Geography
417: Sample Questions
In order to help you better prepare for the exams and to help
give you confidence (which I think is critical to success) and to help break
you of bad study habits, I have prepared a few sample questions for your
inspections.
In my courses, I give students a list of important terms and
concepts directly from my test bank. This
list is generally not much different than the “words in bold” that you were probably
told to study in grade school or high school.
THE PROBLEM is that too many students interpret this list of bold
words as a call to memorize the DEFINITIONS of the list of words. That is insufficient because students then
fail to learn concepts, relationships, applications and other issues.
A variety of questions could be built from a single term. I try to ask questions that require students
to use each of the levels of abstraction outlined in Bloom’s
Taxonomy. Several can be asked about
the same term. See below.
Sample Term: Evergreen Trees
Question: Knowledge
(definitions)
1. Evergreen trees are:
A. frequently cone bearing
B. is not deciduous trees
C. often has needle leaves
D. all of the above.
Answer: (D)
Geographic Knowledge
2. Evergreens are the
dominant species in each of these regions of California EXCEPT:
a. Coastal Ranges, North of
b. Mountain slopes of the Cascades.
c. The foothills of the
d. The eastern slopes of the
Answer: (C)
Application (applying
knowledge)
3. You are asked to make a
recommendation to a county’s agricultural extension agency. Farmers in this county have not been successful
growing wheat or corn and they need to invest in a new crop. You test the soil conditions and you check
the climate patterns and find that the soil is poor because it rains too much
and leaches away the best nutrients.
What would you suggest these farmers plant for the long term?
A. soybeans
B. dates, figs, olives and wheat
C. sugarcane
D. Douglas fir trees
Answer: (D)
Synthesis
4. You are placed in a
time machine with a million dollars. You
are told by your wife to go back in time and buy for your grandfather a huge
tract of land, so he can get rich and you’ll be rich upon your return. When you get back in time, you only have
natural vegetation to make decisions. Rank
these land cover types from best to worst in terms of agricultural investment:
1) Evergreen forest 2) mixed grassland and
A. 1, 2, 3, 4
B. 2, 3, 1, 4
C. 4, 3, 1, 2
D. 1, 3, 2, 4
Answer: (B)
Back to Geography
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at steve.graves@csun.edu