Unit 4 · 12 to 17% of the exam

Unit 4 practice test: Political Patterns and Processes

twelve questions, every option explained

12 exam-style questions from the unit, free, with an explanation for every option. Each has four answer choices (the real exam and the practice exams have five), and sets share one map, table, chart, image or passage. None of them is in the two practice exams. Covers: Introduction to Political Geography; Political Processes; Political Power and Territoriality; Defining Political Boundaries; The Function of Political Boundaries; Internal Boundaries; Forms of Governance; Defining Devolutionary Factors; Challenges to Sovereignty; Consequences of Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces.

Start at question 1

Text

The life of one boundary (invented)

In 1903, a treaty between Country K and Country L said their border would follow "the main channel of the Sela River, then a straight line east to Mount Tor." In 1906, surveyors drew the line on official maps. In 1910, workers set stone markers along it every kilometer. Since 1950, both states have run customs posts where roads cross it, and in 2024 they agreed new rules for checking trucks.

Invented for practice.

1. According to the passage, in which year was the boundary demarcated?

  1. 1910
  2. 1903
  3. 1906
  4. 1950
Show the answer

Boundaries are defined in words (1903), delimited on maps (1906), demarcated on the ground (1910) and administered day to day (since 1950).

  • Correct: 1910: Right: Demarcated means marked on the ground, and the stone markers went in that year.
  • 1903: In 1903 the treaty defined the boundary in words.
  • 1906: In 1906 surveyors delimited it on maps.
  • 1950: From 1950 the states administered it with customs posts.

2. The 2024 rules for checking trucks are an example of which stage in the life of a boundary?

  1. Definition
  2. Delimitation
  3. Demarcation
  4. Administration
Show the answer

Administration is how states run a boundary: customs posts, checks and rules for crossing.

  • Definition: Definition happened in the 1903 treaty.
  • Delimitation: Delimitation means drawing the line on maps.
  • Demarcation: Demarcation means marking the line on the ground.
  • Correct: Administration: Right: Running the boundary day to day, at crossings, is administration.

3. The Sela River slowly shifts its main channel over the years. Which kind of dispute is the treaty's wording most likely to cause?

  1. A dispute over which state owns the top of Mount Tor
  2. A dispute over the language spoken at customs posts
  3. A dispute over where exactly the line runs
  4. A dispute over whether the stone markers are relict
Show the answer

A boundary defined by a river that moves can lead to a locational dispute: the states disagree about where exactly the line now is. The United States and Mexico had one over the Rio Grande, settled in 1963.

  • A dispute over which state owns the top of Mount Tor: The treaty only uses Mount Tor as an end point.
  • A dispute over the language spoken at customs posts: The passage says nothing about language.
  • Correct: A dispute over where exactly the line runs: Right: If the line follows a moving channel, its location changes and can be argued over.
  • A dispute over whether the stone markers are relict: Markers on a working border are not relict.

Data

How four invented boundaries were made

Four boundaries in an invented region (invented data for practice)
BoundaryWhen and how it was drawnWhat it follows
Line 11890, by two empires meeting far awayA straight line that cuts through the homeland of the Tero people
Line 21920, after a vote by local peopleThe line between towns that speak Vesh and towns that speak Oran
Line 31850, when few settlers lived thereA large river
Line 4Was a border from 1950 to 1990A wall, now a park inside one state

Invented data for practice.

4. Which line in the table is a relict boundary?

  1. Line 1
  2. Line 2
  3. Line 3
  4. Line 4
Show the answer

A relict boundary no longer works but leaves traces on the land, like the wall that is now a park.

  • Line 1: Line 1 still divides two states.
  • Line 2: Line 2 still divides two language areas.
  • Line 3: Line 3 still follows its river as a border.
  • Correct: Line 4: Right: It was a border until 1990 and is now a park inside one state.

5. Which line in the table is a consequent boundary?

  1. Line 1
  2. Line 3
  3. Line 2
  4. Line 4
Show the answer

A consequent boundary follows a cultural line, such as language or religion. Line 2 separates Vesh-speaking and Oran-speaking towns.

  • Line 1: Line 1 cuts through one people; it does not follow a cultural line.
  • Line 3: Line 3 follows a river, a physical feature.
  • Correct: Line 2: Right: It follows the line between two language groups.
  • Line 4: Line 4 no longer works as a border.

6. Which two types does Line 1 fit?

  1. Consequent and relict
  2. Geometric and superimposed
  3. Antecedent and consequent
  4. Subsequent and relict
Show the answer

Read both columns: "a straight line" makes it geometric, and "by two empires far away" that "cuts through" a people makes it superimposed.

