Topic Quiz: Geography and the World

Question 1 of 10 · Development of classical civilizations

Drag and drop

Greece, Rome, Persia, and the Maya each left a lasting mark on the world. Move each tile into the column of the civilization that produced it. One tile is left over because it belongs to a civilization not shown.

GreeceRomePersiaMaya

Tap a tile, then tap a box to place it.

Hint

Think of one signature item for each: a form of government, a kind of engineering, a long road, and a calendar. The leftover item comes from a civilization not in the table.

Question 2 of 10 · Environment and societal development

Water on the Dry Plains

Source 1 — An excerpt from a report by a fictional government surveyor, written for this lesson in the style of the 1880s

(1) West of the 100th meridian, the rain that falls each year is too little for the kind of farming practiced in the East. A farmer who plows these plains and waits for rain will, in most years, wait in vain.

(2) Some land agents tell settlers that rain will follow the plow, and that breaking the sod will itself bring more rain. I have found no evidence to support this belief.

(3) The land here is plentiful; the water is not. The amount of land that can be farmed is limited by the water in the streams. I therefore recommend that farms be laid out so that each one reaches a stream, and that the number of settlers be matched to the water available.

Source 2 — A modern summary written for this lesson

(1) In the twentieth century, farmers on the Great Plains found a new source of water: the High Plains Aquifer, also called the Ogallala Aquifer, a huge layer of water-filled sand and gravel underground. It lies beneath parts of eight states, from South Dakota to Texas.

(2) After World War II, powerful pumps and center-pivot sprinklers allowed farmers far from any stream to grow corn, wheat, and cotton. The plains became one of the most productive farming regions in the world.

(3) The aquifer refills very slowly from rain and melting snow. In many areas, farmers pump water out much faster than nature replaces it. In parts of Kansas and Texas, the water level has dropped by more than 100 feet, and some wells have gone dry.

Which statement best expresses the main idea of Source 1?

Answer choices
Hint

Look for the sentence in paragraph 3 that sums up the surveyor's argument.

Question 3 of 10 · Environment and societal development

Drag and drop
The Netherlands and the Sea

(1) About one-quarter of the Netherlands lies below sea level. For centuries, the Dutch have fought to keep the sea and the rivers off their land.

(2) Starting in the Middle Ages, people built dikes, or earthen walls, along the coast and rivers. Then they used windmills, and later electric pumps, to drain the water from lakes and marshes behind the dikes. The new dry land, called a polder, has rich soil, and farmers use it to grow crops and graze dairy cows. The pumps must keep running, because water keeps seeping back in.

(3) Draining the land had a side effect. As the soggy soil dried out, it shrank, and the land sank even lower. Today some polders lie several feet below the level of the sea beside them.

(4) In 1953, a powerful storm pushed the North Sea over the dikes. More than 1,800 people died. In response, the government built the Delta Works, a system of dams, barriers, and storm gates that can be closed when a storm surge threatens.

(5) Scientists expect sea levels to keep rising, and engineers continue to raise and strengthen the dikes. The Dutch have also begun to live with water instead of only fighting it. Under a program called Room for the River, some dikes were moved back so that rivers could spread out safely during floods. In some cities, families live in floating houses that rise and fall with the water.

The passage describes many ways the Dutch interact with their environment. Drag each example into the correct category.

Depend on the environmentAdapt to the environmentModify the environment

Tap a tile, then tap a box to place it.

Hint

Modify = people change the land or water. Adapt = people change how they live to fit conditions. Depend = people use what the environment provides.

Question 4 of 10 · Borders between peoples and nations

The Kessa Region

The map shows three countries in the Kessa Region, a fictional area. The map also shows the main language spoken in each part of the region.

