Deck 9: The Russian Domain

Question 1

What is the primary reason why European Russia has a higher population than Asian Russia?

A)European Russia has historically had an extremely low death rate.
B)Communist government policies forced millions to move to European Russia from Asian Russia.
C)European Russia lost much of its population in World War II.
D)Devastating diseases killed off much of the population of Asian Russia.
E)European Russia is better suited for agriculture and has a slightly milder climate.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following five locations will have the coldest average temperature in January?

A)Vladivostok
B)Moscow
C)St. Petersburg
D)Verkhoyansk
E)Kiev

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The major mountain range separating Russia from it southern neighbors of Georgia and Armenia are the

A)Caucasus
B)Himalayas
C)Kamchatka Mountains
D)Alps
E)Urals

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an agricultural product that thrives in the podzol soil region of the Russian Domain?

A)swine and meat
B)grain
C)citrus fruits (ex. oranges, grapefruits)
D)potatoes
E)dairying

Question 5

What beneficial effects might Russia see from climate change?

A)Increases in rainfall across the fertile regions of western Russia.
B)Rising sea levels along the Black and Baltic Seas.
C)Greater contact between wildlife and indigenous human populations in northern Russia as wildlife is forced to widen its search for food.
D)Thawing of Siberian permafrost may cause mud flows and erosion.
E)Navigation may extend throughout the year in Russia's northern waterways.

Question 6

Where has the Russian Domain dumped its nuclear wastes?

A)off the northern island of Novaya Zemlya
B)at an unregulated dump outside the city of Chernobyl
C)in the Arctic Sea
D)in Siberia
E)in the Sea of Okhotsk

Question 7

What is the approximate population of the Russian Domain?

A)200 million
B)500 million
C)150 million
D)250 million
E)100 million

Question 8

What impact from global warming in the Russian Domain may increase carbon emissions?

A)Navigation extending throughout the year for Russia's northern waterways.
B)Increased rainfall will lead to more vegetation and thus more carbon emissions.
C)Thawing of permafrost containing large amounts of organic material.
D)Warmer temperatures in Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea leading to greater fishing potential.
E)Rising sea levels along the Black and Baltic seas.

Question 9

What marks European Russia's eastern edge, separating it from Siberia?

A)along the trans-Siberian railroad
B)the eastern border of Ukraine
C)the Ural Mountains
D)the center of Siberia
E)a line running from the Baltic to the Adriatic

Question 10

The highest population densities in the Russian Domain are found in which part of the region?

A)the coastal areas around the Sea of Okhotsk
B)the eastern-most part of the region
C)the southeastern part of the region
D)Siberia
E)the western-most part of the region

Question 11

What two chronic environmental problems facing the Russian Domain today?

A)desertification and deforestation
B)air pollution and deforestation
C)water pollution and desertification
D)water pollution and deforestation
E)air pollution and water pollution

Question 12

The volcanic peninsula which dominates the Far East of Russia is known as

A)Baikal
B)Urals
C)Siberia
D)Caucasus
E)Kamchatka

Question 13

What is the dominant climate type in the Russian Domain?

A)dry
B)mild mid-latitude
C)continental
D)Mediterranean
E)polar

Question 14

What soil type supports the commercial cultivation of corn, wheat, sugar beets, and livestock in the Russian Domain?

A)oxisol
B)gelisol
C)chernozem
D)podzol
E)entisol

Question 15

The vast northern coniferous forests of Siberia are known as

A)taiga
B)steppes
C)permafrost
D)lichens
E)tundra

Question 16

In which region of the Russian Domain is permafrost a problem?

A)European Russia
B)Southern Russia
C)Siberia
D)Caucasus Mountains
E)Ukraine

Question 17

The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 was what type of environmental disaster?

