Deck 3: North America

Question 1

Which of these North American cities has a marine west coast climate?

A)Vancouver, British Columbia
B)Dallas, Texas
C)Miami, Florida
D)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
E)Cheyenne, Wyoming

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Temperatures in urban areas are generally warmer than in surrounding rural areas. This is known as

A)urban renewal
B)acid rain
C)greenhouse gas
D)urban heat islands
E)anthropogenic diversity

Answer 2

D

Question 3

It is predicted by demographers that how many people will live in the North American Region by the year 2050?

A)323.9 million
B)423 million
C)270 million
D)464 million
E)41 million

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which North American region was hit by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012?

A)the Appalachian Highlands
B)the Gulf Coast
C)the West
D)the Ozark Mountains
E)the Atlantic coastline

Question 5

Which of the following reflects growing environmental awareness in North America?

A)fewer farms that are larger in size
B)heavy reliance on pesticides and herbicides in industrial agriculture
C)the selective removal of dams
D)government incentives for coal as a primary energy source
E)the passage of new laws protecting mining corporations from lawsuits

Question 6

The Rocky Mountains

A)are adjacent to the Piedmont
B)traverse the Great Lakes
C)features mountain-building, alpine glaciation, and erosion
D)are found running parallel to the Atlantic coastline
E)are significantly lower in elevation than the Appalachian Highlands

Question 7

Southern California is situated in which climate zone?

A)subtropical desert
B)humid subtropical
C)marine west coast
D)Mediterranean
E)humid continental

Question 8

What happened to the more than 4 million Native American populations after the arrival of Europeans?

A)European diseases and disruptions reduced their numbers by more than 90%.
B)They continued as before, having little contact with European immigrants.
C)They began trading with the Europeans and benefited economically.
D)The European educational system transformed their way of life, enabling them to benefit from early globalization.
E)They migrated to better land in the interior of North America.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding potential results of climate change in North America?

A)the Great Plains and Texas will receive more precipitation
B)urban areas will become cooler than surrounding rural areas
C)sea level rise is not anticipated for North American coastlines
D)high latitude (polar)and alpine environments will likely experience the most dramatic change
E)the Great Lakes region will face drought on a more frequent basis

Question 10

The majority of the southeastern United States is located in which climate zone?

A)subtropical desert
B)humid subtropical
C)Mediterranean
D)tropical savanna
E)subarctic

Question 11

The Great Lakes

A)include Lake Superior and Lake Michigan
B)are located in the Pacific Northwest
C)are found in the southeastern USA
D)include the Great Salt Lake and Lake Winnipeg
E)form the international boundary between the USA and Mexico

Question 12

The settlement of North America by Europeans took place in how many stages?

A)one
B)two
C)three
D)four
E)five

Question 13

What do we call the bioregion that is dominated by tall native grasslands, short grasses, or scrub vegetation in North America?

A)tundra
B)prairie
C)desert
D)boreal forest
E)farmland

Question 14

What are the primary compounds found in acid rain?

A)carbon dioxide and lead
B)nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide
C)chlorofluorocarbons and sulfur
D)sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
E)lead and chlorofluorocarbons

Question 15

Where is Megalopolis located?

A)West Coast of United States, from Portland, OR to Seattle
B)Midwestern United States, from St. Louis to Cincinnati
C)Texas, from Houston to San Antonio
D)mountainous west of the United States, from Salt Lake City to Denver
E)East Coast of United States, from Boston to Washington, D.C.

Question 16

Beneath which part of the United States is its largest aquifer, the Ogallala Aquifer, located?

A)the West Coast
B)New England
C)the Gulf Coast
D)the Great Plains
E)the Pacific Northwest

Question 17

Which North American region is complex, and is made up of drowned river valleys, bays, swamps, and low barrier islands?

A)the Great Plains
B)the West
C)the Ozark Plateau
D)the Appalachian Highlands
E)the Atlantic coastline

Question 18

Cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte are located in which North American physiographic region?

A)the Gulf Coast
B)the Piedmont
C)the Atlantic coastline
D)the West
E)the Rocky Mountains

Question 19

The coniferous evergreen forests which dominate the interior of North America north of the Great Lakes are known as a

A)deciduous broadleaf forest
B)alpine forest
C)marine west coast forest
D)tundra
E)boreal forest

Question 20

A major oil spill in April 2010, caused damage to this body of water.

A)The Mississippi River
B)Lake Superior
C)Lake Erie
D)Lake Michigan
E)The Gulf of Mexico

Question 21

Which of the following statements best describes North America's population settlement pattern?

A)Settlement is strongly centered on large cities with more thinly settled areas in between.
B)Settlement is strongly focused on rural regions with very few cities
C)Settlement is heavier in the western half of the region.
D)Settlement is evenly distributed across the region.
E)Settlement is heavier in the southern half of the United States and Canada than in the north.

