drawn by royal decree

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Realms, Regions, and States

34.  The European state model includes all of the following except:
A)  A population governed from a capital city
B)  A clearly and legally defined territory
C)  A representative government
D)  A high level of urbanization
E)  It prevails in the aftermath of the collapse of colonial empires

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Realms, Regions, and States

35.  The World Bank ranks countries within four groups. Which of the following is not one of those groups?
A)  High-income countries
B)  Upper-middle income countries
C)  Lower-middle income countries
D)  Middle-income countries
E)  Low-income countries

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

36.  The core areas of the world:
A)  Include areas located only in the Northern Hemisphere
B)  Include areas located only in Europe and North America
C)  Are constituted by countries that do not contain areas of underdevelopment
D)  Include most of the countries of East Asia
E)  Constitute the area where the richer countries are clustered

Ans:  E
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

37.  An index of regional disparity would be useful for examining:
A)  Economic differences between different regions of a country
B)  Political differences between functional and formal regions
C)  Temperature differences between core and periphery
D)  Similarities among African and Asian countries
E)  Differences between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres

Ans:  A
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

38.  Which of the following is not an example of globalization?
A)  McDonald's opening in France
B)  NAFTA
C)  The expanding use of English
D)  Japanese cars being made in Thailand
E)  Tariffs imposed on automobiles

Ans:  E
Difficulty:  Moderate
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

39.  The gradual reduction of regional contrasts resulting from increasing cultural, economic, political and other types of exchanges is known as:
A)  Regional disparity
B)  Regional equalization
C)  Core-periphery widening
D)  The European trade model
E)  Globalization

Ans:  E
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

40.  Which of the following is a systematic subfield of geography?
A)  Regional geography
B)  Cartography
C)  Geographic Information Science
D)  Urban geography
E)  Geology

Ans:  D
Difficulty:  Easy
Section Ref:  The Perspective of Geography

True/False

41.  Geography is concerned with providing a spatial perspective on the world.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Geographic Perspectives

42.  A classification system is known as a taxonomy.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

43.  Transition zones mark the places where geographic realms meet.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

44.  A region marked by homogeneity is known as a functional region.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

45.  Besides location, a region must also have area.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

46.  A region need not possess the geographic property of location.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

47.  Relative location has far less relevance in human geography than absolute location.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

48.  A region organized around a central urban core is known as a functional region.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

49.  Map scale is the ratio of the distance between two places on a map and the actual distance between those two places on the Earth's surface.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions on the Map

50.  A small-scale map shows a large area.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions on the Map

51.  Wladimir Koppen developed the hypothesis of continental drift.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

52.  Pangaea is the name of Wegener's supercontinent.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

53.  Deserts are mainly found on the eastern sides of the continents.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

54.  The D climates are humid cold climates.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

55.  More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is ocean.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

56.  In the Köppen-Geiger scheme, the world's drier climates are largely grouped under the letter A.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

57.  In general, the eastern coasts of continents in tropical and mid-latitude zones receive relatively high precipitation.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

58.  Highland (H) climates closely resemble the cold polar (E) climates.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

59.  Megalopolis is a multi-metropolitan agglomeration in the northeastern United States.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

60.  The world's population is now more than 3.8 billion in total size, and is expected to surpass 4 billion by the year 2010.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

61.  Southeast Asia does not rank among the world's four largest population clusters.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

62.  The great majority of the people of East Asia are concentrated in cities, particularly very large ones like Beijing (Peking) and Shanghai.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

63.  The three largest population clusters in the world today all lie on a single landmass: Eurasia.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

64.  More than 60 percent of the world's population now resides in urban areas.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

65.  Culture is totally genetically predetermined; it is completely instinctive.

Ans:  False
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

66.  Carl O. Sauer developed a school of cultural geography that had the concept of cultural landscape as its focus.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

67.  A cultural landscape consists of a composite of human imprints on the surface of the Earth.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Regions and Cultures

68.  The European state model has gained ground in the aftermath of the collapsed colonial and communist empires.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms, Regions, and States

69.  A state constitutes a political region.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Realms, Regions, and States

70.  The gap between advantaged and disadvantaged states in the world is growing.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

71.  Colonies were places from which European powers obtained raw materials and to which they sold finished products.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

72.  The United States has the world's largest economy.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

73.  Economic globalization is guided by the World Trade Organization.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

74.  The goal of the World Trade Organization is to lower all remaining trade barriers.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

75.  The first “globalization revolution” was triggered by Europe.

Ans:  True
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

Fill-In-The-Blank

76.  The ___________ region, also known as a spatial system, is marked not by an internal sameness, but by its dynamic internal structuring.

