AP HUG Free-Response Questions (FRQ) - Past Prompts
6 min read•october 27, 2020
Harrison Burnside
Harrison Burnside
By practicing with previously released free response questions (FRQs), you’ll build critical-thinking and analytical skills that will prepare you for the exam. These past prompts have been designed to help you connect concepts and ideas to each other while applying your knowledge to real-life scenarios. Make sure you know your vocabulary and practice below with past exam questions.
FRQ Past Prompt Database
| Year | Question | Unit (Topic) | Prompt |
| 2019 | Set 1 Question 1 | 6 (Food Deserts) | In the early twenty-first century, food security is an increasingly important issue in developed countries. Some neighborhoods in United States cities have been characterized as food deserts. Food deserts are areas with little or no access to healthy and affordable food or limited or no access to fresh fruits and vegetables. A. Describe what kinds of information geographers use to map food deserts. B. Identify and explain TWO reasons that food deserts exist in urban areas within developed countries. C. Identify and explain ONE impact of living in a food desert. |
| 2019 | Set 1 Question 2 | 2 (Infant Mortality Trends) | Infant mortality varies widely around the world and is affected by complex real-world characteristics. The infant mortality rate is a key demographic indicator that can be used to assess social, economic, and other conditions at multiple geographic scales. A. Identify the predominant ranges of the infant mortality rate found in South Asia and in western Europe. B. Describe TWO economic reasons for the level of infant mortality rates in western Europe. C. Identify and explain a specific way in which each of the following TWO United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are intended to affect infant mortality rates in a rural community in South Asia. 1. Quality education 2. Clean water and sanitation |
| 2019 | Set 1 Question 3 | 4 (Devolution) | The number of states in the world has grown to approximately 200. The creation of new countries has been possible as a result of devolutionary forces. Countries such as Spain and Nigeria face devolutionary pressures. A. Define devolution. B. Describe how each of the following forces contributes to devolutionary pressures within a country. 1. Cultural diversity 2. Regional economic differences 3. Physical geography and territorial size C. Identify and explain ONE political impact resulting from devolutionary pressures related to cultural differences in either Spain or Nigeria. |
| 2019 | Set 2 Question 1 | 7 (Deindustrialization) | Many developed countries have deindustrialized and are transitioning to a postindustrial economy. A. Identify and describe the economic sector that becomes dominant when a country industrializes and restructures from an industrial to a postindustrial economy. B. Describe TWO ways countries transitioning to a postindustrial economy utilize the international division of labor. C. Describe ONE way in which the roles of women in the paid labor force of developed countries change as a result of the transition to a postindustrial economy. D. Describe TWO ways in which brownfields can be redeveloped in post industrial cities. |
| 2019 | Set 2 Question 2 | 6 Galactic City Model | The model shown is known as the galactic city model, sometimes described as the contemporary urban model of the North American metropolitan area. Among the features within this model are edge cities. Edge cities are large centers of development on the urban periphery. A. Describe TWO factors that led to the development of the galactic city as an urban landscape in North America. B. Describe TWO ways that the spatial organization of commercial land use is different between the original central business district (CBD) and an edge city. C. Describe ONE negative impact of edge city development on the environment. D. Explain TWO ways sustainable design initiatives or smart growth policies could address negative impacts of edge city development on the environment. |
| 2019 | Set 2 Question 3 | 4 (International Boundaries in Europe, 1980-2013) | As shown in the maps, international boundaries in Europe changed considerably from 1980 to 2013. Nationalism and supranationalism were two geographical processes that changed the number and function of those boundaries. A. Identify ONE geopolitical event that initiated change in the number of international boundaries in Europe between 1980 and 2013. B. Explain how nationalism can eliminate an international boundary. Describe an example from the maps shown. C. Explain how nationalism can create new international boundaries. Describe an example from the maps shown. D. Describe TWO ways supranationalism has affected the functions of international boundaries in Europe. |
| 2018 | Question 1 | 7 (Gender Equality & Empowerment) | Women compose between one-third and one-half of all agricultural laborers in developing countries, and yet empowerment and gender equality have been difficult to achieve.A. Identify a country where more than 75 percent of women in the labor force are active in agriculture.B. For each of the following THREE categories, describe ONE obstacle that may prevent women working in agriculture from achieving greater equality and empowerment.1. Economic 2. Cultural 3. PoliticalC. Identify and explain ONE impact of empowering women within the rural agricultural regions of developing countries. |
| 2018 | Question 2 | 6 (Gentrification) | The older neighborhood shown in the picture is undergoing changes in its demographic profile as the existing built landscape is renovated. A. Explain TWO ways that gentrification may positively impact neighborhoods. B. Explain TWO ways that gentrification may negatively impact neighborhoods. C. Identify and explain ONE way that city governments may reduce the negative impact of gentrification. |
| 2018 | Question 3 | 3 (Cultural Diffusion) | A. Identify TWO specific means by which new expressions in popular culture are diffused globally. B. Popular culture often spreads through a combination of different types of diffusion. Describe how terms, such as those shown in the table, diffuse spatially through each of the following processes. 1. Relocation diffusion 2. Contagious diffusion 3. Hierarchical diffusionC. When new words diffuse, they confront barriers. Identify and explain TWO barriers to diffusion that are often encountered even as new terms become more popular. |
| 2017 | Question 1 | 6 (Mixed Use Development and New Urbanism) | In the last half of the twentieth century some United States cities experienced decline due to deindustrialization and loss of population due to suburbanization. To counteract the inner city decline, urban planners have embraced New Urbanism and mixed-use development ot attack resonates back to the city.A. Identify TWO goals of the New Urbanization movement. B. Explain the difference between mixed-use development and traditional zoning practices. C. Explain TWO benefits of mixed-use development in promoting urban growth. D. Explain TWO criticism of New Urbanism. |
