Practice Test 23 - 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 secondary source excerpt states that physical geography—such as mountain ranges, archipelagos, or dense forests—can act as a centrifugal force by isolating populations, limiting state services, and reinforcing separate regional identities. The excerpt adds that isolation can increase the likelihood of devolution when combined with cultural differences. Which example best matches the excerpt's logic?
2. A review sheet warns students not to treat the DTM as deterministic. It notes that wars, pandemics, and government policies can disrupt or reverse expected trends, and that the model was built from a particular historical context. Which option shows an incorrect use of the DTM by treating it as a strict law?
3. A secondary-source excerpt summarizes Malthusian theory as a model with two growth rates: population can grow exponentially (e.g., $2,4,8,16$) while food supply grows linearly (e.g., $2,3,4,5$). The author notes that the widening gap implies rising pressure on subsistence absent checks. Which inference best matches this core theory?
4. Read the secondary-source excerpt and answer the question. Excerpt (about 95 words): States frequently design political boundaries to manage movement across their territory. Border enforcement is not only about preventing entry; it also organizes circulation by channeling travelers and commodities through specific ports of entry. Screening procedures, tariffs, and documentation requirements reduce uncertainty for the state while shaping how quickly and cheaply people and goods can move. As a result, a boundary can redirect flows to certain corridors, create bottlenecks, and encourage informal routes where official crossing is difficult. These outcomes show that boundaries influence spatial patterns of mobility. Which option best identifies a function of political boundaries emphasized in the excerpt?
5. A secondary source addressing gender wage gaps and employment discrimination explains that even when women's education increases, they may remain concentrated in lower-paid service work due to hiring bias, limited childcare, and norms about "appropriate" jobs. The author suggests that closing wage gaps often requires both anti-discrimination enforcement and social supports. Which statement best reflects this explanation?
6. A 85–115 word secondary-source excerpt on a tropical forest frontier states that road building and cattle ranching increase deforestation, which reduces evapotranspiration and can lower local rainfall. The author notes that drier conditions then raise wildfire risk, further accelerating forest loss and impacting nearby farming. Which choice best captures the excerpt's central theme?
7. A secondary-source account of Sahelian pastoralists states that during multi-year droughts, herders reduce herd sizes, diversify income with wage labor, and negotiate grazing access with neighboring groups. The author argues drought increases risk but does not automatically cause conflict; outcomes depend on institutions, markets, and mobility options. Which concept best aligns with this argument?
8. A peer-reviewed synthesis of Green Revolution technologies describes the adoption of high-yielding seed varieties alongside synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and expanded irrigation. The author reports substantial yield increases in several staple grains, especially where extension services and credit supported input use. However, the article also notes that intensified input regimes can contribute to nutrient runoff, pesticide resistance, and groundwater stress, with outcomes varying by regulation, farmer training, and local hydrology. The source cautions against treating impacts as uniform across all adopters or environments. The agricultural method described most directly results in which of the following?
9. Secondary-source excerpt (Subsistence agriculture regions—shifting cultivation): In a tropical forest frontier with limited road access, smallholder households clear and burn a patch, cultivate mixed crops for several seasons, then allow fallow regrowth while moving to another plot. The practice is shaped by land tenure uncertainty, labor availability, and customary rules about forest access. As logging roads extend and market demand for cacao or cassava rises, some farmers shorten fallow periods or adopt agroforestry to maintain soil fertility and secure claims. Conservation policies and carbon-credit programs also influence land-use decisions. Which of the following factors most influenced the agricultural system described?
10. A secondary-source excerpt on cultural diffusion describes how Korean pop music and fashion spread to Mexico City through streaming platforms and fan clubs. It notes that many teens adopt Korean phrases, skincare routines, and dance styles while still speaking Spanish at home and keeping local holiday traditions; meanwhile, Korean entertainment companies also adjust lyrics and collaborations to appeal to Latin American audiences. Which effect of cultural diffusion is best illustrated in this scenario?
