AP World History : Demographic and Environmental History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #91 : Demographic And Environmental History

What problem did population theorists of the Industrial Revolution think the world's rising population would cause?

Possible Answers:

Over-urbanization

The emergence of new diseases

A reoccurrence of widespread bubonic plague

Famine

Correct answer:

Famine

Explanation:

Malthus believed the world's population was growing far too fast for the farms and agricultural markets to keep up. He feared that the world would be plunged into a massive famine due to the lack of ability to feed the ever-rising population. While his fears were never completely realized as a worldwide famine on the scale he imagined never happened, there have been many large-scale famines that greatly diminished the populations of many nations.

Example Question #92 : Demographic And Environmental History

The states of Bohemia and Moravia form modern-day __________.

Possible Answers:

Poland

Belgium

Czech Republic

Germany

Serbia

Correct answer:

Czech Republic

Explanation:

The states of Bohemia and Moravia form modern-day Czech Republic.

Example Question #2 : Migration, Settlement, And Demography 1900 To Present

Swahili-speakers largely reside in which region of Africa?

Possible Answers:

Central

All of these answers

Southwestern

Northwestern

Southeastern

Correct answer:

Southeastern

Explanation:

The correct answer is southeastern. The majority of speakers of Swahili reside in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

Example Question #1 : Agriculture

Which of these would you be least likely to find in an agrarian society?

Possible Answers:

Economic dependence on crops 

Sedentary family units

Cities

Nomadic lifestyles

Domestication of animals 

Correct answer:

Nomadic lifestyles

Explanation:

Agrarian societies came as a result of the development of agriculture. People abandoned nomadic tendencies and settled down to form cities of family units. It allowed people to grow their own food, and no longer be forced to hunt constantly. You could have solved this problem, even if you were not specifically aware of the answer, through logic: agrarian practices require cultivation and maintenance of land over a growing season, nomadic lifestyles fundamentally rule that process out.

Example Question #1 : Agriculture

The Neolithic agricultural revolution directly led to all of the following except ___________.

Possible Answers:

Economic specialization

The nation-state

A food surplus

An increasingly large population

A more sedentary lifestyle centered in towns and villages

Correct answer:

The nation-state

Explanation:

The Neolithic agricultural revolution did entail political changes in human society, but the nation-state concept did not arise for another  years. 

Whereas prior human generations lived nomadic lifestyles, agriculture requires permanent settlements. The burgeoning human population, the result of a food surplus, settled into towns and villages where a segment of the population did not cultivate plants or animals but rather worked as artisans in a process of economic specialization.

Example Question #3 : Agriculture

The main difference between the paleolithic and neolithic periods, originating in Mesopotamia but quickly spreading to Egypt and beyond, __________________.

Possible Answers:

was the advent of writing

was the domestication of horses and oxen

was the domestication of wheat, barley, sheep, goats, and dogs

was the domestication of large carnivores, such as lions, for protection

was the domestication of wheat and barley but no animals

Correct answer:

was the domestication of wheat, barley, sheep, goats, and dogs

Explanation:

The main difference between the paleolithic and neolithic periods, originating in Mesopotamia but quickly spreading to Egypt and beyond was the domestication of wheat, barley, sheep, goats, and dogs. Not only did this lead to a food surplus in many communities, but it required settled societies rather than migrating bands of humans.

Both agriculture, and animal husbandry, mark the difference between the paleolithic and neolithic.

The advent of writing marks the difference between history and prehistory, not the paleolithic and neolithic.

Horses and oxen are larger, more powerful animals and were not domesticated until later.

Large carnivores, such as lions, are not easily domesticated; they're expensive, requiring huge amounts of meat per day, and remain highly dangerous to their owners even years after being domesticated, and even if they've been born in captivity.

Example Question #2 : Agriculture

The Paleolithic Era was characterized by all of the following except ______________.

Possible Answers:

the use of wood tools

the invention of language

the manipulation of fire

the use of stone tools

the domestication of animals

Correct answer:

the domestication of animals

Explanation:

The Paleolithic Era refers to the history of humanity before the Agricultural Revolution. Humans in Paleolithic societies used stone and wood tools, manipulated fire, and spoke to one another in rudimentary languages. The domestication of animals, however, did not take place until the Neolithic (Agricultural) Revolution.

Example Question #5 : Agriculture

When did the Neolithic Revolution take place?

Possible Answers:

2,000 years ago

10,000 years ago

100,000 years ago

5,000 years ago

2,500,000 years ago

Correct answer:

10,000 years ago

Explanation:

The Neolithic Revolution is another name for the Agricultural Revolution. The Neolithic Revolution is perhaps the greatest and most important shift in human history. It led to the development and growth of agriculture, the establishment of permanent settlements, and the emergence of cities. It took place approximately 10,000 years ago.

Example Question #6 : Agriculture

The Neolithic Revolution led to which of the following?

Possible Answers:

The development of cities

A surplus of food

All of these answers are correct

The emergence of politics and social hierarchies

The development of writing

Correct answer:

All of these answers are correct

Explanation:

The Neolithic Revolution is another name for the Agricultural Revolution - when humans first established permanent agricultural settlements. It led to a surplus of food, which in turn allowed some individuals to pursue artistic or cultural work. It also led to the development of cities and of an organized writing system. Finally, it led to the emergence of political and social hierarchies as some people accumulated wealth and power.

Example Question #6 : Agriculture From Prehistory To 600 Bce

The domestication of the water buffalo was vital to the growth of __________.

Possible Answers:

Western Europe and North America

India and southeast Asia

The Middle East and North Africa

Japan and Korea

China and central Asia

Correct answer:

India and southeast Asia

Explanation:

The domestication of the ox, in many parts of the world, was a significant development. The strength of oxen allowed farmers to work the fields more effectively and provided a massive boost to the productive capabilities of society. In India and southeast Asia, the water buffalo was domesticated for the same purposes.

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