AP Human Geography : AP Human Geography

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Human Geography

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Example Questions

Example Question #98 : Cities & Urban Land Use

Which of these best describes the priorities of the American City Beautiful movement?

Possible Answers:

To impose order on the chaotic urban sprawl

To improve sanitation and educational facilities

To provide a higher standard of living to the working class

To provide a higher standard of living to the middle class

To better integrate agricultural regions with urban centers

Correct answer:

To impose order on the chaotic urban sprawl

Explanation:

The American City Beautiful movement, which took off in the second-half of the nineteenth century was primarily concerned with imposing order on the chaotic urban sprawl. The population of American cities had grown dramatically in recent years and many urban planners wanted to rectify the problems they identified with urban layout. The primary motivation was to make cities more orderly.

Example Question #11 : Urban Planning & Design

This American city is well known for its attempts to incorporate “new urbanism” into its urban design?

Possible Answers:

Little Rock, Arkansas

Houston, Texas

Sacramento, California

Bangor, Maine

Portland, Oregon

Correct answer:

Portland, Oregon

Explanation:

“New urbanism” emphasizes sustainable urban growth and community development in urban areas. Proponents of “new urbanism” decry the negative effects of suburbanization on the environment and on human society and seek to create urban environments that are more friendlier to pedestrians, less dependent on cars, and that promote greater community interaction.

Example Question #1 : Census Data On Urban Areas

In order to be considered a metropolitan statistical area, an area needs to have a population of at least how many people?

Possible Answers:

50,000

25,000

80,000

10,000

100,000

Correct answer:

50,000

Explanation:

A metropolitan statistical area has a population of at least 50,000. If the population of an area is between 10,000 and 50,000, then the area is technically a micropolitan statistical area instead of a metropolitan statistical area.

Example Question #21 : Social Spaces

Cities that exist on the fringes of larger cities, that act as regional hubs for recreation, business, or other commercial activity are known as __________.

Possible Answers:

dot cities

edge cities

border cities

fringe cities

node cities

Correct answer:

edge cities

Explanation:

The term “edge city” is a relatively new term in the parlance of American urban geography. It refers to a type of city that has arisen very recently in a comparatively short space of time. The city exists on the fringes of a larger city and acts as a regional hub for recreation, business, or other commercial activity for the suburban population of the larger city.

Example Question #1 : Subsistence

Swidden agriculture is a form of subsistence agriculture that is defined by which of the following activities?

Possible Answers:

Planting multiple crops in one plot of land

Growing one crop exclusively in all fields

Flooding a piece of land to stimulate growth

Cutting down trees and lighting the remaining plants on fire

Rotating crops between different fields depending on the season

Correct answer:

Cutting down trees and lighting the remaining plants on fire

Explanation:

"Swidden" or "slash-and-burn" agriculture is a form of subsistence farming practiced all over the world, although it is most widely found in tropical regions such as Amazonia. One of the oldest forms of agriculture, swidden involves clearing the forestation and growth in a desired field with axes, then burning the stumps to eliminate obstructions and enhance the soil. This practice has harmful effects of rainforests in which it is practiced and does not produce high yield for its farmers, causing ecological and economic problems.

Example Question #2 : Subsistence

Which of the following is a subsistence crop?

Possible Answers:

Tobacco

Rubber

Cotton

Papyrus

Corn

Correct answer:

Corn

Explanation:

Corn is the only subsistence crop of the presented options. Tobacco, cotton, and rice are all high intensive plantation crops. Tobacco, cotton, rubber, and papyrus are also not edible, therefore disqualifying them from being considered subsistence crops.

Example Question #1 : Agriculture, Food Production, & Rural Land Use

Which of these most accurately describes subsistence agriculture?

Possible Answers:

A farmer has only one cow; he trades some of the cow's milk for vegetables at the market.

A small family tends an herb garden, and all of the herbs are used to flavor their home-cooked meals.

A small farm is run solely by the family and most (or all) crops produced are consumed by the family.

A local farmer only grows corn; his family consumes some of the corn, but he sells more than half of his crop of corn in a farmer's market.

An extensive farm with many outside workers produces crops for the entire town.

Correct answer:

A small farm is run solely by the family and most (or all) crops produced are consumed by the family.

Explanation:

Subsistence agriculture involves food production mainly for the family. A farmer will grow most everything that the family would consume, and anything leftover will go to the local community rather than to a big market.

Example Question #1 : Agriculture, Food Production, & Rural Land Use

Which of the following crops is a subsistence crop?

Possible Answers:

Acai berries

Ginger

Rice

Cocoa

Cotton 

Correct answer:

Rice

Explanation:

By definition, a subsistence crop is a crop that is grown primarily for the purpose of feeding/sustaining farmers and their families, with any surplus going towards trade. Of the following answer choices, rice is the only one that can be characterized as a subsistence crop, as rice is a staple food in many agricultural regions. 

Example Question #1 : Rural Land Use & Settlement Patterns

Which of the following is not a feature of an agricultural cash crop?

Possible Answers:

Only kept by the producer and never distributed

Not suitable for subsistence farming

Produced according to market trends

Frequently grown as a monoculture

Grown for maximum efficiency

Correct answer:

Only kept by the producer and never distributed

Explanation:

A "cash crop" is an agricultural crop that is purposely made strictly to be sold in a market environment for as much money as possible. Most cash crops, which include cotton, opium, grains, and many other products, are grown in a monoculture environment, where they are the only product grown on a piece of land. By their nature, cash crops are not a form of subsistence farming, as they are always produced to be used beyond a grower's own home and family.

Example Question #2 : Rural Land Use & Settlement Patterns

Which of the following terms best describes the practices of a group of farmers who rely on one or two economically lucrative crops?

Possible Answers:

Ranching

Pastoralism

Aquaculture

Cash Cropping

Correct answer:

Cash Cropping

Explanation:

When farmers grow a few lucrative crops, they cash cropping. Cash cropping involves growing one or a few crops that can be sold for a relatively high price. 

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