Practice Test 75 - AP Human Geography

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

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1. Secondary source excerpt (embedded): Political geographers describe centrifugal forces as pressures that pull a state apart, such as regional economic inequality, ethnic separatism, or physical barriers that limit interaction. When these forces intensify, governments may respond by granting autonomy to provinces, redrawing internal boundaries, or devolving powers to reduce conflict. If accommodation fails, centrifugal pressures can escalate into secessionist movements or civil war as competing groups reject the authority of the central state. Which outcome best illustrates the consequences of strong centrifugal forces described above?
2. Secondary source excerpt (about 90 words): In remote, sparsely populated mountain districts, emergency response can be slow because ambulances and fire services must cover large territories with few stations. Schools may consolidate into regional centers, requiring long bus rides, and internet providers may delay upgrades due to low expected returns. These service gaps can affect health outcomes and educational attainment, encouraging households to relocate to larger towns. The pattern illustrates how low population density can shape access to public and private services. Which choice best captures the consequence described?
3. A secondary source excerpt argues that while the Green Revolution increased yields, it also intensified environmental pressures. The author highlights fertilizer runoff contributing to eutrophication, pesticide impacts on biodiversity, and groundwater depletion in heavily irrigated regions. The excerpt suggests these costs were most severe where monocropping expanded and input use rose rapidly. Which of the following best explains the Green Revolution pattern described in the excerpt?
4. Secondary source excerpt (about 90 words): Comparing planned and organic urban forms across regions, researchers contrast Brasília and Mumbai. Brasília was designed in the mid-20th century with separated land uses, monumental government axes, and wide roadways intended for automobiles. Mumbai's older districts developed through incremental growth around ports, markets, and rail nodes, producing dense mixed-use neighborhoods and irregular street patterns. Both are major cities, but their spatial layouts reflect different processes. Which statement best identifies the key difference described?
5. A secondary-source description of colonial trade legacies argues that colonial powers structured colonies to export raw materials and import finished goods, leaving postcolonial economies with limited industrial bases and infrastructure aimed at extraction. Which contemporary pattern most strongly reflects this legacy?
6. A report excerpt explains that economic growth refers to an increase in total output (often measured by GDP), while development implies structural changes that improve living standards, such as expanded education, better health outcomes, and more diversified employment. It notes that a country can experience GDP growth from a commodity boom without long-term development if institutions and human capital do not improve. Which statement best aligns with the excerpt?
7. Secondary-source excerpt (Latin America hearth—Mesoamerica): Archaeological sequences in Mesoamerica suggest domestication of maize from teosinte alongside beans and squash within varied upland and valley settings. Rather than rapid replacement, early cultivation often complemented foraging and seasonal mobility. Diffusion northward and southward followed exchange routes and colonization of suitable niches, but the "package" was reconfigured: some areas adopted maize while delaying beans, and others emphasized different crops depending on soils, frost risk, and water availability. Which of the following best explains the spatial pattern of agricultural origins described in the excerpt?
8. A secondary-source article on refugees reports that Syrians resettled in parts of Sweden and brought Arabic-language businesses, new religious institutions, and traditional holiday celebrations, which became visible in the built landscape of certain districts. Which type of cultural diffusion is being described?
9. A city transitions from a manufacturing base to an economy dominated by software design, data analytics, and research-and-development firms clustered near universities and airports. Employment growth is strongest in knowledge-intensive services rather than factory production. Which description best fits this transformation?
10. A 2018 textbook excerpt on political geography explains that governments increasingly "externalize" border enforcement to manage movement. The author describes visa requirements, airline fines for transporting undocumented passengers, and agreements that allow border agents to screen travelers before they board planes. The excerpt argues these policies shift border control away from the physical boundary line and toward networks of institutions that regulate entry. Which choice best identifies the boundary function highlighted in the excerpt?
