Practice Exam

Exam Content and Format

The AP Human Geography Exam is 2 hours and 15 minutes long.
There are two sections:
• Section I is 1 hour and consists of 60 multiple-choice questions, accounting
for 50 percent of the final score.

• Section II is 1 hour, 15 minutes and consists of 3 free-response questions

accounting for 50 percent of the final score.

Administering the Practice Exam

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This section contains instructions for administering the AP Human Geography
Practice Exam. You may wish to use these instructions to create an exam situation
that resembles an actual administration. If so, read the indented, boldface
directions to the students; all other instructions are for administering the exam and
need not be read aloud. Before beginning testing, have all exam materials ready

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for distribution. These include test booklets and answer sheets. (Reminder: Final
instructions for every AP Exam are published in the AP Exam Instructions book.)

SECTION I: Multiple Choice

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When you are ready to begin Section I, say:

Section I is the multiple-choice portion of the exam. Mark all of your

responses on your answer sheet, one response per question. If you
need to erase, do so carefully and completely. Your score on the
multiple-choice section will be based solely on the number of questions
answered correctly.
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You have 1 hour for this part. Open your Section I booklet and begin.

Note Start Time________. Note Stop Time________. After 50 minutes, say:

There are 10 minutes remaining.

After 10 minutes, say:

Stop working. I will now collect your Section I booklet and multiple-
choice answer sheet.

There is a 10-minute break between Sections I and II.

4 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

 Name:

AP® Human Geography

Answer Sheet
for Multiple-Choice Section

No. Answer No. Answer

1 31
2 32
3 33
4 34
5 35

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6 36
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8 38
9 39
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14 44
15 45
16 46
17 47
18 48
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19 49
20 50
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24 54
25 55
26 56
27 57
28 58
29 59
30 60

6 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

AP Human Geography Exam
®

SECTION I: Multiple Choice

DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

Instructions
At a Glance
Section I of this exam contains 60 multiple-choice questions and 12 survey questions.
Total Time
1 hour Indicate all of your answers to the multiple-choice questions on the answer sheet. No credit
Number of Questions will be given for anything written in this exam booklet, but you may use the booklet for
60 notes or scratch work.
Percent of Total Score
50%
Use your time effectively, working as quickly as you can without losing accuracy. Do not
Writing Instrument
spend too much time on any one question. Go on to other questions and come back to

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Pencil required the ones you have not answered if you have time. It is not expected that everyone will
know the answers to all of the multiple-choice questions.
Your total score on the multiple-choice section is based only on the number of questions
answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers or unanswered
questions.

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 7

 HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
SECTION I
Time—1 hour
60 Questions
Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by five suggested answers or
completions. Select the one that is best in each case and then enter the letter in the corresponding space on the
answer sheet.

1. Which of the following terms best describes the 3. In the contemporary pattern of migration to
spatial effects of the Internet on the global cities in more developed countries, migrants are
diffusion of culture? more likely to settle in

(A) Time-space convergence (A) Suburban areas

(B) Complementarity (B) The central city

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(C) Cultural divergence (C) Brownfield sites
(D) Push factors (D) Squatter settlements
(E) Pull factors (E) Areas of gentrification

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2. Which of the following describes the perspective
of environmental determinism?

(A) A twentieth-century idea that human

cultures are imprinted on the landscape in
4. As Buddhism diffused through East Asia,
Buddhist traditions blended with local cultural
customs to create distinct religious practices,
such as Daoism in China and Shinto in Japan.
Which of the following terms best describes this
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different forms of land use and blending of cultural traditions?
architecture
(B) A contemporary ecological view that (A) Assimilation
human activity is affecting the global (B) Acculturation
environment toward a negative outcome (C) Possibilism
(C) A former scientific viewpoint stating that (D) Multiculturalism
factors within the physical geography of a (E) Syncretism
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region shape the local population’s

culture and behaviors
(D) A theory that humans hold the ability to
modify Earth’s physical geography to
meet the resource needs of a society
(E) A belief system based on an ideology that
humans have dominion over Earth and its
natural resources

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8 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