A)a massive oil spill into the Volga River which flowed into the Caspian Sea
B)a meltdown of a nuclear reactor which spewed airborne radioactive waste across thousands of acres of farmland
C)a dumping of toxic waste into the Arctic Sea causing a massive loss of fisheries
D)a massive coal mine fire which continues to burn to present day
E)a collapse of a poorly regulated dam

Question 18

Why do the authors of your text use the word "domain" when talking about "the Russian Domain"?

A)The term is the name of the free trade zone now evolving in the region.
B)"Russian Domain" is an official name, reflecting the continuing federal relationship between the countries in the region.
C)Domain refers to a federal subdivision.
D)Domain refers to a kingdom.
E)The term suggests persisting Russian influence within the region.

Question 19

What is the one element that helps us to understand geographies of climate, vegetation, and agriculture in the Russian Domain?

A)the Cold War
B)the northern latitudinal position of the Russian Domain
C)the legacy of the Soviet era
D)globalization and its influence on the Russian Domain
E)climate change

Question 20

Population in Russia

A)is largely clustered west of the Ural Mountains
B)tends to be coastal, with significant concentrations along both the Arctic and Pacific coastlines
C)decreases in density as you travel from east to west
D)is mainly found along the frontier with China
E)has largely remained rural into the 21st century

Question 21

The Trans-Siberian Railroad

A)intentionally bypasses cities.
B)was extensively damaged by an earthquake in 2003.
C)travels through the far north of Siberia.
D)ends at Vladivostok.
E)was completed after the death of Stalin.

Question 22

What are dachas?

A)new suburban shopping malls and housing districts paralleling the North American model
B)authoritarian leaders who dominated politics during pre-1917 Russian Empire
C)rapid urban areas developing in the east of Russia
D)large housing projects built in the 1970s and 1980s in Russia
E)cottage communities on the fringe of urban areas which cater to wealthier Russians

Question 23

The origin of the Russian state is connected to

A)the ancient Christian kingdom of Armenia.
B)in the Caucasus region.
C)the division of the Slavic people by Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
D)the early history of the Cossacks.
E)the Slavic people of what is today Belarus.

Question 24

By 2100, the Russian population could decrease by million people.

A)5
B)10
C)20
D)30
E)45

Question 25

What has been the pattern of population growth in Russia since the demise of the USSR?

A)rapid population growth
B)declining population growth (except among ethnic non-Russians)
C)slow population growth
D)zero population growth (equal birth and death rates)
E)a sudden surge immediately following the collapse of the USSR followed by a sharp decline

Question 26

What are mikrorayons?

A)political units in Russia, equivalent to counties in the United States
B)authoritarian leaders who dominated politics during the pre-1917 Russian Empire
C)a cold-climate condition of unstable, seasonally frozen ground that limits the growth of vegetation
D)large housing projects built in the 1970s and 1980s in Russia, usually comprised of apartment blocks located some distance from the city center
E)synthetic fabrics manufactured in Russia

Question 27

The pattern of expansion of the Russian Empire was characterized by which of the following?

A)rapid expansion to the south
B)rapid expansion in all directions simultaneously
C)slow but steady expansion to the east
D)rapid expansion to the west
E)expansion northward into the Arctic

Question 28

The famous city located on the shores of the Baltic, formerly known as Leningrad, is called

A)Vladivostok
B)Moscow
C)St. Petersburg
D)Kiev
E)Volgograd

Question 29

The Russian Domain's unpredictable politics and poor economic conditions have led to this migration pattern.

A)movement into the southern Russia for agricultural opportunity
B)urban-to-rural due to overcrowding in major cities
C)young, well-educated populations leaving Russia for other countries
D)Jewish populations within Russia returning to Russian cities from Israel and the U.S.
E)eastward expansion into Siberia

Question 30

What was the purpose of Russification?

A)to bring Russian teachers to under-populated regions of the former USSR
B)to increase Russian dominance in outlying portions of the former USSR
C)to drain some of the population from Moscow, which had become a primate city in the former USSR
D)to establish military outposts for defensive purposes in the former USSR
E)to provide laborers to under-populated regions of the former USSR

Question 31

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, what has become of the policy of Russification within former Soviet republics?

