Deck 4: Latin America

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT one of the environmental challenges facing Latin American cities?

A)air pollution
B)water availability
C)water quality
D)garbage removal
E)tourism

Answer 1

E

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

D

Question 3

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).

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The urban environment of Bogota, Colombia, is being transformed by the introduction of

A)thousands of new trees.
B)the building of a massive new public park.
C)TransMilenio.
D)very harsh penalties for polluting cars.
E)the relocation of Colombia's oil refineries to the coast.

Question 5

What climatic occurrence contributes to the pollution problems faced by Santiago, Chile?

A)proximity to the coast
B)desert-like climate conditions
C)thermal inversions
D)very harsh penalties for polluting cars
E)the relocation of Colombia's oil refineries to the coast

Question 6

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 7

What major change occurred to the Panama Canal in 2016?

A)The canal was sold to the Chinese who then halted construction of the Nicaraguan Canal.
B)A new set of locks was added thereby allowing larger ships to pass through.
C)Control of the canal was given back to the United States as part of NAFTA.
D)The canal was closed as a result of the opening of the Nicaraguan Canal.
E)The Panamanian government restricted the passage of oil tankers because of environmental concerns.

Question 8

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 9

The Andes Mountains were formed by the collision of what two tectonic plates?

A)Cocos Plate and Pacific Plate
B)Nazca Plate and South American Plate
C)South American Plate and Scotia Plate
D)Pacific Plate and Caribbean Plate
E)South American Plate and Caribbean Plate

Question 10

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 11

Which Latin American country is most closely associated with deforestation?

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

Question 12

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 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

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 16

How long are the Andes Mountains?

A)about 500 miles
B)about 2,000 miles
C)about 3,000 miles
D)about 5,000 miles
E)about 10,000 miles

Question 17

What is the greatest threat to biodiversity in Latin America?

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

Question 18

What material(s)provided the initial wealth of many countries in the Andes Mountains?

A)silver
B)gold
C)copper
D)iron
E)all of the above

Question 19

What is the name of the high-altitude plateau where the Andes Mountains reach their greatest width.

A)shield
B)pampas
C)altiplano
D)llanos
E)basin

Question 20

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 21

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 22

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 23

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

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

Question 24

Throughout most of the twentieth century, Latin America experienced ________ population growth rates.

A)high
B)increasing
C)stagnant
D)plummeting

Question 25

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 26

Curitiba (Brazil's "green city")has been successful in reducing pollution via all of these elements EXCEPT

A)stopping rural to urban migration.
B)better urban planning.
C)public transportation.
D)open space.
E)a low-tech, but effective recycling program.

Question 27

What are the three largest cities in Latin America?

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

Question 28

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 29

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

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

Question 30

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 31

Urban primacy occurs when

A)a country's population is greater than 80% 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 32

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 33

What is urban primacy?

A)the largest city in a country
B)a country's capital city
C)a condition in which a country contains a city that is three to four times larger than any other city in the country
D)the city within a country that is the primary center of economic activity
E)all of the above

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a primate city in Latin America?

A)Lima
B)Bogota
C)Mexico City
D)Panama City
E)Santiago

Question 35

Four countries in Latin America have more than 75% 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 36

The sparsely settled tropical grasslands of southern Venezuela and eastern Colombia are called

A)shield
B)pampas
C)altiplano
D)llanos
E)basin

Question 37

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 38

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 39

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 40

European settlement of Latin America was accomplished by what two countries that make up the Iberian Peninsula?

A)Spain and Portugal
B)Great Britain and France
C)Italy and Greece
D)Spain and Great Britain
E)France and Portugal

Question 41

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

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

Question 42

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

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

Question 43

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

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

Question 44

What Mexican drug cartel controls northern Mexico along the borders of California, Arizona, and New Mexico?

A)Sinaloa Federation
B)Gulf Cartel
C)Los Zetas
D)Knights Templar
E)Beltran-Leyva

Question 45

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

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

Question 46

What trade block is the most important one in Latin America?

A)Andean Group
B)CACM
C)Mercosur
D)LAFTA
E)EU

Question 47

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 48

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 49

FARC is a guerilla army operating primarily in what country?

