AP Human Geography : Cultural Differences & Regional Patterns

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Human Geography

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Example Questions

Example Question #521 : Ap Human Geography

The Polish linguist L.L. Zamenhof is most famous for __________.

Possible Answers:

recognizing the similarities between Tibetan, Chinese, and Burmese and thus creating the Sino-Tibetan language family

being able to speak more than forty languages, at the time a world record

debunking the theory of environmental determinism and encouraging the spread of possibilism

using the Rosetta Stone to decipher the meaning of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs

his attempts to create a universal second language

Correct answer:

his attempts to create a universal second language

Explanation:

The Polish linguist L.L. Zamenhof is most famous for his attempts to create a universal second language, called “Esperanto.” In his attempts to accomplish this, Zamenhof incorporated linguistic features from a wide variety of languages. He envisioned the language as something with which people all over the world, regardless of native language, could use to communicate with one another. So far, it has not been adopted in the manner Zamenhof intended, but the idea remains interesting and influential.

Example Question #521 : Ap Human Geography

What is the official language of the United States?

Possible Answers:

Spanish

None of these answers; the United States has no official language.

English

English, Spanish, and German

German

Correct answer:

None of these answers; the United States has no official language.

Explanation:

The United States has no official language. The reason for this has its roots in notions of American liberty and the national and ethnic composition of the United States at the time of independence - although English was the most commonly spoken language, the people of the early United States were from all over Europe and spoke a wide variety of languages. It was deemed a violation of individual liberty to prescribe an official language in such a setting and this has persisted to this day.

Example Question #521 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these languages is a Low German language?

Possible Answers:

Dutch

Romanian

French

German

Swedish

Correct answer:

Dutch

Explanation:

German is actually a High German language. Dutch is the only language on this list that is considered Low German. English is related to the Low German language (but has since been reclassified as Anglo-Frisian). French and Romanian are both Latin or “Romance” languages. Swedish is a Norse language. All of these languages are necessity part of the larger language family known as the Indo-European family.

Example Question #522 : Ap Human Geography

Swahili is a language in the __________ language family.

Possible Answers:

Niger-Congo

Tai-Kadai

Afro-Asiatic

Indo-European

Sino-Tibet

Correct answer:

Niger-Congo

Explanation:

Swahili is the most widely spoken language in the Niger-Congo language family, if the total number of speakers, rather than total number of native speakers is used as the primary determinant. It is spoken in Tanzania, Kenya, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and several other east African countries. It is the Lingua Franca of southeastern Africa.

Example Question #524 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these descriptions most accurately summarizes a creole language?

Possible Answers:

A language that is used as the lingua franca for economic purposes.

A language spoken by the oppressed classes in a colonial or autocratic society.

A pidgin language that has evolved into the primary language for a cultural group.

A blend of African, European, and Native American languages.

A language that is closely tied to a certain religious group.

Correct answer:

A pidgin language that has evolved into the primary language for a cultural group.

Explanation:

A “creole” language is a language that has arisen from an earlier pidgin language and become the primary language for a specific cultural group. Creole languages are distinct from pidgin languages in that they are less fluid, more widely understood, and more defined linguistic features and boundaries. Class and cultural oppression may be factors in the development of a creole language, but they are not central factors to the definition of such languages.

Example Question #521 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these languages is considered part of the Celtic branch of Indo-European languages?

Possible Answers:

Persian

Romanian

Portuguese

Welsh

Dutch

Correct answer:

Welsh

Explanation:

Welsh, Irish, and Gaelic are considered part of the Celtic branch of Indo-European languages. Welsh is spoken by a minority of people in Wales, where the majority language is English. Welsh is fundamentally different in structure and sound than English. Both English and Welsh are, however, both part of the Indo-European language family so the difference is not nearly as great as the difference between, for instance, English and Thai.

Example Question #531 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these languages is not part of the Sino-Tibet family of languages?

Possible Answers:

Mandarin

Burmese.

Cantonese

Russian

Taiwanese

Correct answer:

Russian

Explanation:

All of these languages are part of the Sino-Tibet family of languages except Russian, which is a variety of Old Slavic, which is part of the Indo-European language family. The Sino-Tibet language family is concentrated in east and southeast Asia. If it helps you remember “Sino” means concerned with or related to China.

Example Question #531 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these languages is not a Latin, or “Romance,” language?

Possible Answers:

French

Czech

Spanish

Romanian

Italian

Correct answer:

Czech

Explanation:

All of these languages are part of the Latin branch of the Indo-European languages except Czech which is part of the Balto-Slavic language family along with Polish, Russian, and Bulgarian.

Example Question #531 : Ap Human Geography

What is the most widely spoken language in the world?

Possible Answers:

Spanish

Hindi

English

Mandarin

Arabic

Correct answer:

Mandarin

Explanation:

Mandarin, even though not spoken by all of the Chinese population, is nonetheless the most widely spoken language in the world. It has roughly a billion native speakers, far more than the roughly three-hundred and seventy-five million native speakers of English.

Example Question #531 : Ap Human Geography

Which of these languages is a High German language?

Possible Answers:

Dutch

Thai

Hebrew

Yiddish

Danish

Correct answer:

Yiddish

Explanation:

Yiddish is the only other language, besides German, that is considered a High German language. Dutch is a Low German language, Danish is a Norse language, Thai is part of the Tai-Kadai language family, and Hebrew is a Semitic language, which is a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family.

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