Chapter 8 (Geography)

What sector of the economy employs most (more than 50 percent) of South Asia's workforce?

Agricultural Sector

This is the practice of traditional, nonchemical methods of crop fertilization and the use of natural predators to control pests.

Agroecology

Who did NOT invade South Asia? A) the Mongolians B) the Persians C) the Romans D) Alexander the Great

C

The first recorded invaders to join the indigenous people of South Asia came from:

Central and Southwest Asia

India's Social Forestry Movement, which began with a protest movement by women who literally hugged trees to save them from destruction, is also known as the _____ movement.

Chipko movement

What is the practice known as purdah?

Concealing women from the eyes of non family men.

What commodity formed the economic backbone of Bengal in the eighteenth century?

Cotton

The early winter monsoons of South Asia release rains over parts of: A) Pakistan. B) Afghanistan. C) Nepal and Bhutan. D) Sri Lanka and southeastern India.

D

Throughout the 1970s, governments in Afghanistan became increasingly more: A) democratic. B) progressive. C) socialist. D) authoritarian.

D

Which development was NOT a part of the green revolution that came to South Asia in the late 1960s? A) seeds bred for disease resistance B) better fertilizers C) mechanized equipment D) greater use of hydroponics

D

Which factor should help reduce corruption in politics? A) gender equality B) foreign investment C) the green revolution D) the spread of cell phones

D

Which statement is NOT an explanation for lower fertility rates in urban areas (as opposed to rural areas)? A) Improved access to health care means children are more likely to survive into adulthood. B) There is less economic incentive in cities to have children because urban children are more likely to go to school (and thus represent a cost to the family). C) Women have more employment option in cities, which makes childbearing less central to their lives. D) The pollution levels found in city water and air decrease both male and female fertility.

D

Which statement is NOT true of Mumbai? A) It is South Asia's wealthiest city. B) It is home to India's largest stock exchange. C) It is the home of the film industry known as "Bollywood." D) It is a social experiment in which the government provides housing and medical care for all residents.

D

Which statement is the BEST summary of South Asian countries' approach to economic development following independence from Great Britain? A) The governments tended to favor agriculture over industrial production. B) The governments sold national industries to private investors. C) Government policies contributed to inefficiency and were not driven by consumer demand. D) The government targeted economic development toward the sectors of the economy that employed the largest numbers of people.

D

The Indian city that holds the world record for annual rainfall is _____

Darjeeling

Precipitation from the summer monsoon is particularly intense in which area of South Asia?

Darjeeling (east, north of the Bay of Bengal)

It appears MOST people in Afghanistan favor which form of government?

Democratic

This is the term for a surge of young people entering the workforce and choosing to have fewer children, who will thus have the time and energy to study, work, and contribute to the economy and civil society.

Demographic Dividend

What impact does a husband's death have on his widow's reputation?

Disgrace to a woman and can completely deprive her of all support and even her home, children, and reputation.

What language-culture group dominates the south of South Asia?

Dravidian

Because of its high degree of tectonic activity, South Asia is prone to what two major natural disasters?

Earthquakes and Tsunamis

The world's MOST densely populated region is:

Ganga-Brahmaputra delta

What mountains run along the eastern and western flanks of the Deccan Plateau?

Ghat Mountains

The roots of Hinduism that lie in ancient literary texts are known as the:

Great Tradition

The Indus Valley civilization is also known as _____ culture.

Harappan

Meltwater from what mountain range feeds the headwaters of South Asia's three principal rivers?

Himalayas

Which is the world's highest mountain range?

Himalayas

Hindutva is another name for _____.

Hindu Nationalism

What Hindu religious tradition is negatively impacting water quality in the Ganga River?

Hindu death pilgrimages to river towns are negatively impacting water quality because ashes are scattered in the Ganga River.

The major religion of India is:

Hinduism

In terms of religion, most Tamils are _____.

Hindus

The purpose of Britain's "divide and rule" tactic in South Asia was to antagonize relations between what two groups, thus weakening both in their ability to oppose colonial rule?

Hindus and Muslims

The regional conflict over Kashmir primarily involves what two religious groups?

Hindus and Muslims

Almost 90 percent of the world's Hindus live in _____.

India

The world's most populous democracy today is _____.

India

What South Asian country is expected to overtake China as the world's most populous country?

India

All of South Asia is endangered by the nuclear arms race between which two of that region's countries?

India and Pakistan

What three countries claim territory in the Kashmir region?

