Deck 5: Middle America

Question 1

Covert activity by CIA operatives continued to fund Contra forces in __________ by selling surplus US arms to Iran,brokered through the nation of Israel.

A)Guatemala
B)El Salvador
C)Costa Rica
D)Nicaragua
E)Honduras

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Middle America can be divided into two geographic areas according to__________.

A)occupational activities
B)colonial dynamics
C)climate type
D)cultural identities
E)both a & b

Answer 2

E

Question 3

__________theoretically allows more corporate investments across borders and increases foreign ownership of business facilities.

A)NAFTA
B)A maquiladora
C)Banking reform
D)A stratified economy
E)Cheap labor

Answer 3

A

Question 4

__________ were once the main controllers of illegal drugs in the Western Hemisphere,but in recent decades,organized crime units in Mexico have muscled in on the control of drugs coming through Mexico

A)The FDA
B)Panamanian strongmen
C)Colombian cartels
D)The Mafia
E)The DEA

Question 5

Central America is typified as a rural peripheral economic area where the majority of the people __________.

A)live along the coast
B)work in manufacturing
C)work in agriculture
D)have small families
E)are expatriates

Question 6

The four largest islands of the Caribbean make up the __________,which include Cuba,Jamaica,Hispaniola,and Puerto Rico.

A)Lesser Antilles
B)Greater Antilles
C)Bahamas
D)Caribbean Core
E)none of the above

Question 7

In Central America,the various human activities are categorized into zones with the term __________.

A)ecotones
B)altitudinal zonation
C)zone boundaries
D)climate zones
E)activity regions

Question 8

The large number of indigenous languages and customs,especially in the southern parts of Mexico,further emphasize __________.

A)a stratified economy
B)cultural diversity
C)cultural uniformity
D)idigenismo
E)traits of avant-garde society

Question 9

Geologically speaking,the __________ range represents the dividing line between North and Central America.

A)Sierra Madre Occidental
B)Sierra Madre Oriental
C)Cordillera Neovolcánica
D)Mexican Altiplano
E)none of the above

Question 10

Mexico City and its surrounding metropolitan centers represent the county's core - the center of __________.

A)activity
B)industry
C)wealth
D)power
E)all of the above

Question 11

The __________,the narrowest point between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean,serves as a land bridge between the continents.

A)Panama Peninsula
B)Baja Peninsula
C)Yucatan Peninsula
D)Isthmus of Panama
E)Panama Divide

Question 12

With the advantage of __________,the Spanish invaders of Middle America quickly dominated the local people.

A)metal armor
B)weapons
C)advanced technology
D)disease immunity
E)all of the above

Question 13

After an island or coastal area was claimed by a colonial power,there was unimpeded transformation of the area through __________.

A)plantation agriculture
B)slavery
C)private land ownership
D)socio-economic stratification
E)industrial activities

Question 14

The Mexican labor force is estimated at __________million individuals.

A)54
B)38
C)30
D)25

Question 15

The current __________ of the Caribbean is illustrated as being similar to the pyramid shaped graphic of the demographics of Mexico.

A)population pyramid
B)social status
C)demographic transition
D)cultural mix
E)work force

Question 16

In the past few decades,the Mexican economy has slowly become __________ and more focused on the private sector.

A)less centralized
B)more centralized
C)centered on primary output
D)less diversified
E)the largest of NAFTA nations

Question 17

The Central American Free Trade Agreement's (CAFTA)purpose is to __________ the US and Central America.

A)reduce trade barriers between
B)increase wealth for
C)diminish human rights in
D)provide labor for
E)balance wealth between

Question 18

The genesis of the civil war in Guatemala were the social reforms of democratically-elected President Jacobo Arbenz,which conflicted with the interests of __________.

A)free trade
B)the local elite
C)the US-based United Fruit Company
D)the indigenous population
E)the Catholic Church

Question 19

The Caribbean island of __________ was colonized by France.

A)Cuba
B)Puerto Rico
C)Haiti
D)Aruba

Question 20

The Middle America is not a unified realm but rather characterized by a high level of __________.

A)political diversity
B)cultural diversity
C)physical fragmentation
D)all of the above
E)both a & b

Question 21

Hurricanes start out as __________ ,which have wind speeds between 25-38 miles per hour direction.

A)thunderstorms
B)tropical storms
C)tropical depressions
D)both a & b
E)none of the above

Question 22

Centuries ago the Spanish used the term,hurakan,an indigenous word for "evil spirits" or "devil wind," to name the storms that sank their ships in the Caribbean.

Question 23

Mexico is the eighth-largest country in the world and is about one-fifth the size of the United States.

Question 24

In __________,__________ and __________reestablished diplomatic relations.

