Practice Test 2 - AP Human Geography

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

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1. A textbook sidebar on measuring urbanization notes that countries define "urban" differently (e.g., population threshold, administrative status, or economic function). It states that these definitional differences complicate cross-national comparisons of urbanization rates even when the data are collected carefully. Which statement best applies this point to comparing two countries' urbanization percentages?
2. A secondary source excerpt describing von Thünen's concentric rings notes that forestry often appears relatively close to the market because wood is bulky and expensive to transport, while grains and ranching can be farther out. In a simplified single-city region, a student claims forests should be the outermost land use because "trees grow anywhere." According to the von Thünen model, which of the following best explains the agricultural pattern described?
3. Secondary source excerpt (definition and concept): A cultural landscape reflects cultural choices in material form—what is built, what is cultivated, and what is marked as significant. It is not only the backdrop for culture but evidence of culture's interaction with environment and history. A student is asked to identify the best example of a cultural landscape. Which choice best fits the excerpt's definition?
4. Secondary source excerpt: Physical geography can amplify centrifugal forces when mountains, deserts, or dense forests limit transportation and communication with the capital. If infrastructure is costly, peripheral communities may rely on local networks and develop distinct political identities. Over time, geographic isolation can interact with economic marginalization, making state authority feel distant and encouraging demands for self-rule. Which example best fits the geographic centrifugal dynamics described in the excerpt?
5. A 80-word excerpt compares Morocco and the Czech Republic. It states that Casablanca (with Rabat as the political center) dominates Morocco's economic activity far more than other Moroccan cities, while the Czech Republic's cities show a more even distribution beyond Prague, with several medium and large cities supporting regional economies. The author highlights how dominance by one city can centralize investment and migration. Which concept best captures the Moroccan pattern described?
6. In a comparative labor-market review, an author notes that women often face a gender wage gap even when they have similar education levels as men. The excerpt attributes the gap to occupational segregation, discrimination in hiring and promotion, and penalties for motherhood, while also acknowledging that gaps differ by sector and country. Which statement best aligns with the author's explanation of women's roles in economic development?
7. A 90-word secondary-source excerpt defines the demographic dividend as a period when the working-age share grows relative to dependents, potentially boosting economic growth if jobs and education expand. Country C recently saw fertility decline, and its age structure now has a large 15–64 cohort with smaller 0–14 cohorts. Which condition is most necessary to capture a demographic dividend?
8. A secondary-source excerpt on MAUP notes two common components: the scale effect (results change with different levels of aggregation) and the zoning effect (results change when boundaries are rearranged). A researcher finds that a correlation between air pollution and asthma is strong when using counties, weaker when using census tracts, and changes again when tracts are regrouped into custom "health districts." Which option best identifies what is happening?
9. Secondary-source excerpt (context): A new phrase in a local language spreads across a dense urban neighborhood block by block as residents hear it in markets, on buses, and at nearby schools. It becomes common in adjacent areas first, with no clear role for elites or major institutions in starting adoption. The spread resembles a ripple through close social contact. Which diffusion type is most consistent with this description?
10. A textbook excerpt on the von Thünen model emphasizes that transportation costs help determine both what is produced and how intensively land is used: higher transport costs with distance encourage less intensive uses farther out. According to the von Thünen model, which of the following best explains why land farther from the city is more likely to be used for extensive agriculture?
11. A secondary source on sewerage and stormwater explains that combined sewer systems can overflow during heavy rain, sending untreated wastewater into rivers. The author notes that older, lower-income districts often have aging pipes and fewer green spaces, increasing flood risk, while wealthier areas may receive upgrades and permeable-surface projects first. The excerpt frames climate adaptation as an infrastructure equity issue. Which option best captures the argument?
12. A secondary-source excerpt about Andean agriculture explains that steep elevation gradients create distinct microclimates; farmers plant potatoes at higher elevations and maize lower down, and they use terraces to reduce erosion and conserve moisture. The author argues the landscape shapes options, but farmers actively manage slopes to maintain productivity. Which interpretation best fits the excerpt?
13. A secondary source excerpt explains migration using the push-pull framework: people leave origins due to push factors such as unemployment, land scarcity, violence, or discrimination, and they choose destinations because of pull factors such as higher wages, safety, political freedoms, or established communities. The excerpt notes that most moves reflect multiple interacting pushes and pulls rather than a single cause. Which option best identifies a push factor from the origin and a pull factor at the destination consistent with the excerpt?
14. A secondary source explains absolute location as a precise, fixed position on Earth, commonly expressed with latitude/longitude or a specific address. During an emergency, a hiker reports, "I'm at 34.0522° N, 118.2437° W." Which concept is the hiker using to communicate where they are?
15. Secondary source excerpt (pre-20th century): Scholars of Iberian expansion argue that colonization in the Americas created new cultural landscapes through settlement. Spanish and Portuguese migrants founded towns, introduced European crops and livestock, and reorganized labor and land tenure. At the same time, Indigenous communities selectively adopted, resisted, or reshaped imported practices, producing syncretic religions, cuisines, and languages in frontier and plantation zones. Which historical cause of cultural diffusion is the focus of the excerpt?
16. A secondary source on land reform in a postcolonial African state notes that registration programs required formal identification and fees, which many rural women lacked. Although women cultivated plots, titles were commonly issued to men, reducing women's ability to use land as collateral. Which of the following best describes women's role in the agricultural system described?
17. A school board notes that schools with higher average class sizes have higher average exam scores. A parent concludes that placing their child in a larger class will increase the child's score. Which scale-related concept best critiques the parent's conclusion?
18. A secondary source excerpt argues that in states with multiple national groups, governments often try to balance centripetal and centrifugal forces by combining national symbols (flag, anthem, shared curriculum) with regional autonomy (local language rights, provincial legislatures). The excerpt claims this approach can reduce separatist pressure while preserving a shared state identity. Which policy best fits the balancing strategy described?
19. In a coastal origin region, a newspaper article reports that many college-educated engineers are moving to a nearby global city abroad for higher wages. The origin region's firms report difficulty filling technical positions, while the destination city's tech sector grows rapidly and increases patent filings. Which choice best describes the migration effect shown?
20. Secondary source excerpt (Islam in Southeast Asia): The excerpt explains that Islam became widespread in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia largely through merchant networks, intermarriage, port-city influence, and Sufi teachers. It also notes that many communities retained local festivals and spiritual practices alongside Islamic belief. Which answer best captures the process?

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