India, China, and Pakistan

In the 1990s, economic reforms in South Asia were initiated by what group?

Indian Government

Together, the basins of the Indus and Ganga Rivers are called the _____.

Indo-Gangetic Plain

The first agricultural communities in South Asia appeared about 4500 years ago along what body of water?

Indus Valley Civilization (Harappa Culture)

The abundance of rainfall during summer in South Asia is amplified by what phenomena?

Intertropical Convergence Zone

The subcaste into which a Hindu is born is called a:

Jati

Which tasks have the Dalits traditionally performed?

Killing animals, tanning hides, cleaning, and disposing of refuse.

The varna who are warriors and rulers are the:

Kshatriyas

The Vaishyas are the caste of?:

Landowning farmers and merchants

What is the purpose of the Grameen Bank?

Makes small loans, mostly to people in rural villages who wish to start businesses.

Economic modernization in India is focusing on what industry to improve their economy?

Manufacturing

The practice of lending very small amounts to would-be business owners is known as _____.

Microcredit

Why does India's Prime Minister Modi believe the Sardar Sarovar Dam is an asset to India?

Modi believes that it's a new "smart city" for finance and echnology companies in Gujarat.

Kashmir has long been dominated by what group of peoples?

Muslims

What is the largest minority religious group in India, at 12 percent of the population?

Muslims

This is the term for a company strategy that contracts some of its business functions to a country other than the one where its products or services are actually developed, manufactured, and sold.

Offshore Outsourcing

The name Deccan applies to what feature on South Asia's physical landscape?

Plateau in South Central India

The plateau that rose up behind the Himalayas as a result of strong tectonic forces is the _____.

Plateau of Tibet

The usual goal of religious nationalism is:

Political control over a given territory

This is a euphemism for religiously based violence in South Asia.

Purdah

_____ are conflicts in which nations dispute territorial boundaries or a minority actively resists the authority of a state or local government

Regional conflicts

What practice arises from a general preference for male children and has very likely contributed to an astonishing imbalance in the ratio of males to females in the Indian population?

Sex Selective abortions

What is the main purpose of the "Chipko movement" in India?

Social forestry movement that slows deforestation and increases ecological awareness. "Tree Hugging"

What South Asian industry was the first destroyed by British colonization?

Textile industry

Mohandas Gandhi's tactic of nonviolent resistance to colonial rule became widely supported following the what major event?

The Salt March of 1930

The Indian government's campaign to clean up poorly regulated factories came about as a result of:

The Union Carbide explosion in Bhopal

Why has India renamed several of its large cities, with Calcutta becoming Kolkata and Bombay becoming Mumbai?

To replace the names given to those cities during British colonial rule.

Which industry constitutes a larger share of GNI for most countries in the region?

Urban-based industrial and service economies.

What language is the official language of Pakistan?

Urda

The Indian pilgrimage town that millions of Hindus visit to die and be cremated in is:

Varanasi

In what type of settlement do 67 percent of South Asians live?

Villages

Dharavi is the name of

largest of the shantytowns.

What process created the Himalayan Mountains?

the collision of the Indian-Australian Plate with the Eurasian Plate

How many languages are officially recognized in India?

18

India achieved its independence from Great Britain in _____.

1947

Accurate depictions of the preference for sons in South Asian culture do NOT include: A) the sale of young girls into prostitution by their parents. B) high rates of female infanticide. C) neglect of the health of female children. D) aborting female fetuses

A

India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can BEST be described as: A) Hindu nationalist. B) Islamist. C) secular. D) pacifist.

A

Results of deforestation in hilly areas do NOT include: A) increased soil fertility. B) landslides. C) increased flooding. D) clogged waterways.

A

What has paradoxically reinforced the custom of dowry in South Asia? A) increasing education for men and increasing family affluence B) increasing education for women C) increasing tension between Hindus and Muslims D) increasing access to the Internet

A

Which statement does NOT describe a major belief or tenet of Hinduism? A) The 12 major gods are present in all regions, villages, and families. B) All gods are merely illusory manifestations of the ultimate divinity. C) Any living thing that desires the illusory pains and pleasures of life will be reborn after it dies. D) Cows are only slightly less spiritually advanced than humans

A

Which statement does NOT describe an effect of sea level rise in South Asia? A) Nearly 50 percent of Bangladeshis might have to find new homes. B) Parts of Dhaka (Bangladesh), Mumbai and Kolkata (India), and Karachi (Pakistan) might be submerged. C) Beach erosion is so severe that homes only a few years old are falling into the sea. D) Coastal cities are building defensive structures like dikes and storm walls in response to climate change.