A)Russification has increased greatly, with greater numbers of Russians settling in these regions.
B)Russification has decreased, with fewer Russians settling in these regions.
C)Russification has remained relatively the same.
D)Russification continued to rise in the 1990s, but has decreased since 2000.
E)Russification has been reversed, where greater numbers of Russians are encouraged to leave these regions.

Question 32

In Ukraine, Russian speakers are largely found in what part of the country?

A)northern
B)western
C)southern
D)the areas around the capital city of Kiev
E)eastern

Question 33

Approximately what percentage of Russian citizens claim a Russian linguistic identity?

A)100 percent
B)65 percent
C)80 percent
D)50 percent
E)95 percent

Question 34

Urbanization in the Russian region

A)did not really increase significantly until the 1960s.
B)is far below that of Western Europe.
C)was often planned in detail during the Soviet period.
D)was helped by laws allowing unrestricted internal migration during the Soviet period.
E)was discouraged throughout the history of the Russian Domain.

Question 35

What language is most frequently spoken within Moldova?

A)Polish
B)Tatar
C)Ukrainian
D)Romanian
E)Russian

Question 36

Which of the following is a Slavic language?

A)Turkish
B)Romanian
C)Tibetan
D)Armenian
E)Ukrainian

Question 37

In what region of the Russian Domain were the Soviet Union's gulags located?

A)Ukraine
B)Siberia
C)Georgia
D)Armenia
E)Belarus

Question 38

The Russian language uses which alphabet?

A)Cyrillic
B)Turkish
C)Roman
D)Arabic
E)Sanskrit

Question 39

The majority of Russia's immigrants are from

A)China
B)Former Soviet republics
C)Southwest Asia and North Africa
D)Sub-Saharan Africa
E)Eastern Europe

Question 40

Which language has the widest reach across the Russian Domain?

A)Belorussian
B)Finno-Ugric
C)Armenian
D)Russian
E)Ukrainian

Question 41

An increasingly centralized Soviet state was achieved through

A)state-controlled agricultural production and industrialization
B)glasnost
C)the Iron Curtain
D)perestroika
E)the Eurasian Economic Union

Question 42

Alexander Lukashenko has been called "Europe's last dictator". He is the leader of which nation?

A)Ukraine
B)Georgia
C)Moldova
D)Azerbaijan
E)Belarus

Question 43

What was socialist realism of the Soviet era in the Russian Domain?

A)a musical style that emphasized traditional melodies, combined with classical instrumentation
B)an acting style in the Soviet domain
C)a holistic approach to the arts in the former Soviet Union
D)an art style devoted to the realistic depiction of workers challenging nature or struggling against capitalism
E)a writing style that is similar to today's "reality TV"

Question 44

The original architect of the Soviet state at its inception was

A)Karl Marx
B)the Russia czar
C)Joseph Stalin
D)Vladimir Putin
E)Vladimir Lenin

Question 45

Russia forcibly annexed which peninsular part of Ukraine in 2014?

A)Crimea
B)Kaliningrad
C)Kamchatka
D)Chechnya
E)Siberia

Question 46

What was the policy of the former Soviet Union (USSR)regarding religion within its borders?

A)The USSR established Russian Orthodox Christianity as the official state religion.
B)The USSR permitted freedom of religion for Christians, but not for Jews or Muslims.
C)The USSR had no policy regarding religion.
D)The USSR severely discouraged and even persecuted religious practice.
E)The USSR was tolerant of all religious practices.

Question 47

Which two countries were the primary rivals in the Cold War?

A)the United States and the Soviet Union
B)China and the Soviet Union
C)Russia and the Ukraine
D)the United States and Russia
E)Germany and the Soviet Union

Question 48

Which best describes the religious geography of Ukraine?