Question 22

During Phase 4 of migration to the United States (1920-1970), where did the majority of immigrants come from?

A)England and Africa
B)Ireland and Germany
C)Southern and Eastern Europe
D)Canada and Latin America
E)Latin America and Asia

Question 23

What name is given to the migration pattern wherein people leave large cities and move to smaller towns and rural areas?

A)urban gentrification
B)urban decentralization
C)concentric zones model
D)nonmetropolitan growth
E)new urbanism

Question 24

What is the name for the situation wherein metropolitan areas sprawl in all directions and suburbs take on many of the characteristics of traditional downtowns?

A)new urbanism
B)urban decentralization
C)gentrification
D)urban decay
E)concentric zones model

Question 25

Which of the following cities of North America is NOT located in the Sunbelt?

A)Houston, Texas
B)Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
C)Las Vegas, Nevada
D)Cleveland, Ohio
E)Phoenix, Arizona

Question 26

In the most recent phase of migration to the United States (1970-present), where are the majority of immigrants coming from?

A)England and Africa
B)Ireland and Germany
C)Southern and Eastern Europe
D)Canada and Latin America
E)Latin America and Asia

Question 27

Which US state has the largest percentage of Asians in America?

A)Illinois
B)Florida
C)Texas
D)California
E)New York

Question 28

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A)In 1990, more than half of the population of the United States lived west of the Great Plains.
B)By 1990, more than half of the population of the United States lived west of the Rocky Mountains.
C)By 1990, more than half of the population of the United States lived west of the Grand Canyon.
D)By 1990, more than half of the population of the United States lived west of the Mississippi River.
E)By 1990, more than half of the population of the United States lived west of the Colorado River.

Question 29

Which of the following "decisively shaped the evolution of the city in the United States"?

A)demographics
B)transportation
C)precipitation
D)city planning agencies
E)climate

Question 30

Which of the following would be an example of urban gentrification?

A)the movement of young urban professionals from a major city like Minneapolis to a smaller nearby community, such as Mankato, in order to take advantage of lower housing costs
B)the building of office parks and complexes along the periphery of a major city, such as Costa Mesa, located south of Los Angeles
C)the displacement of low-income inner city residents so as to revitalize an inner city with new shopping, entertainment and office plazas, often taking advantage of historic urban architecture patterns, such as Pioneer Square in Seattle and the Inner Harbor of Baltimore
D)an urban design movement which stresses high-density, mixed-use, pedestrian-scaled neighborhoods where residents are able to walk to work, school and shopping centers
E)the movement of minority populations from the urban core into the suburbs

Question 31

Which of the following is a pattern of North American population movements?

A)pan-metropolitan growth where urbanites move frequently between large cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles
B)an exodus of the Sunbelt
C)urban-to-rural migration as a result of job opportunities in agriculture
D)a movement from the Pacific to the Atlantic coastline
E)the movement of African-Americans out of the South starting in the 20th century

Question 32

During which era of the Historical Evolution of the U.S. City were cities compact, usually about 3-4 miles in diameter?

A)Pedestrian/Horse car era
B)Electric Streetcar era
C)Automobile era
D)Internet era
E)Freeway era

Question 33

Which of the following statements regarding migration and settlement of African Americans in the United States is most accurate?

A)In 1900, about half of African Americans lived in the South; today about 90% of them live there.
B)In 1900, more than 90% of African Americans lived in the South; today that figure remains the same.
C)In 1900, more than 70% of African Americans lived in the South; today about one-third of them live there.
D)In 1900, about half of African Americans lived in the South; today that figure remains the same.
E)In 1900, more than 90% of African Americans lived in the South; today a little more than half of them live there.

Question 34

What is the process in which immigrants are absorbed into the larger host society?

A)cultural homeland
B)cultural determinism
C)cultural assimilation
D)cultural nationalism
E)cultural adaptation

Question 35

When did the area shaded yellow come into existence in the American city?

A)the area in yellow is zoned for future urban growth in the 21st century
B)pre-1888, prior to the advent of streetcars
C)1945 to present day, as freeways became a common urban feature
D)between 1888 and 1920 when streetcars were heavily used
E)1920-1945 as the automobile became a common mode of transport

Question 36

What do we call new suburbs that include retailing, industry, office, and entertainment activities, but are less connected to the central city, and more connected to other suburban centers?

A)urban decentralization
B)urban realms model
C)edge cities
D)counterurbanization
E)concentric zones model

Question 37

Which three states comprise over 50% of the Hispanic population of the USA?

A)California, Arizona and New Mexico
B)California, Texas and Florida
C)California, New York and New Jersey
D)Texas, Florida and New York
E)California, Illinois and New York

Question 38

During Phase 3 of migration to the U.S. (1870-1920), where did the majority of immigrants come from?

