Gaokao Exam Gaokao Geography: Physical and Human Geography 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The 'demographic dividend' refers to the economic growth potential that arises when:
- A country's fertility rate rises rapidly above replacement level
- A large proportion of the population is in the working-age group relative to dependents (Correct answer)
- Immigration significantly increases the total population size
- Birth rates and death rates are both very high, maintaining a young population
Correct answer: A large proportion of the population is in the working-age group relative to dependents
The demographic dividend occurs during the transition when falling birth rates reduce the proportion of youth dependents while a large working-age cohort is still economically active before aging.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the formation of a 'fjord'?
- A wide river valley formed by extensive fluvial erosion over millions of years
- A narrow, deep coastal inlet formed by glacial erosion subsequently flooded by rising sea levels (Correct answer)
- A coastal bay formed by wave erosion of soft rock between harder headlands
- A submarine canyon extending from a river delta into the deep ocean floor
Correct answer: A narrow, deep coastal inlet formed by glacial erosion subsequently flooded by rising sea levels
Fjords are overdeepened glacial valleys whose bottoms lie below sea level; as glaciers retreated during deglaciation, rising sea levels flooded these valleys, creating the characteristic steep-sided inlets.
Question 3: According to the gravity model of spatial interaction, the flow of people or goods between two cities is:
- Directly proportional to the distance between them and inversely proportional to their populations
- Directly proportional to the product of their populations and inversely proportional to distance (often squared) (Correct answer)
- Equal between all pairs of cities regardless of population or distance
- Determined solely by transportation infrastructure quality
Correct answer: Directly proportional to the product of their populations and inversely proportional to distance (often squared)
The gravity model (I = G × P₁P₂/d²) predicts interaction is greatest between large, nearby cities and smallest between small, distant ones — analogous to Newton's law of gravity.
Question 4: The 'Rostow stages of economic development' model predicts that all societies pass through how many distinct stages?
- Three
- Four
- Five (Correct answer)
- Seven
Correct answer: Five
Rostow's 1960 model identifies five stages: traditional society, preconditions for take-off, take-off, drive to maturity, and the age of high mass consumption.
Question 5: Which of the following is a MAJOR environmental consequence of large-scale deforestation in tropical rainforests?
- Increased albedo leading to regional cooling
- Loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and disruption of the regional hydrological cycle (Correct answer)
- Increased precipitation due to more exposed soil surface area
- Reduction in river discharge due to decreased runoff
Correct answer: Loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and disruption of the regional hydrological cycle
Tropical deforestation removes the canopy that intercepts rainfall, disrupts transpiration (reducing precipitation recycling), causes soil erosion, and destroys habitat for 50%+ of Earth's species.
Question 6: In economic geography, 'agglomeration economies' refer to the benefits that firms gain from:
- Operating in multiple countries simultaneously
- Locating near other firms in the same or related industries, sharing infrastructure and labor (Correct answer)
- Achieving internal economies of scale through large-scale production
- Exporting goods to developing country markets
Correct answer: Locating near other firms in the same or related industries, sharing infrastructure and labor
Agglomeration economies (Marshall's external economies) arise when firms cluster together, sharing specialized labor pools, supplier networks, knowledge spillovers, and infrastructure.
Question 7: The 'Coriolis effect' causes winds in the Northern Hemisphere to deflect:
- To the left of their direction of motion
- To the right of their direction of motion (Correct answer)
- Directly toward the equator
- Vertically upward from the surface
Correct answer: To the right of their direction of motion
Earth's rotation causes moving air (and water) to deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, creating the characteristic spiral patterns of cyclones and anticyclones.
Gaokao Exam Gaokao Geography: Physical and Human Geography 4
The 'demographic dividend' refers to the economic growth potential that arises when: