Official Study Guide Questions: World Geography

d. wind speed

A compass is to direction as an anemometer is to WHAT? a. ocean depth b. elevation c. atmospheric pressure d. wind speed

glacier/ice sheet

A moraine is made up of soil, rocks, and other materials that have been deposited by the action of what kind of physical feature?

d. Christianity

About 90 percent of Poland's people adhere to which religion?

South Africa

Afrikaners are the descendants of European settlers who mostly live in which present-day African country?

islands

An archipelago is a group of what physical features found in a body of water?

Africa

Both the Prime Meridian and the Equator cross which continent?

Sri Lanka

Ceylon tea is grown on hillsides of what South Asian country?

South America

Chinchillas and llamas are native to which continent?

Bhutan

Conflict between the Bhote [VOTE-ay] and the Nepalese ethnic groups has caused large refugee movements away from the smallest country in the Himalayas. Name this country.

b. Japanese

Cyrillic is to Russian as Kanji and Kana characters are to WHAT? a. Arabic b. Japanese c. Latin d. Gaelic

Australia

Gold and uranium are found in the Outback, an interior region of which country bordering on the Pacific and Indian Oceans?

New Zealand

Hakas, dances meant to frighten enemies, are traditional part of the Maori culture in which island nation?

Ireland

Highway signs in both Gaelic and English are common in which country?

c. manufacturing

If mining is a primary economic activity, which of the following is a secondary economic activity? a. banking b. fishing c. manufacturing d. education

India

Mumbai is a major port city in which country that has a population of more than one billion people?

Venezuela

Over two million barrels of oil a day are exported from what South American country with a border on the Caribbean Sea?

Philippines

Part of the Spanish colonial empire until 1898, which Southeast Asian island country is predominantly Roman Catholic?

Sweden

People in the most populous Scandinavian country celebrate a festival of lights called St. Lucia Day to mark the start of the Christmas season. Name this country.

Andes

Potatoes were first cultivated more than a thousand years ago by people living in which mountain system in the Western Hemisphere?

d. Mumbai

Saigon is to Ho Chi Minh City as Bombay is to WHAT? a. Melbourne b. Istanbul c. Bucharest d. Mumbai

India

Sanskrit, preserved in Hindu sacred writings, is an ancient language in which country?

Africa

Scientists believe that about 120 million years ago, South America began to break away from which other continent?

Tanzania

Serengeti National Park, a vast grassland southeast of Lake Victoria, was established in 1951 in which country?

Iceland

Some of the oldest sagas, which are based on history and legends, were written in the 13th century in what island country in the North Atlantic?

India

Spices such as cinnamon, cumin, chili, and tumeric have been used not only as flavoring but also as medicine in South Asia's largest country. Name this country.

North America

The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that flows along the eastern coast of which continent?

a. Roman

The forum was the central gathering place in the cities of which culture? a. Roman b. Danish c. Russian d. French

Korea Peninsula

The hangul, a 24-letter alphabet, is used to write the language of two countries on a peninsula that borders the Yellow Sea. Name this PENINSULA.

Rhine River

The port of Rotterdam is built on the delta of which major European river?

meteorology

The study of the processes in Earth's atmosphere that produce day-to-day weather is called what?

fjord

What Norwegian word is used for a narrow, steep-sided inlet of the sea that was carved by a glacier?

gulf

What is the term for a part of an ocean or sea that cuts far into the bordering landmass and may contain one or more bays?

oasis

What is the term for an area of desert where an underground water source supports vegetation growth?

rain forest/selva

What is the term for the ecosystem generally consisting of broadleaf evergreen trees that is found in wet tropical areas such as the Amazon basin?

epicenter

What is the term for the point on Earth's surface directly above the place where an earthquake originates?

bedrock

What is the term for the solid rock that lies underneath sand, clay, or other loose material--caprock or bedrock?

Mandarin

What language is spoken by more Chinese than any other language?

jet stream

What term describes a narrow, fast-moving wind current found at high altitudes--doldrums or jet stream?

monsoon

What term describes the seasonal shift in wind direction that brings alternate very wet and very dry seasons to India and much of Southeast Asia--monsoon or El Niño?

Namibia

Which country is NOT crossed by the Nile River--Namibia, Egypt, or Sudan?

Uzbekistan

Which country is NOT in Europe--Poland, Uzbekistan, or Romania?

Madagascar

The Tropic of Capricorn passes through the largest island in the Indian Ocean. Name the island.

d. Abel Tasman

What is the name of the Dutch explorer who, in 1642, became the first European to sight New Zealand? a. Prince Henry the Navigator b. James Cook c. Ferdinand Magellan d. Abel Tasman

seismologist

What is the term for a geoscientist who studies earthquakes--seismologist or meteorologist?

strait/channel

What is the term for a narrow, natural waterway that connects two larger bodies of water?

Egypt

In ancient times the papyrus plant, used for making paper, grew along the Nile River Delta in which country?

Poland

The Vistula River and Bialowieza National Park--northern Europe's largest area of virgin forest and home to the European bison--are in which country?

United Kingdom

The Yorkshire terrier was named for a region in which country in Western Europe?

Romania

Which country does NOT border Russia--Mongolia, Romania, or Ukraine?

