Deck 3: Middle and South America

Question 1

Before closing up its operations in Ecuador, Texaco sealed all its open pits to minimize environmental damage to the country.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Unlike Canada and the United States, Middle and South America has had a long colonial history in which most of the countries were at one time under Spanish rule.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The first U.S. company to establish an oil development business in Ecuador was:

A) Texaco.
B) Sunoco.
C) Lukoil.
D) BP.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Oil revenues make up approximately ___percent of the Ecuadoran government's budget.

A) 25
B) 40
C) 65
D) 90

Question 5

The Aguarico River is located in:

A) Chile.
B) Uruguay.
C) Paraguay.
D) Ecuador.

Question 6

The continent south of Central America is:

A) Middle America.
B) South America.
C) North America.
D) Eurasia.

Question 7

The company once called Texaco is now called __________________.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT included in the region known as Middle America?

A) Mexico
B) Central America
C) the Caribbean
D) Colombia

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Middle and South America occupied an advantaged position in global trade after initial contact with Europe.
B)Middle and South America were able to advance economic development within the region with the large profits garnered from supplying Europe and North America with raw materials.
C) The negative environmental impacts of the region's extractive industries have largely been ignored.
D) The region of Middle and South America has few natural resources to draw in outside interest.

Question 10

What term refers to native populations of a region, as distinct from those who migrate in later?

Question 11

The term used to refer to Mexico, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean is:

A) South America.
B) Latin America.
C) Middle America.
D) MCAC.

Question 12

The term often used to refer to the mixed cultures of Middle/South America is ________________.

Question 13

Briefly explain why geographers use the term Middle/South America instead of Latin America.

Question 14

The gap between rich and poor is much wider in Middle/South America than in North America.

Question 15

All countries making up Middle and South America are under a socialist political system.

Question 16

The narrow ribbon of land that connects Mexico with South America is called ___________________.

Question 17

Although Texaco sold its operations and left Ecuador in 1992, its oil wastes continue to leak into the environment from open pits.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a key difference between North America and Middle and South America?

A) Middle and South America are larger than North America.
B) Middle and South America have a more varied environment.
C) Middle and South America have a larger indigenous population.
D) Middle and South America has a less varied level of human well-being.

Question 19

What term for Middle/South America is deemphasized in the textbook because of its colonial roots?

Question 20

Which indigenous group negotiated with Occidental Petroleum over its plans to drill for oil in their native lands?

A) Inca
B) Secoya
C) Aztec
D) Maya

Question 21

The world's driest desert is located in:

A) Peru.
B) Chile.
C) Botswana.
D) Zimbabwe.

Question 22

The mountains of the Caribbean were created when the ____________ Plate thrust under the eastern edge of the Caribbean Plate.

A) Atlantic
B) Pacific
C) Cocos
D) Nazca

Question 23

What is the name of the tectonic process that has created many of the mountains in Middle and South America?

A) subduction
B) block faulting
C) eustatic rise
D) talusing

Question 24

In which ocean do trade winds originate?

A) Atlantic
B) Pacific
C) Indian
D) Arctic

Question 25

Tropical crops such as bananas and pineapples thrive in:

A) tierra caliente.
B) tierra templada.
C) tierra fria.
D) tierra helada.

Question 26

The highest point in the Americas is located in:

A) Colorado. (U.S.)
B) Argentina.
C) Venezuela.
D) Brazil.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT true of most hurricanes?

A) They originate just south of the equator.
B) They draw their energy from warm surface waters.
C) They dissipate as they move over cooler water or land.
D) They begin as a group of thunderstorms that then coalesce.

Question 28

The El Niño effect reaches its peak around:

A) Christmas.
B) Thanksgiving.
C) Easter.
D) the 4th of July.

Question 29

What is lowland South America's largest physical feature?

A) the pampas
B) the llanos
C) the Amazon Basin
D) Patagonia

Question 30

In which temperature-altitude zone are Mexico City and Quito located?

A) tierra caliente
B) tierra templada
C) tierra fria
D) tierra helada

Question 31

The Amazon Basis lies within:

A) Uruguay.
B) Panama.
C) Brazil.
D) Costa Rica.

Question 32

Which of the following features of the physical environment contributes least to the climate in Middle and South America?

A) ocean currents
B) topography
C) global wind patterns
D) soil type

Question 33

The mountain chain that extends along the western edge of Middle/South America is known as __________________________ in Mexico and as ________________________ in South America.

A) the Appalachians; the Rockies
B) the Montanas; the Tierras
C) the Sierra Madre; the Andes
D) the Andes; the Fuegos

Question 34

Llanos are commonly found in all of the following countries EXCEPT:

A) Brazil.
B) Colombia.
C) Venezuela.
D) Mexico.

Question 35

A storm becomes a hurricane when winds reach __________ miles per hour.

