Gaokao Geography: Physical and Human Geography Flashcards
7 cards from real GAOKAO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Gaokao Geography: Physical and Human Geography flashcards as text
On a weather map, isobars that are closely spaced indicate:
Answer: A strong pressure gradient and therefore strong winds
Isobars connect points of equal atmospheric pressure; closely spaced isobars mean pressure changes rapidly over a short distance, creating a steep pressure gradient that drives strong winds.
Which land use theory, developed by Walter Christaller, explains the size and spacing of settlements based on the range and threshold of goods and services?
Answer: Central Place Theory
Christaller's Central Place Theory (1933) predicts that central places (settlements) providing goods and services are spaced in a hexagonal pattern, with higher-order centers providing specialized services to larger hinterlands.
The 'demographic transition' in Europe was primarily triggered by which initial change?
Answer: Falling death rates due to improved sanitation, medicine, and nutrition
The first transition (Stage 1→2) began with falling death rates driven by improvements in sanitation (clean water, sewage systems), medical advances, and better nutrition from agricultural improvements.
A 'watershed' (drainage basin) in physical geography is defined as:
Answer: The total land area from which all surface water drains into a single river system
A watershed (catchment area) is the topographic divide that defines the area from which all precipitation drains into a single river or river system, bounded by ridges and hilltops.
Which of the following is MOST characteristic of a 'megacity' according to United Nations criteria?
Answer: A city with a population exceeding 10 million people
The UN defines megacities as urban agglomerations with 10 million or more inhabitants; as of 2023, there are over 35 megacities globally, predominantly in Asia.
The 'Pacific Ring of Fire' is associated with which type of tectonic activity?
Answer: A combination of subduction zones and transform faults around the Pacific Ocean basin
The Ring of Fire encircles the Pacific and consists primarily of subduction zones (producing deep earthquakes, trenches, and volcanoes) and some transform faults (like the San Andreas), accounting for 90% of global earthquakes.
In environmental geography, 'the tragedy of the commons' (Hardin, 1968) predicts that:
Answer: Shared resources with open access will be overexploited as individual users maximize their own gain
Hardin argued that rational individuals sharing an open-access resource (common pasture, fisheries, atmosphere) will each use as much as possible, leading to collective overexploitation and eventual resource collapse.