Deck 6: Central Asia and Afghanistan

Question 1

The word "Astana" means ________ in the Kazakh language.

A) industry
B) angel
C) capital
D) oasis

Answer 1

capital

Question 2

Astana, Kazakhstan experiences hot summer, cold winters, and arid conditions; these conditions are typical of ________ climates.

A) Mediterranean
B) continental
C) arctic
D) marine west coast

Answer 2

continental

Question 3

The ________ connects Afghanistan to China.

A) Indus River
B) Wakhan Corridor
C) Aral Sea
D) Opium Superhighway

Answer 3

Wakhan Corridor

Question 4

From 1920 to 1991, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were part of the:

A) Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
B) United States of America
C) People's Republic of China
D) European Union

Question 5

Although the soils of Central Asia's steppes are generally rich, much like those of the prairie lands of the U.S. Great Plains, a steppe environment differs from a prairie environment in its generally lower and more variable:

A) winds
B) temperature
C) precipitation
D) tornadoes

Question 6

During the Soviet era, every Central Asian republic capital had a(n) ________.

A) Orthodox Christian cathedral
B) mosque converted to city hall
C) opera and ballet theater
D) statue of Lenin posing with a local legendary hero

Question 7

The Tien Shan mountains border China and:

A) Afghanistan
B) Turkmenistan
C) Uzbekistan
D) Kyrgyzstan

Question 8

- The highest elevations in Central Asia lie in the:

A) south and west
B) north and east
C) west
D) south and east

Question 9

- The Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers flow into the:

A) Persian Gulf
B) Arctic Ocean
C) Aral Sea
D) Caspian Sea

Question 10

The Kara Kum desert lies within:

A) Afghanistan
B) Turkmenistan
C) Kazakhstan
D) Kyrgyzstan

Question 11

Traveling from south to north through Central Asia, you would encounter moutains, desert, then:

A) rainforest
B) tundra
C) tropical savanna
D) steppe

Question 12

- Just south of the Aral Sea, the dominant ethnic group is the:

A) Karalkalpak
B) Pashto
C) Russian
D) Kazakh

Question 13

- The Balochi ethnic group predominates in southern:

A) Kazakhstan
B) Turkmenistan
C) Kyrgyzstan
D) Afghanistan

Question 14

- In Central Asia, Russians are found primarily in northern:

A) Kazakhstan
B) Turkmenistan
C) Kyrgyzstan
D) Afghanistan

Question 15

A region dominated by the sect Ismaili Islam is found east of the city of:

A) Astana
B) Bishkek
C) Dushanbe
D) Almaty

Question 16

The lowest infant mortality rate in Central Asia is found in:

A) Afghanistan
B) Turkmenistan
C) Uzbekistan
D) Kazakhstan

Question 17

The highest urbanization rate in Central Asia is found in:

A) Afghanistan
B) Turkmenistan
C) Uzbekistan
D) Kazakhstan

Question 18

Each of the states in this region is named for its largest ethnic group except ________, whose largest ethnic group is the ________.

A) Kazakhstan; Russians
B) Afghanistan; Pashtuns
C) Turkmenistan; Mongols
D) Uzbekistan; Tajiks

Question 19

Central Asia was regarded by Czarist administrators and Soviet planners as a(n):

A) source of mineral wealth
B) uninhabited desert
C) source of cultural unity for Russians
D) peripheral, underdeveloped region

Question 20

In the urban sphere where Russianization had a better hold, many people in Central Asia became "________": They considered themselves secularized, but followed Islamic practice for important "life ceremonies."

A) cultural Muslims
B) Islamo-Christians
C) ethnic-only
D) communist-Muslims

Question 21

By the end of the Soviet period, literacy rates in Central Asia had reached ________%.

A) 55
B) 72
C) 88
D) 98

Question 22

The Ferghana Valley is divided between Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and:

A) Afghanistan
B) Kazakhstan
C) Kyrgyzstan
D) China

Question 23

Kazakhstan's areas of densest population are found:

A) in the central region
B) in the west
C) near the northern and southern borders
D) along the shores of Lake Balkash

Question 24

Turkmenistan's capital city lies along the ________.

A) Syr Darya River
B) Amu Darya River
C) Kabul River
D) Kara Kum Canal

Question 25

The most important destination for laborers migrating from Tajikistan is:

A) the United States
B) Russia
C) Kazakhstan
D) Iran

Question 26

About 50% of laborers migrating from Tajikistan have gone to the city of:

A) New York
B) Tehran
C) Moscow
D) Paris

Question 27

About 90% of laborers migrating from Tajikistan have gone to the country of:

A) Iran
B) the United Kingdom
C) Russia
D) Kazakhstan

Question 28

The Taliban movement began in the madrasahs, or ________, financed by the Saudi Arabian government and located on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A) Quranic schools
B) mountain strongholds
C) prison-labor factories
D) agricultural complexes

Question 29

The Taliban were financed by ________, although the movement was mostly made up of displaced local Pashtuns.

A) Iran
B) Russia
C) India
D) Pakistan

Question 30

The Taliban destroyed the Great Stone Statues of ________ in the Bamiyan Valley.