A)England and Africa
B)Ireland and Germany
C)Southern and Eastern Europe
D)Canada and Latin America
E)Latin America and Asia

Question 39

During Phase 1 of migration to the United States (1800-1820), where did the majority of immigrants come from?

A)Ireland and Germany
B)Latin America and Asia
C)Canada and Latin America
D)Southern and Eastern Europe
E)England and Africa

Question 40

The projected increase of the Hispanic population in the U.S. over the next 25 years will most likely be fueled by

A)increased immigration from South America
B)increased immigration from Mexico.
C)consistent immigration from Cuba.
D)births to Hispanics already living in the U.S.
E)internal migration within the U.S.

Question 41

What organization was created by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 and regulates cross-boundary issues involving water resources, transportation, and environmental policy
Between the U.S. and Canada?

A)International Joint Commission
B)Canada-U.S. Boundary Waters Union
C)North American Treaty Organization (NATO)
D)North American Free Trade Agreement
E)United Nations (UN)

Question 42

The non-Hispanic white population of the United States

A)is decreasing as a percentage of the total population due to higher death rates than birth rates
B)will probably achieve minority status by 2050
C)currently is already in a minority status
D)lives overwhelmingly in eastern United States
E)is currently increasing as a result of immigration

Question 43

What is the most recently formed Canadian territory, and is home to the Inuit people?

A)Newfoundland
B)British Columbia
C)Nunavut
D)Prince Edward Island
E)Greenland

Question 44

Quebec

A)is an English-speaking province of Canada
B)tends to be wealthier on average than the rest of English-speaking Canada
C)is an independent political entity which separated from Canada in 1995
D)has long had an excellent relationship with the English majority in Canada
E)is a French-speaking province of Canada which has failed to gain independence

Question 45

The most commonly spoken language in the USA after English and Spanish is

A)Russian
B)Arabic
C)French
D)Chinese
E)Korean

Question 46

Which nation accounts for more than 30% of the international student population in the United States?

A)India
B)Mexico
C)China
D)Iran
E)Canada

Question 47

What economic activity brings in much-needed income to Native Americans while challenging their traditional lifestyles?

A)gambling casinos
B)automobile assembly plants
C)storage of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants
D)sweatshops
E)All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 48

What percentage of the land of the American western interior is under the control of Native Americans?

A)2%
B)20%
C)5%
D)50%
E)10%

Question 49

The trilateral trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States is known as

A)Boundary Waters Agreement
B)NATO
C)OAS
D)NAFTA
E)TPP

Question 50

A culturally distinctive nucleus of rural settlement in a well-defined geographical area where ethnicity has survived over time is known as a(n)

A)cultural homeland
B)cultural entrepot
C)tribal reservation
D)cultural signature
E)ethnic neighborhood

Question 51

What is a common feature of federalism?

A)open borders are encouraged
B)distinctive cultural and political groups are not recognized
C)power tends to be centralized at the national level
D)many political decisions are left to local and regional governments
E)all decisions are made at the federal level to ensure a smooth and functioning government

Question 52

The United States and Canada are prime examples of

A)federal states
B)authoritarian dictatorships
C)confederations
D)parliamentary democracies
E)unitary states

Question 53

What waterway was established in 1959 to open the Great Lakes region to more global trade connections?

A)Northwest Passage
B)St. Lawrence Seaway
C)Red River
D)Bay of Fundy
E)Lake Michigan

Question 54

The Mormon (LDS)Church is largely concentrated in which two states?

A)New York and New Jersey
B)California and Arizona
C)Utah and Idaho
D)Michigan and Wisconsin
E)Alabama and Mississippi

Question 55

The dominant religion in the southeastern United States is

A)Catholicism
B)Mormon (Church of Latter-Day Saints)
C)Lutheranism
D)Baptist
E)Judaism

Question 56

Alaska and Hawaii

A)were part of the spoils of the War of Independence in the 1780s
B)were gained as a result of the Mexican-American War
C)are territories awaiting statehood
D)were acquired in 1867 and 1898, respectively
E)were purchased from Canada

Question 57

The official language of Quebec is

A)Inuit
B)French
C)Canadian
D)English and French
E)English

Question 58

What Canadian province primarily speaks French?

A)Ontario
B)Saskatchewan
C)Alberta
D)British Columbia
E)Quebec

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a contemporary geopolitical issue between Canada and the United States?

A)the dumping of Canadian wheat onto American markets
B)American political meddling in Quebec to ensure its independence
C)commercial lumbering competition in the Pacific Northwest
D)legal issues surrounding the establishment of the Keystone XL Pipeline
E)conflicting maritime boundaries in the Arctic

Question 60

What acquisition in 1803 nearly doubled the territorial size of the United States?

