Download The 5 Themes of Geography Assessment

The Five Themes of Geography
Practice Test
September, 2010
Name_________________________________
1. Write the names of the 5 themes of Geography in the space below.
6. What are the two types of location used by Geographers? Write the
correct types in the space below.
Use the first letter of the types of location from question 6 to tell which type
of location best fits the following situations.
____8. An airplane is lost in heavy fog on a flight from Boston to Baltimore.
The control tower at BWI gives the pilot information about the planes position.
____9. Your new neighbor asks you for directions to the Inner Harbor.
____10. You give a 6th grader directions to design and woodworking.
____11. A group of explorers is lost in the tropical rainforest of Brazil. They
use a GPS device to pinpoint their exact location.
____12. Annapolis is located about 27 miles southeast from Baltimore.
____13. Denver is found in Colorado.
____14. London, England (United Kingdom) is located at 52 degrees north
latitude and 0 degrees longitude.
____15. Maryland is found in the eastern United States.
____16. A Russian submarine in sinking in the Pacific Ocean. It sends a
distress signal and waits for rescue ships to arrive.
____17. A friend gives you tickets to the Ravens vs. Bengals football game.
The seats are in Section 63, Row T, and seat numbers 16, 17, 18 and 19.
Write the name of each of the Five Themes of Geography that best fits
the descriptions that follow.
18.____________________ This theme tells you what is at a given location.
It gives meaning to a location by detailing the many physical and human
features, which may be found there.
19.____________________This theme tells geographers where places are
found on the map.
20.____________________These places share common characteristics.
They are alike in some way.
21.____________________Humans are able to travel great distances on the
Earth. They often take with them their ideas, language, religion or other
aspects of their culture. We transport and exchange resources to produce the
things that we need...
22.______________________________________ Humans modify (change)
their surroundings and change their habits according to changes in their
environment.
Use the first letter of each theme (except as noted) to indicate which theme
could be used to best describe the following situations. Please note: Use a
“Z” for Relationship or Human /Environment Interaction.
____23. The Rocky Mountains cover parts of 5 western states.
____24. New York City is in New York State.
____25. Our Severn River is not the first. Our Severn gets its name from the
Severn River found in England (United Kingdom).
____26. Boston, New Orleans, Chicago and some other U.S. cities have
neighborhoods which were settled by immigrants from Ireland during the
early 1900’s.
____27. Subaru, a major Japanese automaker, sells most of its cars and
trucks in The United States.
____28. Miami, Florida is a city of wonder. From the clear skies and warm
breezes over the great beaches, to the Little Havana neighborhood, Miami
offers great shops and fine dining along the streets of South Beach. Miami is
also the second largest city in Florida. Miami is like no other city on Earth.
____29. The Sahara Desert covers parts of about a dozen nations in North
Africa. It is one of the hottest and driest places on Earth. The Gobi, The
Arabian, The Mojave (pronounced mo-hav-ee) and the Namib Deserts share
some of the physical features of the Sahara.
____30. Honda is a leader in producing highly efficient cars. The Honda Civic
Hybrid can go about 50 miles on just one gallon of gasoline. This car uses a
small gasoline engine and an electric motor powered by batteries. Honda
thinks that this type of car will help cut air pollution.
____31. The Mills Corporation had to clear several hundred acres of land to
build the Arundel Mills Mall project Trees were cut down and shoppers got
another choice in shopping centers.
____32. Jane went on a vacation in Germany. While she was there, she was
exposed to the flu. Sure enough, Janey got sick when she arrived home. Her
mom and sister caught the “bug” from her. Her mom went to work and some
of her co-workers caught it and her sister went to school, and you guessed it,
some of her classmates got sick too. In a month, it seemed that about half of
the town was “down” with the flu.
____33. Sometimes they call it “The Big Easy”. New Orleans is noted for its
wonderful food and lively jazz. The Mississippi winds gently through town on
its way to the Gulf of Mexico. New Orleans was once the capital of the French
Territory in America. The Cajun and Creole culture found here still has roots
in French culture. In the spring, Mardi Gras or “Fat Tuesday” brings visitors
from around the world.
Selected Response Questions
_____34. Which of the following is not one of the five themes?
A. place
B. location
C. longitude
D. movement
_____35. Which type of location is used in “every day” situations?
A. absolute location
B. latitude and longitude
C. relative locations
D. abstract locations
_____36. If you were told that Denver, Colorado is at 39 degrees north latitude
and 105 degrees west longitude, which type of location does this
represent?
A. absolute location
B. grid system
C. relative location
D. grid location
_____37. The use of the GPS (Global Position System) to navigate is based on
A. relative locations
B. abstract locations
C. time zones
D. latitude and longitude
_____38. Baltimore is about 12 miles northwest from Glen Burnie. This
suggests a(n)
A. relative location
B. absolute location
C. grid system
D. precise location
_____39. This theme tells us what is at a given location. It gives meaning to
a location by detailing the many physical and human features, which
may be found there. This theme is called
A. location.
B. place.
C. movement.
D. human-environment interaction.
E. regions.
_____40. This theme tells geographers where places are found on the map.
We call this theme
A. location.
B. place.
C. movement.
D. human-environment interaction.
E. regions.
_____41. These places share common characteristics. They are alike in
some way. Geographers call this theme
A. location.
B. place.
C. movement.
D. human-environment interaction.
E. regions.
_____42. Humans are able to travel great distances on the Earth. They often
take with them their ideas, language, religion or other aspects of their
culture. We transport resources to produce the things that we need.
