AP Human Geography Medium practice

Wallerstein's world-systems theory divides the global economy into core, semi-periphery, and periphery. Which of the following correctly characterizes the role of semi-peripheral nations in this system?

A student argues that Africa appears smaller than Greenland on the world map hanging in her classroom. Her teacher explains this is a projection artifact. Africa is actually about 14 times larger than Greenland. Which map type is most likely hanging in the classroom?

The First Agricultural Revolution (Neolithic Revolution) is distinguished from the Second Agricultural Revolution primarily by:

The rank-size rule predicts that if cities in a country are ranked by population, the second-largest city will have half the population of the largest, the third-largest will have one-third, and so on. A country in which the largest city is vastly larger than all others — say, 10 or 15 times the second city — has instead a:

Special economic zones (SEZs), export processing zones (EPZs), and free trade zones are geographic areas where governments offer tax incentives, reduced labor regulations, and infrastructure to attract foreign direct investment. Which developmental strategy do these zones most closely align with?

Dependency theory, developed by scholars like Andre Gunder Frank, argues that the Global South remains underdeveloped because of its historical and ongoing relationship with wealthy core nations. The central argument is that:

The shape of a state can influence its political cohesion and ability to govern effectively. A state with a long, narrow shape — like Chile or Norway — faces which characteristic geographic governance challenge?

The European Union represents nations voluntarily transferring some sovereign authority — on trade, currency, and movement of people — to a supranational body. Which of the following is a key geographic consequence of this supranationalism for member state borders?

A fashion trend that begins among celebrities in Paris and New York before spreading to regional cities and then smaller towns best illustrates which type of cultural diffusion?

The multiple nuclei model, developed by Harris and Ullman, argues that cities develop around multiple centers of activity rather than a single CBD. Which of the following correctly explains why this model emerged?

A geographer studying population density finds that a country's arithmetic (crude) density is 300 people per km², but its physiological density is 1,200 people per arable km². What does the high physiological density suggest about this country?

Globalization has enabled transnational corporations (TNCs) to disperse different stages of production across multiple countries. Which economic geographic concept best explains why a TNC places its corporate headquarters in New York, manufacturing in Vietnam, and customer service call centers in the Philippines?

The Human Development Index (HDI), published annually by the UNDP, is preferred over per capita GDP as a measure of development because it:

Which of the following correctly distinguishes language families from language branches?

Homer Hoyt's sector model modifies the concentric zone model by proposing that urban land use patterns extend outward from the CBD in wedge-shaped sectors rather than rings. What factor does Hoyt identify as the primary cause of this sectoral pattern?