Sweden

Which country does NOT border the Arctic Ocean--Canada, Russia, or Sweden?

Botswana

Which country does NOT include part of the Sahara--Algeria, Botswana, or Libya?

San Marino

According to tradition, a small country located in a mountainous region of Italy was settled by Christians escaping persecution in the fourth century. Name this country.

United Kingdom/Great Britain/Britain

Hadrian's Wall, a defensive structure built by the Romans, stretches across which country?

d. Oklahoma

In 1838, the Cherokee Indians followed the Trail of Tears in a forced migration from Tennessee to which state? a. Arizona b. Texas c. Colorado d. Oklahoma

frost action

In high mountain areas, rocks are often weathered by which process--frost action or wave refraction?

Cyprus

Invaded by Turkish forces in 1974, which Mediterranean island is divided between the Turkish-controlled north and the Greek south?

Buenos Aires

La Boca is an Italian neighborhood in Argentina's most populous city. Name this port city.

Tasmania

The Bass Strait separates mainland Australia from which island?

Antarctica

The Bellinghausen [BEH-lings-HOW-zen] Sea and the Ross Sea both border which continent?

Europe

The Benelux Countries get their name from the first letters of three countries located on what continent?

Afghanistan

The Central Asian nations of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan all border what landlocked country in the Hindu Kush Mountains?

Israel

The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are territories bordering what country on the Mediterranean coast of Southwest Asia.

Bogatá

The Gold Museum, which contains a large collection of pre-Columbian gold objects, is located in the capital city east of the Magdalena River. Name this city.

Australia

The Great Dividing Range lies in the eastern part of which continent?

Madagascar

The Malagasy have strong ties with the French and live on the largest island in the Indian Ocean. Name this island.

Europe

The Middle East serves as a crossroads between Asia, Africa, and what other continent?

Europe

The North Atlantic current brings warm waters from the tropics to the west coast of which continent?

b. Gulf of Mexico

The Olmec, one of Middle America's first civilizations, lived in a region bordering which body of water? a. Gulf of California b. Gulf of Mexico c. Caribbean Sea d. Chesapeake Bay

b. Middle East

The dinar is the official currency of several countries in which region? a. Caribbean Sea b. Middle East c. Pacific Rim d. Sub-Saharan Africa

South America

The samba, which was originally brought from Africa, is a dance that was adapted and is highly popular on which other continent?

Australia

The world's longest coral reef is in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of which continent?

Himalaya

Tibetan legend says that a mysterious creature called a yeti roams the snowy slopes of what mountain range?

Belgium

To visit the home of the famous painter Rubens and to walk through the world's largest diamond district in Antwerp, you would travel to what country?

scale

What feature on a map allows people to calculate the actual distance between two places shown on the map?

delta

What term is used for the often triangular-shaped deposit of sediment sometimes found at the mouth of a river?

geothermal energy

What term is used for the type of heat energy within the Earth that can be used to generate electricity?

plate tectonics/continental drift

What theory explains the shifting positions and ongoing movements of the continents?

d. Hispaniola

Which Caribbean island has oil-refining centers at San Fernando and Pointe-à-Pierre? a. Cuba b. Jamaica c. Trinidad d. Hispaniola

Guatemala

Which Central American country located just northwest of El Salvador has 23 officially recognized indigenous languages?

California

Which U.S. state has the most votes in the electoral college, because it has the largest population and the most members of Congress?

Côte d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast

Which West African nation, east of Liberia, is the largest cocoa producer in the world?

b. Osaka

Which city is part of a major industrial region in Japan? a. Hong Kong b. Osaka c. Seoul d. Taipei

Africa

Which continent is second largest in area?

Asia

Which continent produces the largest total amount of rice?

Tanzania

Which country does NOT border the Atlantic Ocean--Mauritania, Cameroon, or Tanzania?

Mexico

Which country does NOT have a canal linking two major bodies of water--Mexico, Panama, or Egypt?

France

Which country does NOT have land in the subarctic climate zone--France, Finland, or Sweden?

Denmark

Which country has more people who speak a Germanic language--Denmark or Azerbaijan?

Indonesia

Which country has the world's largest Muslim population--Indonesia or Mexico?

France

Which country is NOT a major producer of petroleum--Algeria, France, or Saudi Arabia?

Papua New Guinea

Which country is NOT landlocked--Papua New Guinea, Mali, or Belarus?

Seychelles

Which country is NOT located in the Caribbean--Bahamas, Seychelles, or Barbados?

Thailand

Which country is NOT made up of a group of islands--Japan, Thailand, or the Philippines?

Turkey

Which country moved its capital from Istanbul to the more centrally located Ankara in the early 20th century?

Luxembourg

Which landlocked European country, a grand duchy, is surrounded by Belgium, Germany, and France?

c. Polynesians

Which people have historically used outrigger and double canoes to travel great distances over open seas? a. Bedouin b. San c. Polynesians d. Vikings

intermittent

Which term describes a body of water that occasionally or seasonally dries up--intermittent or brackish?

confluence

Which term describes the point at which two streams meet--fissure or confluence?

atoll

Which term is used for a circular coral reef island that surrounds a lagoon--atoll or abyss?

Mediterranean

Which type of climate is characterized by dry summers and mild, wet winters--tropical wet or Mediterranean?