Deck 11: East Asia

Question 1

How does China generate most of its electricity?

A) burning coal
B) dams and hydroelectric energy
C) burning oil
D) nuclear power plants
E) solar energy

Answer 1

A

Question 2

All of the following statements about China with respect to climate change are true, EXCEPT

A) China's total production of greenhouse gases surpassed those of the U.S. in 2007.
B) China is building one coal-fired power plant every week on average.
C) China is becoming a world leader in research and development of solar energy technology.
D) China's food production could fall by as much as 37% if climate change continues.
E) China's government insists that economic development must take priority over reducing greenhouse gases.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What country in East Asia has resorted to "pollution exporting" as a way to improve its environment?

A) Japan
B) China
C) North Korea
D) Singapore
E) All of the choices are correct.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In which part of East Asia would we find one of the most thoroughly anthropogenic landscapes in the world?

A) the Gobi Desert
B) Manchuria
C) the forests of Japan
D) the North China Plain
E) the mountains of Japan

Question 5

How much of China's total energy supply comes from burning coal?

A) almost none
B) one-third
C) one-half
D) three-quarters
E) nine-tenths

Question 6

What is an anthropogenic landscape?

A) a pristine, natural landscape, in its original state
B) a landscape that anthropologists have studied extensively
C) a landscape that has been heavily transformed by human activities
D) a steppe-like landscape
E) a landscape the bears an uncanny resemblance to the human physical form

Question 7

The term "China proper" refers to

A) the ethnic minorities located in the western provinces of the country
B) countries that lie within China's larger sphere of influence such as Korea and Japan
C) the populous eastern half of China
D) the citizens of Taiwan who believe that ethnically and politically they are the "true" Chinese
E) the geographic center of China

Question 8

Why has Japan been so successful in its efforts to preserve its forests?

A) They have developed a wood-free paper.
B) On a per capita basis, the Japanese use fewer wood products as compared to anyone else in the world.
C) The fertile Japanese soils allow for astounding rates of vegetation regrowth.
D) They have developed substitutes for wood in construction.
E) The Japanese import most of their wood products from other locations around the world.

Question 9

The Three Gorges Dam is being constructed on which river in China?

A) Yangtze
B) Huang He
C) Xi
D) Mekong
E) Irawaddy

Question 10

Where is almost all of the rice that the Japanese consume grown?

A) This is a trick question: it's grown in Japan.
B) China
C) Korea
D) Southeast Asia
E) New Zealand

Question 11

What single factor is most responsible for the severity of environmental problems in East Asia?

A) the lack of environmental regulations in the region
B) the climate in the region
C) the oil industry in the region
D) the clearcutting of rainforests throughout the region
E) the large population in the region

Question 12

As countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan have industrialized, what strategy have they used to address their air pollution problems?

A) They've stopped engaging in pollution-generating activities altogether.
B) They've moved their pollution generating activities to countries that have less stringent environmental standards.
C) They've moved these activities to less visible areas within their countries.
D) They've installed state-of-the-art pollution control devices in all their factories.
E) They've ignored these problems.

Question 13

What is China's rationale for constructing the massive Three Gorges Dam project?

A) After several nuclear accidents, the Chinese government would like to reduce their reliance on nuclear power.
B) China has embarked on a policy of monumentalism, attempting to prove that their public works projects can out-scale any others in the world.
C) China's goal is to make a large reservoir to attract international recreational boaters in the region.
D) China is trying to reduce its dependence on coal as a power source, which is causing widespread air pollution in the country.
E) China wants to create a reservoir for irrigation purposes.

Question 14

Which of the following phrases best describes the agriculture in East Asia?

A) highly productive
B) highly productive, and produces enough for export
C) unproductive
D) highly productive, but does not produce enough to feed all the people in the region
E) highly unproductive

Question 15

Problems associated with the construction of the Three Gorges Dam include all the following, EXCEPT

A) the resettlement of more than one million people.
B) the diversion of two other major rivers to fill the Three Gorges reservoir.
C) the flooding of a major scenic attraction.
D) the jeopardizing of several endangered species.
E) building what will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world.

Question 16

The panda is native to which country of East Asia?

A) Japan
B) China
C) North Korea
D) South Korea
E) Taiwan

Question 17

Why did China build the Three Gorges Dam?