A)western Ukraine largely follows the Russian Orthodox Church while eastern Ukraine is largely Roman Catholic
B)western Ukraine is largely Roman Catholic while eastern Ukraine largely follows the Russian Orthodox Church
C)western Ukraine is largely Jewish while eastern Ukraine largely follows the Russian Orthodox Church
D)western Ukraine is largely Roman Catholic while eastern Ukraine in largely Muslim
E)western Ukraine largely follows the Russian Orthodox Church while eastern Ukraine is largely Jewish

Question 49

In the Russian Domain, what non-Christian religion has the greatest number of believers?

A)Animism
B)Islam
C)Hinduism
D)Buddhism
E)Judaism

Question 50

What have many of Russia's internal autonomous areas been requesting?

A)great transportation linkages to the ice-free ports of the Arctic Ocean
B)greater autonomy
C)greater connections with China and Mongolia to the south
D)greater unity among themselves
E)greater connections with Moscow and the rest of Russia

Question 51

Which ancient kingdom (and former Soviet state)has generated a worldwide diaspora?

A)Ukraine
B)Armenia
C)Belorussia
D)Georgia
E)Azerbaijan

Question 52

What is glasnost?

A)improvement of the Russian environment
B)a USSR policy of greater openness during the 1980s that encouraged several Soviet republics to demand independence
C)planned economic restructuring, an early move toward a freer market
D)the Russian word for railroad
E)a policy of education improvement, in the last days of the former Soviet Union

Question 53

The conflict over Transdniester is focused within which nation?

A)Belarus
B)Ukraine
C)Azerbaijan
D)Georgia
E)Moldova

Question 54

What is the current policy toward religion in the Russian Domain in this post-Soviet era?

A)Roman Catholicism has become the dominant religion in the region.
B)There has been a sharp increase in the number of Jewish people living in the region.
C)There has been a religious revival.
D)Russia has become a theocracy.
E)Religious persecution has worsened.

Question 55

Who were the Bolsheviks?

A)the militia group that overthrew the former Soviet Union
B)the earliest settlers of Russia, who came from Sweden
C)the last ruling dynasty of the Russian Empire
D)a faction of Russian communism representing interests of industrial workers, who established the former Soviet Union
E)the title given to bureaucrats who ran the former Soviet Union

Question 56

What is the language of the Volga Tatars of the Russian Domain?

A)Turkish
B)Kurdish
C)Slavic
D)Chinese
E)Finnish

Question 57

What is perestroika?

A)a policy of education improvement, in the last days of the former Soviet Union
B)the Russian word for railroad
C)improvement of the Russian environment
D)planned economic restructuring, an early move toward a freer market
E)greater openness, a policy in the 1980s that encouraged several republics to demand independence

Question 58

The former Soviet Union was comprised of how many different republics?

A)12
B)15
C)13
D)14
E)16

Question 59

The Transcaucasian region

A)is monolingual
B)has largely co-existed peacefully due to its monoethnic nature
C)is deeply fractured along ethnolinguistic lines and currently has two independence movements
D)has a large Jewish minority population
E)include Moldova, Ukraine and Belorussia

Question 60

The majority of the population of Crimea

A)is Russian but wishes to remain part of Ukraine
B)is Ukrainian and wishes to remain part of Ukraine
C)is Ukrainian and wishes to be reincorporated into Russia
D)is ethnic Crimean and wishes to become an independent nation
E)is Russian and wishes to be reincorporated into Russia

Question 61

The former Soviet economy was predicated upon

A)alignment with multinational corporations
B)centralized economic planning
C)laissez-faire capitalism
D)import substitution industrial growth
E)a strong emphasis with globalization

Question 62

Investments in Russia are most common in which of these products?

A)wheat
B)oil and natural gas
C)hydroelectric and forestry products
D)information technology
E)wind and solar energy

Question 63

Which of the following was NOT a factor which led to the demise of the Soviet economy?