11. Secondary-source excerpt (practice: monoculture): In a temperate region specializing in continuous soybean production, agronomists report that uniform crop genetics and synchronized planting dates can simplify mechanization and marketing. However, they also document faster depletion of specific soil nutrients and greater susceptibility to a single pathogen, leading to episodic yield collapses when a resistant strain is absent. The authors emphasize that outcomes depend on rotations, integrated pest management, and access to credit that buffers farmers during price swings. Which of the following is the most significant environmental consequence of the agricultural practice described?
12. Secondary source excerpt (pre-20th century): Environmental historians describe how multi-year droughts in the Sahel periodically pushed herders and farmers to seek water and pasture elsewhere. As groups moved, they negotiated access to wells, traded for grain, and sometimes joined host communities through marriage. These pressures encouraged the spread of farming techniques, new foods, and shared linguistic terms along shifting settlement frontiers. Which historical cause of cultural diffusion is most directly emphasized?
13. Secondary-source excerpt (for context): Rural push factors—such as drought, land degradation, conflict, or loss of farm jobs—can increase migration to cities. When combined with the perception of better services and employment in urban areas, these pressures can produce rapid urban growth, including informal settlements when housing supply lags behind demand. Which example best represents a rural push factor contributing to urbanization?
14. Secondary-source excerpt (boundary disputes and conflicts, 75–125 words): Border conflict is not limited to where a line is drawn; it also includes how the line functions. Operational disputes involve disagreements over the administration of the boundary—such as patrol routes, the placement of checkpoints, visa requirements, or the legality of informal cross-border markets. These disputes can occur even when both states agree on the mapped boundary. By contrast, locational disputes concern the boundary's precise position, definitional disputes concern ambiguous legal language, and allocational disputes concern control of resources near the border. Two states agree on the boundary but clash over whether asylum seekers can apply at the border and which side must process them. Which type of dispute is this?
15. Secondary source excerpt (context): A state is not simply a "natural" outcome of geography; it is a political construction that depends on institutions, law, and the ability to enforce rules within boundaries. While physical features may influence borders, state territory is ultimately defined and maintained through political decisions and power. Question: Which statement best aligns with the excerpt's view of the state?
16. Secondary-source excerpt (Spatial distribution of origins; Latin America/Andes region): In the central Andes, domestication of potato and quinoa is associated with high-elevation ecological zones where frost risk, short growing seasons, and vertical access to diverse resources shaped subsistence decisions. Rather than a single "center," cultivation developed across connected valleys and plateaus, while camelid herding supported mobility and exchange. Diffusion followed altitudinal corridors, yet some lowland groups continued fishing and foraging, adopting highland crops only intermittently. Which of the following best explains the spatial pattern of agricultural origins described in the excerpt?
17. Secondary analyses of population policy effectiveness emphasize time lags and demographic momentum. A country introduces aggressive pro-natalist measures (free childcare, housing priority for families with children, and extended paid leave) after decades of low fertility. Over the next 5 years, the number of births rises slightly, but the total population still declines because the large elderly cohort and small cohort of women of childbearing age limit the number of potential births. Which explanation best matches the concept of demographic momentum in this scenario?
18. A secondary source excerpt notes that reference maps often serve as a base layer for navigation and orientation, while thematic maps often require classification choices (such as grouping values) to show patterns. A student argues that a map showing average household income by ZIP code is "just a reference map" because it uses real boundaries. Which response is most accurate?
19. A class compares two county maps: Map 1 shows rivers, roads, and town locations; Map 2 shades counties by percent forest cover. Which statement correctly identifies the maps and avoids common misconceptions about map design?
20. Region/type: Mediterranean agriculture. A scholarly overview of a coastal basin notes mixed farming on small holdings: winter grains and vegetables, plus tree crops such as olives, citrus, and grapes. Farmers increasingly use drip irrigation, terracing, and groundwater regulation to buffer variable rainfall, while export standards and tourism-driven demand influence varietal choices and harvest timing. Seasonal labor peaks and water pricing shape land use decisions alongside slope and soil depth. The author emphasizes that this system has adapted through state policy, market integration, and environmental management. The agricultural pattern described is most characteristic of which of the following regions?

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