This theme is called
A. location.
B. place.
C. movement.
D. human-environment interaction.
E. regions.
_____43. Humans modify (change) their surroundings and change their
habits according to their environment. Which theme describes this
relationship?
A. location
B. place
C. movement
D. human-environment interaction
E. regions
_____44. The Toyota Motor Company is the largest automaker in the world.
Its Prius is often nicknamed the “Green Machine”. This car uses a
hybrid power system. The Prius runs on an electric motor backed-up by
a small gasoline engine. Tests show that the Prius can travel nearly 50
miles on each gallon of gas. Toyota thinks that this is the most
environmentally friendly mass-produced car ever made. It was named
“Car of the Year” at the 2004 Detroit International Auto Show. Which
theme best describes this low pollution car?
A. location
B. place
C. movement
D. human-environment interaction
E. regions
_____45. Hurricanes hit Florida last year with devastating winds and very
heavy rains. Thousands of people went to emergency shelters to wait
out the storms. Millions lost electrical power, and estimates of property
damage were billions of dollars. Which theme could best be used to
explain the damage and disruption caused by the hurricanes?
A. location
B. place
C. movement
D. human-environment interaction
E. regions
_____46. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is an engineering marvel. The twin
spans cross about 4.3 miles of open water in the Upper Bay. It
connects Central Maryland with Maryland’s Eastern Shore. More than
23 million vehicles crossed the bridge last year. The bridge is a vital
link for beach-goers who flock to Maryland and Delaware beaches
each summer. Which theme is best used to describe the use of the
bridge?
A. location
B. place
C. movement
D. human-environment interaction
E. regions
_____47. West Nile Virus is a disease carried by mosquitoes. Since it was
first found in the Northeastern U.S. in 1999, the virus has worked its
way westward, so that by 2002, there were confirmed human cases in
Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and California. By 2003, the
government reported that the West Nile virus had been found in 46
states around the US. The only states without any reported cases in
2003 were Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska. Which theme
could be used to explain the spread of West Nile Virus?
A. location
B. place
C. movement
D. human-environment interaction
E. regions
_____48. Which of these themes is used by geographers to explain where
important features are found on the Earth?
A. place
B. human-environment interaction
C. location
D. movement
_____49. A severe outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu) was found to have
infected and killed people living in parts of Southeast Asia. The CDC
(Centers for Disease Control) here in the U.S. issued travel warnings
for Americans traveling to this region. Which theme of geography
prompted the CDC warning?
A. place
B. human-environment interaction
C. location
D. movement
_____50. The Port of Baltimore generates economic activity for Maryland. It
is one of Maryland’s largest employers. Over 15,000 people work at the
port facilities. Over a billion dollars worth of business results from port
operation each year. Ships from all around the world bring trade goods
into the port. In return, Maryland companies (and others) can have easy
access to international markets. Which theme of geography best
describes the activity at the port?
A. place
B. human-environment interaction
C. location
D. movement
E. regions
_____51. Modern jet aviation is a wonder of science. Huge planes traveling
hundreds of miles per hour land and takeoff around the globe each day.
They often travel thousands of miles in a single flight. The pilots of
these aircraft use high-tech navigation systems to find the best route
from airport to airport. They are able to fly through storms, fog and
snow even in total darkness. Which theme of geography could best be
used to describe how modern aircraft navigate?
A. place
B. location
C. movement
D. regions
_____52. In September 2003, Hurricane Isabel caused major property
damaged and over a million people in Maryland lost electric power for
an extended time. Some areas of Maryland, especially waterfront
properties, have yet to be rebuilt. Which theme does the damage and
recovery from Isabel represent?
A. place
B. movement
C. human-environment interaction
D. regions
E. location
_____53. The United States is the largest consumer (user) of petroleum (oil)
of any nation on Earth. The problem is that we don’t produce nearly
enough oil ourselves. The United States must import large supplies of
much-needed oil. Which theme describes the U.S. need to import oil?
A. place
B. movement
C. human-environment interaction
D. regions
E. location
_____54. The Maryland oyster is a jewel of the Chesapeake Bay. Fried,
stewed, or even eaten raw, they are a joy for oyster lovers everywhere.
Unfortunately, due to pollution, disease and over-harvesting, 2005
was the worst year ever for Chesapeake Bay oyster harvesting. Which
theme best describes the poor 2005 oyster harvest?
A. movement
B. place
C. regions
D. location
E. human-environment interaction
_____55. Which theme would be used to explain the characteristics of a
given location?
A. place
B. absolute location
C. movement
D. regions
_____ 56. Have you ever heard of a fish called the Northern Snakehead?
Most people in Maryland had never heard about this fish either, until a
large Northern Snakehead was caught in a small pond in Crofton in
Anne Arundel County. Although this fish is common in Asia, it is so
aggressive that Maryland officials thought that the fish could devour our
native species and dominate the food chain. Nicknamed “Frankenfish”,
the Snakehead can even travel across land for short distances! The
Maryland DNR (Department of Natural Resources) decided to poison
the Crofton pond and kill all of the fish in an effort to control the spread
of the Snakehead. In September of 2002, the pond was poisoned and
all of the fish were killed. Several large Snakeheads and over 1,000
smaller ones were recovered after the poisoning. Which theme could be
used to describe the DNR efforts to control the Northern Snakehead?
A. place
B. relative location
C. movement
D. location
E. regions