Topics 4.5-4.7 Learning Check

The examples in the table show states that gained or lost United States House of Representatives districts based on 2010 census data. The states were required to revise district boundaries based on census data.

Using the data in the table and the description, which of the following identifies the scales of analysis that are reflected in this redistricting?

• Member state representation in a supranational legislature

• Local representation in the state legislature

• State representation in the regional legislature

• Local representation in the national legislature

• Local representation in the regional legislature

The Berlin Conference established the borders of North African countries including Egypt, Libya, and Sudan. The landscape of these countries influenced the types of boundaries imposed by the European colonial powers. Which of the following boundary types best explains the influence of landscape on the political borders of the North African region?

• Antecedent, based on tribal cultural boundaries that existed before European colonization

• Subsequent, with smaller buffer states placed between larger states to prevent political conflicts

• Consequent, accounting for local differences in language and religion during European colonization

• Natural, with irregular lines, accounting for regional physical features such as mountains or water bodies

• Natural, with irregular lines, accounting for regional physical features such as mountains or water bodies

Which of the following describes typical characteristics of federal states?

• A centralized government and strong centripetal forces

• A fragmented land area and a single ethnic group

• A small land area and high population density

• A compact shape and a primate city

• A large land area and multiple ethnic groups

The Philippines and Malaysia lay claim to resources under and around the Spratly Islands. Which of the following best explains how the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) influences claims to the islands by both countries?

• The claims to the Spratly Islands by both the Philippines and Malaysia overlap due to exclusive economic zones up to 200 nautical miles from their coasts.

• The Philippines and Malaysia both claim the islands lie within their territorial seas up to 12 nautical miles from their coasts.

• The claims to the islands by the Philippines and Malaysia overlap due to the median line principle.

• The Philippines and Malaysia both claim ownership to the resources based on a historic possession of the islands.

• The Philippines and Malaysia both claim the islands lie within their contiguous zones between 12 and 24 nautical miles from their coasts.

Which of the following describes a federal form of governance?

• A centralized government creates a barrier to local participation in the political process.

• Autonomous regions act outside the authority of a central government.

• Federal states encourage devolutionary movements and break apart quickly.

• Laws are enacted in a single language to promote cultural unity.

• Multiple substates have local control and are unified to pursue common goals at the national level.

Which of the following describes a unitary form of governance?

• Stronger states and transnational corporations indirectly control weaker states.

• A state has a strong central government with no power given to regions.

• A collection of independent communities shares government services.

• A state’s more powerful central government shares power with its regions.

• A sense of unity, often derived from ethnic or cultural traits, binds a country together.

Which of the following is the correct organizational scale for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)?

• Global

• Supranational

• National

• State

• Local

Which of the following best explains the governance of the shaded areas shown on the map?

• These areas are established as nation-states for indigenous peoples at the local scale.

• These areas show territory occupied by indigenous peoples as stateless nations at a local scale.

• These areas show territory controlled by indigenous peoples as a single multistate nation.

• These areas show where indigenous peoples have a limited amount of self-government at a national scale.

• These areas are lands of indigenous peoples that are sovereign independent states at an international scale.

The provisions of the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea give coastal countries navigational and economic sovereignty over which of the following zones?

• Twelve-nautical-mile territorial sea zone

• Export processing zone (EPZ)

• 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone

• Empowerment zone

• Continental shelf

The shape of North Carolina’s Twelfth Congressional District, shown above, is most likely the result of

• watershed boundaries

• gerrymandering

• county boundaries

• decentralization

• amalgamation