Geography Trivia Questions for Students

The migration streams into the United States between 1980 and the present have been primarily composed of emigrants from which of the following regions?

• AAsia and Latin America
• BSub-Saharan Africa and Oceania
• CEurope and North Africa
• DCentral Europe and Australia

The process of invasion and succession is a process involving migration and is best described as when

• Anew residents tear down and rebuild housing units.
• Bnew residents live peacefully with old residents.
• Cnew residents assimilate with old residents completely.
• Dnew residents move into areas occupied by older resident groups.

A society in which two or more population groups coexist while maintaining their unique culture demonstrates

• Aracial segregation.
• Bmiscegenation.
• Ccultural segregation.
• Dcultural pluralism.

The birth of an urban industrial workforce in Europe contributed to the start of the

• AFourth Agricultural Revolution.
• BSecond Agricultural Revolution.
• CThird Agricultural Revolution.
• DFirst Agricultural Revolution.

The global lingua franca is

• AArabic.
• BChinese.
• CEnglish.
• DFrench.

Which of the following situations does NOT occur in a federal state?

• ACentral government possesses a two-level system of government.
• BCentral government governs country as a single unit.
• CIt often possesses a written constitution.
• DLower-level divisions have unique powers.

Which type of city model contains a distinct residential spine proceeding outward from center city along the main boulevard?

• ALatin American
• BEuropean
• CMuslim
• DSub-Saharan African

You are planning to move from your hometown to Pittsburgh. Along the way, you stop in Columbus, Ohio to visit a relative and fall in love with the city! You decide to stay and make Columbus your new home. This is an example of

• Adistance decay.
• Bintervening opportunity.
• Cinvoluntary migration.
• Dpush-pull factors.

Which of the following would NOT be considered a barrier to diffusion of a cultural trait?

• AReligion
• BOceans
• CTolerant complaisant citizens
• DLanguage

Which of the following statements does NOT describe a factor that contributed to suburbanization in the United States?

• AImproved automobiles made transportation easier and less limited.
• BA shorter workweek made time for a commute possible.
• CFixed-route public transit routes increased in importance.
• DChanges in the housing mortgage regulations made home ownership easier.

Which structure(s) traditionally occupies the center of a historic Asian city?

• AGovernment office buildings
• BA central market
• CHigh-density housing
• DA religious building

Boundary problems along the United States–Mexico border are caused by which type of issue below?

• AIrredentism
• BImmigration
• COwnership of fertile ground
• DLand use

A city that is more than twice as large as the next largest city in a country is called a

• Aglobal city.
• Bworld leader city.
• Cprimate city.
• Dmegalopolis.

The climate of Great Britain is milder than most other places along the same latitude for which of the following reasons?

• AThe Gulf Stream brings warm waters to Great Britain, raising the temperature of winds that blow onto the island.
• BSmall landmasses generate their own local climate and are largely unaffected by latitude.
• CHot springs throughout the country raise the temperature of the surrounding land and air.
• DMountain ranges in the north of Great Britain act as a barrier to cold winds blowing from the Arctic.

Which one of the following statements is NOT true of the "core" countries?

• AThey are powerful.
• BThey are wealthy.
• CThey are less developed.
• DThey are technologically advanced.

The intensive agricultural practice of planting and harvesting the same crop more than once a year is called

• Adouble cropping.
• Bintertillage.
• Cswidden.
• Dpastorialism.

Which language family contains Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian?

• ARomance
• BSlavic
• CEuropean
• DGermanic

Which of the following is NOT used by geographers to determine absolute location?

• ALatitude
• BLongitude
• CEquator
• DDistance to the nearest city

Which urban model theorizes that high-rent residential areas grow outward from the center of the city along major highways with lower-rent inhabitants taking over sequentially?

• ACentral place model
• BUrban realms model
• CConcentric zone model
• DSector model

All of the following are non-basic jobs in the city EXCEPT

• Acity firefighter.
• Bdry cleaner.
• Csocial worker.
• Dgarment factory worker.

Part of the boundary between the United States and Mexico is the Rio Grande, an example of

• Aa water divider.
• Ba natural boundary.
• Can artificial boundary.
• Da watercourse.

Which geographer viewed the US urban community of the 1920s as a set of concentric rings radiating outward from a central core?

• AVon Thünen
• BBurgess
• CRavenstein
• DRostow

If you wanted to find the global distribution of coal, you would use a

• Atopographic map.
• Bthematic map.
• Creference map.
• Dlocation map.

The largest Hindu temple complex ever constructed is found in

• ACambodia.
• BCalcutta.
• CBombay.
• DBali.

Which of the following is LEAST associated with the development of alluvial landscapes?

