World Geography - SOL Practice Test 1

In which area of the world can one expect to find the most active earthquakes and volcanoes?
1. Mediterranean Sea
2. Mid Atlantic Ocean
3. Caribbean Sea
4. The Pacific Rim
The intensity of this earthquake would be measured in terms of
1. isotherms
2. the Richter scale
3. the Celsius scale
4. barometric pressure
The dotted line running across the map represents
1. major highway
2. river
3. fault line
4. contour line
The varying widths of the lines on the map most probably indicate the
1. strength of ocean currents
2. type of trade
3. volume of trade
4. type of transportation used
What important international product is represented on this map?
1. diamonds
2. wheat
3. oil
4. textiles
The largest quantities of the product represented in the map is exported from which region of the world?
1. Southwest Asia
2. South Asia
3. Sub-Saharan Africa
4. East Asia
What contributes to the greenhouse effect?
1. Soil erosion
2. Burning fuels such as oil, coal, and gas
3. Water erosion
4. Destroying the forest by the slash and burn technique
What percentage of the TOTAL population of Country 1 is age 70 or over?
1. 1.0%
2. 1.2%
3. 2.2%
4. 3.0%
Country 1 represents the population distribution of
1. a developed country
2. a developing country
3. a country in North America
4. a country in Europe
Country 2 represents the population distribution of
1. a developed country
2. a developing country
3. a country in Asia
4. a country in Africa
Country 2 represents a country whose population is
1. staying the same
2. doubling in 20 years
3. shrinking
4. growing
Major oil-producing nations joined together to form the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as a means of
1. increasing their control of markets and prices for their product
2. limiting access of other nations to solar power
3. promoting the production of high-quality fossil fuels
4. improving communication and transportation among developing nations
Florida is an example of
1. an isthmus
2. an island
3. a penninsula
4. a plateau
Quebec, Canada can be considered a cultural region because of its
1. landforms
2. climate
3. language
4. economy
What religion is practiced by most people in India?
1. Confucianism
2. Buddhism
3. Christianity
4. Hinduism
The "Corn Belt" is a region in the United States defined on the basis of
1. population
2. economic activity
3. transportation networks
4. political organization
The world's largest ocean is the
1. Atlantic
2. Arctic
3. Indian
4. Pacific
The region described in this table is
1. South America
2. Africa
3. North America
4. Australia
The number 1 on the map shows
1. Lake Erie
2. Lake Huron
3. Lake Superior
4. Lake Michigan
The number 2 on the map shows
1. the Missouri River
2. the Mississippi River
3. the Colorado River
4. the Columbia River
The number 3 on the map shows
1. the Corn Belt
2. the Wheat Belt
3. the Sun Belt
4. the Rust Belt
The number 4 on the map shows
1. the Colorado river
2. the Columbia River
3. the St. Lawrence River
4. the Rio Grande River
Which of the four oceans would have the least amont of sea traffic?
1. Atlantic
2. Arctic
3. Indian
4. Pacific
On a map, the smaller the scale of miles the
1. longer the distance between two points
2. shorter the distance between two points
3. more detail will be shown on the map
4. less detail will be shown on the map
Most of the people in the world are members of which religion?
1. Islam
2. Hinduism
3. Judaism
4. Christianity
Which of the following is a nation of people without a country?
1. Kurdistan
2. Iran
3. Turkmenistan
4. Iraq
Which two nations are most likely to have a conflict over natural resources?
1. Nation A and Nation B
2. Nation B and Nation C
3. Nation A and Nation D
4. Nation C and Nation D
Which nation is most likely to have a desert?
1. Nation A
2. Nation B
3. Nation C
4. Nation D
Which nation is most likely to herd animals?
1. Nation A
2. Nation B
3. Nation C
4. Nation D
Which nations are most likely to be landlocked?
1. Nation A and Nation B
2. Nation B and Nation C
3. Nation C and Nation D
4. Nation D and Nation A
Which nation is most likely to have a shipping port?
1. Nation A
2. Nation B
3. Nation C
4. Nation D
What direction is the grassland from the coalfield?