5. Debt-for-nature swaps are financial transactions 6. As a less developed country’s economy evolves,
in which a portion of a developing country’s the size of the primary sector, the size of the
foreign debt is forgiven in exchange for local secondary sector, and the size of the tertiary
investments in environmental conservation sectors fluctuate. Which of the following
measures. Which of the following explains the statements best describes the highest level of
significance of debt-for-nature programs? job-opportunity change as countries shift from
the periphery to the semiperiphery level of
(A) The programs utilize a dependency development?
theory-based approach to improve local
economic development. (A) Primary sector employment increases as
(B) The programs provide a the country’s domestic demand for food
sustainable-development approach to and energy increases.
reducing uneven levels of development (B) Primary sector employment increases as
between countries. the country’s economy becomes
(C) The programs combat the economic increasingly export oriented.
decline of deindustrialization and (C) Tertiary sector employment grows more

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improve service and technology quickly than any other sector because of
development. foreign direct investment.
(D) The programs provide improvements in (D) Secondary sector employment increases as
environmental health and sanitation that the demand for manufactured products
reduce mortality and epidemic disease increases.
rates.
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(E) The programs invest in environmental
education that informs youth populations
about preserving economic resources for
future use.
(E) Secondary and tertiary sector employment
declines as factories and offices are
increasingly automated.
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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 9

 Questions 7 - 9 refer to the graph below.

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7. In the model shown, the lines for birth rate,
death rate, and total population are indicators of
a country’s

(A) cycles of economic boom and bust over

8. The demographic transition is a general model
that seeks to explain

(A) the relationship between the size of age

cohorts and natural population change
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time (B) how variations in population size and food
(B) level of social and economic development supply can lead to periods of crisis
over time (C) the effects of changes in population size on
(C) demographic change following a period of the gross domestic product
warfare (D) variations in population size, population
(D) demographic change following a period of migration rates, and the rate of natural
famine increase
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(E) demographic change following a period of (E) how differences in birth and death rates
totalitarian government result in natural population change

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10 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

9. Which of the following statements best describes
how the epidemiologic transition affects the
demographic transition?

(A) The epidemiologic transition occurs in

stage 1 of the demographic transition,
causing a fluctuation in birth and death
rates.
(B) Improvements in nutrition, sanitation, and
health care cause death rates to fall in
stage 2 of the demographic transition.
(C) Improvements in nutrition, sanitation, and
health care cause birth rates to fall in
stage 3 of the demographic transition.
(D) The epidemiologic transition occurs in
stage 4 of the demographic transition,

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causing a slowing of the rate of natural
increase.
(E) The epidemiologic transition occurs in
stage 5 of the demographic transition as
famines and wars cause a total population
decline.
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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 11

 HISPANIC POPULATION PERCENTAGE
BY COUNTIES IN THE UNITED STATES, 2010

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Source: United States Census Bureau

10. Which of the following is a limitation of the map of Hispanic population percentage?

(A) The small size of urban counties in the eastern United States masks the significance of the Hispanic
population in most eastern cities.
(B) Larger county sizes in the western United States mask the significance of the Hispanic population in most
western counties.
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(C) States with the largest total populations mask the significance of the Hispanic population in those states.
(D) States with the smallest total populations mask the significance of the Hispanic population in those states.
(E) The pattern shown is not different than the pattern of early Hispanic settlement during the era of
colonization.

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12 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

11. Which of the following best describes the roles 12. In 1798 Thomas Malthus argued that
of women in the rural, agricultural economies of populations grew exponentially while food
sub-Saharan Africa? supplies grew arithmetically. Consequently,
Malthus argued that food shortages would
(A) Salaried workers in large-scale commercial develop until famine and other checks slowed
agriculture population growth. What statement correctly
(B) Nonwage workers on small, family-run explains why Malthus’ prediction did not come
farms true in 1800s Europe?
(C) Hourly workers in seasonal migratory farm
(A) Urbanization resulted in smaller household
work
sizes, and the mechanization of
(D) Landowners of export-oriented farms agriculture increased food production.
(E) Drivers and operators of agricultural (B) Immigration to Europe and the abolition of
equipment slavery resulted in a more productive
agricultural labor force.
(C) Rising education levels among women and

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increased numbers of single-person
households reduced fertility and the
demand for food.
(D) Antinatalist population policies placed
limits on the number of children per

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(E) Global trade in manufactured food
products increased the food supply and
offset the demand for food.
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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 13

 VON THÜNEN MODEL OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE

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13. According to the von Thünen model, which of the following economic factors determine the pattern of land use
shown on the diagram?

(A) Accessibility of railroads and highways

(B) Costs of labor, transport, and land rent
(C)
(D)
(E)
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Size and distribution of urban populations
Adoption of new farming techniques
Type of transportation and land rent
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14. The United Nations Sustainable Development 15. Which of the following forms of agriculture
Goals do not mention population growth, but would best be described as extensive farming?
most of the goals will affect population growth.
Which of the following statements correctly (A) Citrus production and vineyards to produce
explains a link between the Sustainable table grapes
Development Goals and population growth? (B) Dairy and poultry farming
(C) Truck farming and hothouses to produce
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(A) Reducing infant mortality rates can lead to

vegetables
a desire to have a smaller family.
(D) Cattle ranching and wheat farming
(B) Reducing poverty and hunger increases
population growth as it makes larger (E) Floral horticulture and tree nurseries
families possible.
(C) Gender equality and empowering women
leads to fewer women in the paid labor
force.
(D) Combating communicable diseases and
improving maternal health means more
potential mothers survive and have
additional children.
(E) Economic development strategies make it
possible to support larger families.

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14 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

Questions 16 - 18 refer to the graph and data table below.

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ESTIMATED POPULATION TRENDS FOR JAPAN

Year Total Population Population Age Under 16 Population Age 65 and Over

2010 127,579,145 17,546,488 29,103,030

2020 125,507,472 15,670,950 36,627,469
2030 120,751,317 13,482,155 38,886,970
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2040 114,448,328 12,474,428 42,209,603

2050 107,209,536 11,657,139 42,938,885
Source: United States Census Bureau, International Data Base

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 15

 16. What is the likely impact of the numerical 17. Which of the following best explains a possible
change by 2050 of the total population on the limitation of the trends assumed from the
eventual shape of Japan’s population pyramid? population pyramid and estimates in the data
table?
(A) Since the impact will be gradual over a
40-year period, the 2050 population (A) A period of war followed by a baby boom,
pyramid likely will not change. similar to that of the 1940s and 1950s, is
(B) Because of low birth rates over many likely to occur within a generation,
years, by 2050 Japan will likely attain a increasing the youth-aged cohorts.
column-shaped population pyramid. (B) Modernization of health-care systems may
(C) Owing to the large numbers of pregnancies result in improvements in women’s health
in the growing reproductive-age cohorts, and pregnancy and result in more children
in 2050 the population pyramid will being born, increasing the youth-aged
likely have the shape of a pentagon. cohorts.
(D) Because of an increasing death rate due to (C) Labor shortages may cause the government
an older population, in 2050 the to reduce the legal barriers to

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population pyramid will likely have the immigration, and immigrant populations
shape of an equilateral triangle. could increase the working-age cohorts.
(E) Because of low birth rates over many (D) Decreasing populations may cause an
years, the 2050 population pyramid will economic decline, prompting many
likely be an inverted pyramid. citizens to emigrate to other more

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working-age cohorts.
(E) Production efficiencies gained from
computerization and robotization of
manufacturing may free parents from
long work hours and result in more time
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to have additional children, increasing the
youth-aged cohorts.
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16 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

18. What changes could local governments,
businesses, and corporations make to reverse
Japan’s national birth patterns?

(A) Decreasing transportation costs to allow

workers to commute from locations
farther outside of densely populated urban
centers
(B) Adding low-cost or zero-cost infant day
care and preschool centers to allow
mothers to return to the workforce
(C) Reducing the time off allowed for
maternity leave and incentivizing working
mothers to return to the workforce
(D) Enforcing a two-child policy for all
families, requiring a minimum of two

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children per family to become eligible to
receive school services and work benefits
(E) Increasing access to family planning
clinics and making doctor’s office visits
free for women patients

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 17

 19. Christianity has expanded through repeated 20. Which of the following best describes the role of
patterns of relocation diffusion to spread to the the federal state in a country’s political
Americas. Which of the following explains the organization?
impacts of this diffusion on Christianity in the
Americas? (A) To act as a system of defense that protects
subnational states from threats emerging
(A) The repeated relocations have resulted in a outside of the country’s international
wide diversity of Christian religious borders
beliefs and practices. (B) To act as a single centralized economy for
(B) The repeated relocations have resulted in a a collection of subnational states allied
single form of Christian religious beliefs for a common purpose
and practices. (C) To act as an overarching government for a
(C) The repeated relocations have resulted in a collection of subnational states allied for
decline in the size of the Christian a common purpose
population. (D) To act as a strong centralized
(D) The repeated relocations have resulted in a administration that eliminates the need

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single ethnic Christian population. for self-governing subnational or local
(E) The repeated relocations have resulted in a governments
small number of ethnic Christian (E) To act as a virtual public-service provider
populations. that eliminates the need for
self-governing subnational or local

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18 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

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Source: Pixabay

21. The chickens shown in the image are an example of value-added agriculture used by small family-run farms to
compete with large agribusiness poultry and egg farms. Which of the following types of value-added products
best describes the kind of agriculture shown in the image?