A)2011;Aruba;the US
B)2015;Cuba;the US
C)2014;Haiti;Cuba
D)2017;Cuba;the US

Question 25

Colonialism not only was the vehicle that brought many Africans to the Caribbean through the slave trade,but was the impetus that brought many people from Asia to the Caribbean as well.

Question 26

In Mexico,those of European descent are at the top of the socio-economic pyramid and control a higher percentage of the wealth and power because they are a majority of the population.

Question 27

With free trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA,the wealth gained from manufacturing,which has the highest value-added profits,typically stays in the country of production.

Question 28

The Much of the Caribbean and all of Central America are located south of the Tropic of Capricorn and are dominated by tropical type A climates.

Question 29

Central American countries share similar climate patterns but they do not share similar political or economic dynamics.

Question 30

It is estimated that fifteen to twenty million people lived in Middle America when the Europeans arrived,but after a century of European colonialism,only about 2.5 million remained.

Question 31

The Caribbean region is a breeding ground for innovative music and rhythms that emulate the cultural traditions and attitudes of the people.

Question 32

Hurricanes are rated according to sustained wind speed.The Richter Scale is widely used to indicate hurricane strength.

Question 33

Hurricanes lose their energy when they move over land because of the lack of heat generation.

Question 34

Plantation agriculture changed the rimland,as cash crops meant for export supplanted native food crops intended for local consumption.

Question 35

Fidel Castro's policy of __________ raised concerns in the United States resulting in severed diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1960.

A)agricultural production
B)Communism
C)nationalizing businesses and property
D)gambling
E)a prohibition of US goods

Question 36

Besides covering a larger area than the Copper Canyon,at its deepest point,the Grand Canyon is 1,462 feet deeper than the Copper Canyon.

Question 37

__________ drastically altered the ethnic make-up of the Caribbean.

A)Immigration
B)Natural Factors
C)Civil wars
D)Colonialism
E)none of the above

Question 38

Completed in 2016,Panama completed a five-billion-dollar expansion of the canal to accommodate larger ocean-going vessels.

Question 39

North of the equator tropical storms rotate in a __________ direction.

A)counterclockwise
B)clockwise
C)it depends on water temperature

Question 40

The US became a colonial power in the Caribbean when they gained Cuba and Puerto Rico as a result of the Bay of Pigs.

Question 41

__________,__________,__________ ,and __________ ,produce environmental problems for Central America.

Question 42

Explain how the drug cartels in Mexico have ingratiated themselves in the civic life of numerous communities throughout Mexico.

Question 43

Location and the physical differences explain the division of Middle America into two geographic areas according to occupational activities and colonial dynamics: the ___________,and the___________.

Question 44

As the Spanish established urban centers in the New World,they structured each town after the Spanish pattern.Describe this pattern and how it continues to shape the urban landscape in Middle and South America.

Question 45

The __________ of the Caribbean region makes it an attractive location for __________ .

Question 46

The__________ cuts across Mexico,dividing it into two different climatic zones: a__________ to the north and a __________to the south.

Question 47

__________,which does not have an army and has a stable democratically elected government and growing economy,has earned the country the nickname of __________.

Question 48

Briefly describe how the Panama Canal was able to be constructed.

Question 49

Describe the role plantation agriculture (i.e.banana or coffee plantations)has played in the history of numerous Central American countries.

Question 50

More people are killed by __________ because of the __________ than any other effect of a hurricane.

Question 51

The maquiladora system has inherent problems associated with it.Discuss these issues related to this system.

Question 52

Briefly describe the succession of civilizations that evolved and flourished in Middle America prior to the Spanish conquest.Explain how these indigenous peoples were ultimately defeated.

Question 53

The __________ is less prominent along the equator,so tropical cyclones usually do not develop within __________ north or south of the equator.

Question 54

Middle America,the geographic realm between the United States and the continent of South America,consists of three main regions - ___________,___________ and the ___________.

Question 55

The US dollar is the standard currency of Puerto Rico,Turks and Caicos,and Bonaire.

Question 56

While the physical geography of the Caribbean region makes it an attractive location for tourism,there are other factors that play into tourism having become a primary means of economic development in the Caribbean.Explain.What are some of the negative aspects of tourism as a process for economic development?

Question 57

Briefly describe how a tropical cyclone (hurricane)forms.Explain why they do not occur within five degrees of the equator.Additionally,do some research on Hurricane Katrina.Explain why that storm impacted the city of New Orleans so significantly.

Question 58

While most of the republics have both a Caribbean and a Pacific coastline,___________ has only a Caribbean coast,and ___________ has only a Pacific coast.

Question 59

The four main colonial powers in the Caribbean were the __________,__________,__________,and__________.

Question 60

Mexico has experienced domination followed by revolution at various times,starting with __________,then __________,and lastly __________.