A-Level H2 Geography 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which urban land use model describes cities expanding outward from the CBD in concentric rings based on socioeconomic status?
- Sector Model (Hoyt)
- Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris & Ullman)
- Concentric Zone Model (Burgess) (Correct answer)
- Mann's Model
Correct answer: Concentric Zone Model (Burgess)
Burgess's Concentric Zone Model (1925) depicts cities growing outward from the CBD in a series of concentric rings, each with distinct land use and socioeconomic characteristics.
Question 2: What is a primate city?
- The largest city in the world by population
- A city disproportionately larger than the second-ranked city that dominates the country (Correct answer)
- A city with the highest GDP per capita
- Any national capital city
Correct answer: A city disproportionately larger than the second-ranked city that dominates the country
A primate city is at least twice the size of the second-ranked city and dominates the country's economic, political, and cultural life, often reflecting urban primacy.
Question 3: In Burgess's model, which zone is characterized by urban decay, mixed land use, and deteriorating housing just outside the CBD?
- Suburban zone
- Zone of transition (Correct answer)
- Commuter zone
- Gentrification zone
Correct answer: Zone of transition
The zone of transition (Ring 2) in Burgess's model is an area of urban decay adjacent to the CBD, featuring old factories, warehouses, and low-quality housing.
Question 4: What does the term 'counter-urbanization' describe?
- Rural-to-urban migration
- Movement of people and businesses from cities to rural or smaller urban areas (Correct answer)
- Growth of suburbs around a city
- Decline of urban populations due to disease
Correct answer: Movement of people and businesses from cities to rural or smaller urban areas
Counter-urbanization refers to the net movement of people and economic activity away from large urban centres toward smaller towns and rural areas, often facilitated by improved transport and remote working.
Question 5: Which city is an example of a planned new town developed under Singapore's HDB decentralization strategy?
- Sentosa
- Woodlands (Correct answer)
- Orchard
- Marina Bay
Correct answer: Woodlands
Woodlands is a planned HDB new town developed on Singapore's northern periphery to decentralize population from the city centre and reduce urban congestion.
Question 6: What process involves wealthier residents renovating deteriorated inner-city neighbourhoods, often displacing lower-income communities?
- Suburbanization
- Counter-urbanization
- Gentrification (Correct answer)
- Urban sprawl
Correct answer: Gentrification
Gentrification involves the renovation and upgrading of run-down urban areas, typically accompanied by rising property prices and the displacement of original lower-income residents.
Question 7: Which model of urban structure proposes that cities develop around multiple nodes rather than a single CBD?
- Concentric Zone Model (Burgess)
- Sector Model (Hoyt)
- Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris & Ullman) (Correct answer)
- Von Thünen's Model
Correct answer: Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris & Ullman)
The Multiple Nuclei Model by Harris and Ullman (1945) argues that cities grow around several distinct nodes (e.g., port, university, industrial area) rather than from one central point.
A-Level H2 Geography 2
Which urban land use model describes cities expanding outward from the CBD in concentric rings based on socioeconomic status?