  • Consequent and relict: Line 1 ignores the Tero people and still works.
  • Correct: Geometric and superimposed: Right: It is a straight line, and outside empires forced it through the Tero homeland.
  • Antecedent and consequent: The table says nothing about few settlers, and Line 1 follows no cultural line.
  • Subsequent and relict: Line 1 still works as a border.

7. The Navajo Nation in the southwestern United States has its own government, courts and police, but it lies inside the United States. Which term from political geography fits it best?

  1. An independent state
  2. A multinational state
  3. A semiautonomous region
  4. A nation-state
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Native American reservations are a classic example of semiautonomous regions: a nation governs many of its own affairs inside a larger state.

  • An independent state: The Navajo Nation is inside the United States and is not a separate country.
  • A multinational state: That is a whole state holding several nations.
  • Correct: A semiautonomous region: Right: Native American reservations govern many of their own affairs inside the United States.
  • A nation-state: A nation-state is an independent state; the Navajo Nation is inside one.

8. In India, a mass movement led by figures such as Mohandas Gandhi used protests, boycotts and refusal to obey British laws until India became independent in 1947. What was this?

  1. Imperialism by the British Empire
  2. A colonial system of direct rule
  3. An independence movement
  4. A multistate nation
Show the answer

An independence movement is an organized effort by a people under foreign rule to win their own state. India's ended British rule in 1947.

  • Imperialism by the British Empire: Imperialism was Britain's rule over India, the thing the movement opposed.
  • A colonial system of direct rule: Colonialism was the system the movement worked to end.
  • Correct: An independence movement: Right: An organized effort by a colonized people to win self-rule.
  • A multistate nation: That term describes a people spread across states, not a movement.

9. As of 2026, many states in West and Central Africa use the CFA franc, a currency created under French colonial rule and still backed by France's treasury. Critics call this arrangement neocolonialism. What does that word mean?

  1. Direct rule of a colony by soldiers and officials sent from outside
  2. A colony winning independence through a long war or a vote
  3. Outside control of a former colony through money and trade, not direct rule
  4. Two states merging their armies into one force for defense
Show the answer

Neocolonialism is the use of economic or political pressure by powerful states or companies to influence former colonies without ruling them directly. Whether the CFA franc is neocolonial is argued over; supporters say it keeps prices stable.

  • Direct rule of a colony by soldiers and officials sent from outside: That is colonialism itself.
  • A colony winning independence through a long war or a vote: That is an independence movement.
  • Correct: Outside control of a former colony through money and trade, not direct rule: Right: Neocolonialism is influence without formal colonial rule.
  • Two states merging their armies into one force for defense: That has nothing to do with this currency.

10. Why do US states redraw their voting districts every 10 years?

  1. The parties take turns drawing the lines each decade
  2. District lines wear out on the ground over time
  3. People move, so districts must be evened out after each census
  4. The number of states changes each decade, so maps change
Show the answer

Population shifts over a decade make some districts much larger than others. Redrawing after each census keeps districts close to equal in population.

  • The parties take turns drawing the lines each decade: No such rule exists.
  • District lines wear out on the ground over time: District lines are drawn on maps, not marked on the ground.
  • Correct: People move, so districts must be evened out after each census: Right: Each district should hold about the same number of people.
  • The number of states changes each decade, so maps change: The number of states has been 50 since 1959.

11. India has hundreds of languages and is home to many peoples. Why might a federal system suit it?

  1. A federal system makes people across India speak one language
  2. A federal system removes the national government
  3. A federal system is needed by any country with a large population
  4. States can set some rules, such as languages, to fit local cultures
Show the answer

Federal systems often suit large or culturally diverse states. In India, states were redrawn largely along language lines after 1956 and run many of their own affairs.

  • A federal system makes people across India speak one language: Indian states use many official languages.
  • A federal system removes the national government: India's national government stays in charge of defense and money.
  • A federal system is needed by any country with a large population: China has a larger population and a unitary system.
  • Correct: States can set some rules, such as languages, to fit local cultures: Right: Sharing power lets different regions govern in their own ways inside one state.

12. From 1947 to 1971, Pakistan had two parts separated by about 1,600 km of Indian territory, and most people in the eastern part spoke Bengali. In 1971 the eastern part became Bangladesh. Which factors best explain this?

  1. Irredentism by Pakistan toward India
  2. Redistricting of voting districts in the west
  3. A shared language that united the two parts
  4. Physical division and a different language and culture
Show the answer

Physical division (two parts far apart) and ethnic difference (a Bengali-speaking majority in the east, which felt ruled from the west) led to Bangladesh's independence in 1971.

  • Irredentism by Pakistan toward India: Pakistan did not try to take Indian land here.
  • Redistricting of voting districts in the west: Redistricting does not split a state.
  • A shared language that united the two parts: The two parts mostly spoke different languages.
  • Correct: Physical division and a different language and culture: Right: Distance from the capital and a separate identity both pushed the east away.