Map of a fictional region with a latitude/longitude grid from 20°E to 32°E and 8°N to 16°N. Three countries: ARVALIA in the north-west, BONTARA in the south-west, and CORIM in the east. The border between Arvalia and Bontara is a perfectly straight line along 12°N latitude. The border between Arvalia and Corim follows the Selu River, which runs north to south near 27°E to 28°E. The border between Bontara and Corim follows the crest of the Tarn Mountains, running south from about 12°N, 27.5°E to 8°N, 28.4°E. Main languages: Mira is spoken in northern Arvalia (north of about 14°N); Dosa is spoken in a band from about 13.4°N to 10.6°N and 21°E to 26°E, so the Dosa area is cut in two by the straight 12°N border, with part in Arvalia and part in Bontara; Tey is spoken in southern Bontara (south of about 10.2°N); Korri is spoken throughout Corim. 20°E 22°E 24°E 26°E 28°E 30°E 32°E 8°N 10°N 12°N 14°N 16°N ARVALIA BONTARA CORIM Selu River Tarn Mountains Legend National border River Mountains Main language spoken Mira Dosa Tey Korri The Kessa Region (fictional)

Which statement best describes the border between Arvalia and Bontara?

Answer choices
Hint

Is the border straight or curvy? Which grid line does it sit on — one labeled on the left side (°N) or along the bottom (°E)?

Question 5 of 10 · Borders between peoples and nations

Wilson's Fourteen Points

In January 1918, during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson presented to Congress his "Fourteen Points," a plan for a lasting peace. Several points dealt with borders in Europe. Below are three of them.

IX. A readjustment of the frontiers of Italy should be effected along clearly recognizable lines of nationality.

X. The peoples of Austria-Hungary, whose place among the nations we wish to see safeguarded and assured, should be accorded the freest opportunity to autonomous development.

XIII. An independent Polish state should be erected which should include the territories inhabited by indisputably Polish populations, which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea…

Which part of Point XIII is based on a goal other than drawing borders by nationality?

Answer choices
Hint

Most of Point XIII talks about who lives in a territory. Find the phrase that is about something else.

Question 6 of 10 · Development of classical civilizations

Select all

Use the map of early civilizations.

Schematic map with a latitude/longitude grid from 0° to 120°E and 20°N to 50°N, latitude lines every 5° and longitude lines every 10°. Six numbered red dots mark centers of early civilizations: 1 at about 42°N, 12°E; 2 at about 38°N, 24°E; 3 at about 30°N, 31°E on a river flowing north; 4 at about 32.5°N, 44°E between two rivers that join before reaching the sea; 5 at about 27°N, 68°E on a river flowing south-west; 6 at about 36°N, 114°E on a long winding river. Blue lines are major rivers. Coastlines are not shown. 0° 10°E 20°E 30°E 40°E 50°E 60°E 70°E 80°E 90°E 100°E 110°E 120°E 20°N 25°N 30°N 35°N 40°N 45°N 50°N 1 2 3 4 5 6 Legend Center of an early civilization (numbered 1–6) Major river Latitude lines every 5°; longitude lines every 10° Schematic map: coastlines not shown; not to scale Early Civilizations of Europe, Africa, and Asia (schematic)

Select all of the numbered markers that are located north of 35°N and east of 20°E.

Select all that apply.

Answer choices
Hint

Check both conditions for each marker. North of 35°N means above the 35°N line; east of 20°E means to the right of the 20°E line.

Question 7 of 10 · Development of classical civilizations

The Cities of the Indus Valley

(1) Around 2600 BCE, large cities grew up along the Indus River in what is now Pakistan and northwestern India. The best known are Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. At its height, this civilization covered a larger area than either ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia.

(2) The Indus cities were carefully planned. Main streets ran in straight lines and crossed at right angles, like a grid. Builders used baked bricks that were made in the same standard proportions across hundreds of miles. Many houses had their own bathing rooms, and covered drains under the streets carried waste water away.

(3) Like the Nile, the Indus River flooded each year and spread fertile silt over the plains. Farmers grew wheat, barley, and cotton. Indus people were among the first in the world to spin cotton into cloth. Merchants traded with Mesopotamia; stone seals carved by Indus craftworkers have been found in Mesopotamian cities.

