Unit 9: South Asia Review 1

The Ganges has been considered a sacred river in Hinduism for thousands of years. Millions of Hindus perform religious rituals, such as purification rites and the disposal of the deceased, in the river. How have these long-practiced rituals affected the river today?

• The level of the river has dropped due to considerable use.

• The river has become one of the most polluted in the world.

• The river is one of the cleanest rivers in the world since it is considered sacred.

• The course of the river has been altered to feed into temples.

In the quarter of a century after the end of the Second World War, virtually all the

previously colonized countries of Asia obtained independence. In some states this

occurred peacefully, but for others—including Indonesia and to a lesser extent Malaysia

and the Philippines—the struggle for independence involved violence. The most dramatic

upheaval, however, was on the Indian sub-continent where communal violence resulted in partition and the creation of two separate states—India and Pakistan—in 1947. An estimated 14 million people were displaced at the time, as Muslims in India fled to Pakistan and Hindus in Pakistan fled to India. Similar movements took place on a smaller scale in succeeding years. Inevitably, such a momentous process produced strains and

stresses in the newly decolonized states. Many newly independent countries found it difficult to maintain democratic political systems, given the economic problems which they faced, political challenges from the left and the right, and the overarching pressures of the Cold War.

—The United Nations Refugee Agency, “The State of the World’s Refugees 2000”

Which geographic pattern emerged in South Asia because of the events detailed in the excerpt?

• New political borders were created to divide ethnic groups in the region.

• Strict laws reinforcing religious differences were passed in Pakistan and India.

• Democracies emerged in both Pakistan and India based on British colonial traditions.

• Nations in the region formed economic bonds that have promoted growth in the area.

Which factors most account for the creation of a tropical climate throughout much of the Indian subcontinent?

• Location in the mid latitudes

• Highland conditions of the Himalayas

• Size in area of the subcontinent landmass

• Proximity to the Indian Ocean and the equator

Which physical process is most responsible for the geographic formations in the northern Indian subcontinent?

• Deposition

• Weathering

• Tectonic forces

• Hydrologic cycle

Based on the information in the map, India’s largest cities are located in —

• southwest and northeast India

• central and northeast India

• northwest and southeast India

• east and northwest India

Based on the information in the graphs, which issue is India likely to face in 2050?

• Paying health care expenses for growing numbers of elderly

• Providing education for a growing demographic of young children

• Finding well-paying jobs for young people entering the workforce

• Avoiding political instability resulting from large population growth

Which prediction about India’s population is supported by the information on the graph?

• Life expectancy in India will increase in the twenty-first century.

• After the twenty-first century India will experience a zero-growth rate.

• India will surpass the population growth of other nations in the twenty-first century.

• Elderly persons will outnumber younger generations in India during the twenty-first

  century.

Building in the style shown in the picture is important in Bangladesh because —

• providing space for large families is important

• adapting to the extensive flooding is necessary

• having storage for surplus crops is important

• increasing tourism has opened new rental markets

What is one way India’s rapid population growth has affected the environment of the region?

• Seismic activity has rapidly increased

• Air and water pollution has worsened.

• Rainfall levels from monsoons have lessened.

• Buildings in the region have been redesigned.

The physical process shown in the map would most likely result in —

• a La Niña causing drought in the summer and flooding in the winter

• typhoons that cause deforestation in both the summer and winter months

• tsunamis that cause property damage in the summer, but not during the winter

• a wide variation of heavy rains in the summer and warm, dry temperatures in the winter