AP Human Geography : Contemporary Patterns of Industrialization & Development

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Human Geography

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Globalization

Maquiladoras are __________.

Possible Answers:

export-processing cities in northern Mexico

workers in Latin America who lobby their government to provide tax incentives to encourage foreign businesses to set up branches in the region

workers in northern Mexico who are campaigning for the forced eviction of American businesses from the region

countries in Latin America who have not integrated smoothly into the global economy

blossoming markets in Latin America

Correct answer:

export-processing cities in northern Mexico

Explanation:

“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 #1 : Globalization

Which of these is a notable example of a maquiladoras?

Possible Answers:

Buenos Aires

Mexico City

Ciudad Juárez

Trinidad and Tobago

Sao Paolo

Correct answer:

Ciudad Juárez

Explanation:

“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.”

Example Question #2 : Globalization

Globalization in the twentieth century was slowed by all of the following except __________.

Possible Answers:

All of these answers slowed the momentum of globalization in the twentieth century

World War I

the Great Depression

the Cold War

World War II

Correct answer:

All of these answers slowed the momentum of globalization in the twentieth century

Explanation:

“Globalization” refers to the homogenizing impact on local culture and economics caused by increased interaction between geographically distinct regions. As a movement it has been going on for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but the movement has really accelerated since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Despite the massive impact of globalization in the twentieth century, its momentum was slowed by all of these answer choices, as they all divided the world into different ideological camps, preventing the exchange of products, culture, and ideas.

Example Question #1 : Deindustrialization

In which of these regions of the United States have the effects of deindustrialization been felt most extremely?

Possible Answers:

The Midwest

The deep South

The Northeast

Alaska and Hawaii

The West Coast

Correct answer:

The Midwest

Explanation:

During the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century the industrial center of the United States was the Midwest. Factories in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Pennsylvania accounted for a disproportionate share of American industrial power. When, in the 1970s, American companies began to move their manufacturing centers abroad, the economy of the Midwest suffered dramatically. Unemployment rose very quickly and people began to migrate away from the region in search of work and a sustainable living situation. This has led the region to be called the “Rust Belt,” based on the rusting heavy machinery lying around throughout the Midwest. Cities like Detroit, Flint, Akron, and Toledo have felt this transition particularly extremely.

Example Question #2 : Deindustrialization

Which of these best explains why the 1970s and 1980s were so challenging for workers in the developed world?

Possible Answers:

The transition from a service-based economy to an industrial economy led to lower wages and a loss of community values.

Deindustrialization led to a decline in social welfare and government assistance throughout Europe and North America.

The transition from an industrial economy to a service-based economy required many workers to go back to school and study for a completely different career.

The transition from a service-based economy to an industrial economy led to harsher working conditions and a lower quality of life.

The transition from an industrial economy to a service-based economy depleted the demand for unspecialized labor.

Correct answer:

The transition from an industrial economy to a service-based economy depleted the demand for unspecialized labor.

Explanation:

In the 1970s and 1980s most of the developed world transitioned from a primarily industrial economy to a service-based economy. This had many benefits for the people of the developed world, such as higher wages and safer working conditions, but also brought with it many difficulties. The demand for unspecialized and factory-based labor declined rapidly and dramatically, as those jobs were transitioned overseas. Many workers were too old, or too deprived of any higher education, to transition smoothly into a new working environment, and unemployment and social unrest were rife throughout the developed world as a result.

Example Question #361 : Ap Human Geography

The process of deindustrialization in the developed world has led to a transition into __________.

Possible Answers:

boom and bust economic cycles

cottage industries

agricultural economies

service-based economies

homestead communities

Correct answer:

service-based economies

Explanation:

During the past half-century much of the developed world has experienced a process known as deindustrialization -factories and manufacturing centers have closed down in the United States of America, Western Europe, and Japan and those jobs have been outsourced to the developing world. This has led to the rise of “service-based economies” in the developed world. A “service-based economy” is an economy in which most of the workers are involved in providing services such as research, marketing, telecommunications, innovation, teaching, and so on.

Example Question #1 : Uneven Levels Of Development

The Core-Periphery Model is used by geographers to describe ___________.

Possible Answers:

None of these answers is correct; the Core-Periphery Model is no longer used by geographers.

the environmental impact of globalization and industrialization in various regions of the planet

the division of the world into major economic centers, centers of manufacturing, and extremely poor communities

the division of the world into centers of pop culture diffusion, local cultural holdfasts, and a combination of the two

the social impact of the modern cultural hearths of North America, East Asia, and western Europe

Correct answer:

the division of the world into major economic centers, centers of manufacturing, and extremely poor communities

Explanation:

The Core-Periphery Model is used by geographers to describe the division of the world into three segments. The “core,” places like most of Europe and North America, where standards of living are high and most of the world’s products are consumed; the “semi-periphery,” where most manufacturing centers are and where standards of living are extremely variable; and the “periphery,” where most raw resources are harvested and people are extremely poor.

Example Question #1 : Uneven Levels Of Development

People in the poorest parts of the world are primarily engaged in _____________.

Possible Answers:

primary and secondary economic activities

primary and tertiary economic activities

secondary and tertiary economic activities

secondary economic activities

primary economic activities

Correct answer:

primary economic activities

Explanation:

In the poorest parts of the world the vast majority of the population is engaged in primary economic activities like farming, fishing, hunting, and mining. Although there might be some elements of secondary and tertiary economic activities in these countries, the bulk of secondary economic activities are undertaken by countries in the semi-developed world - like Mexico, China, Brazil, and regions of India.

Example Question #3 : Uneven Levels Of Development

Most of the people in wealthy countries are employed in __________.

Possible Answers:

tertiary and quinary economic activities

tertiary and quaternary economic activities

primary and secondary economic activities

quaternary economic activities

secondary and tertiary economic activities

Correct answer:

tertiary and quaternary economic activities

Explanation:

In wealthy countries as much as three-quarters (in a few cases close to a hundred percent) of the population is engaged in tertiary and quaternary economic activities. Due to the nature of the global economy the wealthiest countries can rely on the poorest countries to provide the bulk of their primary economic activities and the semi-developed countries to provide the bulk of their secondary economic activities.

Example Question #1 : Uneven Levels Of Development

In the Core-Periphery Model the “semi-periphery” includes all of the following except __________.

Possible Answers:

South Africa

India

Brazil

Mexico

Vietnam

Correct answer:

Vietnam

Explanation:

Countries in the “semi-periphery” are countries that have a standard of living lower than those in the “core,” but much higher than those in the “periphery.” They are almost exclusively centers of manufacturing and exporting. Of these countries, only Vietnam does not qualify as a country in the “semi-periphery.” It is considered to be in the “periphery” due to its low standard of living.

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