Practice Test 74 - 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 (about 90 words): Studies of global fast-food chains show cultural diffusion is shaped by power. Corporations with large marketing budgets and supply chains can normalize particular diets and consumer routines, especially in urban areas where advertising saturates public space. The excerpt notes that local restaurants sometimes adapt by offering similar service models, but the dominant brand's standards often set expectations for price, speed, and cleanliness. This influence is not simply an even exchange of food preferences; it reflects unequal economic capacity to project cultural traits. Which statement best reflects the excerpt's interpretation of diffusion?
2. A secondary-source excerpt states that choosing an appropriate scale of analysis depends on the question: neighborhood patterns require local data, while trade flows may require national or global data. A student asks, "How does access to fresh groceries vary by walking distance for residents in one city?" Which scale of analysis is most appropriate?
3. A secondary-source summary of commodity dependence explains that when a country exports unprocessed timber, most profits may accrue to foreign firms and traders rather than local communities. Which change would most likely increase local value capture?
4. A 105-word secondary-source excerpt contrasts self-sufficiency (import substitution, protective tariffs, domestic production) with international trade-led development (export-oriented growth, integration into global markets). It notes proponents of self-sufficiency argue it can protect infant industries and reduce dependency, while critics warn it may raise consumer prices and reduce efficiency. In a policy simulation, Country A imposes high tariffs on imported textiles, subsidizes local factories, and restricts foreign ownership to build domestic capacity. Which model is Country A following?
5. A secondary source on urban systems explains the rank-size rule: in an ideal national urban hierarchy, the population of a city ranked $n$ is approximately $\frac{1}{n}$ of the largest city. In Country A, the largest city has 8,000,000 people; the second has 4,100,000; the third has 2,700,000; and the fourth has 2,000,000. Which interpretation best applies the rank-size rule to Country A's city-size distribution?
6. Secondary-source excerpt (18th–19th c.): Scholars emphasize that the Second Agricultural Revolution and the Industrial Revolution reinforced one another: farms increasingly produced for markets, while factories supplied metal tools, machinery, and transport improvements that lowered costs and expanded trade. Which choice best describes this relationship?
7. Secondary-source excerpt (physical geography): Regions separated from the national core by rugged mountains, island seas, or sparsely populated deserts can be costly to govern directly from a distant capital. Limited transportation links may weaken economic integration and reduce the daily visibility of central institutions, giving local authorities greater practical control over services. In such contexts, formal devolution can codify what is already true administratively: regional governments manage infrastructure, education, and land use because the center's reach is constrained by distance and terrain. Which factor best explains the push toward devolution described here?
8. A mining boom in northern Canada attracted workers from the Philippines. After relocating, Filipino workers organized community associations, introduced Filipino dishes at local markets, and started Catholic masses in Tagalog. Which type of cultural diffusion is best represented?
9. Secondary source excerpt (about 85 words): Political boundaries help states control movement by sorting flows into categories such as tourists, temporary workers, refugees, and commercial shipments. This sorting is enforced through documents (passports, visas), infrastructure (ports of entry), and databases that track entries and exits. Because states can apply different rules to different categories, a single boundary may be easy to cross for some and difficult for others. The result is a patterned geography of mobility shaped by policy choices rather than distance alone. Which choice best reflects the function described?
10. 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?
11. A secondary-source synthesis argues that expanding girls' education often delays first birth by extending time in school and increasing aspirations for paid work, which can reduce completed family size. However, the author notes that if schooling quality is low or labor markets exclude women, fertility declines may be smaller. Which option best captures this nuanced claim about education and fertility?
12. Income and voting correlate at state scale, not neighborhood scale. What does this show?
13. Secondary source excerpt (about 120 words): Political scientists compare two states with similar populations. State X uses a nonpartisan staff to draft maps with public hearings and multiple draft options; State Y allows the majority party in the legislature to draw maps behind closed doors. Over several elections, State Y shows larger gaps between vote share and seat share, and more districts with unusual shapes. Researchers caution that no process is perfectly neutral, but argue that transparency and constraints can reduce extreme outcomes. The comparison highlights how the institutions governing internal electoral boundary-making influence representation. Question: Which conclusion is most supported by the excerpt?
14. Secondary-source excerpt: In the late twentieth century, Spain's transition to democracy included negotiations shaped by fears that renewed separatist violence could destabilize the state. Some policymakers argued that granting regional autonomy—especially in areas with militant activity—could reduce incentives for attacks by offering legitimate political channels. Others warned that concessions might embolden extremists. In either case, the security threat influenced debates over transferring powers such as policing and local governance to regional authorities. Which devolutionary factor is highlighted most clearly?
15. A secondary source on women's economic opportunities notes that informal work (street vending, home-based piecework) may not reduce fertility as much as formal employment if earnings are unstable and childcare can be combined with work. The author argues that women strategize differently depending on job conditions and household support. Which option best captures this relationship between women's work and fertility?
16. A secondary-source overview of export-oriented development notes that some governments use industrial policy to move from low-skill assembly to higher-value activities (design, R&D). Which change best indicates successful upgrading?
17. A secondary source excerpt in a world population chapter notes that people are distributed unevenly: large concentrations appear in East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, while deserts, high mountains, and polar regions have sparse settlement. The excerpt adds that within many regions, populations cluster near coasts and navigable rivers because these areas historically supported trade, transportation, and reliable water. Which statement best summarizes the population distribution pattern described?
18. Secondary source excerpt (about 90–110 words): In many regions, political boundaries are used to allocate territory and the resources tied to it. Control over a boundary can determine who collects taxes, issues land titles, grants mining concessions, or manages water withdrawals from a river basin. Disputes frequently intensify when valuable resources—such as oil, fertile farmland, or strategic ports—are discovered near a boundary, because the line influences both legal access and revenue distribution. As a result, boundary negotiations often focus less on cultural differences and more on securing resource-rich zones for the state. Which choice best captures the boundary function emphasized here?
19. A secondary-source excerpt argues that states maintain territorial control not only with military force but also through law: property regimes, citizenship rules, and permitting systems that define who can reside, work, or extract resources. It notes that these legal tools can produce unequal access within the same territory. Which policy best fits the excerpt's emphasis on legal mechanisms of territorial control?
20. A logistics company uses one map to plan routes; it includes highways, local streets, bridges, and landmarks. It also uses a second map that shows average delivery time by ZIP code using a color gradient. Which option best distinguishes the two maps?

Practice tests