A)a failure to embrace technological innovations in industry, research and development
B)collectivized agriculture remained inefficient
C)poor infrastructure as result of a lack of roads, railroads and canals built during the Soviet era
D)a rising economic gap between the Soviet elite and the common people
E)poor quality manufactured goods compared to what was produced in the West

Question 64

The primary destination for Russia's petroleum exports is currently

A)China
B)Japan
C)Eastern Europe
D)Western Europe
E)United States

Question 65

The average Russian consumes how many liters of alcohol per year?

A)5 liters
B)10 liters
C)100 liters
D)1 liter
E)15 liters

Question 66

Russia possesses what percent of the world's known natural gas reserves?

A)35%
B)5%
C)12%
D)26%
E)55%

Question 67

Which of the following occurred during the post-Soviet era of development?

A)steel industry development
B)the completion of the BAM railroad link across Siberia
C)the creation of the Volga-Don Canal
D)an emphasis on oil and natural gas exports
E)a massive emphasis on clear-cutting of taiga forests to increase wood exports

Question 68

Which nation within the Russian Domain has the lowest Human Development Index (HDI)?

A)Georgia
B)Moldova
C)Belarus
D)Ukraine
E)Armenia

Question 69

Today in Russia a total of people control 35% of Russia's wealth.

A)110
B)1,110
C)11,110
D)111,110
E)1,111,110

Question 70

Why did the Russian military invade Georgia in 2008?

A)because the Kazakh forces attempted to take Georgian territory from the Russians
B)because the Georgian government attempted to establish control over the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are two regions dominated by Russian sympathizers
C)as a warning to Chechen rebels to desist from any future terror attacks on Russian soil
D)because the Georgian government aided terrorists who committed various terror attacks within Russia
E)to establish forward military bases from which to attack Turkey

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a current economic challenge facing Russia?

A)economic sanctions placed on Russia by the United States due to its belligerence with respect to Ukraine
B)capital flight to foreign banks located beyond the Russian Domain
C)the lack of economic diversity in exports outside of energy exports
D)crop failures due to climate change which require Russia to import large amounts of food
E)widespread government corruption

Question 72

Which of the following is a natural resource NOT found within Siberia?

A)oil
B)coal
C)diamonds
D)nickel
E)natural gas

Question 73

With which former Soviet republic does Armenia have a longstanding border dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh?

A)Ukraine
B)Moldova
C)Azerbaijan
D)Georgia
E)Russia

Question 74

Which of the following places is a Russian exclave within Eastern Europe?

A)Estonia
B)Kaliningrad
C)Latvia
D)Armenia
E)Lithuania

Question 75

Which country has made major business investments in Russia's Far East?

A)South Korea
B)United States
C)North Korea
D)China
E)Japan

Question 76

What percent of Russia's farmland had been privatized by 2003?

A)5%
B)50%
C)90%
D)10%
E)25%

Question 77

The Russian currency instrument is known as the

A)kopek
B)ruble
C)dollar
D)zloty
E)euro

Question 78

What influence did the breakup of the Soviet Union have on Russian organized crime?

A)Most organized crime members were either imprisoned or forced to flee the country.
B)The organized crime operations that had been urban based under the Soviet system were now forced to operate in the rural areas.
C)The new democratic government established crackdowns on organized crime's operations.
D)It has aligned itself with Russian intelligence agencies and has gone global in its activities.
E)There was no effect.

Question 79

What has become of democracy in Russia in the post-Soviet era?

A)There has been a steady decline in democracy since the Soviet Union broke up.
B)There has been a steady growth in democracy and civil liberties.
C)There have been no steps toward democracy.
D)There was a general flowering of democracy followed by a reduction of civil liberties since Vladimir Putin came to power.
E)There was a brief decline in democracy, followed by a steady blossoming of civil liberties since 2000.

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT a contributing factor to the high mortality rates among Russian men?

A)excessive consumption of alcohol
B)exposure to radiation from Soviet-era nuclear waste which was improperly disposed
C)high rate of tobacco use
D)less financial resources for health expenditures as compared to the Soviet era
E)cardiovascular disease resulting from high-fat diets and physical inactivity