AP Human Geography : Cultural Differences & Regional Patterns

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Human Geography

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Ethnicity & Nationalism

Apartheid laws were famously repealed in which nation in 1991?

Possible Answers:

South Africa

China

Russia

Germany

India

Correct answer:

South Africa

Explanation:

The repeal of apartheid, or laws governing the physical separation of people of different races, occurred in the nation of South Africa in 1991.

Example Question #601 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these is an example of a multinational state?

Possible Answers:

Japan.

Germany.

The United Kingdom.

China.

France.

Correct answer:

The United Kingdom.

Explanation:

A “multinational state” is a state that is comprised of more than one nationality. More specifically it is a state in which those various nationalities agree to coexist as one political unit for mutual benefit. In the United Kingdom the English, the Scottish, the Welsh, and the Northern Irish are all distinct nationalities with a long history who have peacefully (for the most part) coexisted for a long time.

Example Question #1 : Ethnicity & Nationalism

Which of these terms is used to describe a segregated area of a city in which a minority ethnic group is compelled to live in unfavorable conditions due to legal, political, social, or economic obstacles?

Possible Answers:

Ghetto

Hovel

Creole

Pidgin

Diaspora

Correct answer:

Ghetto

Explanation:

A “ghetto” is an area of a city in which people of an ethnic minority are confined either by official government policy or by economic and social obstacles that make it difficult for people of that ethnicity to exist outside of the ghetto. It has been a common experience of African-Americans in the United States since the end of the Civil War.

Example Question #603 : Ap Human Geography

The term diaspora is most closely associated with which of these people in European history?

Possible Answers:

Native Americans

Germans

Jews

Irish

Indians

Correct answer:

Jews

Explanation:

Although the term “diaspora” can be used to describe any dispersion of people from their original homeland around the world, it is most commonly applied to the Jewish people. Before the creation of Israel, in 1947, almost all of the world’s Jews lived in communities in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas, yet they retained their cultural and religious traditions and preserved their ethnic differences.

Example Question #602 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these ethnicities is increasing at the fastest rate, in terms of percentage growth, in the United States?

Possible Answers:

Caucasians

African Americans

Pacific Islanders

Asian Americans

Latin Americans

Correct answer:

Asian Americans

Explanation:

In raw numbers, the population of Latin Americans is growing the fastest. But, in terms of percentage the fastest growing ethnicity is Asian Americans. The number of Asian Americans grows by about three percent each year, while the number of Latin Americans grows by about two percent.

Example Question #601 : Ap Human Geography

In the last two decades the United States __________.

Possible Answers:

has seen a dramatic increase in the influence of religious culture

has become considerably less ethnically diverse

remained relatively uniform in its ethnic composition

has seen a dramatic decline in the influence of religious culture

has become considerably more ethnically diverse

Correct answer:

has become considerably more ethnically diverse

Explanation:

Unlike most Western European countries the influence of religious culture on America has remained fairly powerful and consistent in the last two decades, so we can rule out these two answer choices. The United States has seen a considerable increase in its ethnic diversity in the last two decades. In the 1990s immigration laws were fairly lenient and a great number of immigrants arrived from East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America. These new arrivals have had children in far greater numbers than the majority white population, contributing to a considerable increase in ethnic diversity in the United States.

Example Question #1 : Ethnicity & Nationalism

The majority of immigrants arriving from Latin America to the United States come from __________.

Possible Answers:

Brazil

Cuba

Puerto Rico

Mexico

Colombia

Correct answer:

Mexico

Explanation:

Of these countries by far the most immigrants arrive from Mexico, mostly into the southwest of the United States although Mexican-Americans are well dispersed around much of the United States. As of 2013,  immigrants from Mexico were living in the United States, which accounted for over  of all immigrants living in America.

Example Question #1 : Cultural Beliefs On Gender

In which of these areas of gender inequality do women score higher than men in the vast majority of the world?

Possible Answers:

Literacy

Social freedom

Income

Life expectancy

University education

Correct answer:

Life expectancy

Explanation:

Generally men score higher than women in almost all areas of gender inequality around the world, although this is becoming less and less the case in the developed world. The only category in which women routinely score higher than men throughout the majority of the world is in life expectancy. Women, in almost all areas of the world, regardless of income levels and levels of education, outlive men.

Example Question #1 : Cultural Beliefs On Gender

In the United States women achieved notable cultural liberation in the immediate aftermath of World War I; however, this movement stalled in the 1930s because __________.

Possible Answers:

None of these answers are correct; the movement picked up pace in the 1930s.

educational opportunities declined in the 1920s; meaning women were forced out of higher education facilities

the outbreak of the Second World War encouraged the suppression of progressive movements and a resurgence of reactionary politics

many states prohibited women from working so as to encourage employment of men during the Great Depression

the generation who grew up during World War One feared any disruption of the established social order and so held women back

Correct answer:

many states prohibited women from working so as to encourage employment of men during the Great Depression

Explanation:

In the waning months of World War I and the immediate aftermath of the conflict women achieved notable cultural and economic liberation. This continued into the 1920s, but was disrupted by the outbreak of the Great Depression in 1929. Unemployment rose dramatically in the early years of the depression and, in an attempt to ensure as much employment as possible for men, most states in America prohibited women from working outside the home.

Example Question #1 : Cultural Beliefs On Gender

Which of these bodies or organizations is responsible for overseeing the Gender Inequality Index?

Possible Answers:

The Red Cross

The European Union

The United Nations

The United States of America

The International Monetary Fund

Correct answer:

The United Nations

Explanation:

The Gender Inequality Index measures the disparity between the experiences of men and women in different countries around the world. It was created in 2010 by the United Nations Development Program and continues to be overseen by the United Nations.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors