Practice Test 35 - AP Human Geography

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

Start practice test

1. Secondary-source excerpt (township and range): In parts of the U.S. Midwest, land was divided into townships and sections using rectangular survey lines, enabling rapid sale, taxation, and settlement promotion. The standardized grid did more than measure space; it implemented federal authority, facilitated commodified land markets, and often ignored existing Indigenous land use and local topography. Farmsteads commonly appear at regular intervals along straight roads, and many county boundaries and field edges still mirror section lines. The survey method described most directly resulted in which of the following landscape characteristics?
2. An excerpt on the origins of urbanization explains that surplus food production reduced the proportion of people needed in farming, allowing a division of labor and the growth of marketplaces and governance in permanent settlements. Which option is the best example of a development that would most likely follow from the process described?
3. A regional planning report (secondary source) compares two countries. Country X has 60 million people and $600{,}000\text{ km}^2$ of land, but only $60{,}000\text{ km}^2$ is arable. Country Y has 20 million people and $200{,}000\text{ km}^2$ of land, with $100{,}000\text{ km}^2$ arable. The report argues that agricultural pressure is better captured by physiological density than arithmetic density. Which choice correctly applies that claim?
4. A 90–120 word secondary-source excerpt summarizes research on a megacity's heat island. It states that dense pavement and limited tree canopy raise nighttime temperatures, increasing electricity demand for cooling and worsening ozone formation. The report adds that higher energy use (still partly fossil-fueled) contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, which can intensify regional heat extremes over time. Which option best characterizes this interaction?
5. Secondary source excerpt (definition and concept, 75–125 words): In human geography, a cultural landscape refers to the visible imprint of human activity and meaning on the natural environment. Buildings, field patterns, street layouts, monuments, and even vegetation choices can reflect a group's values, technology, and social organization. Cultural landscapes are not simply "scenery"; they are produced through decisions about land use, labor, and identity, and they often reveal who has had the power to shape space. Reading a landscape can therefore help explain cultural practices and historical processes that may not be obvious from maps alone. Which option best applies the excerpt's definition of cultural landscape?
6. A secondary-source excerpt on gender measures states that the Gender Inequality Index (GII) evaluates disparities between women and men in reproductive health, empowerment, and labor-market participation, highlighting that average income statistics can mask unequal access to opportunities. According to the excerpt, what is the primary purpose of using the GII alongside GDP per capita?
7. Between the 1400s and 1700s, improvements in ocean-going ship design and navigation (such as lateen sails, better hulls, and more reliable charts) allowed longer voyages across the Atlantic and around Africa. These technologies increased sustained contact among distant regions, accelerating the transfer of crops, diseases, languages, and religious practices well before industrialization. Which historical cause of cultural diffusion is emphasized? (Secondary-source excerpt embedded above.)
8. A secondary source explains bid-rent tradeoffs in the von Thünen model: two farmers may face the same market price, but the one farther away has higher transport costs and therefore can offer less rent for land; as distance increases, land uses with lower transport costs or higher value per unit can outbid others. According to the von Thünen model, which of the following best explains the agricultural pattern described?
9. A baby boom occurs after a war in a stage 3 country. Which DTM limitation does this best show?
10. Secondary-source excerpt (context): Stimulus diffusion occurs when an underlying idea spreads but is adapted into a new form in the receiving culture. For instance, the concept of "fast food" spread globally, but in India many chains offer paneer or potato-based options and avoid beef to fit local dietary norms. The core idea (quick, standardized meals) diffuses, while specific menu items change. Which choice best identifies the diffusion type in the excerpt?
11. An AP Human Geography student compares urbanization rates across two countries. One country defines "urban" as settlements over 2,000 people; the other uses administrative city limits that include large rural areas. The student notices very different urbanization percentages. What is the best explanation for the discrepancy?
12. A geographer maps fast-food restaurants in a metropolitan area and finds that many outlets are concentrated around freeway interchanges and major shopping districts, with fewer locations in outlying rural areas. The arrangement shows distinct concentrations in certain nodes rather than even spacing. Which spatial pattern best describes the distribution of restaurants?
13. A secondary source on irrigation schemes in Pakistan reports that water-user associations were dominated by men, even though women did much of the transplanting and weeding in irrigated plots. Because women were excluded from meetings, their preferences about cropping and water timing were rarely reflected. Which of the following best describes women's role in the agricultural system described?
14. Secondary source excerpt (about 115 words): The DTM's stages are defined by birth and death rates, not by a single economic indicator. Stage 3 is characterized by declining birth rates and already-low death rates, often as urban living increases, education expands, and contraception becomes more available. Stage 2 is earlier: death rates fall, but birth rates remain high. Analysts sometimes misclassify countries by assuming that "developing" automatically means Stage 2, even when fertility has begun to decline. The DTM is a simplification and should be applied cautiously. Which set of vital-rate trends best indicates Stage 3 rather than Stage 2?
15. A delivery company finds that orders per day drop as distance from its warehouse increases: nearby neighborhoods average 40 orders/day, mid-distance neighborhoods average 18 orders/day, and far neighborhoods average 6 orders/day. Which interpretation best applies distance decay?
16. Secondary-source excerpt: Some analysts of Italy argue that devolutionary pressures intensified as wealthier northern regions complained that national tax revenues were used to subsidize less-developed areas in the south. Regional parties framed decentralization as a way to keep more locally generated income for infrastructure and services, asserting that centralized redistribution reduced incentives for regional economic growth. The conflict was fundamentally about uneven development and perceived unfairness in fiscal transfers. Which factor best explains the devolutionary pressure described?
17. Secondary-source excerpt (terrorism and separatist violence): In some states, armed campaigns by separatist groups have reshaped constitutional arrangements. Sustained bombings and assassinations can convince national leaders that purely coercive strategies are costly and politically destabilizing. Negotiated settlements may include devolving policing, local courts, or budget powers to regional institutions to separate militants from broader public support. In this view, decentralization emerges as part of conflict resolution rather than routine administrative reform. Which devolutionary factor is most central to the excerpt?
18. A secondary source on West African cocoa production reports that as cocoa prices rose, men increasingly claimed rights over cocoa trees and revenues. Women continued to provide labor for weeding and fermenting beans but had less say over income use, shifting household bargaining power. Which of the following best describes women's role in the agricultural system described?
19. A planning journal excerpt on rapidly growing cities states that infrastructure deficits emerge when population growth outpaces capital investment: informal settlements appear on urban fringes without paved roads, drainage, or reliable electricity. The author notes that residents may rely on informal minibuses and diesel generators, which are flexible but costly and polluting. The excerpt frames the deficit as a governance and financing gap rather than a simple lack of technology. Which response aligns best with this interpretation?
20. A secondary source argues that multinational states often remain intact by pairing national symbols (flag, anthem, military service) with constitutional protections for minority languages and regional autonomy. The author claims this combination can reduce separatism while still allowing diverse groups to maintain distinct identities. Which option best captures the author's point about balancing centripetal and centrifugal forces?

Practice tests