Ans:  Functional
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

77.  Uniform cultural regions characterized by internal homogeneity are classified as _____ regions.

Ans:  Formal
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

78.  The ratio of distance on a map to actual ground distance is known as that map's ______.

Ans:  Scale
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions on the Map

79.  Desert and steppe climates belong to the Köppen-Geiger climate type identified by the letter ______.

Ans:  B
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

80.  The world's population is approximately _____ billion in size.

Ans:  6.7
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

81.  The second biggest country in population size is ___.

Ans:  India
Section Ref:  Patterns of Development

82.  The urbanized northeastern seaboard of the United States is known as ______.

Ans:  Megalopolis
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

83.  The art and science of making and interpreting maps is called _________.

Ans:  Cartography
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions on the Map

84.  ________ geography focuses on the discipline's topical fields of study.

Ans:  Systematic
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

85.  The most recent glaciation to affect North America is named after the U.S. State of ______.

Ans:  Wisconsin
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

86.  A clearly and legally defined territory, such as India or France, governed from a capital city is known as a ________.

Ans:  state
Section Ref:  Realms, Regions, and States

87.  ________ are massive slabs of rock which move on the earth's surface, colliding with one another and generating earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Ans:  tectonic plates
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

88.  Population ________ describes the number of people located in a given unit area.

Ans:  density
Section Ref:  Realms of Population

89.  The concept of ________ describes a state's institutional, social, and economic growth.

Ans:  development
Section Ref:  Patterns of Economic Development

90.  ________ geography draws on insights from subfields in ________ geography (such as urban geography, cultural geography, and economic geography) to create an overall image of our world and the divisions therein.

Ans:  regional; systematic
Section Ref:  The Perspective of Geography

Short Answer

91.  Define the concept of a “mental map” and discuss its impact on how we understand our daily surroundings as well as the world as a whole.

Ans:  Maps we “carry with us” in our minds help us navigate our surroundings and shape the ways in which we interact with people and places distant to us.
Section Ref:  A World on Maps

92.  Identify and briefly describe three perspectives to which we can turn in trying to understand how the world functions.

Ans:  These include: (1) historic (or chronological)—a focus on when; (2) systems used to structure activity (economics, politics)—a focus on how; (3) geographic (or spatial)—a focus on where.
Section Ref:  Geography's Perspective

93.  Identify and briefly describe three criteria used for defining geographic realms.

Ans:  Included are: (1) Physical and human criteria (natural and cultural spatial systems); (2) functional criteria (the results of interaction between people and their environments; (3) historical criteria (relating to long-term clustering of human populations).
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

94.  What is the primary distinction between the “regional concept” and “geographic realms”?

Ans:  Regions are smaller, more refined divisions within the larger framework of realms.
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

95.  List six criteria used to define regions.

Ans:  These include: (1) area; (2) boundaries; (3) location; (4) homogeneity; (5) regions as systems; (6) interconnections
Section Ref:  Realms and Regions

96.  Describe the difference between climatic phases known as “glaciations” and “interglacials.” Which phase are we living in today?

Ans:  Glaciations are periods of cold marked by advancing glaciers. Interglacials are warm periods marked by retreating glaciers. We are in an interglacial period today (the Holocene).
Section Ref:  The Physical Setting

97.  Describe the political model known as the “nation-state.” Is the nation-state a realistic entity in the world today? Why or why not?

Ans:  The nation-state is a model whereby a single ethnicity is circumscribed by a shared political boundary. No modern state can be described as a nation-state due to the presence of ethnic and cultural diversity within any state.
Section Ref:  Realms, Regions, and States

98.  Explain why we should be careful not to assume that economic growth equates to a better life for all residents of a particular state.

Ans:  “National averages” can disguise patterns of regional and local variability within a particular state, whereby some residents enjoy the benefit of growth more than others.
Section Ref:  Patterns of Economic Development

99.  Explain the fundamental difference between the concepts of “core area” and “periphery,” noting as you do the political and economic relationships that have historically existed between them. What effect do patterns of contemporary globalization have on core-periphery relations?

Ans:  Core areas are centers of power, development, and expansion, whose growth is dependent on the resources and labor of peripheries. Each can exist at a variety of scales. Core-periphery relations have historically been marked by exploitation of the periphery in the service of the core. Contemporary globalization has tended to intensify contrasts in development between cores and peripheries at given scales.
Section Ref:  Patterns of Economic Development

100.  Explain why some argue that contemporary globalization is breaking down core-periphery barriers and the inequalities that have historically existed between the two. By contrast, explain why others are skeptical that this is likely to occur.

Ans:  Some presume that the flow of resources, money, information, and people associated with globalization will “flatten” out inequalities and distinctions in power between states and regions. Others argue that this can only happen if those in the global core are willing to let go of some of the benefits and opportunities they have enjoyed at the expense of others.
Section Ref:  A Core Periphery World