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

Question 50

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 51

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 52

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 53

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 54

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 55

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)An important religious symbol in Mexico is a dark-skinned virgin who became the patron saint of Mexico.
E)all of the above

Question 56

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 57

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 58

In Latin America, what did agrarian 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 59

In the Latin American City model, what would most likely be found straddling the periferico (beltway highway)?

A)markets
B)industrial parks
C)gentrified housing
D)elite residential sector
E)squatter settlements

Question 60

What agreement set up a free trade zone in Latin America and helped ease the movement of goods among the member countries?

A)Mercosur
B)CAFTA
C)UNASUR
D)NAFTA
E)Treaty of Tordesillas

Question 61

In recent years, what kind of economic activity has Costa Rica been attracting?

A)banana plantations
B)high-tech firms
C)automobile manufacturing
D)logging
E)banking

Question 62

The maquiladoras in Chihuahua are Mexico's center for what industry?

A)automobiles
B)clothing
C)electronic goods
D)computers
E)aerospace

Question 63

Between 1970 and 2010 the use of what energy source increased the most?

A)oil
B)coal
C)natural gas
D)hydro-electricity
E)wood

Question 64

When the countries of Latin America regained their independence, who were the leaders?

A)leaders of indigenous tribal groups
B)European elites born in the Americas
C)newer immigrants from Asia
D)leaders who had previously been loyal to the colonial powers
E)a mix of European elites born in the Americas and indigenous peoples

Question 65

What Latin American country holds the world's largest reserves of lithium, a metal used to make lightweight batteries?

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

Question 66

Approximately how many people today are employed in maquiladoras in Mexico?

A)275,000
B)500,000
C)750,000
D)1 million
E)4)5 million

Question 67

By what name do we know the Mexican assembly plants that line the border between Mexico and the United States?

A)Altiplano
B)maquiladora
C)machismo
D)marianismo
E)Patagonia

Question 68

What country is the Latin American leader in outsourcing operations?

A)Mexico
B)Uruguay
C)Brazil
D)Panama
E)Costa Rica

Question 69

What is dollarization?

A)a price reduction strategy where everything within a country is sold at a rounded dollar amount
B)the complete elimination of U.S. currency from a nation's economy
C)making the denominations of local currency identical to those in U.S. currency
D)the process by which a country in whole or in part adopts the U.S. dollar as its official currency
E)the practice of a country's using the U.S. banking system for its transactions

Question 70

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

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

Question 71

Which European country had a territorial conflict with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in the early 1980s?

A)Spain
B)Portugal
C)Germany
D)France
E)the United Kingdom

Question 72

The two largest economies in Latin America are

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

Question 73

What are Colombia's FARC and ELN?

A)acts that were established to facilitate free trade throughout Latin America
B)insurgency groups that are financed mainly by the Latin American drug trade
C)acronyms for newly established territories in the western Amazon
D)Latin American television stations that are viewed by millions in the region
E)an international finance and environmental organization, respectively, in Latin America

Question 74

What Latin American country has the highest level of remittances per capita?

A)Mexico
B)El Salvador
C)Brazil
D)Panama
E)Nicaragua

Question 75

What Latin American country had the highest level of foreign direct investment in 2011?

A)Mexico
B)El Salvador
C)Brazil
D)Panama
E)Nicaragua

Question 76

Which of the following countries is NOT a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement?

A)Cuba
B)United States
C)Canada
D)Mexico
E)All of the countries listed are members of NAFTA.

Question 77

In most Latin American countries

A)divorce is legal.
B)abortion is legal.
C)the government discourages family planning.
D)women cannot obtain loans.
E)all of the above

Question 78

Neoliberal economic development calls for all of the following EXCEPT

A)privatization.
B)boosting exports.
C)decreased restrictions on imports.
D)increased social spending for the poor.
E)direct foreign investment.

Question 79

What agricultural/mineral product is responsible for transforming the Plata Basin but also has led to a loss of biodiversity and increased greenhouse emissions?

A)corn
B)oil
C)soy beans
D)gold
E)cotton

Question 80

What is dependency theory?

A)the idea that governments should provide a safety net for their citizens
B)the idea that people of the world should depend on each other
C)the idea that the expansion of European capitalism created Latin America's underdevelopment
D)the idea that the rich should allow the poor to depend on their assistance
E)the idea that people should not allow themselves to become dependent on outside assistance