Practice Test 1 - AP Human Geography

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

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1. Secondary source excerpt (colonial trade patterns and legacy, ~105 words): Colonial economies were frequently reorganized to supply raw materials to imperial centers and to purchase finished goods in return. Rail lines and ports often prioritized extraction zones over internal integration, linking mines and plantations to coastal shipping routes. After independence, many states retained these infrastructures and export profiles, making it difficult to shift toward diversified domestic manufacturing. Even when political control ended, trade relationships and investment flows often continued to favor former colonial powers and multinational firms that controlled processing, shipping, and finance. Which statement best captures the legacy described?
2. A secondary-source excerpt stresses transportation costs determining intensity in the von Thünen model: high transport costs encourage intensive, high-value, perishable production near the market, while lower-value, extensive uses occur farther away. In an isolated region, farmers closest to the city use greenhouses and frequent deliveries, while distant farms use large fields and minimal labor inputs. According to the von Thünen model, which of the following best explains the agricultural pattern described?
3. Secondary-source excerpt (South/Southeast Asia hearth): In the lower Yangtze and nearby wetlands, early rice cultivation developed through water-control practices that stabilized yields in flood-prone landscapes. Farther south, root and tree crops remained important, and some communities continued fishing and foraging despite contact with rice-growing neighbors. Over time, rice farming moved into upland valleys and across monsoon Asia, but its spread depended on labor organization for irrigation, local hydrology, and the fit between paddy techniques and existing cuisines. Diffusion therefore produced mosaics of mixed subsistence rather than uniform conversion. The diffusion pattern described most directly resulted from which of the following?
4. Secondary source excerpt (elements): Cultural landscapes are composed of material features that reflect cultural practices and priorities. Common elements include architecture, land-use patterns (farms, suburbs, industrial zones), infrastructure (highways, canals, power lines), and sacred or commemorative sites (shrines, cemeteries, monuments). Together, these elements show how people organize space to meet needs and express beliefs. A student mapping a city wants to identify elements of its cultural landscape. Which set of observations best fits the excerpt?
5. A secondary source on state formation and nation-building argues that new states often attempt to build legitimacy by creating shared institutions (schools, militaries, legal systems), promoting an official language, and crafting national narratives. These policies can strengthen a state but may marginalize minority identities within the same borders. Which option best explains nation-building as a political process shaping political geography?
6. A secondary source describes how migrants from Senegal living in Paris maintain frequent contact with relatives through messaging apps, send money for ceremonies, and help organize hometown associations that fund wells and school supplies back in Senegal. The excerpt argues these cross-border ties create a community that is socially and economically connected to multiple places at once. Which concept best fits the excerpt?
7. A secondary source explains neo-Malthusianism as a modern extension of Malthus that emphasizes environmental limits, resource depletion, and ecological "carrying capacity." Which policy concern is most characteristically neo-Malthusian?
8. A political geography handout describes physical/physiographic boundaries as those that use natural features, but warns that they can be ambiguous if the feature is hard to identify precisely. Two countries choose "the crestline of the mountains" as their boundary, but disagree on which of two nearby ridges counts as the true crestline. Which concept best explains the source of the disagreement?
9. A secondary-source excerpt distinguishes boundary types and states that physical/physiographic boundaries are defined by natural features, while geometric boundaries are defined by coordinates. A treaty specifies that the boundary will follow a river from its mouth to its source, then continue along the mountain ridge to a tri-point. Which classification best fits the treaty's approach overall?
10. On a tropical lowland coast, large estates cultivate sugarcane and oil palm using wage labor, contract out harvesting, and operate nearby mills to reduce spoilage. Production is coordinated with export buyers and state infrastructure projects, while smallholders in surrounding villages sometimes participate through outgrower schemes and seasonal employment. Environmental regulations and certification programs have prompted changes in fertilizer use and riparian buffers, yet land ownership remains highly concentrated. The agricultural pattern described is most characteristic of which of the following regions?
11. A secondary-source excerpt on remittances describes a Caribbean island where remittance inflows raise household purchasing power. The excerpt also notes that in some remittance-dependent towns, local businesses orient toward consumption (retail and housing construction) rather than export production, and that recipients may be less likely to accept low-wage local jobs. Which option best summarizes a potential mixed effect of remittances in the origin area?
12. In 2024, Region B reports a crude birth rate (CBR) of 22 per 1,000 and a crude death rate (CDR) of 9 per 1,000. Local planners use these two measures to estimate how quickly the population would grow without migration. What is the region's rate of natural increase (NIR)?
13. A review of biotechnology controversies explains that genetically modified crops can reduce certain pest losses and support no-till systems, but public concerns persist about corporate control of seeds, labeling, and long-term ecological effects such as resistance evolution. The authors note that regulatory regimes differ widely, shaping research investment and farmer adoption, and that consumer perceptions can influence export markets. They argue that debates often blend scientific uncertainty with ethical and economic questions. Which of the following best explains the agricultural challenge described in the excerpt?
14. A secondary source contrasts voluntary economic migration with forced migration by emphasizing degree of choice. Which example best fits voluntary (economic) migration as commonly defined in AP Human Geography?
15. Secondary-source excerpt: Anti-natalist programs attempt to lower fertility through measures such as limiting births, offering incentives for smaller families, or expanding access to contraception. Historically, some governments used coercive tools (e.g., strict birth quotas or sterilization campaigns), which can reduce total fertility rates but also raise concerns about rights and enforcement. Which option best matches an anti-natalist policy approach described in the excerpt?
16. Which question directly studies a cultural landscape?
17. A reading explains that geometric boundaries are often used where a state wants a clear, simple border; they may appear as straight lines on maps and can be based on meridians or parallels. Which example best fits that description?
18. Secondary source excerpt (for context): State borders are maintained through everyday practices as much as through treaties. Checkpoints, documentation requirements, surveillance technologies, and customs inspections regulate flows of people and goods. By selectively permitting, delaying, or denying movement, states reinforce territorial authority and can reshape economic activity near the border, including the growth of border towns, informal trade networks, and cross-border commuting. Which policy most clearly reflects the excerpt's emphasis on regulating flows to reinforce territorial authority?
19. Secondary source excerpt (annexation and territorial changes): In 2014, Russia's military presence and a contested local vote preceded the incorporation of Crimea into the Russian Federation. Many states and international organizations rejected the legality of the move, emphasizing principles of territorial integrity and the prohibition on acquiring territory by force. The episode illustrates how the world map can change through coercive territorial transfer, even when diplomatic recognition remains disputed and sanctions follow. Which choice best identifies the political process shaping the map in this case?
20. A secondary-source summary of commodity dependence notes that export concentration can increase vulnerability to external shocks. Which country profile is most likely to be export-concentrated?

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