1. What is the scientific method, and how is it used to answer questions or solve problems?
2. What is absolute and relative space?
3. What are three different ways to measure relative space? Briefly describe real-world situations (or applications) where each of these three measures would be the most appropriate way to measure relative space.
4. List the five general questions that geographers ask and give an example of the type of research that would be conducted within each question.
5. Why have geographers only recently (this century) begun to be active in asking the "where should things be" research questions?
6. Describe the four sectors of the economy and give an example of an economic activity within each sector.
7. How and why can the concepts of density, concentration, and
pattern
be used to analyze a spatial distribution?
8. Describe a simple profit function and explain how location
can influence profit through its impact on revenue and cost.
9. In the context of economic geography be able to define and
give an example of: scale, external economies of scale, external
diseconomies of scale, agglomeration economies, urbanization economies,
and localization economies.
10. What are the conditions necessary for spatial interaction
(Ullman model)?
11. What is locational inertia?
12. What is the current population of the world?
13. What is the current doubling time and percentage growth rate of the world's population?
14. What regions of the world have short doubling time? Which have long doubling times?
15. What are the four ways that population can change at the regional level?
16. What are the definitions of: infant mortality rate, life
expectancy, and total fertility rate?
17. Be able to describe, label, and interpret an age-sex pyramid.
18. Compare and contrast the exponential and logistic models of population growth.
19.Be able to sketch, label, and explain a diagram of the demographic transition model.
20. Discuss the possible relationships between the four stages of demographic transition and the five stages of Rostow's model of economic development.
21. Be able to describe briefly the internal growth theory of economic development.
22. What is the export base theory of economic development?
23. What is import substitution and regional specialization and how do they (if they do) fit into the internal growth and/or export base theories of economic development?
24. In the context of growth pole (or growth center) theory explain and relate the following concepts: key industry, affected industry, trickle-down process, polarization process.
25. In an economic development context what is "circular and cumulative causation?"
26. What is an economic multiplier?
27. Relate core-periphery relations to colonial capitalism.
28. Explain three positive and three negative effects of the spread of multinational corporations.
29. What is foreign direct investment, and what are some of its effects on the United States since World War II?
30. Be able to compare and contrast the population situations (and their consequences) in China and Italy as described in the two news articles, “China faces future as land of boys” and “Italy offers families baby-cash.”