Study questions for the first
midterm -- World Geography -- University of Santa Clara - Forsberg
In addition to these questions, study the vocabulary definitions and main
points listed at the end of each chapter.
Chapter 1
- In what ways can a flat map projection of the
globe be distorted?
- Explain how limitations in technology can lead
to distance decay effects in mapping.
- Why did Columbus believe that he had sailed to
Asia? What effect did this strong belief, and Columbus' culture, have on
early European maps of the Americas?
- Define 'topology' and explain how it is related
to relative distance and space.
- Define and give examples of the term
"globalization."
- What distinguishes geography from other
disciplines in the social and natural sciences?
Chapter 2
- What role did water play in the location of
early culture hearths?
- List five core-region countries and five
countries in the periphery -- then describe their typical characteristics.
- Describe the three waves of industrialization in
terms of the locational requirements of each.
- How did changes in manufacturing allow
corporations to become more global in scope?
- What was the Berlin conference and what were its
accomplishments?
- Discuss and compare the different periods of
colonialism outlined in lecture.
- When most colonies became politically
independent, they remained economically dependent. Why?
Chapter 3
- Explain why representing population density on a
map can be problematic.
- Discuss the various factors that affect
population distribution using specific examples.
- Why is the study of the structure of a
population so important to predicting its future growth or decline?
- Decisions about procreation are made within a
particular geographic and cultural context. Explain.
- Improving the status and role of women is
considered the most successful strategy in controlling population growth.
Why?
Chapter 4
- Using specific examples, discuss how disease led
to the depopulation of Spain's new colonies in the New World.
- Briefly describe the ways in which the exchange
of plants and animals between the Old World and the New World was
beneficial.
- How does the image of Earth as a living organism
and nurturing mother affect the way people treat her?
- Why do miners in Bolivia propitiate the
"Tio" before entering the mine to go to work?
- First, define the terms nature, society, and
technology. Then discuss the significance of the equation I=PAT, with
special attention to the analysis of the three variables.
- Explain globalization in environmental terms
using specific examples.
Chapter 5 pp.189-202
- What is the distinguishes cultural geography
from other approaches to the study of culture?
- Why is it so difficult to map a culture
accurately? At what scale should culture be mapped?
- What effect does globalization have on cultures
at the core of the world system? What effect does it have on those at the
periphery?
Chapter 6 pp.229-244
- Define culture, and then explain how it relates
to every aspect of life.
- Why are the three images of Los Angeles (p.242)
so different?
- What can cause distortions in an individual's
cognitive images or reality?
- How does a "self conscious sense of
place" develop amongst people?
- Not everyone uses the world wide web. Which
parts of the world have the heaviest internet use?