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Practice Test 12 - AP Human Geography

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

  1. Secondary-source excerpt (for context): Urbanization accelerates when industrial jobs and service-sector opportunities concentrate in cities. Rural residents may also be pushed out by mechanization, land consolidation, or environmental stress, making migration to cities a rational household strategy. These pull and push factors mean urban growth is shaped by economic change and uneven development, not just natural population increase. Which option best identifies a key pull factor driving urbanization?
  2. A secondary source explains that Green Revolution farming often encouraged monocropping of a few improved wheat and rice varieties. While this simplified harvesting and boosted short-term output, it reduced on-farm biodiversity and could increase vulnerability to pests or disease outbreaks if a dominant variety proved susceptible. Which of the following best explains the Green Revolution pattern described in the excerpt?
  3. Secondary source excerpt (context): Territoriality refers to the attempt by an individual or group to influence, control, or defend a specific area. States use territorial organization—such as provinces, districts, and municipalities—to administer space, collect taxes, provide services, and enforce laws. Territoriality is therefore a spatial strategy of power, not merely a description of where people live. Question: Which situation best illustrates territoriality as described in the excerpt?
  4. A world-systems perspective highlights a world city hierarchy, where a small number of global cities serve as command-and-control nodes for finance, corporate services, and international flows, while other cities have more regional roles. Which example best reflects this hierarchy?
  5. A policy brief on education and women's economic empowerment argues that schooling can raise earnings by improving skills, increasing labor-force participation, and delaying early marriage. The author emphasizes, however, that education alone may not produce equal outcomes if labor markets discriminate, if safe transportation is lacking, or if women's unpaid care work limits job choices. Which statement best summarizes this argument?
  6. A 90-word secondary-source excerpt on commodity dependence explains that when a developing country relies heavily on one export (e.g., cocoa), price volatility and buyer power can destabilize government revenue and limit industrialization. Which policy response most directly reduces the risks described?
  7. Secondary source excerpt (105 words): Legal scholars note that extradition treaties and mutual legal assistance agreements can constrain how states handle criminal cases. To combat cross-border crime, governments may agree to share evidence, recognize warrants, or transfer suspects to face trial in another jurisdiction. These commitments can create tension with domestic legal norms, such as differing standards for due process or sentencing. Still, states often accept the constraints to improve security cooperation and maintain diplomatic relations. The arrangement illustrates how sovereignty is negotiated through supranational legal frameworks rather than exercised as unlimited control. Which statement best captures the sovereignty challenge described?
  8. A textbook excerpt explains that the global economy is organized into core regions with high-profit, high-skill production; periphery regions with low-wage, low-profit extraction and assembly; and a semi-periphery that has mixed roles and can buffer tensions. It emphasizes that a country's position is shaped by historical incorporation into global capitalism. Which theory is being summarized?
  9. A secondary source on census data explains that population counts and household characteristics are foundational for allocating services, drawing districts, and estimating housing demand. It also notes that undercounts often occur among renters, migrants, and unhoused residents, which can shift resources away from high-need neighborhoods. Which choice best identifies the main limitation highlighted?
  10. Secondary-source excerpt (Commercial agriculture regions—grain farming): Across an extensive temperate plain, farms produce wheat and other small grains for national and export markets. Large field sizes support mechanized planting and harvesting, and storage elevators connect production to rail and port facilities. Farmers manage risk through crop insurance, futures contracts, and diversification into oilseeds where processing capacity exists. Soil conservation practices—no-till, windbreaks, and residue management—reflect both environmental concerns and input costs. Policy shifts and global price signals can prompt rapid changes in acreage and rotations. Which of the following best explains the agricultural specialization in the region described?
  11. An urban studies article notes that applying classic North American internal-structure models to cities in different world regions can be misleading because colonial legacies, informal economies, and rapid urbanization produce different spatial patterns. Which choice best reflects an appropriate use of models across regions?
  12. A health ministry reports that Country E's infant mortality rate (IMR) declined from 60 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 18 per 1,000 in 2020 after expanding prenatal care, vaccination, and clean water access. Which interpretation best connects this change to broader population dynamics?
  13. A student reads: "Culture provides shared rules and expectations that help people interpret behavior—such as what counts as polite speech or appropriate dress. These expectations are learned through social interaction and can differ across places." Which option best matches the excerpt?
  14. Secondary source excerpt (embedded): Comparative studies highlight regional variation: two provinces within the same country can show different fertility declines because women's status differs by land tenure systems, ethnic norms, and access to secondary schools and clinics. One province with higher female literacy and later average marriage age reached replacement-level fertility, while another remained above 3.0 births per woman. The authors argue that national averages can hide these subnational dynamics. Which statement best reflects this emphasis on regional variation in women's status and demographics?
  15. A secondary-source excerpt on core–periphery trade argues that peripheries often face deteriorating terms of trade when commodity prices fall relative to manufactured goods. Which trade pattern best illustrates deteriorating terms of trade for a peripheral exporter?
  16. Region/type: Market gardening and truck farming. A secondary-source account of a peri-urban corridor describes small and mid-sized farms selling leafy greens, berries, and fresh herbs through wholesalers, CSA subscriptions, and restaurant contracts. Producers invest in drip irrigation, hoop houses, refrigerated storage, and frequent harvesting to meet strict quality standards. Land rents and labor costs are high, so farmers emphasize high-value, perishable crops and rapid delivery rather than bulk staples. Seasonal migrant labor and just-in-time logistics shape planting schedules as much as local soils do. The excerpt best illustrates which of the following types of agriculture?
  17. A secondary-source excerpt on labor migration explains that seasonal agricultural workers move from Guatemala to the United States for harvest jobs. The excerpt notes that destination farms gain a flexible labor supply that can keep food prices lower, while origin communities may lose working-age labor during peak seasons but gain income when migrants return or send money. Which choice best identifies a labor-market impact of this migration pattern on origin and destination?
  18. A secondary source compares two countries: one with strong national institutions that provide consistent public services across regions, and another where corruption and uneven service delivery lead citizens to rely on local patronage networks. The author argues that effective institutions can increase attachment to the state and reduce separatist pressures. Which is the best example of a centripetal force from the comparison?​
  19. A secondary-source summary of commodity dependence explains that low-income countries exporting raw cotton may face limited bargaining power because many producers compete to sell a similar product. Which market structure best describes this challenge?
  20. A secondary source excerpt explains that as the share of older adults rises, the old-age dependency ratio can increase, meaning fewer working-age people support more retirees through taxes, caregiving, and social services. Which statement best describes the economic challenge associated with a rising old-age dependency ratio?

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