AP Human Geography Unit 4 REVIEW

Political Organization of Space

1. Gerrymandering adjusts voting district boundaries in order to

(a) allow those living in one state to vote on issues raised in another state
(b) benefit the interest of one political party or group
(c) create districts that coincide with municipal service-district boundaries
(d) ensure that all districts are of similar size and shape
(e) equalize the burden of paying poll taxes across different ethnic groups

2. Which of the following pieces of national territory could NOT be classified as an exclave?

(a) Alaska
(b) Cabinda
(c) French Guiana
(d) Kaliningrad
(e) Lesotho

3. Political geographers consider which of the following as the core area of the United States?

(a) The Atlanta-Birmingham, Alabama area

(b) The Buffalo-Cleveland area
(c) The Chicago-Detroit area
(d) The Los Angeles-San Francisco area
(e) The New York-Washington, D.C. area

4. Which of the following best represents the concept of the nation-state in its internal cultural-
political makeup and spatial organization?

(a) Argentina
(b) Iran
(c) Japan
(d) New Zealand
(e) South Africa
5. Which of the following does NOT act as a centrifugal force for a state?

(a) A fragmented territorial base

(b) A strong tradition of local governance
(c) Linguistic homogeneity
(d) Substate nationalism
(e) Uneven development

6. United Nations recognition of a state’s “exclusive economic zone” allows the state to

(a) claim national economic jurisdiction over 200 nautical miles of water extending
from its coast
(b) establish economic free trade zones within the sovereign territory of other states
 (c) form limited economic alliances with other countries
(d) limit importation of competitive goods and services from other countries
(e) protect domestic production by imposing tariffs on all foreign-made products

7. A good example of a geometric boundary is the border between

(a) Armenia & Azerbaijan

(b) Canada & USA
(c) Chile & Argentina
(d) Serbia & Kosovo
(e) USA & Mexico

8. The process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing
autonomy at the expense of the central government is known as

(a) breaking up
(b) colonialism
(c) devolution
(d) nation building
(e) supranationalism

9. Which of the following is NOT an example of a compact state?

(a) Afghanistan
(b) Kenya
(c) Lesotho
(d) Rwanda
(e) Uruguay

10. Disputes that arise because neighboring states do not follow similar policies regarding the
enforcement of borders are

(a) allocational
(b) definitional
(c) locational
(d) operational
(e) spatial

11. Core-periphery models are generally based on the idea that

(a) all world regions are equally well developed

(b) levels of social and economic development are fairly uniform between core areas and
peripheral areas
(c) sharp spatial contrasts in social and economic development exist between
economic heartlands and outlying subordinate areas
(d) the economic and social heart of a territory should be at its geographic center
(e) the growth and prosperity of core countries has not been achieved at the expense of
peripheral countries
12. The term for a state that completely surrounds another state is

(a) elongated
(b) enclave
(c) fragmented
(d) perforated
(e) prorupted

13. Which of the following does NOT act as a centripetal force for a state?

(a) Common religion

(b) Fragmented territorial base
(c) Linguistic homogeneity
(d) Popular national hero
(e) Shared history

14. To delimit the boundaries of a state means to

(a) create a legal document outlining the actual points of latitude and longitude
(b) determine how to maintain and monitor the boundary
(c) draw the boundaries on a map
(d) establish methods for resolving boundary disputes
(e) mark the territory on the ground

15. Which of the following is NOT an example of political landscape?

(a) Flags
(b) Election signs
(c) Land division systems
(d) Monuments
(e) Places of worship

16. The European Union, the Arab League, and the United Nations are all examples of

(a) centrifugal organizations

(b) federations
(c) nation-states
(d) pressure groups
(e) supranational organizations

17. The form of government in which control over certain departments and/or policy areas is divided
between the state and its substates is known as

(a) communism
(b) democracy
(c) federal
(d) theocracy
(e) unitary
18. Which of the following correctly lists the usual hierarchy of political-administrative units in order
from the largest to the smallest?

(a) County, nation-state, province, empire

(b) Empire, county, province, nation-state
(c) Empire, nation-state, county, province
(d) Empire, nation-state, province, county
(e) Province, empire, nation-state, county

19. Since some cities of an elongated state are isolated from their capital city, the state is at risk of
what kind of devolution?

(a) Allocational
(b) Economic
(c) Ethnocultural
(d) Operational
(e) Spatial

20. Indonesia is an example of which of the following types of states?

(a) Bifurcated
(b) Compact
(c) Fragmented
(d) Perforated
(e) Prorupted

21. The term Balkanization refers to the

(a) fragmentation of a region into smaller units

(b) industrial growth in less-developed nations
(c) introduction of an economic system of free enterprise
(d) military and economic alliance of a group of countries
(e) spread of Slavic languages

22. The Canadian government created the new territory of Nunavut in order to

(a) facilitate the exploration of mineral resources in the Northwest Territories

(b) grant autonomy to the Cree and Mohawk people living in eastern Canada
(c) guarantee Canadian fishing rights in the Atlantic Ocean
(d) recognize the territorial rights of indigenous people in the area
(e) re-create the pre-1912 boundary of Quebec
23. Which of the following is unique among Latin American countries in that its capital represents the
concept of a forward capital?

(a) Argentina
(b) Brazil
(c) Chile
(d) Mexico
(e) Peru
24. The term defined as an independent state having final authority over social, economic, and
political matters is

(a) devolution
(b) nationhood
(c) statehood
(d) sovereignty
(e) territoriality
SECTION II: Free Response Questions

1. The viability of any state depends on a balance between centripetal and centrifugal forces.

(a) Define the concepts “centripetal force” and “centrifugal force.”

(b) Give a specific example of and explain a centripetal force that affects the viability of any of the
states shown on the map above.

(c) With reference to a different specific example, explain a centrifugal force that affects the
viability of any of the states shown on the map above.

2. The modern state system is engaged in a struggle between forces of supranationalism and
devolution.

(a) Define both terms and give a geographic example of each.

(b) With reference to the political and economic geography of Europe, briefly discuss three
changes resulting from supranationalism.

(c) With reference to the political and economic geography of Europe, briefly discuss three
changes resulting from devolution.