11. A secondary source on annexation and territorial change notes that states sometimes alter borders by incorporating territory through military occupation, treaties, or referenda conducted under unequal power conditions. Such changes may be recognized by some states but rejected by others, producing contested borders and sanctions. Which option best describes annexation as a political process shaping the world map?
12. Secondary source excerpt (cultural convergence vs divergence): A media study compares youth lifestyles in three global cities and finds increasing similarity in clothing brands, music streaming, and food delivery habits. The same report notes that local political movements have also strengthened regional languages and "buy local" campaigns, partly as a reaction to perceived cultural homogenization. The authors argue diffusion can simultaneously produce shared global consumer culture and renewed local distinctiveness. Which statement best captures this effect of diffusion?
13. Secondary source excerpt (embedded): Political geography operates at multiple scales. Local decisions (like zoning) shape daily life, national policies set countrywide rules, and international agreements regulate interactions between states. Examining scale helps explain how the same issue can look different at city, state, and global levels. Which option best matches the multi-scalar approach to political geography?
14. A secondary source excerpt explains that centrifugal forces often intensify when economic inequality aligns with regional identity—for example, when one region is consistently poorer and also home to a distinct ethnic or linguistic group. The excerpt notes that this alignment can turn economic grievances into political movements. Which scenario best illustrates the excerpt's claim?
15. Secondary-source excerpt (boundary disputes and conflicts, 75–125 words): A boundary can be clearly marked and still generate conflict. Locational disputes arise when the boundary's position is contested; definitional disputes arise from unclear wording in documents; operational disputes arise from disagreements over border control and movement; and allocational disputes arise over resources. Importantly, the presence of mountains or rivers does not guarantee clarity: even "natural" features can be interpreted differently, change over time, or contain multiple plausible reference points. A boundary is marked with fences and pillars, but the two states disagree over whether local residents can cross daily for work without visas. Which type of dispute is this?
16. Secondary-source excerpt (embedded): Development agencies use indicators such as the Gender Inequality Index (GII), female literacy rates, and maternal mortality to compare women's status across countries. These measures help identify patterns in reproductive health, education, and labor-force participation, but they can miss local variation and may not capture unpaid work or informal employment well. As a result, indicator-based rankings are useful for broad comparisons yet incomplete for understanding women's lived economic roles. Which choice best reflects the excerpt's assessment of gender indicators?
17. Secondary source excerpt (about 95 words): A U.S.-based software company keeps product strategy and proprietary research in its home office but contracts customer support and routine coding tasks to firms in India and the Philippines. Managers cite time-zone advantages, lower labor costs, and the ability to scale staffing quickly. Critics argue that the arrangement can reduce bargaining power for domestic workers and increase job insecurity, even as the firm's profits rise. The pattern reflects how communication technologies allow services to be performed far from the consumer market. Which global economic process is most directly described?
18. Secondary source excerpt (about 100 words): Studies of the urban hierarchy emphasize that globalization's effects are uneven across places. Cities that are not well integrated into global finance and producer-service networks may struggle to retain headquarters functions and high-wage employment. Some become more dependent on a narrow set of industries or on lower-value activities, while talent migrates toward better-connected metropolitan areas. Even when non-global cities grow, they may do so through logistics, back-office work, or regional services rather than global command functions. Which statement best summarizes the excerpt?
19. Secondary source excerpt (18th–19th centuries): Although often associated with Britain, the Second Agricultural Revolution did not transform all places at the same pace. Regions with strong property rights enforcement, access to markets, and capital adopted new rotations and livestock breeding earlier, while other areas retained open-field practices longer. Which option best reflects regional variation in the Second Agricultural Revolution?
20. Secondary source excerpt (Sub-Saharan Africa, environmental constraints, 82 words): In parts of West Africa, yam and oil palm cultivation developed in forest–savanna mosaics where diverse microenvironments allowed flexible field placement and fallow cycles. Scholars argue that these systems were shaped by soil fertility management and the labor demands of clearing, not simply by climate. As cultivation practices diffused, communities selectively adopted crops suited to local ecologies; some prioritized hunting, fishing, or trade when those options remained productive. The evidence highlights constraints and choices operating together. Which of the following environmental factors most influenced the agricultural development described?

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