• AFrequent flooding
• BA predominance of gentle slopes
• CA deep cover of loose materials
• DDeep dissection and erosion

Which of the following items is NOT a challenge to the state?

• AWorld Trade Organization
• BTransnational corporations
• CEU
• DGood transportation network

The idea that you identify with, and give allegiance, to a nation-state is

• Anationalism.
• Biconography.
• Cdiffusion.
• Dregionalism.

Which description best describes the urban hierarchy model in which the population of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy?

• ABurgess's sector model
• BRank-size rule
• CCentral place theory
• DMultiplier effect

Zero population growth (ZPG) is achieved when

• ATotal fertility 5 3.
• BCBR – CDR 5 2.
• CBirths 1 immigration 5 deaths 1 emigration.
• DReplacement fertility is achieved.

In which zone of Burgess's concentric zone model would one find better houses, single-family homes, and higher-rent apartments?

• AFourth
• BFirst
• CSecond
• DThird

Variations in vocabulary, pronunciation, and rhythm in a spoken language are called

• Adialects.
• Blingua francas.
• Csyntax.
• Disoglosses.

The multiplier effect is

• Aa ratio of urban to rural workers in an economy.
• Bthe addition of rural jobs created by the urban economy.
• Cthe addition of non-basic workers to an urban economy that has added more basic workers.
• Dthe ratio of city workers to farm workers in an economy.

Which one of the following items is an example of nonmaterial culture?

• ADove soap
• BDove candy bar
• CA dove (bird)
• DDove symbol

Which of the following jobs is in the non-basic employment sector?

• AOil refinery worker
• BParking lot attendant
• CF-10 pickup truck assembly-line worker
• DSoftware engineer

Which of the following countries is situated in the region of tectonic activity known as the Pacific Ring of Fire?

• AChile
• BBrazil
• CIndia
• DAustralia

The theory that every society develops economically according to a five-stage pattern of growth is attributed to

• ARostow.
• Bvon Thünen.
• CBurgess.
• DRavenstein.

What do the terms apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and integration all have in common?

• AThey are all forms of residential segregation.
• BThey all occurred in Nazi Germany during World War I.
• CThey are different expressions for the same concept.
• DThey are all ways to integrate different ethnic populations in neighborhoods.

Which of the following capital cities is located OUTSIDE the central core area of the country?

• AParis, France
• BLondon, United Kingdom
• CAbuja, Nigeria
• DCairo, Egypt

What is the oldest, biggest, and most widely distributed language family from the Hudson Bay to Tierra del Fuego?

• AMalayo-Polynesian
• BEskimo-Aleut
• CAmerindian
• DAustronesian

A large node of office and commercial land use outside the central city with more jobs than residents is a(n)

• Aedge city.
• Bprimate city.
• Csuburb.
• Dtown.

The theory that most migration occurs over a short distance and in steps is attributed to

• ABurgess.
• BRostow.
• Cvon Thünen.
• DRavenstein.

Which group enacted the first effective settlement in the eastern United States?

• ABritish (English, Scotch-Irish, Welsh, Scottish)
• BChinese
• CFrench
• DRussian

The tendency for a population to continue to grow long after replacement fertility has been achieved is called

• Ademographic momentum.
• Brapid growth rate.
• Czero population growth.
• Dhomeostatic plateau.

Why are perceptual or vernacular regions so difficult to identify?

• ADefining criteria are subjective and differ among researchers.
• BBoundaries are constantly being redrawn.
• CPhysical features, such as rivers, are constantly shifting.
• DAntecedent boundaries were drawn before humans were located in the regions.

Which factor in the last quarter century greatly destabilized Eastern Europe and led to ethnic conflict?

• AThe introduction of new languages
• BThe invasion by the Soviets
• CThe end of the Cold War
• DThe acceptance of many Eastern European countries into the EU

Of these, the map using the smallest map scale would be the map of

• AAtlanta, Georgia.
• BMain Street, Small Town, Ohio.
• CPennsylvania.
• Dthe world.

In a postindustrial economy, which of the following resources is considered most important to increase productivity?

• AEnergy
• BSpecialization
• CLabor
• DInformation

Which one of the following is NOT a centripetal force in a state?

• AThe existence of strong separatist groups
• BThe existence of national transportation networks
• CA high level of confidence in central government
• DThe national anthem

Which of the following factors has little or no impact on mortality rates in the developing countries?

• APesticides
• BNew medicines
• CImproved birth control methods
• DFamine relief

Which of the following is a centrifugal force in a country?

• AAn attack by another country
• BA national holiday
• CA charismatic national leader
• DReligious differences