Deck 4: Latin America

Question 1

What is grassification?

A) the depletion of native grasses on the Argentine prairie
B) the conversion of tropical forest into pasture
C) the Latin American term for suburbanization
D) a project by the Bolivian government to protect further soil erosion on mountain slopes by planting native grasses
E) the conversion of the Altiplano of Latin America into grasslands

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What city in Latin America was designed to be, and is an example of a sustainable city?

A) Mexico City, Mexico
B) Buenos Aires, Argentina
C) Quito, Ecuador
D) Curitiba, Brazil
E) Santiago, Chile

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What is the greatest threat to biodiversity in Latin America?

A) deforestation
B) grassification
C) farmland degradation
D) air pollution
E) desertification

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following environmental problems is (are)prevalent in the Valley of Mexico?

A) subsidence
B) poor air quality
C) water shortages
D) water shortages and subsidence
E) water shortages, subsidence, and poor air quality

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the innovations that Curitiba, Brazil, has implemented in order to plan its growth in a more environmentally friendly fashion?

A) the construction of drainage canals to channel excessive runoff
B) widespread availability of public transportation
C) a low-tech recycling program
D) the setting aside of natural drainage areas as parks
E) exportation of 25% of its population to surrounding rural areas

Question 6

Over the last 40 years, approximately what percentage of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest has been destroyed?

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 20%
D) 30%
E) 40%

Question 7

How far did Mexico City sink during the 1900s?

A) 9 inches
B) 1 foot
C) 5 feet
D) 10 feet
E) 30 feet

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT one of the products grown by small subsistence farmers in the Volcanic Axis of Central America?

A) corn
B) coffee
C) beans
D) squash
E) assorted fruits

Question 9

Which of the following environmental problems is associated with Mexico City?

A) deforestation
B) degradation of farmlands
C) desertification
D) smog
E) grassification

Question 10

What are the boundaries of Latin America?

A) Panama in the north to Argentina in the south
B) The Rio Grande in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south
C) San Salvador in the north to Montevideo in the south
D) The Amazon River in the north to Puntas Arenas in the south
E) Tijuana in the north to the La Plata River in the south

Question 11

What is the population of Mexico City?

A) 2 million
B) 5 million
C) 8 million
D) 11 million
E) 18 million

Question 12

The RATE of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has declined since the 1980s. Why?

A) pressure from environmental agencies
B) pressure from indigenous groups
C) pressure from development agencies
D) an economic slowdown in Brazil
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 13

What makes the Amazon River distinctive?

A) It is the world's longest river.
B) It is the world's largest river by volume.
C) It is the world's muddiest river.
D) It is the world's widest river.
E) It is the world's fishiest river (has the most fish).

Question 14

What Latin American country is the world leader in coffee production?

A) Costa Rica
B) Colombia
C) Brazil
D) Ecuador
E) Mexico

Question 15

In which country is the Amazon rainforest located (mostly)?

A) Mexico
B) Brazil
C) Costa Rica
D) Chile
E) Argentina

Question 16

What is the source of approximately 70 percent of Mexico City's water?

A) aquifers
B) lakes
C) atmospheric condensers
D) rivers surrounding the basin
E) exotic rivers

Question 17

Which Latin American country is most closely associated with deforestation?

A) Colombia
B) Brazil
C) Ecuador
D) Peru
E) Chile

Question 18

Mexico City suffers from subsidence. What does this mean?

A) Mexico City is becoming more polluted.
B) Mexico City's population is declining.
C) Mexico City is sinking.
D) Mexico City's water is becoming saltier.
E) Mexico City's traffic is becoming more congested.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) The Amazon River is second only to the Nile River in amount of freshwater delivered to the ocean.
B) The Amazon Basin has a pronounced dry season that lasts through most of the summer.
C) The Amazon Basin includes water from several countries.
D) The Amazon Basin is composed primarily of steep-sided highlands.
E) The Amazon Basin is located in Mexico.

Question 20

What percentage of the world's plant and animal species are found in the Amazon rainforest?

A) 50%
B) 40%
C) 30%
D) 20%
E) 10%

Question 21

What is the name of the mountain chain that extends the length of South America's west coast?

A) Alps
B) Sierra Nevada
C) Andes
D) Himalayas
E) Alta

Question 22

El Niño

A) typically occurs in summer.
B) has unknown causes.
C) did not occur in the latter half of the 1990s.
D) does not affect Latin America.
E) can cause both heavy rains and severe droughts.

Question 23

What makes Latin America's shields so good for settlement?

A) arable land and productive agriculture
B) mild climate with sufficient rainfall
C) government incentives
D) arable land, productive agriculture, and government incentives
E) arable land, productive agriculture and a mild climate with sufficient rainfall

Question 24

Which country of Latin America was hit by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in February 2010?

A) Chile
B) Argentina
C) Brazil
D) Ecuador
E) Venezuela

Question 25

What is El Niño?

A) a political party in Peru
B) the president of Mexico
C) a distinctive weather pattern
D) a lake in Nicaragua
E) the highest peak in the Andes Mountains

Question 26

What explains the relatively low level of greenhouse gas emissions in Latin America?

A) lower average energy consumption
B) higher reliance on renewable energy (especially hydropower and biofuels)
C) greater use of public transportation
D) regrowth of vegetation that absorbs carbon dioxide
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 27

Four countries in Latin America have more than 75 percent of the region's population. Which of the following is NOT one of the four?

A) Venezuela
B) Brazil
C) Mexico
D) Colombia
E) Argentina

Question 28

How long are the Andes Mountains?

A) about 500 miles
B) about 1,000 miles
C) about 3,000 miles
D) about 5,000 miles
E) about 7,000 miles

Question 29

Which Latin American river has the second-largest watershed in the region?

A) the Amazon
B) the Plata
C) the Uruguay
D) the Orinoco
E) the Parana

Question 30

What is the correct order of ecosystems in altitudinal zonation, starting at lowest elevation and going to highest elevation?

A) (1) tierra helada; (2) tierra caliente; (3) tierra templada; (4) tierra fria
B) (1) tierra fria; (2) tierra helada; (3) tierra caliente; (4) tierra templada
C) (1) tierra templada; (2) tierra fria; (3) tierra helada; (4) tierra caliente
D) (1) tierra templada; (2) tierra helada; (3) tierra caliente; (4) tierra fria
E) (1) tierra caliente; (2) tierra templada; (3) tierra fria; (4) tierra helada

Question 31

How many major shields does South America have?

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

Question 32

What country in Latin American has the highest population density in the region?

A) Mexico
B) El Salvador
C) Bolivia
D) Ecuador
E) Brazil

Question 33

Which of the following statements about the Andes Mountains is NOT true?

A) They are relatively young.
B) They are nearly 5,000 miles long.
C) They have few resources.
D) They are ecologically diverse.
E) They have 30 peaks higher than 20,000 feet.

Question 34

What is Aconcagua?

A) It is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.
B) It is the largest lake in Latin America.
C) It is the capital city of Bolivia.
D) It is the only active volcano in South America.
E) It is the language spoken in Argentina.

Question 35

What climate types are found in Latin America?

A) tropical humid; dry; mild midlatitude; and highland
B) tropical humid; dry; mild midlatitude; polar; and highland
C) tropical humid; dry; and highland
D) tropical humid and highland
E) tropical humid and arctic

Question 36

What phenomenon causes altitudinal zonation?

A) demographic transition
B) El Niño
C) Iberian conquest
D) environmental lapse rate
E) Treaty of Tordesillas

Question 37

Throughout Latin America, in the last 40 years, the RATE of population growth has ________.

A) decreased
B) increased
C) remained relatively the same
D) decreased and then rapidly increased
E) plummeted to less than 0.2% per year

Question 38

Which of the following statements about the Volcanic Axis of Central America is NOT true?

A) It is a handsome landscape of rolling hills.
B) It includes more than 40 volcanoes, many of them still active.
C) Most of the land is used for subsistence farming.
D) The rich soil yields both domestic and export crops.
E) Most of Central America's population lives here.

Question 39

In which Latin American country is Patagonia located?

A) Colombia
B) Guatemala
C) Brazil
D) Argentina
E) Mexico

Question 40

What is the Altiplano of Latin America?

A) the area where the Amazon Basin reaches its greatest depth
B) the flat, low-elevation plain where Panama meets Colombia
C) the high-altitude plateau in Peru and Bolivia where the Andes Mountains reach their greatest width
D) the desert area of southern Argentina
E) the central region of the Brazilian Amazon

Question 41

A system wherein peasants farm small plots of land for their own subsistence is referred to as ________.

A) encomienda
B) ejidos
C) latifundia
D) minifundia
E) plantations

Question 42

Which of the following was NOT an element of the effort to open the Brazilian Amazon for settlement?

A) highway construction
B) a new capital
C) state-sponsored mining operations
D) subsidies to large cattle ranches
E) quick distribution of land titles to small farmers

Question 43

Latifundia

A) are composed of numerous minifundia.
B) have been abolished in nearly all of Latin America.
C) are also known as ejidos.
D) are a legacy of the encomienda system.
E) are related to the deforestation of Brazil.

Question 44

By what name do we know the biological swap that occurred between Europe and the New World?

A) Intercontinental Trade
B) Demographic Transition
C) Columbian Exchange
D) European-American Biological Exchange Agreement
E) Biological Swap

Question 45

In Latin America, what did land reform accomplish?

A) Toxic wastes were cleaned up from the land.
B) A new system for planning and land use was established.
C) A township and range system for administering the land was instituted.
D) Land was redistributed, giving some to peasants.
E) Land was annexed for cities.

Question 46

Which country(countries)in Latin America has(have)a megalopolis?

A) Mexico
B) Brazil
C) Argentina
D) Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina
E) Mexico and Brazil

Question 47

Historically, these places have been underused as areas of settlement in Latin America, especially compared to settlement patterns in other regions.

A) on shields
B) on plateaus
C) in intermontane basins
D) along major rivers
E) in the highlands

Question 48

The average number of children born to women in Latin America has been decreasing over the last two decades for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT

A) increased participation of women in the workforce.
B) rural-to-urban migration.
C) greater availability of birth control.
D) promotion of family planning programs.
E) government-imposed financial penalties for large families.

Question 49

What factor was most crucial to the survival of the relatively few remaining indigenous people of Latin America?

A) land
B) water
C) energy
D) education
E) jobs

Question 50

What country is the least densely settled Latin American state?

A) Guatemala
B) El Salvador
C) Bolivia
D) Costa Rica
E) Mexico

Question 51

Why did Japanese people migrate to Latin America?

A) to flee a famine after a major failure of the rice crop in Japan
B) to work in the coffee and sugar plantations and mines
C) to establish a rice industry in Peru
D) to establish a colony in the region
E) to convert Latin Americans to the Shinto faith

Question 52

Which of the following products made its way to Europe as part of the Columbian Exchange?

A) potatoes
B) wheat
C) horses
D) grapes
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 53

After a century-and-a-half of colonization, what was the size of the indigenous population of Latin America?

A) twice its original size
B) two-thirds its original size
C) one-half its original size
D) one-quarter its original size
E) one-tenth its original size

Question 54

Which country in South America has long attracted Bolivian and Paraguayan laborers?

A) Brazil
B) Chile
C) Argentina
D) Colombia
E) Peru

Question 55

Which of the following was NOT a major reason for the rural-to-urban migration in Latin America?

A) increased mechanism of agriculture
B) increased population pressure
C) equal rights for women
D) consolidation of agricultural lands
E) disappearance of jobs in rural areas

Question 56

What country of Latin America has the region's highest population?

A) Argentina
B) Colombia
C) Mexico
D) Bolivia
E) Brazil

Question 57

Which country in Latin America sends the largest number of legal immigrants to the United States?

A) Chile
B) Colombia
C) El Salvador
D) Mexico
E) Brazil

Question 58

Which Amerindian group lived in the Valley of Mexico, the site of modern day Mexico City?

A) Maya
B) Aztec
C) Miskito
D) Garifuna
E) Yanomama

Question 59

Why is settlement so sparse in the Amazon Basin?

A) The region is a national park.
B) A toxic waste spill has made the region uninhabitable.
C) The land is set aside for indigenous peoples.
D) The quality of the soil is poor.
E) The land is too rugged.

Question 60

Where are the people of Latin America concentrated?

A) in cities and on the coasts
B) in cities
C) along river valleys
D) on the coasts
E) along river valleys and on the coasts

Question 61

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

Which of the following is an example of syncretic religion in Latin America?

A) Christian saints replaced pre-Christian gods.
B) the celebration of Carnival in Brazil
C) The Mayan practice of paying tribute to underworld spirits is replicated through building shrines to favorite Catholic saints.
D) Christian saints replacing pre-Christian gods, and celebration of Carnival in Brazil
E) All of the choices are examples of syncretic religion in Latin America

Question 62

What country is the most urbanized in Latin America?

