AP Human Geography Practice Test 2024 with Study Guide [PDF]

The figure represents the growth of agriculture in developing regions of the world from the 1960s to the 1980s. While it’s true that scientific plant breeding, (A), and the brand-new combine harvester (E), were two major changes in agriculture at that time, both elements were part of a larger movement known as the Green Revolution, which introduced plant breeding and fertilizer to what used to be known as Third World countries. The invention of the moldboard plow, (B), occurred in the 18th century, as did the Industrial Revolution, (C), and are irrelevant

The graphs are current only until the 1980s. Without up-to-date data, it’s impossible to say which region leads which region in the present-day, so eliminate (A). While Latin America is the most productive of the four regions listed, it is not necessarily the most productive in the world; eliminate (B). In the 1960s, sub- Saharan Africa produced more rice than Asia; eliminate (C). Asia didn’t see any growth in protein crops or maize during this period, so eliminate (D). However, rice is a water-intensive crop, and the terrain of northern Africa and the Middle East are largely desert; many countries in those regions suffer water shortages and are therefore unable to grow rice

The Green Revolution can be traced back almost entirely to the efforts of Norman Borlaug. This American agronomist labored for years to develop a strain of wheat that resisted disease, adapted to different growing conditions across different latitudes, and featured very high yield. Beginning in Mexico, his new breed of wheat was then imported to Asia and other parts of the developing world. A winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Borlaug has been credited with saving more lives than any other human has ever done.

The U.S. Constitution, in the first three articles, explicitly spells out the separation of powers. First invented by Montesquieu, this framework makes sure that different groups of people are controlling the three different branches of government. This reduces the potential for corruption, since the three branches can act as checks upon one another. At the same time, it can make government less efficient and responsive, so it’s a double-edged sword

The European Union still doesn’t have a working constitution, nearly two decades after it was formed, because it was never ratified by all 25 members. France and the Netherlands rejected the constitution, sending it back to the drawing board. The issue has never been resolved.

The niqāb is worn in non-Arabic regions of the world by immigrants; it has almost never been adopted by other cultures, and is even prohibited in many countries. Therefore, it hasn’t diffused. Eliminate (A). Likewise, the niqāb is viewed as a fringe practice even by the people of Saudi Arabia and close neighbors, its native cultural region; eliminate (B). You may have been tempted by (C), but the niqāb is not outdated, since millions of women still wear them in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and UAE (United Arab Emirates). Lastly, it is not symbolic of anything, but is instead a long-standing cultural custom that predates Islam.

The French are famous for protecting their culture, going to lengths that are unheard of in other societies. (For example, the Académie Française keeps a list of prohibited crossover words from English.) In 2011, France banned the niqāb in public except when worshiping in a religious place or when traveling in private vehicles. This is not an instance of cultural superiority—it is an attempt to protect native culture—and neither is it a wholesale rejection of globalization; both are exaggerated answers. Eliminate (A) and (C). The Arabic cultural hearth is not shifting, so eliminate (D), and trade is not necessarily driving the ban on the niqāb either; many Muslims arrive in France for education or to escape political violence. Eliminate (E).

This question is full of trap answers. Choice (B), for example, ignores the fact that walking and bicycling is an individual, private method transportation; eliminate it. Same goes for (C)—just because a nation has poor or nonexistent public transportation does not mean that that nation relies heavily upon automobiles, or is a large emitter. Extremely undeveloped nations, such as Chad or Burundi, emit almost nothing because they have little transportation of any type other than bicycles or walking. Choice (E) discusses the operation of all forms of transportation—but the operation of a bicycle is almost emissions free. Eliminate (E)

Transportation emissions usually increase when a nation’s trade and commerce increase; when trade and commerce increase, so does the per capita income. (This correlation may be weakening in the future, as zero-emissions transportation becomes more common.) The other answer choices are either not correlated or only weakly correlated with a rise in transportation emissions.

The Arab Spring was an expression of rising democracy, so eliminate (A). While reactionary politics has made a comeback recently, it hasn’t been a global takeover —avoid extreme answers—so eliminate (B). Choices (D) and (E) both support the idea of a globalized democracy, so eliminate those. Only (C) describes the quick spurt of reactionary politics that has erupted in countries such as Brazil, the Philippines, Austria, Syria, the U.K., the U.S., and elsewhere.

You can arrive at this answer using common sense. The Middle East contains some of the most closed, autocratic nations in the world—Saudi Arabia, Yemen, etc.—as well as a majority of the world’s oil reserves. Interestingly, this correlation is a real thing. Michael Ross has written about it, and a 2014 study has supported it. The other four answers have all been proven, at one time or another, to correlate with democracy.

The other answers may be true or false; the question provided has not given us any information either way. However, we know that public opinion polls indicate that most Americans do call themselves environmentalists and are concerned about environmental problems.

Numerous arrows from Southeast Asia, central Asia, the Korean peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent all converge on the United States, indicating significant migration.

While there are certainly wealthy people living in America’s urban cores, most of America’s urban residential wealth is concentrated in the suburbs, where families can enjoy sprawling estates, lower crime rates, and better schools, among other suburban amenities. This is in contrast to European urbanites, many of whom reside in the urban core to be in close proximity to shops, restaurants, and other cultural amenities

Thomas Malthus predicted that population growth would eventually outstrip food production. However, he failed to account for factors such as modern technology, redistribution of food resources, and voluntary birth control.