Practice Test 73 - 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 city public health department reports that Neighborhood A has a higher asthma hospitalization rate than Neighborhood B. A secondary-source geography note reminds students that ecological fallacy occurs when people infer individual-level risk from aggregate data. Which conclusion best avoids ecological fallacy while still using the neighborhood-scale pattern?
2. Secondary source excerpt (pre-20th century): Maritime historians argue that improvements in ship design and navigation—such as lateen sails, the compass, and better portolan charts—expanded contact across the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic. Faster, more reliable voyages increased the frequency of encounters among sailors, merchants, and coastal communities. As a result, nautical vocabulary, foods, and religious practices traveled with crews and spread through port cities. Which historical cause of cultural diffusion is highlighted in the excerpt?
3. A historical geography reading (secondary source) notes that many early population cores formed in fertile river valleys and coastal zones, but contemporary shifts increasingly reflect urbanization and industrial/service employment in large metropolitan regions. The reading emphasizes that distribution patterns can change as economies and transportation systems change. Which statement best captures the historical-to-contemporary shift described?
4. A city planning office produces two maps using the same base outline of the city. One map shows voting results by precinct, shading each precinct by the percent of votes for a candidate. The other map labels roads, parks, and building footprints to help emergency responders navigate. In map fundamentals, which statement best distinguishes these two products?
5. A secondary-source excerpt explains that in Region Y, settlement is concentrated along a single highway and rail spine, while surrounding desert districts remain sparsely populated. The author argues that this pattern produces uneven economic development because firms locate near large labor pools and transport nodes. Which statement best matches the author's reasoning?
6. A secondary source excerpt describes physical/physiographic boundaries as borders defined by natural landscape features such as rivers, mountain ranges, deserts, or coastlines. It adds that while these features can be easier to recognize on the ground, rivers may shift course over time, complicating the border's exact location. Which example best matches the boundary type described?
7. A secondary-source summary of a metro region notes: "Because leafy greens, milk, and cut flowers spoil quickly, farmers closest to the city specialize in high-value perishables and intensive production, while grain and cattle operations dominate farther out where land is cheaper and shipping time matters less." Which of the following best explains the spatial pattern of agriculture described in the excerpt?
8. A secondary-source excerpt on the relationship between survey methods and landscape argues that cadastral systems do more than measure land: they stabilize ownership claims, enable taxation, and privilege certain settlers by making some parcels easier to buy, defend, or mortgage. In regions shaped by the rectangular survey, the author notes persistent straight roads and standardized parcel geometries; in metes-and-bounds regions, irregular edges complicate infrastructure placement and legal disputes. The author stresses these patterns are reproduced through modern planning and property markets rather than fading away. The excerpt best supports which of the following claims?
9. A textbook excerpt notes that Malthus predicted that if population growth outpaces food production, societies will face recurring crises—such as famine and disease—that raise death rates and reduce population growth. In the excerpt's framing, which outcome most directly matches Malthus's predictions of overpopulation and crisis?
10. A secondary-source overview of the gravity model states that migration flows tend to be larger between bigger population centers and smaller between places that are farther apart, reflecting distance decay. Based on this model, which prediction is most consistent?
11. A public-health oriented secondary source describes how reliance on broad-spectrum insecticides can produce short-term reductions in crop losses but also contributes to pesticide resistance, non-target impacts, and exposure risks for farmworkers and nearby residents. The excerpt notes that regulatory bans may shift pest pressure or increase labor demands, while integrated pest management requires monitoring capacity and knowledge that are unevenly distributed. It emphasizes that the burden of exposure and the benefits of pest control are not shared equally. The excerpt best illustrates which of the following challenges to contemporary agriculture?
12. Secondary source excerpt (trade patterns and world economy — commodity dependence in developing countries, 75–125 words): In countries where a single export dominates, exchange rates may rise during commodity booms, making other exports less competitive—a dynamic often called "Dutch disease." Manufacturing and agriculture aimed at domestic or regional markets can stagnate as capital and labor shift toward the booming sector. When prices later fall, the country may face unemployment and reduced public revenue without a robust diversified base to absorb the shock. This cycle can reinforce dependence and complicate long-term development planning. Which statement best applies the concept described in the excerpt?
13. Secondary source excerpt: In the DTM, Stage 4 is characterized by low birth and low death rates, producing slow growth and a relatively stable population size. Stage 3 is the period when birth rates begin to fall while death rates are already low, so the gap between births and deaths narrows. Stage 2 is when death rates fall quickly but birth rates remain high, creating the widest gap and the fastest growth. Understanding these differences helps explain why countries may face different planning needs, such as schools in earlier stages and eldercare in later stages. A country has a crude birth rate of 14 per 1,000 and a crude death rate of 8 per 1,000, with slow population growth. Which DTM stage best fits?
14. A teacher summarizes: "Culture is shared and learned, includes both ideas and objects, and changes as groups adapt and interact." Which statement best reflects this summary?
15. A secondary source excerpt describes the spatial distribution of aging: the oldest age structures are concentrated in Japan and much of Europe, while younger age structures are more common in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East, largely reflecting differences in fertility decline timing. Which option best matches this geographic pattern?
16. A land use model describes a CBD as the area with the greatest concentration of high-order services and the highest commercial rents, often featuring vertical development. In Metro L, the tallest office towers and the highest-priced retail cluster around the central rail hub, while big-box retail and large parking lots dominate the periphery. Which statement most accurately identifies the CBD in this scenario?
17. Secondary source excerpt (devolution transferring power): Devolution occurs when a central government transfers certain powers to regional or local governments, often to accommodate cultural differences, improve governance, or reduce separatist pressure. While the state remains sovereign internationally, devolution can weaken the central government's direct control over taxation, education, policing, or land-use planning. Regional legislatures may pursue policies that diverge from national priorities, creating internal political complexity and occasionally prompting debates about independence. Which outcome most closely reflects the sovereignty challenge described in the excerpt?
18. Secondary source excerpt (about 95 words): A textbook sidebar compares urban hierarchies in Latin America and Western Europe. It notes that Argentina's Buenos Aires historically concentrated immigration, rail connections, and finance, creating a primate pattern that overshadowed provincial capitals. By contrast, Italy's large cities are more regionally distributed (Milan, Rome, Naples, Turin, Palermo), reflecting multiple historic centers and varied regional economies. The sidebar argues that primacy often results from how transportation networks and political power were centralized during key periods of national integration. Which statement best aligns with the excerpt?
19. A secondary source explains that rugged mountains and limited transportation links isolate remote valleys from the national core. The author notes that residents in isolated regions often rely on local leaders rather than national institutions, and the central government struggles to provide services, contributing to regionalism and occasional insurgency. Which centrifugal factor is most directly highlighted?​
20. A secondary source on dependency ratios explains that as the share of people ages 65+ rises relative to the working-age population, the old-age dependency ratio increases, potentially affecting tax revenue, labor supply, and public spending. Which statement best reflects this concept?

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