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Local-food movement
Free-range
Nongenetically modified
Fair-trade
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(E) Community-supported
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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 19

 LARGEST CITIES IN VIETNAM AND
THAILAND, 2018
City Population
Bangkok, Thailand 10.2 million
Ho Chi Minh City,
8.1 million
Vietnam
Hanoi, Vietnam 4.3 million
Chon Buri, Thailand 1.4 million
Source: United Nations

22. Which of the following accurately describes the

city population data in the table?

(A) Bangkok is both a metacity and a primate

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city.
(B) Hanoi is both a world city and a primate
city.
(C) Ho Chi Minh City is both a megacity and a
primate city.

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(D) Hanoi is both a capital city and a primate

(E) Bangkok is both a megacity and a primate

city.
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20 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

 BIRTH AND DEATH RATES GLOBALLY AND BY REGION IN AFRICA, 2018
Births per 1,000 Deaths per 1,000 Female/Male Life
Area
Population Population Expectancies
World 19 7 74/ 70 years
African continent 35 9 64/ 61 years
North Africa 26 6 74/ 71 years
Sub-Saharan Africa 37 9 62/ 59 years
Source: Population Reference Bureau

23. Which of the following best explains the significant difference in North Africa’s demographic data from the
rest of the African continent and North Africa’s closer similarity to global demographic data?

(A) North African improvements in nutrition, health care, and sanitation have reduced birth and death rates as
well as improved life expectancies over time.

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(B) North African declines in nutrition, health care, and sanitation have resulted in higher birth rates but have
not affected death rates or life expectancies over time.
(C) North African investment in transportation and energy sectors has reduced birth and death rates as well as
improved life expectancies over time.
(D) Foreign investment in North Africa’s transportation and energy sectors has resulted in higher birth rates

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but has not affected death rates or life expectancies over time.
(E) North African business losses in transportation and energy sectors have resulted in higher birth rates but
have not affected death rates or life expectancies over time.
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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 21

 POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD INCOME CHANGE 2000–2010 CITY OF DETROIT, DETROIT
METROPOLITAN AREA, AND STATE OF MICHIGAN
2000 2010
Median Median
Scale Population Household Population Household
Income Income
City of
713,777 $29,562 711,910 $25,787
Detroit
Detroit
metropolitan 4,452,557 $60,500 4,296,250 $58,411
area
State of
9,938,444 $44,533 9,877,574 $45,413
Michigan
Source: United States Census Bureau

24. Which of the following explains the degree to which deindustrialization and the rise of service economies have

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affected population and income across scales in Detroit and in the state of Michigan overall?

(A) Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs and income has affected communities equally
across the state.
(B) Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected the Detroit area, but there has been a

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small improvement in service-industry income growth in other parts of the state.
(C) Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected many communities across the state,
but there has been some improvement in service-industry employment in the city of Detroit.
(D) Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected the Detroit metropolitan area, but the
city of Detroit has experienced service-industry income growth.
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(E) Loss of manufacturing and related service-industry jobs has affected the city of Detroit, but the Detroit
metropolitan area has experienced service-industry income growth.
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22 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

Questions 25 - 27 refer to the maps below.

MAP 1: AEGEAN SEA WITH CURRENT 6-NAUTICAL-MILE

TERRITORIAL LIMITS
MAP 2: AEGEAN SEA WITH POSSIBLE 12-NAUTICAL MILE
TERRITORIAL SEAS

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In 1982 the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) established freedom-of-navigation rights
and defined territorial waters as a 12-nautical-mile limit from the coast where individual states have political and
economic sovereignty. However, Greece and Turkey still only claim a 6-nautical-mile territorial sea.

