1. A historian could best begin to explore how the Columbian Exchange between Europe and the Americas during the Age of Exploration affected European society by examining changes in the:

A. soil conservation methods of European farmers.

B. clothing styles of Europeans.

C. animal husbandry practices of European farmers.

D. nutritional intake of Europeans.

2. Which of the following technological advances had the greatest effect on the role of the Middle East in international relations during the twentieth century?

A. the discovery of the X-ray and radioactivity

B. the development of air transportation

C. the invention of the internal combustion engine

D. the development of wireless communication

3. Which of the following factors was most significant in triggering the onset of World War I?

A. political instability within the Ottoman Empire

B. social conflict within the Russian Empire

C. economic stagnation within the German Empire

D. nationalist unrest within the Austrian Empire

4. Which of the following best describes a major challenge faced by many African nations that won their independence after World War II?

A. developing transportation networks that linked mining and agricultural areas to international markets B. reducing population movement from rural areas to overcrowded urban centers

C. creating national unity in countries whose boundaries had been established without regard to ethnic and cultural differences

D. establishing national currencies acceptable to everyone involved in the domestic economy

5. Which of the following activities could best be used to illustrate the relationship between the environment and human societies?

A. identifying and comparing communities of plants and animals in two world regions

B. using maps to illustrate patterns of economic activity in an urban area

C. assessing the effects of weather and climate on agricultural activities in a world region

D. creating a chart that compares the size and population of ten countries

6. Saudi Arabia, China, and Australia all contain large areas of low population primarily because these countries share which of the following physical characteristics?

A. extensive mountain ranges

B. convergent boundaries subject to frequent tectonic activity

C. extensive desert regions

D. low-lying areas subject to frequent flooding

7. In 1636, William Pynchon chose the junction of the Connecticut River and three smaller rivers to establish the settlement that became Springfield, Massachusetts, primarily because the geography of the location provided:

A. deforested flat land suitable for building homes and farms.

B. access to major regional trade routes that utilized the waterways.

C. plentiful sources of freshwater for drinking and irrigation.

D. supplies of game and fish that could serve as economic resources.

8. Geographic information systems (GIS) are useful tools for selecting locations for new retail businesses primarily because these technologies can:

A. provide data about the topography and other environmental characteristics of locations.

B. layer population data, income data, and the locations of existing businesses on maps.

C. capture data related to average temperature, precipitation, and other weather patterns.

D. collect data on the success rates of similar businesses within a defined area.

9. Use the excerpt below from the writings of William Graham Sumner to answer the question that follows. The constant tendency of population to outstrip the means of subsistence is the force which has distributed population over the world, and produced all advance in civilization. To this day the two means of escape for an overpopulated country are emigration and an advance in the arts. . . . If, however, either of these means opens a chance for an increase of population, it is evident that the advantage so won may be speedily exhausted if the increase takes place. The social difficulty has only undergone a temporary amelioration, and when the conditions of pressure and competition are renewed, misery and poverty reappear. The excerpt most clearly indicates the influence of which of the following writers on the development of nineteenth-century economic thought?

A. Robert Owen

B. Thomas Malthus

C. Adam Smith

D. David Ricardo

10. In which of the following respects do market economies differ most from command economies?

A. the types of economic incentives employed to maximize production

B. the use of money as a medium of exchange

C. the scale of production in manufacturing and agricultural industries

D. the types of labor-saving devices used to increase productivity

11. A major difference between pure competition and monopolistic competition market structures is that firms in monopolistic competition structures are:

A. unlikely to encounter major barriers to entry.

B. less likely to engage in advertising and other forms of non-price competition.

C. more likely to produce standardized products.

D. likely to have greater control over the prices they charge for their products.

12. Use the passage below to answer the question that follows. Advocates of protectionism invariably ignore the indisputable fact that global commerce is largely the result of differences between nations. Because such differences are unlikely to disappear anytime soon, initiatives designed to restrict international trade are as futile as they are wrongheaded. And it is a good thing that they are. The more trade flourishes, the greater the range of opportunities countries will have to expand their production possibilities by specializing in what they do best. The writer's argument in the passage is based primarily on which of the following economic concepts?

A. economies of scale

B. law of supply

C. comparative advantage

D. technical efficiency

13. Which of the following historical events most directly influenced the shift in investment from commerce to manufacturing that marked the rise of industrialization in the Massachusetts economy?

A. American Revolution

B. ratification of the U.S. Constitution

C. War of 1812

D. formation of the Republican Party

14. Which of the following questions most clearly reflects the role of consumers in the operation of the U.S. economy?

A. What can be done to moderate fluctuations in the business cycle?

B. What quantity of goods and services should be produced?

C. What can be done to reduce inequities in the distribution of income?

D. What methods should firms use to produce goods and services?

15. Beginning with the New Deal, the U.S. government has been most likely to adopt an expansionary fiscal policy under which of the following sets of circumstances?

A. inflation is low; unemployment is high; gross domestic product (GDP) is declining

B. inflation is high; employment is stable; gross domestic product (GDP) is increasing

C. inflation is high; employment is stable, gross domestic product (GDP) is declining

D. inflation is low; unemployment is low; gross domestic product (GDP) is increasing