A) to control river flooding
B) to create a resort area
C) to produce electricity
D) to control river flooding and create a resort area
E) to control river flooding and produce electricity

Question 18

Why has East Asia come to occupy a central position in climate change debates?

A) because the Kyoto Protocol originated in this region
B) because South Korea leads the world in climate change research
C) because it will be the hardest hit region as climate change continues
D) because of Japan's leading role in the solar energy industry
E) because of China's rapid increases in carbon emissions

Question 19

Which country of East Asia has the strongest forest preservation efforts in the region?

A) Japan
B) China
C) Taiwan
D) North Korea
E) South Korea

Question 20

Where in East Asia is deforestation LEAST problematic?

A) northwestern China
B) southern China
C) South Korea
D) Taiwan
E) Japan

Question 21

In terms of its latitudinal extent, how does Japan compare to the state of California?

A) Japan and California have just about the same latitudinal extent.
B) Japan is wider and shorter than California.
C) Japan is more elongated, extending farther north and south.
D) Japan is narrower and longer than California.
E) Japan is both wider and longer than California.

Question 22

Relative to other large rivers in the world, how does the Yangtze River rank in terms of the volume of water it carries?

A) 1st
B) 2nd
C) 3rd
D) 4th
E) 5th

Question 23

What is the most mountainous region of China?

A) north
B) east
C) west
D) central
E) south

Question 24

What is the major crop grown in Japan?

A) vegetables
B) fruits
C) rice
D) dairy
E) opium poppies

Question 25

Japan has a policy of self-sufficiency in which product?

A) electronics
B) rice
C) steel
D) seafood
E) sushi

Question 26

Which of the following cities of East Asia has the greatest seasonal variation in rainfall?

A) Tokyo, Japan
B) Shanghai, China
C) Taipei, Taiwan
D) Seoul, South Korea
E) Akita, Japan

Question 27

What do we call the quantity of suspended clay, silt, and sand in water (especially in rivers)?

A) sediment load
B) loess
C) feng shui
D) mud
E) erosional material

Question 28

What has been the consequence of China's "one-child" policy?

A) The average total fertility rate has declined to 1.6.
B) The number of baby boys far exceeds the number of baby girls.
C) Gender-selective abortion has emerged and some families have abandoned healthy baby girls at birth.
D) Some families have abandoned healthy baby girls at birth.
E) Average total fertility rate has dropped to 1.6, but the number of baby boys far exceeds the number of baby girls because of gender-selective abortion and abandonment of healthy baby girls at birth.

Question 29

Which environmental hazard is the most serious in Japan?

A) deforestation
B) hurricanes
C) earthquakes
D) tornadoes
E) desertification

Question 30

Korea is located on which type of landform?

A) island
B) isthmus
C) land bridge
D) peninsula
E) strait

Question 31

In which country of East Asia are loess deposits most common?

A) Japan
B) North Korea
C) Taiwan
D) China
E) South Korea

Question 32

What is loess?

A) a dark, coarse sand that is eroded from sea cliffs by wave energy from the ocean
B) a human-made material that is a byproduct of the burning of high sulfur coal
C) a fine, glacially generated silt that is deposited by the wind
D) the rich dark topsoil that is found on the Japanese island of Honshu
E) a clay-like substance from which people in China construct their homes

Question 33

As of 2010, what was the approximate population of Japan?

A) 34 million
B) 63 million
C) 100 million
D) 128 million
E) 157 million

Question 34

Which country has the highest population in both East Asia and the world?

A) Japan
B) China
C) North Korea
D) South Korea
E) Taiwan

Question 35

Where would you find the mildest climate of East Asia?

A) the Japanese islands that lie closest to Russia
B) the northern portion of the Korean peninsula
C) southeastern China
D) southwestern China
E) central China

Question 36

How many major islands make up Japan?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) 12

Question 37

In which country of East Asia are earthquakes most frequent?

A) western China
B) northern China
C) North Korea
D) Japan
E) central China

Question 38

East Asia is located in roughly the same latitudinal zone as which of the following world regions?

A) Latin America
B) North America
C) The Caribbean
D) Australia and Oceania
E) Africa

Question 39

Taiwan

A) lies due east of an ocean trench that is several thousand feet deep.
B) is mountainous on its west side.
C) has mild winters.
D) has almost no forest remaining.
E) is a peninsula.

Question 40

What climate type is found in most of Japan?

A) tropical
B) subarctic
C) subtropical
D) continental
E) temperate

Question 41

To which of the following countries would a Korean be LEAST likely to migrate today?

A) the United States
B) Australia
C) England
D) New Zealand
E) Canada

Question 42

Which country of East Asia has the highest total fertility rate?

A) China
B) North Korea
C) Japan
D) Taiwan
E) South Korea

Question 43

Why is China's urban system such a good example of Central Place Theory?

A) because China's urban system is balanced, with sizable cities relatively evenly spaced and no city overshadowing others
B) because a Chinese geographer developed Central Place Theory based specifically on China's urban system
C) because China's urban system was carefully planned by the country's communist leaders based on Central Place Theory
D) because China's urban system has a primate city in each of its provinces
E) because China's urban system is constantly expanding into the rural hinterlands

Question 44

What country in East Asia is facing a population decline?

A) Taiwan
B) China
C) North Korea
D) South Korea
E) Japan

Question 45

Which of the following words is a synonym for superconurbation?

A) urban primacy
B) primate city
C) megalopolis
D) megacity
E) edge city

Question 46

Which city in East Asia was called "Edo" in the 1700s?

A) Tokyo
B) Beijing
C) Seoul
D) Kyoto
E) Hong Kong

Question 47

In which of the following countries of East Asia were the feet of elite girls bound in order to produce a dainty appearance?

A) Japan
B) South Korea
C) China
D) North Korea
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 48

What writing system forms the basis for the writing throughout East Asia?

A) ideographs
B) Arabic alphabet
C) Cyrillic alphabet
D) hieroglyphics
E) Roman alphabet

Question 49

The majority of Taiwan's population resides ________.

A) in the southern portion of the island
B) along the east coast
C) along the northern and western coasts
D) in the east central portion of the island
E) in an even distribution across the island

Question 50

The populations of Japan and South Korea

A) are predominately rural.
B) reside in the upland areas of the nations.
C) are concentrated along the central coasts of both nations.
D) are concentrated mainly in cities.
E) are evenly distributed around the two countries.

Question 51

Why did China recently begin to loosen up its one-child policy?

A) to meet conditions for participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
B) to provide care for its aging population
C) to minimize impending labor shortages
D) to minimize impending labor shortages and to provide care for its aging population
E) to minimize impending labor shortages and to provide care for its aging population as well as to meet conditions for participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT one of the immigrant groups arriving in Japan?

A) Chinese men working in construction
B) men and women from Russia working as educators
C) Thai and Filipina women working as entertainers or prostitutes
D) Brazilians of Japanese ancestry returning home for high wages
E) men from southern Asia working in construction

Question 53

Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of traditional Chinese cities?

A) a defensive wall
B) narrow alleyways that were reserved for commercial functions
C) planned according to strict geometrical principles with streets meeting at right angles
D) houses built around courtyards
E) low buildings and straight streets

Question 54

Which country of East Asia has a diaspora with hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere?

A) China
B) Korea
C) Japan
D) Taiwan
E) Hong Kong

Question 55

Confucianism stresses all of the following ideals, EXCEPT

A) the importance of the family.
B) deference to authority.
C) the importance of ethics.
D) respect for tradition.
E) the need for the aristocracy to serve in the bureaucracy.

Question 56

What is the name of the belief system that deals with designing buildings and placing of objects on the landscape in accordance with the spiritual powers that course through the local topography?

A) feng shui
B) Shinto
C) Confucianism
D) Buddhism
E) Falun Dafa

Question 57

What geographic model has been determined to be a good fit for China's urban system?

A) Demographic Transition
B) Central Place Theory
C) Altitudinal Zonation
D) Historical Evolution of the City
E) Megalopolis

Question 58

What is the most densely populated part of East Asia?

A) China
B) South Korea
C) Japan
D) North Korea
E) Hong Kong

Question 59

Which country of East Asia has the lowest percentage of its population living in urban areas?

A) Japan
B) China
C) Taiwan
D) South Korea
E) Hong Kong

Question 60

Which countries in East Asia are known for their urban primacy?

A) China and Japan
B) China and South Korea
C) Hong Kong and Taiwan
D) China and North Korea
E) South Korea and Taiwan

Question 61

With which country of East Asia is Taoism associated?

A) Japan
B) North Korea
C) South Korea
D) Taiwan
E) China

Question 62

Which of the following is a possible reason why China has not invaded Taiwan and reclaimed the island?

A) About $20 billion in trade indirectly occurs annually between Taiwan and China.
B) Although the Taiwanese army is smaller than the Chinese army, it is technologically superior.
C) The two nations signed a non-aggression pact in 1999 and China is determined to uphold its end of the bargain.
D) Taiwan's isolated location in the South China Sea makes it extremely difficult to invade.
E) The United Nations has threatened to hit China with sanctions if it invades Taiwan.

Question 63

Which country of East Asia has the greatest linguistic diversity?

A) Taiwan
B) China
C) Japan
D) Korea
E) Hong Kong

Question 64

What style of Japanese writing would the typical resident of the United States find the most familiar?

A) Hiragana
B) Kanji
C) Katakana
D) Romanji
E) ideographs

Question 65

Hui

A) are Chinese-speaking Muslims who are concentrated in the provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, and Yunnan.
B) is the Chinese term for the thousands of South Asian guest workers who come to China each year in search of better economic opportunities.
C) is a type of wet rice cultivation that is practiced in the valleys of Japan.
D) is the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese belief system Shinto.
E) is the capital city of North Korea.

Question 66

Who are the Ainu?

A) an ethnic minority in Japan
B) the political elite in China
C) the wealthiest people in South Korea
D) the secret police of North Korea
E) the religious leaders of Taiwan

Question 67

According to most linguists, what other language is related to Japanese?

A) Turkish
B) Korean
C) Chinese
D) Vietnamese
E) Japanese is not related to any other language.

Question 68

To which of the following languages is Manchu the most closely related?

A) Mandarin Chinese
B) Cantonese
C) the tribal languages of central and southeastern Siberia
D) Tibetan
E) Korean

Question 69

The Shinto religion is most closely associated with which country of East Asia?

A) China
B) North Korea
C) Japan
D) South Korea
E) Taiwan

Question 70

What is Kanji?

A) the writing form used in Korea
B) the Japanese term for the Chinese ideographs they borrowed to begin their writing system
C) the quasi-alphabet used by the Japanese to express concepts that could not be expressed through Chinese characters
D) a Roman alphabet version of the Japanese language
E) the Chinese names for ideographs

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Han people?

A) They are Chinese.
B) They form the vast majority of Chinese people.
C) They all speak the same language and dialect.
D) They have historically been incorporated into the Chinese cultural and political systems.
E) Their language is expressed in the Chinese writing system.

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT an example of the "cultural internationalism" of the capitalist countries of East Asia?

A) Most Japanese study English for 6 to 10 years.
B) Business meetings among Japanese, Chinese, and Korean firms are often conducted in English.
C) Relatively large numbers of advanced students from East Asia study in the United States and other English-speaking countries.
D) North Koreans maintain an isolationist position.
E) Action films from Hong Kong are popular in much of the world.

Question 73

Which country in East Asia does mainland China still claim as an integral part of the Chinese nation?

A) Japan
B) North Korea
C) South Korea
D) Taiwan
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 74

What is both "the common language" and the national language of China?

A) Cantonese
B) Yue
C) Mandarin
D) Fujianese
E) Wu

Question 75

About how many Chinese citizens are Muslim?

A) tens of thousands
B) one-half million
C) 5 million
D) about 7 million
E) tens of millions

Question 76

Which of the following countries has used the Chinese writing system?

A) Japan
B) North Korea
C) Vietnam
D) Thailand
E) South Korea

Question 77

In which country of East Asia has Confucian philosophy had the LEAST influence?

A) Japan
B) China
C) Taiwan
D) North Korea
E) South Korea

Question 78

What is the main reason that several countries in East Asia claim the islands in the South China Sea, such as Spratly and Paracel?

A) These islands are strategically situated for the launching of military attacks against Russia and other European nations.
B) These islands are some of the most biologically diverse in the world and their plants may contain many potential medicines.
C) The scenic value of these islands could generate millions of tourist dollars a year.
D) These islands are home to many species of animals that can be raised as food.
E) These islands may hold petroleum reserves.

Question 79

Which island group is claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines?

A) Kuril
B) Maldives
C) Ryukyu
D) Spratly
E) Hawaii

Question 80

All of the following statements about Mahayana Buddhism are true, EXCEPT

A) it originated in India.
B) it is strongest in Southeast Asia.
C) it emphasizes liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
D) it holds that boddhisatvas help people reach liberation.
E) it is a nonexclusive religion.