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 23

 25. What do the maps indicate regarding the 27. If Greece and Turkey adopted the UNCLOS
political geography of the Aegean Sea? system and expanded their territorial seas to 12
nautical miles, as shown in Map 2, which of the
(A) Turkey controls most of the islands in the following would be true for a Turkish-owned oil
Aegean Sea. tanker sailing into Greek territorial waters?
(B) Greece controls most of the islands in the
Aegean Sea. (A) The ship and its cargo would be
confiscated for violating a United Nations
(C) Turkey and Greece share control of most of
treaty.
the islands in the Aegean Sea.
(B) The ship could be sunk by the Greek Navy
(D) Turkey controls all access from the
for entering Greece’s territorial waters.
Dardanelles to the Mediterranean Sea.
(C) The ship would be charged tolls for sailing
(E) Greece controls all access from the Aegean
through Greek canals and internal
Sea to the Black Sea.
waterways.
(D) The ship would be ordered by a Greek
26. If Greece and Turkey adopted the UNCLOS naval blockade to turn away as it is

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system and expanded their territorial seas to 12 considered a threat.
nautical miles, as shown in Map 2, which of the (E) The ship could be stopped by Greece’s
following scenarios best explains the resulting Coast Guard for safety and environmental
geographic pattern? inspections.

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(A) Greece would be required to guarantee the
right of passage for ships transiting from
the Dardanelles to the Mediterranean Sea.
(B) International ships transiting from the
Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea
would only be able to sail in Turkey’s
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coastal waters.
(C) Black Sea countries like Bulgaria would
have to ship goods by land through
Europe or Russia to participate in
international trade.
(D) Greece would only guarantee right of
passage to ships from other European
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Union countries due to the open border

policy.
(E) Turkey would be forced to join the
European Union in order to participate in
international trade and benefit from the
open border policy.

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24 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

28. Since 2000, people in the largest category of 30. Which of the following occurs when the cities in
international migrants seeking asylum in a a country follow the rank-size rule and the
different country are best described as country has a primate city?

(A) families looking for employment (A) There are two large cities with similar
opportunities population sizes.
(B) women seeking higher-education (B) The largest city is two times the population
opportunities of the next-largest city.
(C) individuals fleeing conditions of armed (C) The largest city is three times the
conflict population of the next-largest city.
(D) youths seeking seasonal farm employment (D) The largest city is four times the population
(E) men seeking construction or energy-sector of the next-largest city.
jobs (E) The largest city is five times the population
of the next-largest city.

29. Which of the following best explains the degree

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to which the Human Development Index (HDI) 31. What is a common impact of urbanization
accurately calculates a country’s level of regardless of a country’s level of economic
economic development? development?

(A) The HDI is a simplified means of (A) Urbanization means a loss of agricultural

1.0 scale.
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comparing gross national income per
capita in an indexed score that is on a 0 to

(B) The HDI is a simplified means of

combining life expectancy and education
production due to the loss of farmland
and farmworkers.
(B) Urbanization leads to a more egalitarian
society as the difference between urban
and rural lifestyles is reduced.
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levels in an indexed score that is on a 0 to (C) Urbanization creates a larger cultural and
1.0 scale. economic gap between urban and rural
(C) Although the HDI factors in gross national areas.
income per capita, it also calculates (D) Urbanization creates a labor force with a
indicators for health care and education to diversity of job skills and compensation
estimate the social aspects of levels.
development.
(E) Urbanization creates socially and
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(D) Although the HDI factors in gross national economically diverse cities that have little
income per capita, it also calculates the social conflict.
impact of exports and imports on the
domestic economy.
(E) The HDI is a simplified means of ranking
countries into distinct levels of
development based on the total size of a
country’s national economy.

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 25

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32. Which of the following best explains the strength of the diagram shown as a theoretical model in human
geography?
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(A) The model presents a general theory that is most applicable to metropolitan areas that were once
colonial-era Spanish cities.
(B) The model presents a general theory that is applicable to metropolitan areas that were first settled in the
era of postcolonial independence.
(C) The model presents a general theory that is most applicable to metropolitan areas that were once
colonial-era Portuguese cities.
(D) The model presents a general theory that is most applicable to metropolitan areas with service-based
urban economies.
(E) The model presents a general theory that is most applicable to metropolitan areas with technology-based
urban economies.