(4) Much about this civilization remains a mystery. Short inscriptions appear on thousands of seals, but no one has been able to read the Indus script. Archaeologists have not found grand royal tombs or palaces like those of Egypt, so we do not know who ruled the cities.

(5) After about 1900 BCE, the large cities were slowly abandoned. Scholars point to several possible causes. Rivers may have shifted their courses, and the yearly monsoon rains may have grown weaker, leaving less water for farms. Scholars still do not agree on a single cause.

Which conclusion about the Indus Valley civilization is best supported by paragraphs 2 and 4?

Answer choices
Hint

Paragraph 2 shows what the cities had in common. Paragraph 4 tells what archaeologists have and have not found.

Question 8 of 10 · Environment and societal development

Water on the Dry Plains

Source 1 — An excerpt from a report by a fictional government surveyor, written for this lesson in the style of the 1880s

(1) West of the 100th meridian, the rain that falls each year is too little for the kind of farming practiced in the East. A farmer who plows these plains and waits for rain will, in most years, wait in vain.

(2) Some land agents tell settlers that rain will follow the plow, and that breaking the sod will itself bring more rain. I have found no evidence to support this belief.

(3) The land here is plentiful; the water is not. The amount of land that can be farmed is limited by the water in the streams. I therefore recommend that farms be laid out so that each one reaches a stream, and that the number of settlers be matched to the water available.

Source 2 — A modern summary written for this lesson

(1) In the twentieth century, farmers on the Great Plains found a new source of water: the High Plains Aquifer, also called the Ogallala Aquifer, a huge layer of water-filled sand and gravel underground. It lies beneath parts of eight states, from South Dakota to Texas.

(2) After World War II, powerful pumps and center-pivot sprinklers allowed farmers far from any stream to grow corn, wheat, and cotton. The plains became one of the most productive farming regions in the world.

(3) The aquifer refills very slowly from rain and melting snow. In many areas, farmers pump water out much faster than nature replaces it. In parts of Kansas and Texas, the water level has dropped by more than 100 feet, and some wells have gone dry.

Which statement best describes the surveyor's attitude toward the idea that "rain will follow the plow"?

Answer choices
Hint

Read paragraph 2 of Source 1. Whose idea is it, and what does the surveyor say about the evidence?

Question 9 of 10 · Human migration

Select all

The United Nations Refugee Agency describes refugees as people who have fled war, violence, or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country.

Select all of the people below who fit this description of a refugee.

Select all that apply.

Answer choices
Hint

Check two conditions for each person: (1) forced out by war, violence, or persecution, and (2) crossed into another country.

Question 10 of 10 · Human migration

Drop-down
Leaving the Dust Bowl

(1) In the 1930s, a long drought struck the southern Great Plains, including parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico. For decades, farmers had plowed up the native grasses whose roots held the soil in place. When the rain stopped, strong winds lifted the dry topsoil into huge dust storms that people called "black blizzards." The region became known as the Dust Bowl.

(2) The drought came during the Great Depression, when crop prices were already low and many farmers were deep in debt. Year after year, crops failed. Banks took over farms when owners could not repay their loans. Some landowners bought tractors that could farm large areas with only a few workers, and they evicted the tenant farmers who had rented their land.

(3) Hundreds of thousands of people from the Plains and nearby states headed west, many to California along Route 66. Handbills and word of mouth promised plenty of work picking fruit, cotton, and vegetables in California's farm valleys.

(4) Many migrants were disappointed. So many people arrived that there were far more workers than jobs, and farm wages fell. Families lived in crowded roadside camps without clean water. Some Californians resented the newcomers and called them "Okies," whatever state they came from. The federal government built a number of camps with clean water and shelter for migrant farm workers.

(5) The migration reshaped California. Many families stayed after the Depression and found work in shipyards and aircraft factories during World War II. John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath told the story of one such family.

Complete the cause-and-effect chain using paragraph 4.

In California, migrants found that . As a result, .

Choose an answer from each menu.

Hint

Paragraph 4 gives a cause and its effect in one sentence. Find the words "so many people arrived."