AP Human Geography: Core Concepts

What stage of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is characterized by a rapid decline in death rates while birth rates remain high, leading to high natural increase?

Stage 2

What is the core argument of Thomas Malthus regarding population growth and food resources?

Population grows geometrically (exponentially) while food production grows arithmetically (linearly), eventually leading to famine.

What does a high dependency ratio indicate about a country's population structure?

A large proportion of the population is either under 15 or over 65 and relies on the economically active workforce.

In the context of migration, what is the difference between an intervening obstacle and an intervening opportunity?

An obstacle is an environmental or political feature that hinders migration, while an opportunity is a favorable feature that causes a migrant to settle before reaching their original destination.

What is an example of an anti-natalist policy implemented by a government to control population growth?

China's former One-Child Policy.

How does relocation diffusion differ from expansion diffusion?

Relocation diffusion occurs through the physical movement of people, while expansion diffusion spreads a trend from a hearth through a population in a snowballing process.

Which language family is the most widely spoken in the world, including languages such as English, Spanish, and Hindi?

Indo-European

What is the primary distinction between a universalizing religion and an ethnic religion?

Universalizing religions seek to appeal to all people regardless of location, while ethnic religions are tied to a specific group of people in a specific place.

What term describes the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the physical environment?

Cultural Landscape

What is cultural syncretism?

The blending of traits from two or more distinct cultures to form a new, unique cultural trait or belief system.