Question 1

An activity that fulfills a human want or need and returns money to those who provide it is known as
A) a favor.
B) a transaction.
C) a service.
D) an activity.
E) a kickback.

Accepted Answer

A service is an activity that fulfills a human want or need and often returns money to those who provide it, distinguishing it from a favor, which is typically done without expectation of payment.

Question 2

________ helps explain how the most profitable location can be identified for consumer services.
A) Type of service
B) The range
C) Central place theory
D) Market area
E) Threshold theory

Accepted Answer

Central place theory helps explain the hierarchy of settlements and how they serve different levels of consumer needs. It predicts that people will travel further to obtain goods and services with higher thresholds, and that the most profitable location for consumer services is in the center of a market area where the greatest number of people can reach it with the least effort.

Question 3

Using the rank-size rule,a country's fourth largest city is expected to be about ________ of the size of the largest city.
A) one-half
B) two-thirds
C) one-third
D) one quarter
E) one-sixteenth

Accepted Answer

The rank-size rule suggests that the nth largest city in a country is 1/n the size of the largest city. Therefore, the fourth largest city would be 1/4 the size of the largest city.

Question 4

Generally,if the settlement hierarchy does not graph as a straight line,then the society does not have A) an urbanized enough population. B) a rank-size distribution of settlements. C) enough cities for the people to have a good standard of living. D) any problems with crime and homelessness. E) a migration problem.

Accepted Answer

If the settlement hierarchy does not graph as a straight line, it means that the society does not follow a rank-size distribution of settlements. This could be because the population is not urbanized enough or because there are not enough cities, but it could also be due to other factors such as cultural or historical reasons. However, the fact that the settlement hierarchy is not a straight line does not necessarily mean that the society has problems with crime, homelessness, or migration.

Question 5

About ________ percent of all U.S.jobs are in the public sector,________ percent of public school employees were excluded from the total and counted instead under education (consumer)services.
A) 45; 30
B) 25; 13
C) 16; 9
D) 10; 7
E) 8; 4

Accepted Answer

According to the text, "About 16 percent of all U.S.jobs are in the public sector" and "15 percent of public school employees were excluded from the total and counted instead under education (consumer) services." Therefore, to get the percentage of all public sector employees, we need to subtract the excluded public school employees from the total public sector employees. This gives us 16% - 15% = 1%. Therefore, the best choice is C: 16% for all U.S. jobs in the public sector and 9% for public school employees.

Question 6

The ________ sector is responsible for the majority of the GDP for most developed countries.
A) business
B) manufacturing
C) public
D) service
E) consumer

Accepted Answer

The service sector, which includes industries such as healthcare, finance, retail, and tourism, is responsible for the majority of the GDP for most developed countries. This is because as societies become more advanced, there is a greater demand for services and less reliance on manufacturing and agriculture.

Question 7

Geographers use ________ to represent market areas because of their geometric properties compared with those of circles and squares.
A) octagons
B) hexagons
C) pentagons
D) triangles
E) heptagon

Accepted Answer

Geographers use hexagons to represent market areas because they tessellate, meaning they can fit together without gaps or overlaps. This makes it easier to analyze and visualize the data within the market area.

Question 8

The maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service is called
A) zone of purchase.
B) range.
C) travel distance.
D) threshold.
E) market area.

Accepted Answer

The maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service is referred to as the "range." This concept is used in geography and urban planning to understand how far consumers will travel for services and goods.

Question 9

This helps to explain the distribution of settlements of varying sizes in North Dakota.Larger settlements are fewer and farther apart,whereas smaller settlements are more frequent and closer together.
A) rank-size rule
B) range
C) central place theory
D) primate city rule
E) range of service rule

Accepted Answer

The distribution of settlements of varying sizes in North Dakota is best explained by central place theory, which predicts that larger settlements will be fewer and farther apart, while smaller settlements will be more frequent and closer together. This theory states that larger settlements serve a larger area (or range) and provide more specialized goods and services, which means that people travel farther to access them. Smaller settlements, on the other hand, have a smaller range and provide more basic goods and services, so they are more numerous and closer together. The rank-size rule, primate city rule, and range of service rule are all related to the distribution of sizes of cities, but do not fully explain the pattern of settlement in North Dakota.

Question 10

Geographers apply ________ to create market area studies that assist service providers with opening and expanding their facilities.
A) rank-size rule
B) range
C) central place theory
D) primate city rule
E) range of service rule

Accepted Answer

Central place theory is applied by geographers to create market area studies, which helps in understanding the distribution of services and the optimal locations for service providers to open or expand their facilities. This theory explains how and where central places in the urban hierarchy should be functionally and spatially distributed to serve as trading centers in a region.

Question 11

Services generate more than ________ of GDP in most developed countries,compared to less than ________ in most developing countries.
A) two-thirds; half
B) three-quarters; two-thirds
C) three quarters; half
D) half; two-thirds
E) two-thirds; three-quarters

Accepted Answer

In most developed countries, services account for more than two-thirds of GDP, reflecting a high level of economic diversification and a shift away from agriculture and manufacturing. In contrast, in most developing countries, the service sector generates less than half of GDP, indicating a larger reliance on agriculture and manufacturing.

