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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Pollution & Climate Change
Why are chlorofluorocarbons so controversial?
They contribute heavily to global warming.
They destroy plant life.
They are poisonous to human beings.
They affect people of different ethnicities in different ways.
They are poisonous to many animals.
They contribute heavily to global warming.
“Chlorofluorocarbons,” or CFCs as they are often (mercifully) called, are extremely controversial because they contribute heavily to global warming. They are used in refrigeration, packaging, aerosol sprays, and fire extinguishers. When they reach the Earth’s atmosphere they react extremely detrimentally causing (by some estimates) as much if not more damage than the massive amounts of methane and carbon dioxide that we also release into the atmosphere.
Example Question #2 : Pollution & Climate Change
In urban cities, sometimes a pollution cloud can be noticed hovering in the air. What is this urban pollution "haze" called?
Greenhouse gases
Ozone
Chlorofluorocarbons
Nitrogen deposition
Photochemical smog
Photochemical smog
Photochemical smog is the air pollution that occurs when sunlight reacts with other pollutants in the air. Greenhouse gases and ozone are not necessarily pollutants and do not produce hazy clouds. Chlorofluorocarbons are said to make holes in the ozone, and nitrogen deposition describes atmospheric nitrogen entering the biosphere.
Example Question #3 : Pollution & Climate Change
Which of these statements is not true about nonpoint-source pollution?
Pollutants from nonpoint sources are usually smaller in quantity
Nonpoint sources are sometimes very difficult to trace back
Nonpoint sources are generally harder to control than point sources
Nonpoint-source pollution can generally spread over a much wider area than point-source pollution
Agriculture is the main contributor of nonpoint-source pollution
Pollutants from nonpoint sources are usually smaller in quantity
Pollutants from nonpoint sources are usually greater in quantity.
Example Question #3 : Pollution & Climate Change
What is called the land off the shores of Netherlands that had been invaded by water but has been reclaimed by creative means?
Polder
Mounts
Hills
Proder
Polder
In the Netherlands, the water had taken over much of the land that had been used by inhabitants. However, through the use of polders, they were able to construct anyways through the use of dikes.
Example Question #1 : Globalization
Which of the following is NOT a major cause of increased globalization?
Investment in foreign markets
Advances in transportation
Spread of mass culture around the world
A return to agricultural lifestyles
Advances in communication
A return to agricultural lifestyles
"Globalization" is a broad term that describes the increased interconnectivity between different regions and countries across the globe. While different cultures had always shared ideas and economic products, the nineteenth century saw a rapid rise in globalization that has continued into the twenty first century thanks to improved transportation, communication, mass culture, and foreign investment.
Example Question #1 : Globalization
Which of the following terms is best defined as a company that does not exhibit material or market orientation?
Footloose firm
Flexible organization
Brick and mortar company
Unencumbered corporation
Conglomerate corporation
Footloose firm
The term “footloose firms” is applied to companies that do not exhibit a market orientation or a material orientation. A company with a material orientation locates its manufacturing centers close to the source of the raw materials because the composite parts cost more to ship than the finished product; therefore, it is cost effective to be as close as possible to the source. A company with a market orientation locates its manufacturing centers close to the most profitable markets because the composite parts cost less to ship than the finished product; therefore, it is cost effective to be as close as possible to the best possible markets. A “footloose firm” is a company whose raw resources and final products are so cheap and light that they do not need to worry about these considerations.
Example Question #2 : Globalization
Which of these best describes a multinational corporation?
A company that conducts different areas of its business in different countries.
A company that produces cheap goods to be sold on a global market.
A company that receives significant advantages from the governments of various countries.
A company that produces expensive and specialized goods.
A company that conducts all areas of its business in one country.
A company that conducts different areas of its business in different countries.
Over the last fifty years most large corporations have become multinational, or transnational, corporations. This means they conduct different areas of their business in different countries. For example a raw product might be harvested in central Africa, used to manufacture goods in China, and shipped around the world for sale. Multinational corporations often enjoy certain advantages and incentives provided by local governments, but this does not define them in the way that the correct answer does.
Example Question #1 : Globalization
The Suez Canal was primarily built in order to __________.
improve the economic viability of Egypt as a European colony
allow the British navy to quickly move from the Arabian Sea to the Mediterranean during the Crimean War
facilitate British control over the Middle East and the Mediterranean
reduce trading time and expenses between Europe and India
solidify French control over the Middle East and North Africa
reduce trading time and expenses between Europe and India
The Suez Canal was built through eastern Egypt in order to connect the Arabian Sea with the Mediterranean. This dramatically reduced the shipping cost and time required for trading between Europe and the Far East (particularly India). Previously ships had had to sail around the whole African continent, a costly and time-consuming endeavor. The Suez Canal came into British control in the 1870s and remained there until the 1950s when it came under the control of independent Egypt following the 1956 Suez Crisis.
Example Question #3 : Globalization
Maquiladoras are __________.
workers in northern Mexico who are campaigning for the forced eviction of American businesses from the region
blossoming markets in Latin America
workers in Latin America who lobby their government to provide tax incentives to encourage foreign businesses to set up branches in the region
export-processing cities in northern Mexico
countries in Latin America who have not integrated smoothly into the global economy
export-processing cities in northern Mexico
“Maquiladoras” are export-processing cities that exist throughout Northern Mexico. In “Maquiladoras” American companies take advantage of the relatively cheap labor available in the region, as well as the proximity to the markets of the United States, to produce goods cheaper than they could in America. Such cities exist in so-called "Free Trade Zones."
Example Question #21 : Contemporary Patterns Of Industrialization & Development
Which of these is a notable example of a maquiladoras?
Sao Paolo
Mexico City
Trinidad and Tobago
Buenos Aires
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
“Maquiladoras” are export-processing cities that exist in northern Mexico, close to the border with the United States. They are major centers of industry for a wide variety of American companies who do their manufacturing in the region because it enables them to save a great deal of money. Of these options, only Ciudad Juárez could be considered a “maquiladoras.”
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