Chapter One- Essentials of Geography
A degree of longitude at the equator is roughly________ in length. A degree of longitude at the poles is ________ in length
111 km; 0 km
If it is 10:00 A.M. in Miami, Florida (Eastern time zone), what time is it in Los Angeles, California, located 3 time zones to the west in the Pacific Time zone?
7 A.M.
Which of the following best describes the field of physical geography?
The spatial analysis of all the physical elements, processes, and systems that make up the environment.
A great circle is
a circle of circumference whose center coincides with the center of Earth.
Earth's equator is an example of
a great circle.
If you wanted a map with a lot of detail of a small area you would want a
a large scale map.
A scale of 1:24,000 is regarded as
a large scale.
Which of the following is the most popular and widely used map prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey?
a topographic map
The part of geography that embodies map making is known as
cartography.
In terms of matter and resources, the Earth is essentially a(n) ________ system; In terms of energy, the Earth is a(n) ________ system.
closed; open
The letters A.M. stand for
ante meridiem.
Standard time zones
are 15° wide because Earth rotates through that distance in one hour.
UTC is based on
average time calculations from atomic clocks collected worldwide
Living systems are considered
biotic.
The techniques of adjusting geospatial datasets in real time to make changes to maps and other visual models is called
geovisualization.
The amount of detail on large scale maps is generally ________ than on than on small scale maps.
greater
Relative to the five fundamental themes of geography, resource management and sustainable growth refer to
human-Earth relationships.
According to the text, the three inorganic Earth realms are the
hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere.
The carbon dioxide absorbed by plants is an example of an ________ to a forest and an ________ from the atmosphere.
input; output
The main methodology governing geographic inquiry
involves spatial analysis.
Geography
is derived from geo and graphein; literally, "to write Earth."
On the Mercator projection, areas at high latitudes appear
larger than areas of the same size located nearer to the equator.
Which of the following is easily determined using the position of the Sun or stars?
latitude
How far north you live from the equator is measured as your ________, whereas an imaginary line marking all those places at that same distance north of the equator is called a ________.
latitude; parallel
Relative to the five fundamental themes of geography, your home address is best described within which of the themes?
location
An angular distance measured east or west of a prime meridian from the center of Earth is termed
longitude.
The transformation of a spherical global to a 2D surface is a
map projection.
A line connecting all points along the same longitudinal angle is called a
meridian.
Relative to the five fundamental themes of geography, communication and diffusion refer to
movement.
Which of the following is an example of a closed system?
the Earth (in terms of matter)
The meridian opposite of Earth's prime meridian (0° longitude) is called
the International Date Line.
The word spatial refers to
the nature and character of physical space.
The key idea behind the scientific method is
the testing of ideas through controlled observations and experiments.
Which of the following is the most strongly supported by experimental and observational evidence?
theory
A large flood in a river may cause abrupt shifts leading to the carving of a new channel. The point at which this change occurs is a(n)
threshold.
Around the Grand Canyon the predators of deer were largely exterminated by people. The deer population grew rapidly as a result of the lack of predators until the deer exhausted their food supply. This led to a massive die-off (known as a population crash) and hundreds of deer died of starvation. The point at which the food supply no longer supported the large deer population can best be considered a
threshold.
As we burn fossil fuels and release carbon dioxide, the temperature of our planet and the oceans will increase. When the oceans warm they will release more carbon dioxide, further warming the planet and oceans. If this occurs rapidly and causes a sudden rise in temperature, a(n) ________ has been crossed and that the planet has moved into a state of ________.
threshold; disequilibrium
If it is 10:00 PM on July 3rd at 30° west, what date and time is it at 15° east?
July 4th; 1 A.M.
Which of the following satellite remote sensing platforms was launched in 2013?
Landsat 8
Which of the following is true of the biosphere?
Life processes generally are shaped to the abiotic spheres.
If you were standing at 60° north latitude you would be within which latitudinal geographic zone?
subarctic
Which map projection is best at reducing distortion?
All map projections distort.
Which of the following best describes Geographic Information Systems?
Computer-based tool for management and analysis of geographic information.
Who made a significant, early contribution to cartography by adding a grid and orienting the map with north at the top? He also divided the circumference of Earth into 360°, with each degree comprising 60 minutes, and each minute comprising 60 seconds.
Ptolemyin the second century A.D.
Which of the following best describes the condition of steady-state equilibrium?
System inputs and outputs fluctuate around a stable average so the system does not move far from its average condition.
Which of the following is true of the 1884 treaty establishing the prime meridian (0°)?
The Greenwich meridian was established as the prime meridian by the treaty.
A physical geographer would likely not study
The diffusion of various religions from the so-called Middle East.
If a clock on a ship indicates that it is 2:00 P.M. in its home port, while another clock on the ship indicates that it is 12:00 noon at the ship's present location, what is the difference in longitude between the ship's position and its home port?
The ship is 30° west of its home port.
Which of the following is not true of meridians?
They are lines that run in an east-west direction.
A satellite imaging system that beams electromagnetic energy at the surface and then records the energy that is reflected is classified as a(n) ________ system.
active
A line of tangency (also called a standard line) is a line
along which no distortion occurs.
Longitude is
an angular distance measured east or west of a prime meridian.
If City A is located 35° west of City B, the time at City A is ________ that at City B.
earlier than
Which of the following terms characterizes the discipline of geography?
eclectic and integrative
The capacity to change the motion of, or to do work on, matter is the definition of
energy
The diameter of Earth is largest when measured around the
equator.
What type of feedback maintains stability in a system; i.e., what type of feedback keeps a system functioning properly?
negative
Predator/prey relationships are an example of
negative feedback, because prey populations tend to achieve a balance with the number of predators.
If Earth warmed up, and more snow fell because of more water vapor in the atmosphere, and that snow then reduced Earth's temperature, which increased snow cover, then the initial increase in snow fall would be ________ feedback, while the continued increase in snow fall would be ________ feedback.
negative; positive
Relative to the five fundamental themes of geography, the Cienega de Santa Clara, an ecotourism destination on the Colorado River delta, is best described within which of the five themes?
place
As arctic temperatures rise, summer sea ice and glacial melt accelerates; lighter color surfaces are thereby replaced with darker-colored surfaces leading to more absorption and surface heating. This is an example of a(n) ________ feedback.
positive
The letters P.M. stand for
post meridiem.
A scale of 1:900,000 is ________a scale of 1:24,000.
smaller than
"Geography" literally means
to write (about) Earth.
Where does the greatest distortion in a Mercator projection occur?
towards the poles.
If you were standing at 20° north latitude you would be within which latitudinal geographic zone?
tropical
The realization that Earth was a sphere
was first made by Pythagoras, 580-500 B.C.
A scale given as "one centimeter to one kilometer" is an example of a
written scale.
A scale of 1 inch = 8 miles is an example of a
written scale.