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Practice Test 39 - AP Human Geography

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

  1. A secondary-source excerpt explains that central place theory predicts a hierarchy of settlements where higher-order centers are fewer and farther apart, but it also notes that real patterns are shaped by transportation corridors and physical barriers. A region has most towns strung along a river valley and highway, with sparse settlement in surrounding highlands. Which statement best uses the excerpt to interpret the region's city distribution?
  2. A secondary source argues that the Green Revolution's reliance on intensive irrigation and chemical inputs increased yields but also contributed to groundwater depletion, soil salinization in irrigated fields, and fertilizer runoff that polluted waterways. The author suggests these environmental costs were uneven and often concentrated in areas of intensive monocropping. Which of the following best explains the Green Revolution pattern described in the excerpt?
  3. A national statistics office reports that Country H's age structure is close to rectangular: similar-sized cohorts from ages 0–49, with gradual tapering after 60. The report characterizes this as typical of low growth and emphasizes steady demand across schools, housing, and employment. Which pyramid type and implication best match this description?
  4. A county planning office combines primary fieldwork (a team counts pedestrians at 12 intersections for one week) with secondary sources (a state DOT traffic database compiled from annual sensor reports). The office writes that the DOT dataset is "more reliable because it is official," and decides to ignore the field counts when the two sources disagree. Which statement best evaluates this use of primary vs secondary data sources in geographic analysis?
  5. A 115-word secondary-source excerpt argues that urbanization is changing population distribution by concentrating people in metropolitan regions, even when national population growth is slow. It notes that rural-to-urban migration and the expansion of suburban and peri-urban zones can increase the share of people living in dense corridors. Which option best describes the distributional effect of urbanization?
  6. Secondary-source excerpt (about 90–120 words): Under the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, a refugee is generally defined as someone outside their country of nationality with a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. People fleeing poverty alone may face severe hardship, but they often do not meet this legal standard unless persecution is involved. States use asylum procedures to determine eligibility, and outcomes can vary by evidence, policy, and interpretation. This legal framework shapes who receives protection, work authorization, and protection from forced return. Which statement best reflects the legal dimension emphasized?
  7. Secondary-source excerpt (Mediterranean agriculture): In a coastal zone with wet winters and comparatively dry summers, farms often combine tree crops (such as olives, grapes, or almonds) with winter grains and seasonal vegetables. Irrigation districts, water pricing, and labor availability influence which parcels shift toward higher-value produce, while export standards and branding (e.g., appellations) shape cultivation practices. Farmers hedge climatic variability through varietal selection, terracing, and soil moisture conservation, and they increasingly adapt to tourism-driven land pressure and changing dietary demand. The agricultural pattern described is most characteristic of which of the following regions?
  8. Secondary source excerpt: Centripetal forces can unify a state by strengthening institutions that deliver services consistently across regions. When courts are perceived as impartial and elections as legitimate, citizens are more likely to accept outcomes even when their preferred party loses. Shared civic rituals—such as national holidays and universal public education—can reinforce a common political identity that competes with regional loyalties. These forces often increase stability, though they may also pressure minorities to assimilate. Which scenario is the best example of the excerpt's centripetal forces at work?
  9. Secondary source excerpt (trade patterns and world economy — core-periphery trade relationships, 75–125 words): In many global supply chains, high-income "core" economies specialize in advanced services, finance, and high-value manufacturing, while lower-income "periphery" economies export raw materials or low-wage assembly. Because core firms often control branding, logistics, and intellectual property, they capture a larger share of profit even when production occurs elsewhere. This pattern can lock peripheral states into narrow export profiles and limit domestic value-added, especially when infrastructure and policy are oriented toward moving commodities outward rather than building diversified internal markets. Which statement best reflects the excerpt's argument about how core-periphery trade relationships shape development outcomes?
  10. A food policy meta-analysis highlights that global calorie production is sufficient to feed the world, yet hunger persists where conflict disrupts markets, households lack purchasing power, and infrastructure limits storage and transport. The analysis stresses that food availability does not guarantee access, and that volatility in staple prices can rapidly increase vulnerability among urban poor and landless rural workers. Efforts to increase production alone may not reduce insecurity when governance, distribution systems, and inequality remain unresolved. Which of the following best explains the agricultural challenge described in the excerpt?
  11. Secondary source excerpt (18th–19th centuries): Innovations such as the seed drill, improved plows, and systematic crop rotation reduced waste and raised yields, but they also favored larger farms that could afford new equipment and reorganize fields. As efficiency rose, many rural households that once combined small-scale farming with common-rights grazing struggled to compete. Which statement best connects agricultural innovations to social change in the countryside?
  12. A secondary-source excerpt explains that in a North African port city, long-term contact among Arabic, French, and Amazigh (Berber) speakers led dockworkers and merchants to use a simplified contact language for trade. Over generations, children began speaking an expanded, stabilized version as a first language in some neighborhoods. Which diffusion-related effect on language is being described?​
  13. A map of coffee shops shows most locations concentrated in the downtown core, with very few in outlying neighborhoods. The distribution forms a tight grouping rather than being evenly spread across the city. Which spatial pattern best describes the arrangement of coffee shops?
  14. A secondary-source excerpt on colonial trade patterns states that colonies often served as captive markets for metropolitan manufactured goods. Which modern pattern most resembles a "captive market" dynamic rooted in historical ties?
  15. Secondary source excerpt: The DTM links Stage 3 to a potential demographic dividend. As birth rates fall, the proportion of children decreases relative to the working-age population. If a country can educate workers, create jobs, and maintain political stability, it may experience faster economic growth because more people are in the labor force and fewer dependents require support. However, the dividend is not automatic; without employment opportunities and effective institutions, the economic benefits may not occur. Which statement best captures the idea of a demographic dividend in Stage 3?
  16. A study of tea smallholders finds that women pluck leaves daily and meet strict quality standards, but cooperative membership (and dividend payments) is tied to the registered plot owner, usually a man. Women therefore supply most labor while men receive most formal benefits from cooperative sales. Which of the following best describes women's role in the agricultural system described?
  17. A secondary-source excerpt describes how tourism and national development policies in a Pacific island state increased the use of a global language in schools and media. As elders pass away, fewer speakers remain for several local languages, and place-based oral histories become harder to transmit. Which effect of cultural diffusion is highlighted?​
  18. Secondary source excerpt (about 95 words): Where population is scattered across many small settlements, private firms may be less willing to invest in high-speed internet, specialized healthcare, or frequent public transit because the customer base is thin and distances are large. The result can be a "service gap" that limits educational and economic opportunities, encouraging additional out-migration and making the remaining population older on average. Some governments address this with subsidies, mobile clinics, or regional service hubs, but these solutions often require sustained funding and coordination across jurisdictions. Which consequence is most directly supported by the excerpt?
  19. A secondary-source excerpt argues that economic growth (increasing total output) is not the same as development (improving well-being and opportunities). It gives an example: a country's GDP rises due to oil exports, but most people see little change in schooling, health services, or access to clean water. Which claim best matches the excerpt's distinction?
  20. Secondary source excerpt (French in West Africa): The excerpt notes that French remains an official language in several West African states, used in courts, bureaucracy, and secondary education, while most people speak local languages at home. This creates a situation where French is associated with formal power and upward mobility. Which concept best matches?

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