Human Geography

Which of the following best explains a trading relationship between two countries based on comparative advantage?

•   Two countries trade in luxury items, but the volume of trade is limited by the highest cost of long-distance trade.

•   One country exports raw materials and the other country exports manufactured goods, resulting in a global economic balance.

•   Each country specializes in the type of good for which it has the lowest opportunity cost, resulting in a higher global output of both types of goods.

•   Each country exports the same type of good because the countries are similar in terms of natural resources and labor costs.

A clustering of doctor’s offices and pharmacies near hospitals is BEST explained by the benefits of

•   decentralization

•   intervening opportunity

•   agglomeration

•   enfranchisement

The map shows the locations of world financial, banking, and investment centers. Which of the following best explains a limitation of the map’s representation of global economic patterns?

•   The map does not show the locations of export processing zones in more developed countries.

•   The map does not show the growth of investment in businesses in less developed countries.

•   The map does not show major population centers located in the Southern Hemisphere.

•   The map does not show the environmental pollution associated with industrial cities.

Which of the following explains the degree to which deindustrialization and the rise of service economies have affected population and income across scales in Detroit and in the state of Michigan overall?

•   Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected many communities across the state, but there has been some improvement in service-industry employment in the city of Detroit.

•   Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected the Detroit area, but there has been a small improvement in service-industry income growth in other parts of the state.

•   Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected the Detroit metropolitan area, but the city of Detroit has experienced service-industry income growth.

•   Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected the city of Detroit, but the Detroit metropolitan area has experienced service-industry income growth.

International Division of Labor

• When a company sends goods/services out for external production, typically where labor is cheaper to achieve comparative advantages have led to a decline in jobs in core regions and an increase in jobs in newly industrialized countries  e.g. assembly of low skill goods in China , customer service/product support in India

• Refers to the shift in the core to service industries and an associated shift to manufacturing in the semi-periphery and periphery as companies search for the cheapest locations to take advantage of low-cost labor to manufacture and assemble components​ ​which has been facilitated by​ ​improvements in transportation/communication technology

•  Designated area that has economic laws that are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical national laws e.g. Shenzhen, China

•  The relocation of business processes and services to a lower-cost foreign location particularly white-collar, technical, professional, and clerical services. ie. IT support, call centers    

HDI (Human Development Index)

•                A measure of a country's standard of living, including health and education             

• Service sector industries that require a high level of specialized knowledge or technical skill. Examples include scientific research and high-level management.

• Economic activity that involves collecting, processing & manipulation of information & capital ​e.g. finance, insurance, computer services

• The portion of the economy concerned with transportation, communications, and utilities, sometimes extended to the provision of all goods and services to people in exchange for payment.

The global pattern of gender inequality index scores is similar to the expected pattern of countries by level of economic development, with the exception of a few countries such as

•   Brazil, Libya, and China

•   Mexico, Argentina, and India

•   South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand

•   Japan, Spain, and Canada

Which of the following concepts in human geography explains the spread of cultural traits from one region to another?

• Cultural diffusion

• Cultural assimilation

• Cultural divergence

• Cultural isolation

What term is used to describe the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world's markets and businesses?

• Globalization

• Localization

• Urbanization

• Industrialization

Which of the following is a primary focus of human geography?

• The study of human populations and their cultures

• The study of physical landscapes and natural resources

• The study of animal habitats and ecosystems

• The study of geological formations and processes