1. Northeast
2. Southeast
3. Northwest
4. Southwest
What is the approximate distance between the mouth of the Red River and the mouth of the Charles River?
1. 100 miles
2. 200 miles
3. 300 miles
4. 400 miles
The source of the Red River and the Charles River can be found in the
1. oil fields
2. grassland
3. desert
4. mountains
Europe experiences a mild climate for its latitude belt because
1. it is located in the tropics
2. the North Atlantic Drift brings warm water to the region
3. the Equinox determines the weather for 12 months
4. it is located at sea level
What is an important reason that countries join international organizations like the United Nations?
1. Countries who do not join usually lose their independence and sovereignty.
2. Many of the world's problems involve more than one country.
3. Citizens want their countries to join as many international organizations as possible.
4. Such organizations force countries to join.
In order to grow food in the desert, farmers would need to
1. cut down trees
2. herd animals
3. build new houses
4. irrigate the land
Switzerland is located in the middle of which mountain range?
1. Alps
2. Andes
3. Urals
4. Pyrenees
According to the graph, the largest oil reserves in 1986 were in the
1. Persian Gulf region
2. Caribbean region
3. Northern Siberia
4. Gulf of Guinea
Which is the main reason that many early peoples settled in river valleys?
1. River valleys tended to be cooler than highland regions.
2. River valleys were virtually free of danger from wild animals.
3. River valleys were easier to defend from attack than were highland regions.
4. River valleys were fertile because floodwaters left rich soil on the banks.
What would a scientist probably study to predict where acid rain would fall?
1. the atomic structures of sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen
2. mass-transit systems that serve major cities
3. wind patterns that prevail over major manufacturing areas
4. the location of sewage-treatment plants
Which of the following people would probably have the greatest choice of places to live?
1. cattle rancher
2. nurse
3. miner
4. oil refinery technician
What is an important reason that skyscrapers were built in American cities?
1. Construction companies liked the really high buildings.
2. Skyscrapers allowed tenants to create a closer community.
3. Skyscrapers allowed people to use small amounts of land more efficiently.
4. Citizens wanted to be safe from street crimes.
The island shown on the map has four cities: A, B, C, and D. Based only on the geographical features shown on the map, which city probably has the largest population?
1. City A
2. City B
3. City C
4. City D
This map would be most useful to a
1. pilot flying from Europe to South America
2. pilot flying from Canada to Scandinavia
3. person sailing to Antarctica
4. person sailing in tropical seas
Latitude on this map is represented by
1. circles
2. shaded areas
3. straight lines
4. convergent lines
This map is a
1. Mercator projection
2. Robinson projection
3. interrupted projection
4. polar projection
Under which of the following circumstances would you be most likely to find snow in equatorial regions?
1. in areas below sea level
2. in areas at high latitudes
3. in areas at high elevations
4. in winter
Traditional agriculture or subsistence farming depends on
1. fertilizers
2. human labor
3. machinery
4. pesticides
People in developed countries generally
1. have poor medical care
2. are traditional farmers
3. have shortages of food
4. are technologically advanced
The population distribution of the world shows that
1. the continents are evenly populated
2. the continents are not evenly populated
3. the world's population is decreasing
4. the world's population has leveled off
The population pattern or map that shows where most of the people in the world live is
1. population diffusion
2. economic disparity
3. population distribution
4. economic distribution
The latitude belt on the map that is in region B is the
1. middle belt
2. high belt
3. low belt
The region of the world where the most people live is
1. 1
2. 4
3. 5
4. 6
The region of the world that is the poorest is
1. 2
2. 3
3. 6
4. 5
The region of the world that has the most oil is
1. 2
2. 1
3. 6
4. 5
The regions of the world that are the most developed are regions
1. 3, 4, 6, 7
2. 1, 2, 5, 6
3. 2, 5, 6, 7
4. 1, 4, 7, 9
The region of the world that has the largest coniferous forest is
1. 8
2. 2
3. 6
4. 3
The Amazon Rainforest is located in region
1. 2
2. 3
3. 9
4. 1
The Great Barrier Reef is located near number
1. 6
2. 3
3. 5
4. 9