Deck 11: East Asia

Question 1

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which country in East Asia is recognized as a sovereign state by only a handful of other countries around the world?

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

Question 5

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 6

What environmental concerns are found in China?

A)deforestation
B)extreme air pollution
C)water pollution
D)soil erosion
E)All of these environmental concerns are found in China.

Question 7

Korea is located on which type of landform?

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

Question 8

Rugged mountains cut off ________ China from Korea.

A)southern
B)southeast
C)western
D)central
E)northeastern

Question 9

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 10

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)Taiwan

Question 11

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 12

Which East Asian country lies entirely on a peninsula?

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

Question 13

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 14

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 15

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

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

Question 16

Which country has resorted to "pollution exporting" because of strict environmental laws within the country?

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

Question 17

Which environmental hazard is the most serious in Japan?

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

Question 18

Using the graphic below, which East Asian city has warm temperatures year-round and an average of about 85 inches of rain during the year?

A)Chongqing, China
B)Tokyo, Japan
C)Seoul, South Korea
D)Hong Kong, China
E)Taipei, Taiwan

Question 19

Which East Asian nation is known for its forest preservation efforts?

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

Question 20

Which serious environmental hazard does NOT face Japan?

A)tsunami
B)volcano eruptions
C)desertification
D)earthquakes
E)typhoons

Question 21

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

Question 22

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 23

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 24

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 25

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 26

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

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

Question 27

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 28

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 29

What climate type is found in most of Japan?

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

Question 30

What country in East Asia is facing a population decline?

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

Question 31

If trends continue, which country's population is expected to drop from 127 million to 87 million by 2060?

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

Question 32

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 33

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

A)Japan
B)China
C)Korea
D)Southeast Asia
E)New Zealand

Question 34

What is the name of the belief system that deals with designing buildings and placing 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 35

Which country has the highest population in East Asia?

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

Question 36

Why does Japan and South Korea import so much meat, wheat, lumber and pulp?

A)Communist rule influences what these countries can produce.
B)These countries have limited space to produce these products so must import them.
C)There are not enough trees to provide lumber.
D)Much of the population of both countries is vegetarian.
E)Local climates prohibit the agricultural production of these products.

Question 37

Currently, the Three Gorges Dam provides what percentage of China's electricity need?

A)80%
B)50%
C)25%
D)12%
E)3%

Question 38

Which urban region is considered a superconurbation otherwise known as a megalopolis?

A)Shanghai, China
B)Seoul, South Korea
C)Hong Kong, China
D)Tokyo, Japan
E)Pyongyang, North Korea

Question 39

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 40

As of 2012, what was the approximate population of Japan?

A)34 million
B)63 million
C)100 million
D)127 million
E)157 million

Question 41

Using the graphic below, which of the following languages covers the most in area?

A)Min
B)Wu
C)Mandarin
D)Gan
E)Hakka

Question 42

About how many Chinese citizens are Muslim?

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

Question 43

What belief system had North Korea begun to accept once communist ideologies began to give way?

A)Buddhism, reach union with the cosmos often through meditation
B)Juche, significance of self-reliance
C)Confucianism, a philosophy to generate social stability
D)Shinto, reaching harmony between nature and humanity
E)Taoism, spiritual harmony based on design

Question 44

Which country has isolated themselves from global culture?

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

Question 45

How is East Asian writing system unique to other world writing systems?

A)People literate to the writing system can read the same script without being able to speak the same language.
B)They represent ideas rather than sounds.
C)It is very difficult to learn.
D)Literate persons must memorize thousands of characters.
E)all of the above

Question 46

Hui

A)are Mandarin-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 47

What people form one of the world's most homogeneous populations?

A)Koreans
B)Chinese
C)Japanese
D)Taiwanese
E)Russians

Question 48

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

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

Question 49

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 50

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 51

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 52

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 53

The four southernmost islands in the Kuril chain is claimed by both of these countries.

A)China and Russia
B)China and South Korea
C)South Korea and Japan
D)Japan and Russia
E)India and China

Question 54

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.

Question 55

What characterizes Shinto religion?