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26 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

 IMPERIAL VALLEY
ALONG THE UNITED STATES–MEXICO BORDER

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Source: NASA

33. Which of the following best describes the data presented in the image?
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(A) Coordinates for a satellite navigation system

(B) Political map of a region
(C) Series of geographic information systems layers
(D) Remote sensing satellite image of land use
(E) Cartogram of quantitative spatial information

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 27

 Questions 34 - 36 refer to the tables below.
TABLE 1: MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME FOR SELECTED PLACES, 2018
Median Household
Place
Income
United States $57,652
New York State $62,765
New York City
$75,368
metropolitan area
City of New York $57,782

TABLE 2: MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME, 2018

FIVE BOROUGHS OF NEW YORK CITY
Median Household
Place
Income

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Bronx $36,593
Brooklyn $52,782
Manhattan $79,781
Queens $62,008

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Staten Island $76,244
Source: United States Census Bureau

34. The data on median household income in Table 35. Table 1 shows that the United States and New
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1 is presented in different York City have similar median household
income values. Compare the data in Table 1 to
(A) culture regions the data in Table 2. Based on this comparison,
(B) physical regions which of the following statements is most
(C) map scales accurate?
(D) scales of analysis (A) Each borough of New York City has a
(E) vernacular regions household income distribution similar to
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that of the United States.

(B) Each borough of New York City has a
household income distribution similar to
that of New York State.
(C) Each borough of New York City has a
household income distribution similar to
that of the New York City metropolitan
area.
(D) Each borough of New York City has a
household income distribution similar to
that of the City of New York.
(E) A comparison of data from one scale to a
different set of scales can result in a
flawed analysis.

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28 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

36. Using the data in Table 2, which of the following 38. Which of the following statements explains the
terms best describes the median household characteristics of cities in a postindustrial
income distribution among the five boroughs? economy?

(A) Uneven development (A) The postindustrial city has new structures
(B) Gender inequality since the buildings of the industrial city
cannot be reused.
(C) Informal economies
(B) The postindustrial city has a large share of
(D) Comparative advantage
offices housing technology and
(E) Economies of scale information services.
(C) The postindustrial city has very few
companies in the manufacturing sector.
37. Which of the following best describes the
difference in urban transportation issues faced (D) The postindustrial city is a high-density,
by cities in different parts of the world? compact city to facilitate information and
technology businesses.
(A) Extreme traffic congestion during rush (E) The postindustrial city has few low-skill or

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hour is a largely North American issue general service jobs because of the
due to high levels of automobile demands of technology industries.
ownership.
(B) High rates of ridership on public transit in
western Europe and Japan reflect lower 39. Which of the following terms best describes the

States. ie
income levels compared to the United

(C) Most less developed countries continue to

avoid urban transportation issues, but
government planners fear development
food preferences, architecture, and land-use
practices found in a particular region?

(A)
(B)
Cultural relativism
Ethnocentrism
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will bring transportation problems. (C) Culture traits
(D) The relatively low population density of (D) Unitary state
North American cities encourages (E) Culture hearth
automobile use, sprawl, and traffic
congestion.
(E) Many cities around the world are 40. Which of the following describes a feature of the
successfully fighting traffic congestion by original central business district (CBD) found in
Pr

building more limited-access most cities?

expressways.
(A) Manufacturing space is located in the
middle of the original CBD.
(B) Residential space is generally not
permitted in the original CBD.
(C) Retail space is generally not permitted in
the original CBD.
(D) Land values are the highest of any zone in
the metropolitan area.
(E) Land values are the lowest of any zone in
the metropolitan area.

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 29

 41. Which of the following is a likely outcome of 42. In 2017 the Ivory Coast exported $5.6 billion
gerrymandering? worth of cocoa beans and cocoa-derived
products, such as cocoa butter. This represented
(A) Splitting areas of majority group voters 55 percent of the country’s exports and was
across a number of legislative worth four times the country’s combined gold
representatives’ districts and oil exports in that year. Which of the
(B) Packing areas of minority group voters into following best explains the international trade
a single legislative representative’s district economy of the Ivory Coast?
(C) Disrupting electronic polling machines or
(A) High level of dependency on a single
the data networks run by elections
agricultural commodity that increases
officials
national economic development and
(D) Placing a legislative representative’s increases foreign direct investment
districts in a row pattern while drawing a
(B) High level of dependency on a single
new electoral map
agricultural commodity that increases
(E) Supporting political party candidates with national economic risks during times of
campaign funds intended to be used in global economic crisis

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particular geographic areas
(C) Low level of dependency on primary-sector
production and resource processing that
will increase the country’s level of
development

ie (D) Low level of dependency on a single

agricultural commodity that decreases
national economic risks during times of
global economic crisis
(E) Low level of dependency on a single
agricultural commodity that increases
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national economic development and
increases foreign direct investment
Pr

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30 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

Questions 43 - 45 refer to the map below.

