Geography and the World
What geography tests
Geography items ask you to read maps and graphs and to explain why people and activities are located where they are.
Concepts to master
- Map skills: title, legend, scale, compass rose; latitude (east–west lines measuring distance north or south of the equator) and longitude (north–south lines measuring distance east or west of the prime meridian).
- Absolute vs. relative location: a set of coordinates versus a description such as "just north of the city."
- Physical geography: landforms, climate, natural resources, and how these shape settlement and farming.
- Human geography: population density, urbanization, migration, culture, and trade.
- Push and pull factors: conditions that drive people away versus conditions that attract them.
Traps
- Confusing weather (short-term conditions) with climate (long-term patterns).
- Misreading the scale - check whether units are miles, kilometers, or days.
- Reversing latitude and longitude.
- Picking a true statement that is a result rather than a cause.
Rule of thumb
For migration questions, label each fact P (push) or L (pull). War, drought, and unemployment push; jobs, safety, and family pull. Then match the option to the direction of movement in the prompt: a family fleeing a drought is responding to a push factor, not a pull.