Meredith Marsh - AP Human Geography: with 2 Practice Tests

Copyright 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008 by Kaplan, Inc., d/b/a Barrons Educational Series

Previous edition copyright 2003 by Kaplan, Inc., d/b/a Barrons Educational Series under the title How to Prepare for the AP Human Geography Exam

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Its hard to believe that this project has been going on for over ten years now. The best part of its success is that it allows me to maintain my friendship with Pete Alagona; I couldnt ask for a more delightful colleague! I also am grateful to Jennifer Giammusso, our editor, for her patient provision of resources, extended deadlines, and much encouragement. Finally, my colleagues, students, and, most important, my family (Lucy especially), consistently keep me smiling and excited about what I do, which makes projects like this much more enjoyable.

Meri Marsh, Ph.D.

This book has become something of an old friend. It has appeared and reappeared in my life many times over the past several years. Each time it reappears it brings back old memories and leaves me with new ones. Many people have made this volume possible. My family, friends, mentors, and students have all played important roles. Most of all, however, this book owes its existence to my friend and colleague, Meri Marsh, without whom it would never have reached a first draft, much less a ninth edition.

Peter S. Alagona

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Meredith J. Marsh received her bachelors degree in geography from Calvin College in 1999, her masters degree in geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2003, and her Ph.D. (also in geography) from UCSB in 2009. Meredith has worked as a reader for the APHG exam in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014, and she is currently an associate professor of geography at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

Peter S. Alagona is an assistant professor of history and environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He holds an M.A. degree in geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has also held academic positions at both Harvard and Stanford universities.

Contents

The ninth edition of Barrons AP Human Geography contains some substantial updates to account for recent changes in the course outline and exam structure. This chapter, the Introduction, has been extensively revised to reflect more accurately the topics and skills covered on the new exam (beginning May 2020). In addition, both practice exams have been completely rewritten; every question now contains metadata that show the specific unit, skill, and essential knowledge covered by the question. Inclusion of these data ensures alignment between the practice tests and the actual exam while also providing students with the information needed to target their studies.

The AP Human Geography Exam covers a range of material that would normally be included in a semester-long college-level course in Introductory Human Geography. These courses typically cover a wide variety of topics, with the basic goal of understanding patterns and processes that have shaped human relationships on Earth over space and time. This overarching goal can be further divided into a set of goals derived from Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, Second Edition, introduced in 2012.

The APHG Exam covers seven major content areas. Each content area, described later in this chapter, will make up a certain percentage of the exam. This book has been designed to correspond with the College Boards objectives, and one chapter is dedicated to each of the Boards seven major content areas. Each chapter contains content knowledge about the topic under discussion, tips on preparing for the exam, and practice multiple-choice and free-response questions with answers explained.

The multiple-choice questions in each chapter should only be reviewed as content/concept review. These questions dont necessarily reflect the same level of difficulty as the exam questions.

The AP Human Geography Exam contains two sections and lasts for two hours and 15 minutes. The first section includes 60 multiple-choice questions; students are given 60 minutes to complete this portion of the exam. In the remaining 75 minutes, students answer three free-response essay questions.