A)nature and harmony and its connections with human existence
B)obedience to authority
C)stresses the quest to escape an endless cycle of rebirths
D)practice of designing buildings in accordance with the spiritual powers
E)Jesus died for our sins

Question 56

With which country of East Asia is Taoism associated?

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

Question 57

Which country of East Asia has the greatest linguistic diversity?

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

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

Which country of East Asia has taken recent steps to acquire nuclear weaponry, triggering concern in the United States?

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

Question 60

Which country of East Asia is the most rigidly Marxist?

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

Question 61

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

A)The average total fertility rate has declined to 1.5.
B)The number of baby boys has far outweighed the number of baby girls.
C)Gender-selective abortion emerged, although the government is cracking down on the practice.
D)Some families have abandoned healthy baby girls at birth.
E)all of the above

Question 62

What actions are partially responsible for North Koreas' failure to develop with the rest of East Asia?

A)It was devoted to a state-led economy.
B)They rejected globalization.
C)They have trade agreements with only Russia.
D)The country operates under harsh economic and social sanctions.
E)All of these are reasons North Korea has failed to develop.

Question 63

Which East Asian country is the world leader in the high-tech fields of robotics and optics?

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

Question 64

Looking at the graphic below, the British sphere of influence in the nineteenth century in China and East Asia was mainly in

A)the north, along Mongolia.
B)the east, in Japan.
C)southern and central China.
D)the far west, near the Afghan border.
E)the Korean peninsula.

Question 65

Japan remained largely closed to foreign commerce and influence until ________ gunboats sailed into Tokyo Bay in 1853 to demand trade access.

A)Dutch
B)German
C)British
D)Chinese
E)American

Question 66

Japan is involved in a conflict over the Kuril Islands with which other country?

A)China
B)Vietnam
C)South Korea
D)Russia
E)Taiwan

Question 67

China's government is on which of the following paths of development?

A)pure Marxist development
B)modified socialist development
C)pure capitalist development
D)modified capitalist development
E)pure socialist development

Question 68

China's late-twentieth-century economic reform

A)led to growth rates exceeding 10% per year.
B)led to the strongest growth during the "Great Leap Forward."
C)began in earnest in the mid-1990s.
D)has not embraced capitalist principles.
E)has been a disaster.

Question 69

China's "Great Leap Forward"

A)took place in the late 1960s.
B)occurred against the wishes of Mao Zedong.
C)occurred simultaneously with the "Cultural Revolution."
D)has directly resulted in today's economic growth in China.
E)led to a major famine as the government melted down peasants' farm tools.

Question 70

In the 1990s, which country of East Asia had the most laissez-faire economy in the region?

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

Question 71

Why did China relax its "one-child" policy in 2015 and allow two children per family?

A)China needs more females.
B)The country is worried about future labor shortages.
C)The Chinese government wants to overpopulate the planet.
D)The Chinese government is very concerned about the inability of Chinese males to find wives.
E)The Chinese government is very concerned about female infanticide.

Question 72

Japan's economy

A)is currently the largest in the world.
B)slowed substantially in the 1990s.
C)has seen sustained gains in its real estate values over the last two decades.
D)did not begin to industrialize until after World War II.
E)is not as large as China's.

Question 73

Which two countries decided to divide Korea at the end of WWII?

A)Japan and the Soviet Union
B)the Soviet Union and the United States
C)the United States and China
D)China and Japan
E)Japan and the United States

Question 74

Where is China's "rust belt" located?

A)Beijing
B)Guangdong
C)Fujian
D)Manchuria
E)Tianjin

Question 75

Currently, some 35,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan, and another 28,000 are stationed in

A)South Korea.
B)North Korea.
C)Taiwan.
D)Russia.
E)China.

Question 76

During what era did the Chinese Empire reach its height?

A)1100s
B)1300s
C)1500s
D)1700s
E)1900s

Question 77

Which of the following alliances did NOT exist during the Cold War that followed World War II?

A)Japan and the United States
B)Taiwan and Russia
C)North Korea and Russia
D)China and Russia
E)South Korea and the United States

Question 78

Macao was the last territory to be returned to China by a European colonial power. Which European colonial power returned it?

A)Portugal
B)Great Britain
C)France
D)Russia
E)Germany

Question 79

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

Question 80

Which East Asian nation developed the political strategy of a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere"?

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