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Quiz: Human Geography and Population

Test your understanding of how people live across the United States with these questions.

1. What is human geography?

  1. The study of outer space
  2. The study of where people live and why they live there
  3. The study of ancient civilizations only
  4. The study of weather patterns
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Human geography studies where people live and why they live there. It examines how geography affects people's lives and how people change the land.

Concept Tested: Human Geography

2. Why did many large cities develop near bays?

  1. Bays have colder temperatures
  2. Bays provided protected harbors for ships and trade
  3. Bays have better farming soil
  4. Bays are required by law
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Large cities developed near bays because they provided protected harbors for ships, access to trade routes, and rivers flowing into them gave access to inland areas.

Concept Tested: Bays

3. What is the largest estuary in the United States?

  1. San Francisco Bay
  2. Tampa Bay
  3. Chesapeake Bay
  4. Puget Sound
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Chesapeake Bay, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia, is the largest estuary (where rivers meet the ocean) in the United States. It's famous for blue crabs.

Concept Tested: Chesapeake Bay

4. What is population density?

  1. The total number of people in a country
  2. How crowded a place is, measured in people per square mile
  3. How tall the buildings are
  4. The number of schools in an area
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Population density measures how crowded a place is—the number of people living in a certain amount of space, usually expressed as people per square mile.

Concept Tested: Population Density

5. Which is the largest city in the United States?

  1. Los Angeles
  2. Chicago
  3. Houston
  4. New York City
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. New York City is the largest city in the United States with over 8 million people in the city itself and 19 million in the metropolitan area.

Concept Tested: New York City

6. What is the difference between urban and suburban areas?

  1. There is no difference
  2. Urban areas are cities with tall buildings; suburbs are less crowded areas around cities
  3. Urban areas are in the country; suburbs are in mountains
  4. Urban areas have no people; suburbs are crowded
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Urban areas are cities with dense populations, tall buildings, and public transportation. Suburbs are communities surrounding cities, usually with single-family houses and yards, where people often commute to city jobs.

Concept Tested: Urban Areas, Suburbs

7. What is Houston, Texas known for?

  1. Being the coldest city in Texas
  2. NASA's Johnson Space Center and the energy industry
  3. Being a small farming town
  4. Snow sports
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Houston is known for NASA's Johnson Space Center ("Houston, we have a problem!"), the oil and energy industry, and having the largest medical center in the world.

Concept Tested: Houston

8. What is a metropolitan area?

  1. A small village
  2. A major city and all the surrounding communities connected to it economically
  3. A rural farming area
  4. A mountain region
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. A metropolitan area includes a major city and all the surrounding communities that are connected to it economically. People in the suburbs often work, shop, and play in the central city.

Concept Tested: Metropolitan Areas

9. What percentage of Americans live in urban or suburban areas?

  1. About 17%
  2. About 50%
  3. About 83%
  4. About 95%
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. About 83% of Americans live in urban or suburban areas. Only about 17% live in rural areas (countryside, farms, and small towns).

Concept Tested: Urban Areas, Rural Areas

10. What are cultural regions?

  1. Areas where only one culture exists
  2. Areas where people share similar traditions, foods, music, and ways of life
  3. Areas with no people
  4. Areas with only farms
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Cultural regions are areas where people share similar traditions, foods, music, and ways of life. These regions don't follow state borders—they're based on shared culture.

Concept Tested: Cultural Regions

11. What is the largest Native American reservation in the United States?

  1. Pine Ridge
  2. Cherokee Nation
  3. Navajo Nation
  4. Uintah and Ouray
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation, covering about 27,000 square miles across parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah—larger than 10 US states!

Concept Tested: Native American Lands

12. How has immigration shaped American cities?

  1. Immigration has had no effect on cities
  2. Immigration created diverse neighborhoods like Chinatowns and Little Italy
  3. Immigration only happened in rural areas
  4. Immigration stopped 200 years ago
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Immigration has created diverse neighborhoods in American cities, including Chinatowns, Little Italy, Hispanic barrios, and many Asian communities. About 14% of Americans today were born in another country.

Concept Tested: Immigration Patterns