Question 12

The rank-size rule states that a countries nth-largest settlement is 1/n the population of the largest settlement.Why does Mexico deviate from this rule?
A) Mexico doesn't have any sufficiently large cities.
B) The Mexican census is very unreliable.
C) Mexico has three very large population centers.
D) The difference between the population of Mexico City and the next biggest city is very large.
E) Most of the Mexican population lives near the U.S. border.

Accepted Answer

The rank-size rule suggests a proportional decrease in population from the largest city to the nth largest. Mexico deviates from this rule primarily because the population of Mexico City is significantly larger than that of the next biggest city, creating a disparity not consistent with the rank-size distribution.

Question 13

The two components of central place theory are
A) range and rank-size rule.
B) rank-size rule and threshold.
C) threshold and market share.
D) market share and range.
E) range and threshold.

Accepted Answer

The two components of central place theory are range, which is the maximum distance a consumer is willing to travel to purchase a good or service, and threshold, which is the minimum number of consumers needed to support a business. Therefore, the best choice is E.

Question 14

In the U.S.,the financial sector provides about ________ percent of all jobs.
A) 6
B) 14
C) 23
D) 30
E) 42

Accepted Answer

The financial sector in the U.S. accounts for about 6% of all jobs, reflecting its role in the economy without dominating employment figures.

Question 15

Which of the following is most relevant to the concept of threshold?
A) A department store has more than 50 employees.
B) A survey reveals that people are prepared to drive a 30 minutes to get to a department store.
C) A department store typically needs roughly 25,000 people living within a 15-minute radius.
D) A department store only carries female products.
E) A drugstore has a loyalty card that is extremely generous.

Accepted Answer

Threshold refers to the minimum number of people or resources needed for a business or service to be viable or profitable. In the case of a department store, a certain number of people living within a certain radius is necessary to generate enough foot traffic and sales to be successful. Option C is the only one that directly relates to this concept.

Question 16

The ________ is the minimum number of people needed to support the service.
A) range
B) threshold
C) distance
D) hierarchy
E) law of equidistance

Accepted Answer

The term "threshold" in this context refers to the minimum number of people who must use a particular service or business in order for it to remain economically viable or profitable.

Question 17

The ________ is the maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service.
A) threshold
B) range
C) distance
D) hierarchy
E) law of equidistance

Accepted Answer

The range is the term used to describe the maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service, reflecting the outer limit of a service's market area.

Question 18

Geographers can estimate the ________ by using the ZIP codes of credit-card customers.
A) market share
B) threshold
C) range
D) number of post offices
E) profitability

Accepted Answer

Geographers can estimate the range, which is the distance people are willing to travel to purchase goods or services, by analyzing the ZIP codes of credit-card customers.

Question 19

According to the primate city rule,the largest settlement has
A) about the same size as the second ranking settlement.
B) slightly more people than the second ranking settlement.
C) more than twice as many people as the second ranking settlement.
D) about three times the population of the second ranking settlement.
E) about four times the population of the second ranking settlement.

Accepted Answer

The primate city rule states that the largest settlement in a country or region will have a significantly larger population than the second largest settlement. While the exact percentage may vary, the general rule is that the primate city will have more than twice the population of the second ranking settlement. Therefore, choice C is the best answer.

Question 20

________ explains how services are distributed and why a regular pattern of settlements exists,at least in developed countries such as the United States.
A) The Von Thünen model
B) The Concentric model
C) Central place theory
D) The sector model
E) The distance tolerance model

Accepted Answer

Central place theory, developed by Walter Christaller in 1933, explains how services are distributed and why a regular pattern of settlements exists. The theory suggests that settlements are located in a hierarchical pattern based on the range and threshold of different services, with larger cities providing a greater variety and higher level of services.

Quiz 12: Services and Settlements

An activity that fulfills a human want or need and returns money to those who provide it is known as

________ helps explain how the most profitable location can be identified for consumer services.

Using the rank-size rule,a country's fourth largest city is expected to be about ________ of the size of the largest city.

Generally,if the settlement hierarchy does not graph as a straight line,then the society does not have

About percent of all U.S.jobs are in the public sector, percent of public school employees were excluded from the total and counted instead under education (consumer) services.

The ________ sector is responsible for the majority of the GDP for most developed countries.

Geographers use ________ to represent market areas because of their geometric properties compared with those of circles and squares.

The maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service is called

This helps to explain the distribution of settlements of varying sizes in North Dakota.Larger settlements are fewer and farther apart,whereas smaller settlements are more frequent and closer together.

Geographers apply ________ to create market area studies that assist service providers with opening and expanding their facilities.

Services generate more than of GDP in most developed countries,compared to less than in most developing countries.

The rank-size rule states that a countries nth-largest settlement is 1/n the population of the largest settlement.Why does Mexico deviate from this rule?

The two components of central place theory are

In the U.S.,the financial sector provides about ________ percent of all jobs.

Which of the following is most relevant to the concept of threshold?

The ________ is the minimum number of people needed to support the service.

The ________ is the maximum distance people are willing to travel to use a service.

Geographers can estimate the ________ by using the ZIP codes of credit-card customers.

According to the primate city rule,the largest settlement has

________ explains how services are distributed and why a regular pattern of settlements exists,at least in developed countries such as the United States.