DSST Introduction to Geography study guide
DSST Introduction to Geography · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The DSST Introduction to Geography exam - listed by its former title, Human/Cultural Geography - is a Social Sciences exam rated at 3 Baccalaureate level and worth 3 semester hours at schools that recognize it. It is built for students who already know introductory college geography, or who can learn it independently, and want credit by examination rather than by sitting in a classroom. The DSST Introduction to Geography study guide has 5 sections and about 2,075 words.
01Earth and Basic Facts
The Earth and Basic Facts domain tests the physical foundations the rest of geography rests on: Earth's shape and motions, the latitude-longitude grid, plate tectonics and landforms, the atmosphere and climate, soils and vegetation, and water. Questions tend to ask for definitions, cause-and-effect, and simple calculations.
492 words, about 2 min02Maps
The Maps domain tests how maps are made, measured, and misread: scale, projections and distortion, coordinate systems, topographic symbols, thematic map types, and geospatial technologies. Scale is the ratio of map distance to ground distance, expressed as a representative fraction such as 1:50,000, a verbal statement, or a graphic bar.
422 words, about 2 min03Culture and the Environment
The Culture and the Environment domain tests how societies use, modify, and are limited by natural systems: environmental perspectives, population-resource debates, agriculture and land degradation, and sustainability. Environmental determinism held that climate and terrain shaped culture; modern geography rejects it as oversimple.
370 words, about 2 min04Spatial Patterns of Culture
The Spatial Patterns of Culture domain tests how culture traits are distributed, how they spread, and how they appear on the landscape: culture regions, diffusion, language, religion, ethnicity, population, and migration. Formal regions share a trait; functional regions are organized around a node; perceptual regions exist in people's images.
399 words, about 2 min05Regional Geography
The Regional Geography domain tests your ability to describe and compare world regions: their physical settings, climates, populations, cultures, economies, and connections. Expect questions that identify a region from clues or contrast two realms.
392 words, about 2 min