A)Mexico
B)Alaska
C)Boundary Waters
D)Hawaii
E)Louisiana Purchase

Question 61

Which of these would be least likely to have a college degree in the U.S.?

A)a Chinese-American female whose parents own an ethnic restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana
B)an African-American female in the suburbs of Atlanta whose dad is a mechanic and whose mom is a nurse
C)a Hispanic male whose parents both work in minimum-wage jobs in urban Chicago
D)an African American male whose parents are doctors in Los Angeles
E)a white male from a working-class family in Minneapolis

Question 62

About what percentage of the U.S. and Canadian population lives in poverty?

A)19%-23%
B)2%-3%
C)13%-16%
D)7%-9%
E)24%-26%

Question 63

IT companies have a tendency to cluster in site-specific locations such as Silicon Valley and the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle. This phenomenon is known as

A)proximity
B)sectoral transformation
C)agglomeration economies
D)connectivity
E)lifestyle amenities

Question 64

Which is an example of the geopolitical reach of the United States beyond the bounds of North America?

A)Afghanistan
B)New Zealand
C)Iraq
D)the Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan
E)the Philippines

Question 65

Which of the following was NOT a key factor in the rise of the American manufacturing core in the early 20th century?

A)its proximity to natural resources (ex. coal, iron ore)
B)its location in a warm climate with year-round fair weather for production
C)its location in an existing population center in order to draw on an existing labor supply
D)its increased connectivity to a growing network of roads and canals
E)its location near to the Great Lakes to allow for transport of cargo

Question 66

What employment sector is identified with manufacturing?

A)primary
B)secondary
C)tertiary
D)quaternary
E)quintenary

Question 67

Which region is an area known for dairy farming?

A)Appalachia
B)rural Canada
C)the Midwest & the Northeast U.S.
D)the Southeast U.S.
E)the Deep South of the U.S.

Question 68

What percentage of the American and Canadian populations are employed in the tertiary and quaternary sectors?

A)5%
B)35%
C)20%
D)more than 70%
E)50%

Question 69

Which is NOT one of the geographic clusters of poverty in North America?

A)agricultural California
B)Appalachia
C)Canadian Maritimes
D)urban California
E)the Deep South

Question 70

Which of the following best describes sectoral transformation?

A)the process of an economic sector acquiring more connectivity via an increase in roads, canals and other means of transportation
B)the transformation of one sector of American society into another racial, ethnic or linguistic entity
C)the changing geography of location factors over time
D)the evolution of a nation's labor force from one dependent upon primary sector activities into alternative sectors, such as manufacturing, services and information technology
E)the transfer of economic products from one sector to another

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a key issue at the center of the American immigration debate?

A)how to deal with the existing pool of undocumented people in the United States
B)the number of legal immigrants who should be allowed on an annual basis
C)whether to tighten the U.S.-Mexico border
D)drug trafficking (and the associated violence with drug trafficking)along the U.S.-Mexico border
E)whether to build a fortified border wall along the Canadian border with the United States

Question 72

Which of the following would NOT be considered a major manufacturing center of North America?

A)Megalopolis (Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York-Boston)
B)the Piedmont (including Birmingham, Atlanta and Charlotte)
C)the Rocky Mountain western interior
D)the Great Lakes region (including Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago)
E)southern California

Question 73

A food desert

A)is a region which specializes in cuisine from arid regions of the world
B)is usually found in affluent neighborhoods
C)is a measure of poverty where people have limited access to fresh, healthy and affordable food
D)is defined as an area where >50% of the residents live in poverty and >25% are suffering from a nutrition-related illness
E)is a region where there is an overabundance of produce

Question 74

What employment sector is identified with services?

A)primary
B)secondary
C)tertiary
D)quaternary
E)quintenary

Question 75

What employment sector is identified with information processing?

A)primary
B)secondary
C)tertiary
D)quaternary
E)quintenary

Question 76

The revitalization of the blighted Bevo Mill neighborhood in St. Louis was largely engineered by refugees from which nation?

A)Iraq
B)Syria
C)Somalia
D)Afghanistan
E)Bosnia

Question 77

What is the acronym of the major political and military agreement which was made between the United States and its Europe allies shortly after the end of WWII?

A)Organization of American States (OAS)
B)North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
C)International Joint Commission
D)United Nations (UN)
E)North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Question 78

Which region has the greatest overall gender gap in male-female earnings?

A)mid-Atlantic (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina)
B)Pacific Coast (California, Oregon, Washington)
C)Alaska and Hawaii
D)South/Southwest (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama)
E)New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine)

Question 79

Which of the following nations is a major destination for outsourcing?

A)Japan
B)Mexico
C)Ireland
D)Israel
E)India

Question 80

What employment sector is identified with mining?

A)primary
B)secondary
C)tertiary
D)quaternary
E)quintenary