Geography
What the exam expects
Geography questions on this exam blend physical geography (landforms, climate, plate tectonics), human geography (population, migration, urbanization), and the tools geographers use (maps, projections, GIS). You should be comfortable moving between a concept and a real-world example: knowing that a rain shadow forms on a mountain's leeward side matters only if you can also identify a leeward region.
Core concepts to master
- Map projections: every flat map distorts area, shape, distance, or direction. Mercator preserves direction (good for navigation) but inflates high-latitude area; equal-area projections preserve relative size but distort shape.
- Climate controls: latitude, altitude, proximity to water, ocean currents, and prevailing winds. Humid continental, Mediterranean, and tropical wet/dry climates each have signature temperature and precipitation patterns.
- Population: demographic transition model stages, push/pull migration factors, and the difference between arithmetic and physiological density.
- Human-environment interaction: deforestation, desertification, and the Green Revolution's uneven effects.
Traps to watch for
Questions often swap weather (short-term atmospheric conditions) for climate (long-term averages). Another favorite: confusing latitude effects with altitude effects-both cool temperatures, but for different reasons. Also watch for "all of the following EXCEPT" stems, where three true statements mask one distorted one.
Rule of thumb
When a question names a location and a climate or landform, ask: what single physical control explains this? If you can name it, the answer usually follows.
Worked example: A city on a west coast at 35° latitude with dry summers and mild, wet winters is best described as - Mediterranean climate. The controlling factors are latitude and the seasonal shift of pressure belts, not altitude.