A) Uruguay
B) Paraguay
C) Brazil
D) Mexico
E) Argentina

Question 63

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

Curitiba (Brazil's "green city")has all of the following elements EXCEPT

A) squatter settlements.
B) drainage canals.
C) parks.
D) an extensive bus system.
E) a low-tech, but effective recycling program.

Question 64

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

Urban primacy occurs when ________.

A) a country's population is greater than 80 percent urban
B) a country implements a policy to reduce urban sprawl
C) a country has a city three to four times larger than any other city in the country
D) the number of people residing in cities has exceeded that of those residing in rural areas
E) people in cities receive lower tax rates

Question 65

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What evidence demonstrates the resilience of the Indian cultures in Latin America?

A) the presence of Indian-run gambling casinos throughout the region
B) architectural ruins
C) Amerindian majorities in all countries of Latin America
D) the survival of Amerindian languages in the region
E) a thriving Amerindian movie industry

Question 66

Which of the following products made its way to the New World as part of the Columbian Exchange?

A) corn
B) wheat
C) potatoes
D) tomatoes
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 67

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

How many residents does a city need in its metropolitan area to qualify as a megacity?

A) 1 million
B) 5 million
C) 10 million
D) 15 million
E) 20 million

Question 68

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What language is the second-most common in Latin America?

A) Portuguese
B) Spanish
C) English
D) Quechua
E) Aymara

Question 69

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What goal did the Treaty of Tordesillas accomplish?

A) divided South America between Spain and Portugal
B) ended the Spanish-American War
C) established the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
D) ended the Mexican revolution of 1910
E) gave possession of Puerto Rico to the United States

Question 70

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What is the ethnicity of the majority of people in Latin America?

A) blanco (European)
B) mestizo (mixed race)
C) indo (Indian)
D) negro (black)
E) Asian

Question 71

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

Which of the following statements about squatter settlements in Latin America is NOT true?

A) They are unplanned.
B) They do not have utilities.
C) They are especially vulnerable to natural hazards.
D) They provide adequate housing.
E) Many urban dwellers (especially poor people) live there.

Question 72

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What factor allowed syncretic religions to endure in Latin America?

A) The Catholic Church tolerated local variations in worship as long as conversion was underway.
B) Government laws guaranteed freedom of religion.
C) The people of Latin America fought for their religious freedom.
D) The Catholic Church sent very few missionaries, so the religious instruction was minimal.
E) Historically, the expanse of Latin America made enforcing any orthodox religion difficult.

Question 73

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

Historically, what has been the policy of most countries regarding Indian languages in Latin America?

A) Most countries actively supported Indian languages.
B) Most countries had no policy regarding Indian languages.
C) Until recently, many countries actively discouraged Indian languages.
D) Countries in the north discouraged Indian languages, while those in the south had no policy.
E) Every country discouraged Indian languages, except Brazil, which encouraged them.

Question 74

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What are the two largest cities in Latin America?

A) Bogota, Colombia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
B) Mexico City, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil
C) Quito, Ecuador and Caracas, Venezuela
D) Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile
E) Lima, Peru and Manaus, Brazil

Question 75

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What is a mestizo?

A) a person of mixed European and Indian ancestry
B) a member of the majority ethnic group in Peru
C) a Portuguese word for peasant
D) a member of the working class in Bolivia
E) an immigrant to Latin America

Question 76

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

Which of the following is NOT found in the Latin American city model?

A) zone of workers' housing
B) CBD
C) perifrico
D) spine
E) market

Question 77

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

In the Latin American city model, what land use is located along the "spine"?

A) squatter settlements
B) superior services, roads, and transportation
C) the colonial core of the city
D) a ring road or beltway surrounding the city
E) unpaved roads

Question 78

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What is the major reason for the preference for urban life in Latin America?

A) The indigenous peoples of Latin America left a legacy of urban life.
B) Governments provide tax breaks for city dwellers.
C) Under the colonial rule of Spain and Portugal, people living in cities had higher social status and greater economic opportunity.
D) The cost of farmland is very high.
E) The governments of Latin America prohibit living outside of cities as a way to limit urban sprawl.

Question 79

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

What is the predominant language in Latin America, based on the number of people who speak it as a first language?

A) Aymara
B) Mayan
C) Miskito
D) Portuguese
E) Spanish

Question 80

Use this figure for the questions that follow.

Which of the following Latin American cities is NOT a megacity?

A) Sao Paulo, Brazil
B) Mexico City, Mexico
C) Buenos Aires, Argentina
D) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
E) Quito, Ecuador