A) 25
B) 45
C) 65
D) 75

Question 36

The source of the Amazon River is found in:

A) the Andes.
B) Mexico.
C) Texas.
D) the Sierra Madre.

Question 37

________________________ is found at the southern tip of South America.

A) Turks & Caicos
B) Tierra del Fuego
C) The Tropic of Cancer
D) The Brazilian Highlands

Question 38

Which temperature-altitude zone is the highest?

A) tierra caliente
B) tierra templada
C) tierra fria
D) tierra helada

Question 39

The destructive earthquake in Haiti in 2010 was the result of:

A) a volcanic eruption.
B) plate tectonics.
C) a tsunami.
D) a combination hurricane/tornado.

Question 40

The highest winds are found _____________________ a hurricane.

A) at the edges of
B) above
C) in the center of
D) below

Question 41

Most of Middle/South America shares the same type of climate.

Question 42

What term refers to the system via which climates in Middle and South America are divided?

Question 43

What country contains most of the Amazon River basin?

Question 44

Name two factors that work to explain the wide variety of climates in Middle and South America.

Question 45

What term refers to the highest temperature-altitude zone, above 12,000 feet?

Question 46

What is the term for a blast of superheated rock, ash, and gas resulting from volcanic activity?

Question 47

What is the name of the tectonic process that has created the mountain ranges running along the Pacific coast of mainland Middle and South America and the Caribbean islands?

Question 48

The Amazon River with its tributaries and basin account for 20 percent of Earth's flowing surface water.

Question 49

The name given to the Peru Current's tendency to change direction every few years, thus affecting weather patterns in Mexico, the United States, and the Pacific is ________________.

Question 50

The name given to the center of a hurricane is the _______ of the hurricane.

Question 51

All of the Amazon Basin is covered with tropical rain forest.

Question 52

What is the name of the fine-soil particles deposited by rivers?

Question 53

What is the name of the weather phenomenon caused by the reversal of the Peru Current's direction every few years?

Question 54

The world's driest desert is the _______________ in northern Chile.

Question 55

Fine soil particles are known as ____________.

Question 56

The devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti was a result of a volcanic eruption.

Question 57

What term refers to tropical winds that blow from the northeast and the southeast to the equator?

Question 58

How often does El Niño occur?

A) every year
B) every two years
C) every ten years
D) irregularly

Question 59

What term refers to the lowest temperature-altitude zone, from sea level to 3000 feet?

Question 60

Average temperatures are highest in the lowlands of Middle/South America.

Question 61

Briefly describe the four temperature-altitude zones of the Middle/South America region.

Question 62

The largest feature of the South American lowlands is the Amazon Basin.

Question 63

The world's largest industry is:

A) tourism.
B) steel production.
C) agriculture.
D) cattle farming.

Question 64

What is the term for nature-oriented travel experiences in unfamiliar environments?

Question 65

The temperature-altitude zones of Middle and South America are described using names derived from their altitude.

Question 66

The climate across Middle and South America is remarkably uniform.

Question 67

All of the following are contributing to deforestation in Middle/South America EXCEPT for the:

A) clearing of land to raise cattle and cash crops.
B) logging of hardwoods.
C) extraction of minerals and oil.
D) increased volcanic activity in the region.

Question 68

Tropical rain forests absorb approximately ___ percent of the carbon dioxide added to Earth's atmosphere yearly by human activity.

A) 5
B) 18
C) 33
D) 62

Question 69

El Niño is associated with a warming of ocean temperatures off the coast of South America and an increase in rainfall.

Question 70

In the 1970s, construction of the __________________ provided migrant farmers with access to the Amazon Basin.

Question 71

Mountains block Pacific rains from reaching the Caribbean side of Middle/South America.

Question 72

What is the most rapidly growing segment of the global travel and tourism industry?

Question 73

All of the following are climate change related threats EXCEPT:

A) shortages of clean water.
B) violent storms.
C) solar flares.
D) rising sea level.

Question 74

Animals are raised for food and fiber in the tierra helada temperature-altitude zone.

Question 75

All of the following release more greenhouse gases than Brazil into the atmosphere each year EXCEPT for:

A) China.
B) Indonesia.
C) Korea.
D) the United States.

Question 76

El Niño events typically bring bitterly cold and dry conditions to the South American west (Pacific) coast.

Question 77

The world region that receives the most rainfall is:

A) North America.
B) Middle/South America.
C) Europe.
D) Southeast Asia.

Question 78

Approximately __________ Earth's remaining rain forests are located in South America.

A) one-tenth
B) one-quarter
C) one-third
D) one-half

Question 79

_________________ encourages visitors from developed countries to appreciate ecosystems and wildlife that do not exist in their part of the world.

Question 80

The destruction of the Amazon rain forest has global implications.