A

Which statement is TRUE of village life in South Asia? A) The men and boys tend to work in the fields and return to the village at night. B) Village life is busy during the day, quiet at night. C) Most domestic work is done by hired maids from the cities. D) Women in all villages observe the practice of purdah.

A

Why do some experts describe South Asian cities as having split identities?

A rich class, middle class, and a poor class.

What country did the British attempt to create as a buffer state against Russian advances?

Afghanistan

Efforts to respond to the threats of climate change in South Asia do NOT include: A) development of solar and wind energy. B) underground water management systems. C) reduction of carbon dioxide emissions via electric (rather than gasoline-powered) cars. D) technologies to disperse or reverse monsoon wind patterns before they reach the region

B

What do Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism have in common? A) All are sects of Islam. B) All were reformist movements within Hinduism. C) All are widely practiced in Africa. D) All are primarily urban religions

B

Which choice provides the BEST description of the caste system? A) policy of racial segregation B) custom of hierarchical social classes C) laws based on religious principles D) affirmative action plan for ethnic minorities

B

Which factor is NOT an aspect of Jainism? A) educational accomplishment B) pilgrimage to Mombassa C) strict vegetarianism D) promotion of nonviolence

B

Which factor often incites conflict between Muslims and Hindus in South Asia? A) intermarriage B) religious rules about food C) the conversion of Muslims to Hinduism to enjoy high-caste status D) historical conflict between Gandhi and Nehru

B

Which statement does NOT describe an intended or unintended effect of India's diversion of the Ganga River's flow to Kolkata? A) Channels have been flushed out where silt is accumulating and hampering river traffic. B) The people of Bangladesh have benefited at the expense of the citizens of Kolkata. C) Salt water from the Bay of Bengal penetrates inland, ruining agricultural fields. D) The fishing industry in Bangladesh has been damaged

B

Which statement is NOT true of the languages spoken in South Asia? A) Hundreds of distinct languages are spoken in the region. B) Some of the languages spoken in the region developed as a result of long periods of isolation experienced by particular groups. C) Hindi is the native language of the majority of the South Asian people. D) Both Hindi and English are commonly spoken in the region.

B

While many migrants move to cities for education, training, or business opportunities, they likely will NOT experience: A) a lack of adequate housing, forcing them to live in large, rambling shantytowns. B) a lack of any cell phone service, as areas are too crowded for reliable service. C) children working in risky settings, instead of attending schools. D) women being forced or recruited into sex work to make ends meet.

B

India's yearly diversion of the Ganga River deprives the people of what South Asian country of a normal flow of the river, causing agricultural losses and ecological disruption?

Bangladesh

The country with the most people vulnerable to the effects of a rise in sea level is _____.

Bangladesh

After a civil war in 1971, East Pakistan gained its independence from West Pakistan and became what present-day country?

Bangladesh (East Pakistan)

An explosion in a pesticide factory in which Indian city caused 15,000 deaths in 1984?

Bhopal

Name the two South Asian countries in which Buddhism is practiced by a majority of the people.

Bhutan and Sri Lanka

The MOST privileged of the castes in terms of ritual status are the:

Brahmins

Which has NOT been a policy of the Afghani Taliban? A) the minimization of Western ways B) strict enforcement of shari'a C) public support for opium production D) promotion of fundamental Islamic education

C

Which statement captures the idea of microcredit that has developed in South Asia? A) accepts development loans only from lenders in the developing world B) forgives all but a meager 5 percent of foreign debt owed by countries C) makes small loans available to poor entrepreneurs D) offers collateral-free loans to private, locally owned companies

C

Which statement does NOT accurately describe population patterns in South Asia? A) South Asia is the most densely populated region on the planet. B) The region already has more people than China, on half the land area. C) Future population predictions for the region show growth rates holding steady. D) The fertility rate is as low as 2.5 in some countries in the region

C

Which woman would typically have the least individual freedom? A) a rural, higher-caste Muslim woman B) an urban, lower-caste Hindu woman C) a rural, higher-caste Hindu woman D) an urban, lower-caste Muslim woman

C

Because South Asia has clear physical boundaries that set it apart from the rest of the Asian continent, the term _____ is often used to refer to the entire Indian peninsula

subcontient