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Source: International Coffee Organization
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With the exception of Hawaii, the map shows the pattern of production for coffee beans by country.
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43. Which of the following best describes the
pattern of coffee bean production at the global
scale?

(A) A core and periphery

(B) A hierarchical diffusion
(C) Within tropical latitudes
Pr

(D) Inside arid climate regions

(E) In more developed countries

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 31

 44. Which of the following explains the limitations 45. If the map was reproduced at the subnational
of the map shown for identifying the agricultural state or provincial scale, as Hawaii is on the
production regions of coffee beans? map, what changes in pattern would be expected
in other parts of the world?
(A) The map does not identify whether the
country is a major exporter of coffee (A) The inland provinces of African countries
beans or whether the country consumes would not show any production.
much of what it grows. (B) Southeast Asian islands would not show
(B) The map is thematic, identifying countries any production.
by type, instead of a choropleth map that (C) The states in northern Mexico and northern
classifies countries by the amount India would not show any production.
produced.
(D) The Amazon Basin and Congo Basin
(C) The map uses the descriptors “major” and would show concentrated areas of
“minor” and should instead use the production.
amount of coffee beans produced per
(E) Provinces in southern China would show
capita of the country’s total population.
concentrated areas of production.

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(D) The map mainly identifies all land within a
country, as opposed to the foothills and
upland areas where coffee beans are
grown.
(E) The map shows only coffee produced for

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the formal economy and does not account
for informal or illegal production of
coffee beans.
ev
Pr

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32 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

46. Which of the following agricultural inputs were 48. In the fundamentals of central place theory,
the most recent technological innovations which of the following terms is defined as the
employed in less developed countries during the maximum distance a consumer will travel to
Green Revolution? acquire a good or service?

(A) Metal plows and harvesting equipment (A) Distance decay

(B) Irrigated farm fields (B) Threshold
(C) Seed hybrids and animal breeds (C) Cost-to-distance ratio
(D) Chemical fertilizers and pesticides (D) Relative location
(E) Terracing in highland terrain (E) Range

47. Which of the following describes the process of 49. Cultural differences within a country’s
creolization? population, such as different religions,
languages, and ethnicities, have political impacts
(A) The mix of Native American, African, and and can best be described as

w
European influences to create new
cultural forms (A) centripetal forces within a state
(B) The representations of Spanish, (B) centrifugal forces within a state
Portuguese, and French linguistic culture (C) the effects of diffusion on the state
on the landscape of Latin America

ie
(C) The layering of the European cultural
landscape over the Native American
landscape
(D) The exchange of crops and animals
between the Old World and the New
(D)
(E)
the effects of imperialism on the state
globalizing forces within a state
ev
World
(E) The adoption of Native American
toponyms for place-names of European
settlements
Pr

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 33

 Questions 50 - 52 refer to the images below.

TEMPLE AND STATUE OF SHIVA, MURDESHWAR, INDIA

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ie
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34 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

 TEMPLE AND STATUE OF BUDDHA, KRABI, THAILAND

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ie
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Source: Pixabay.com

50. Comparing both photographs, each image shows 51. The temples shown in the images, combined
Pr

the significance of temples, religious statuary, with the surrounding scenic physical landscape,
and iconography on the have become centers of pilgrimage and tourism.
These factors combine to result in enhanced
(A) cultural hearth religious expression and local
(B) ethnic culture
(A) placemaking
(C) traditional toponyms
(B) spatial analysis
(D) cultural landscape
(C) suburbanization
(E) colonial architecture
(D) technological change
(E) multiculturalism

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 35

 52. Hinduism and Buddhism have their origins in
South Asia. Much of Hinduism’s population is
concentrated in South Asia, whereas much of
Buddhism’s population has diffused to other
parts of Asia. Which of the following best
explains this difference in the cultural diffusion
of Hinduism and Buddhism?

(A) Hinduism is a polytheistic religion

concentrated in the region near its cultural
hearth, and Buddhism is a monotheistic
religion that has spread to regions where
the religion has been adopted.
(B) Hinduism is a monotheistic religion
concentrated in the region near its cultural
hearth, and Buddhism is a polytheistic
religion that has spread to regions where

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the religion has been adopted.
(C) Hinduism is a polytheistic religion
concentrated in the region near its cultural
hearth, and Buddhism is an ethnic
religion that has spread to regions where
the religion has been adopted.
ie
(D) Hinduism is a universalizing religion
concentrated in the region near its cultural
hearth, and Buddhism is an ethnic
religion that has spread to regions where
ev
the religion has been adopted.
(E) Hinduism is an ethnic religion
concentrated in the region near its cultural
hearth, and Buddhism is a universalizing
religion that has spread to regions where
the religion has been adopted.
Pr

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36 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

Source: United Nations Development Programme

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53. The global pattern of gender inequality index scores is similar to the expected pattern of countries by level of
economic development, with the exception of a few countries such as

(A) South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand

(B) Japan, Spain, and Canada
(C)
(D)
(E)
Venezuela, Syria, and Iraq
Brazil, Libya, and China
Mexico, Argentina, and India
ie
ev
Pr

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 37

 54. Which of the following terms best describes the 56. Since 2000 the global pattern of international
political entity of the Republic of Ireland? migration has resulted in most migrants seeking
destinations that are best described as
(A) Stateless nation
(B) Multinational state (A) rural agricultural regions
(C) Nation-state (B) urban and suburban areas
(D) Autonomous region (C) less developed countries
(E) Dependent territory (D) protected environmental zones
(E) tourism and pilgrimage sites

55. Although photovoltaic solar farms appear to be a

free resource with few negative impacts, there
are environmental problems related to this type
of renewable energy production. Which
statement explains the limits to the sustainability
of solar panel farms to produce electricity for a

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city in a more developed country?

(A) Buildings supporting solar photovoltaic

panels are not suitable for housing.
(B) Nearby residents complain of changed air

ie
circulation patterns and low-frequency
noise.
(C) Migratory birds flying near the solar panels
can be injured.
(D) Operating costs are high and it is difficult
ev
to transmit solar power through the
electrical grid.
(E) Large amounts of land, permanently
cleared of natural vegetation are needed.
Pr

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38 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

 MEASURES OF DEVELOPMENT FOR SELECTED COUNTRIES
Human Development Gross National Income
Country
Index Score per Capita
Brazil 0.759 $13,755
Canada 0.926 $43,433
France 0.901 $39,254
India 0.640 $6,535
Tanzania 0.538 $2,655
Source: United Nations Development Programme

57. Which of the following correctly classifies the countries in the table by their level of development?

(A) More developed: Canada; industrializing: France; less developed: Brazil

(B) More developed: Brazil; industrializing: India; less developed: Tanzania

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(C) More developed: France; industrializing: Canada; less developed: India
(D) More developed: Canada; industrializing: Tanzania; less developed: Brazil
(E) More developed: France; industrializing: India; less developed: Tanzania

ie
ev
Pr

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 39

 Questions 58 - 60 refer to the maps below.

EUROPEAN UNION 2018

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Pr

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40 AP Human Geography Practice Exam

 COUNTRIES OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

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Source: Natural Earth GIS
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58. Which of the following best identifies the scale 59. Examining the countries shown in white on the
of analysis for each of the maps shown? map of the former Yugoslavia, which of the
following explains why the area would be
(A) Global and regional referred to as a shatterbelt region?
(B) Regional and urban
(A) The countries comprise a strategically
(C) Continental and country
Pr

positioned area and have unstable

(D) Global and local national governments.
(E) Country and local (B) The countries have an open-border policy
and have abolished all passport and
customs controls along their shared
political boundaries.
(C) The countries comprise a multiethnic
culture region and have strong federal
governments.
(D) The countries are outside of the European
Union but are inside of the European
continent.
(E) The countries are former communist states
and remain allied with the Russia.

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AP Human Geography Practice Exam 41

 60. Which of the following explains why Bosnia and
Herzegovina would want to join the European
Union (EU)?

(A) To increase the chances of joining NATO

and protection against Russian invasion
(B) To benefit from the EU single currency and
open borders that exist between their
country’s neighboring states
(C) To benefit from the EU single currency and
eliminate the cost of currency exchange
with the United Kingdom, Denmark, and
Sweden
(D) To participate in the EU free trade zone
and automatically receive the protection
of NATO

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(E) To benefit from the EU free trade zone and
achieve economic and social stability

ie
ev
Pr

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42 AP Human Geography Practice Exam