A) Mohammad
B) Jesus Christ
C) Buddha
D) U.S. Presidents

Question 31

________ is the fuel that keeps the countryside of Afghanistan unstable and largely out of the reach of the elected government.

A) Oil
B) Gold
C) Opium
D) Feuding over cattle

Question 32

Part of Afghanistan's border with Tajikistan is formed by the ________ River.

A) Kabul
B) Panj
C) Helmand
D) Hairud

Question 33

The word "talib" (plural "taliban") means ________.

A) student
B) jihad fighter
C) terrorist
D) peace-keeper

Question 34

A Pentagon memo mentions that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of ________ (used in making batteries for cell phones and laptops)."

A) nickel
B) cadmium
C) gold
D) lithium

Question 35

Central Afghanistan is dominated by mountainous areas with limited vegetation except in narrow river valleys and:

A) desert area with limited vegetation
B) dry farming and seminomadic herding areas
C) forests
D) monsoon rain-fed Mediterranean scrub

Question 36

Southern Afghanistan is dominated by this land use:

A) desert area with limited vegetation
B) dry farming and seminomadic herding areas
C) forests
D) mountainous areas with limited vegetation except in narrow river valleys

Question 37

About ________% of Afghanistan's population is Tajik.

A) 2
B) 15
C) 28
D) 40

Question 38

About ________% of Afghanistan's population is Hazara.

A) 2
B) 15
C) 28
D) 40

Question 39

About ________% of Afghanistan's population is Turkmen.

A) 2
B) 15
C) 28
D) 40

Question 40

The largest river in southern Afghanistan is the:

A) Mississippi
B) Ganges
C) Kabul
D) Helmand

Question 41

The Hazaras are Shi'ite Muslims.

Question 42

Originating in India, Buddhism actually travelled through Central Asia on its way to China and Japan.

Question 43

Population density in Central Asia is low.

Question 44

Due to overpopulation, when a Soviet woman had fewer than two children, she was presented with a new car and a medal and declared a "heroine of the Soviet Union."

Question 45

The rivers Helmund, Harirud, and Kunduz all flow through Afghanistan.

Question 46

The Aral Sea lies along the borders of Kazakhstan and Russia.

Question 47

All countries of Central Asia have a Caspian Sea coast.

Question 48

Turkmenistan is dominated by desert and semi-desert vegetation.

Question 49

Due to Soviet relocation programs, today Uzbeks are found only in Uzbekistan.

Question 50

Islam is the dominant religion in Central Asia. A significant minority of Roman Catholics, however, live in northern Kazakhstan.

Question 51

Because Kazakhstan has adequate precipitation for large-scale grain production in the north, it lacks areas of irrigation agriculture.

Question 52

The birth rates in most Central Asian states are in the 20s per 1,000 population.

Question 53

Besides Afghanistan, death rates in Central Asian states are in the single digits per 1,000 population.

Question 54

During the Soviet period, the Ferghana Valley was devoted almost exclusively to the production of tobacco.

Question 55

Most of Uzbekistan's energy comes from natural gas.

Question 56

- The city of Khujand is located in Tajikistan's Ferghana Valley.

Question 57

-The city of Dushanbe is located in Uzbekistan's Ferghana Valley.

Question 58

- The city of Andijon is located in Uzbekistan's Ferghana Valley.

Question 59

- The city of Ozgon is located in Kyrgyzstan's Ferghana Valley.

Question 60

Historically, the Hindu Kush Mountains naturally divided Afghanistan.

Question 61

Under the Taliban, soccer was encouraged to forge national unity.

Question 62

Alternatives to poppy-growing suggested for Afghanistan's farmers (and to a small extent implemented) have been the high-value crops of almonds and saffron.

Question 63

- The Hindu Kush mountains are found primarily in Afghanistan's southwest.

Question 64

Due to extreme aridity, no areas of forest are found in Afghanistan.

Question 65

Evaluate the future of the Aral Sea.

Question 66

Evaluate which of the ecological disasters of the Soviet period have the most negative effects on Central Asia.

Question 67

Evaluate which of the environmental challenges for Central Asia is the most difficult to overcome.

Question 68

Evaluate which has had a more destabilizing influence in Central Asia and Afghanistan: colonization or mixed ethnic composition.

Question 69

Evaluate whether the Soviet period had a positive or negative effect on the cultures of Central Asia.

Question 70

Evaluate which Soviet policy had the most lasting and damaging effect on Central Asia.

Question 71

Predict how urban form in Central Asia will change from the Soviet era.

Question 72

Predict the demographic future of Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Question 73

Contrast the Soviet picture of Central Asia with the reality of today.

Question 74

Evaluate which energy source seems most promising for the future of Central Asia.

Question 75

Evaluate problems exporting energy oil and natural gas from Central Asia.

Question 76

Predict which Central Asian state will likely progress at the fastest rate toward democracy.

Question 77

Predict which Central Asian state will likely develop the most economically in the next decade.

Question 78

Describe the plight of the Tajik male laborer after independence and evaluate whether migration abroad or staying the countryside will provide the best opportunity in the future.

Question 79

Estimate whether the Taliban would have risen to power in Afghanistan without Soviet or United States' involvement in the region.

Question 80

Describe the attraction of opium production to farmers in Afghanistan and suggest alternative solutions to the elimination of the drug production.