All AP Human Geography Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Agriculture, Food Production, & Rural Land Use
For which of these purposes is a combine used?
Protecting crops
Planting crops
Modifying crops
Destroying crops
Harvesting crops
Harvesting crops
A “combine,” also commonly called a “combine harvester,” is used to harvest crops such as wheat, corn, oats, and barley. Its name is derived from the fact that it “combines” the three steps of harvesting in one machine - reaping, threshing, and winnowing. Combine harvesters are commonly used in the developed world, but remain uncommon in the developing world.
Example Question #2 : Mixed Farming
Which of these animals is most likely to be raised in a “feedlot?”
Goats
Sheep
Chickens
Cows
Horses
Chickens
A “feedlot” is the name given to livestock farming that has been concentrated into a relatively small area. Animals in feedlots are fed hormones to accelerate their growth and are generally kept in extremely close proximity to other animals of their kind. This has numerous benefits for the farmer, but of course raises moral and environmental questions. Chickens are most likely to be raised in feedlots because they can survive without any space and respond dramatically to hormone treatments.
Example Question #1 : Mixed Farming
Which of these statements about intensive farming is false?
It requires a large amount of labor
It is common in countries like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands
It is carried out in relatively densely populated areas
Land holdings are smaller than in extensive farming
None of these
None of these
Intensive farming is distinct from extensive farming. Intensive farming is carried out in relatively densely populated areas, like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It involves smaller land holdings than in extensive farming and requires a relatively large amount of manual labor. Thus none of these answer choices are false.
Example Question #11 : Agriculture, Food Production, & Rural Land Use
What name is given to husks of grain and corn that have been separated from the seed of the plant?
Hull
Soft
Fallow
Cleavage
Chaff
Chaff
“Chaff” is the name given to the thin outer protective casing in which husks of corn, grain, or rice are encased. The process of separating the chaff from the crop that can be consumed is called “winnowing.” Fallow describes land that is left unsown in order to restore its fertility. The hull is the exterior of a fruit or seed.
Example Question #11 : Settlement Patterns Of Major Agriculture
The process of removing chaff by allowing it to be blown away by the wind is called __________.
Monoculture
Mollification
Winnowing
Salinization
Threshing
Winnowing
The process of removing the chaff from a crop like grain, wheat, or rice by allowing it to be blown away by the wind is called “winnowing.” Mollification refers to the softening of a substance like soil. Threshing involves the separation of grains or seeds from their plant by mechanical means, such as with a threshing machine. Salinization is the process by which solutes accumulate in soil as a result of water evaporation, which leaves the soil unfavorable for agriculture. Monoculture involves the growth of a single crop within a given area.
Example Question #13 : Agriculture, Food Production, & Rural Land Use
In the developed world the majority of commercial grain farming is used to __________.
accelerate scientific progress
None of these answers are accurate.
feed livestock
feed the developed world
feed the developing world
feed livestock
In the developed world, particularly in Western Europe, the majority of commercial grain farming is used to feed livestock. This is because it is more profitable to raise meat products than it is to grow grain; so grain is grown and fed to livestock, which is in turn culled and sold on the market.
Example Question #13 : Settlement Patterns Of Major Agriculture
Which of the following is an example of a monoculture?
An organic farm must pick the crops by hand, because they grow many different species together.
A fruit orchard contains apple, pear, and orange trees.
A single coastal redwood tree has over fifty species of plants and fungi growing on it.
Biotech giant Monsanto grows one variety of corn over thousands of acres.
Biotech giant Monsanto grows one variety of corn over thousands of acres.
Monoculture refers to the practice of growing one species or variety of plant within a given area. The prefix "mono" means "one."
Eliminate options about the orchard, the redwood, and the organic farm. All you have left is Monsanto.
Example Question #14 : Settlement Patterns Of Major Agriculture
What term is given to the deliberate cultivation of only one crop in a large land area?
Husbandry
Agribusiness
Pastoralism
Monoculture
Aquaculture
Monoculture
The term “monoculture” is used to describe the deliberate cultivation of only one single crop in a large land area. Monoculture has increased in practice in recent years as it allows for easier mechanized harvesting and more efficient large-scale farming.
Example Question #12 : Settlement Patterns Of Major Agriculture
Which of these terms best matches the following description: An agricultural process that involves nomadic animal husbandry?
Crop rotation
Pastoralism
Biotechnology
Domestication
Livestock ranching
Pastoralism
“Pastoralism” is used to describe a certain type of animal husbandry. It generally involves a nomadic lifestyle, where the people move with their flocks to take advantage of seasonal changes, favorable climates, and so on. It has been practiced extensively throughout human history, but in the modern age is primarily practiced in sparsely populated parts of the world where more common agriculture is unsustainable.
Example Question #12 : Settlement Patterns Of Major Agriculture
Which of the following options best exemplifies pastoralism?
A tribe in Brazil gets most of its subsistence by fishing, hunting and gathering.
A small, organic farm grows corn, soybeans and squash together in rows.
A group of nomadic shepherds tends flocks of goats and sheep in Eastern Africa.
A large farm grows a couple of profitable crops.
A group of nomadic shepherds tends flocks of goats and sheep in Eastern Africa.
Pastoralism refers to a strategy involving herding and tending to flocks of animals. It is often, but not always associated with a nomadic lifestyle.
The option referring to tending flocks of goats and sheep best exemplifies this idea.
Option: A tribe in Brazil gets most of its subsistence by fishing, hunting and gathering. Sounds more like subsistence. No mention of herding.
Option: A large farm grows a couple of profitable crops. Sounds more like plantation or cash cropping, but no mention of herding.
Option: A small, organic farm grows corn, soybeans and squash together in rows. Sounds more like mixed farming, no herding.
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