Geography Practice Test

Which is not true of geographers?

• They are not really scientists.

• They use spatial analysis.

• They are concerned with spatial and temporal relationships.

• They are Earth systems scientists.

Which of the following terms characterizes the discipline of geography?

• eclectic

• holistic

• unscientific

• A, B, and C.

• A and B only.

Which of the following is the most strongly supported by experimental and observational evidence?

• speculation

• hypothesis

• theory

• educated guess

Living systems are considered

• inorganic.

• abiotic.

• biotic.

• part of the lithosphere.

A value for Earth's circumference was first calculated by

• Columbus.

• a librarian at Alexandria named Eratosthenes.

• modern satellite measurements.

• Pythagoras.

An angular distance measured north or south of the equator from the center of Earth is termed

• longitude.

• Greenwich distance.

• zenith.

• latitude.

Travelers flying west from Los Angeles (118º W) to Tokyo (139 º E) will cross the __________ and, as a result, they will __________ when crossing this meridian.

• prime meridian; gain a day (Example: Sunday becomes Saturday.)

• International Dateline; gain a day (Example: Sunday becomes Saturday.)

• International Dateline; lose a day (Example: Saturday becomes Sunday.)

• prime meridian; lose a day (Example: Saturday becomes Sunday.)

The larger the scale of a map, the __________ the area covered by the map and the ________ detail it provides.

• larger; less

• larger; more

• smaller; more

• smaller; less

Based on temperature, the atmosphere is divided into

• two functional areas that absorb radiation from the Sun.

• two broad regions.

• nitrogen, oxygen, argon.

• four regions: ranging from the troposphere to the thermosphere.

The ozonosphere is critical to life because it

• absorbs most ultraviolet wavelengths.

• absorbs visible light wavelengths.

• affects temperatures.

• produces the auroras.