| 2017 | Question 2 | 2 (Population Growth, Rate of Natural Increase, and Anti-natal policies) | The map shows rates of natural increase in human population. A. Identify the world region on the map with the highest rates of natural increase. B. Using the region identified in part A, explain THREE factors that contributes to high population growth rates. C. Describe ONE economic incentive that a country with a high population growth rate could use to decrease population growth, and identify ONE potential impact of this strategy. D. Describe ONE social program or policy that a country with a high population growth rate could use to decrease population growth, and identify ONE potential impact of this strategy. |
| 2017 | Question 3 | 4 (Federal and Unitary governments) | Political geographers classify most countries as either unitary states or federal states. A. Define unitary state and identify the country shown that fits the definition of a unitary state. B. Explain ONE positive and ONE negative impact of a unitary system. C. Identify and explain ONE reason why some countries are governed as federal states. |
| 2016 | Question 1 | 7 (Development) | Development results in a number of economic and social changes with a country. A. Identify primary, secondary, and tertiary economic activities. B. Explain TWO different reasons for each of the following changes that typically occur as a country develops over time> 1. Decline in primary sector employment 2. Decreases in infant mortality rate 3. Improvements in women's social status |
| 2016 | Question 2 | 4 (Politics of language) | Many countries around the world, including Canada, have more that one official language. A. Identify the primary language spoken by most inhabitants in the shaded area on the map. B. Explain how bilingualism can have a positive impact on a country. C. Explain how bilingualism can have a negative impact on a country. D. Discuss TWO reasons, other than language, why Canada does not fit the nation-state concept. |
| 2016 | Question 3 | 5 (Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture and their impacts) | The pictures show two types of agricultural in the world. A. Identify the grain crop shown in each photo. B. Discuss TWO economic differences between subsistence agriculture and commercial agriculture. C. Identify ONE environmental impact resulting from the type of agriculture shown in photo Y. D. Identify ONE environmental impact resulting from the type of agriculture shown in photo Z. |
AP HUG Free-Response Questions (FRQ) - Past Prompts
6 min read•october 27, 2020
Harrison Burnside
Harrison Burnside
By practicing with previously released free response questions (FRQs), you’ll build critical-thinking and analytical skills that will prepare you for the exam. These past prompts have been designed to help you connect concepts and ideas to each other while applying your knowledge to real-life scenarios. Make sure you know your vocabulary and practice below with past exam questions.
FRQ Past Prompt Database
| Year | Question | Unit (Topic) | Prompt |
| 2019 | Set 1 Question 1 | 6 (Food Deserts) | In the early twenty-first century, food security is an increasingly important issue in developed countries. Some neighborhoods in United States cities have been characterized as food deserts. Food deserts are areas with little or no access to healthy and affordable food or limited or no access to fresh fruits and vegetables. A. Describe what kinds of information geographers use to map food deserts. B. Identify and explain TWO reasons that food deserts exist in urban areas within developed countries. C. Identify and explain ONE impact of living in a food desert. |
| 2019 | Set 1 Question 2 | 2 (Infant Mortality Trends) | Infant mortality varies widely around the world and is affected by complex real-world characteristics. The infant mortality rate is a key demographic indicator that can be used to assess social, economic, and other conditions at multiple geographic scales. A. Identify the predominant ranges of the infant mortality rate found in South Asia and in western Europe. B. Describe TWO economic reasons for the level of infant mortality rates in western Europe. C. Identify and explain a specific way in which each of the following TWO United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are intended to affect infant mortality rates in a rural community in South Asia. 1. Quality education 2. Clean water and sanitation |
| 2019 | Set 1 Question 3 | 4 (Devolution) | The number of states in the world has grown to approximately 200. The creation of new countries has been possible as a result of devolutionary forces. Countries such as Spain and Nigeria face devolutionary pressures. A. Define devolution. B. Describe how each of the following forces contributes to devolutionary pressures within a country. 1. Cultural diversity 2. Regional economic differences 3. Physical geography and territorial size C. Identify and explain ONE political impact resulting from devolutionary pressures related to cultural differences in either Spain or Nigeria. |
| 2019 | Set 2 Question 1 | 7 (Deindustrialization) | Many developed countries have deindustrialized and are transitioning to a postindustrial economy. A. Identify and describe the economic sector that becomes dominant when a country industrializes and restructures from an industrial to a postindustrial economy. B. Describe TWO ways countries transitioning to a postindustrial economy utilize the international division of labor. C. Describe ONE way in which the roles of women in the paid labor force of developed countries change as a result of the transition to a postindustrial economy. D. Describe TWO ways in which brownfields can be redeveloped in post industrial cities. |
| 2019 | Set 2 Question 2 | 6 Galactic City Model | The model shown is known as the galactic city model, sometimes described as the contemporary urban model of the North American metropolitan area. Among the features within this model are edge cities. Edge cities are large centers of development on the urban periphery. A. Describe TWO factors that led to the development of the galactic city as an urban landscape in North America. B. Describe TWO ways that the spatial organization of commercial land use is different between the original central business district (CBD) and an edge city. C. Describe ONE negative impact of edge city development on the environment. D. Explain TWO ways sustainable design initiatives or smart growth policies could address negative impacts of edge city development on the environment. |
| 2019 | Set 2 Question 3 | 4 (International Boundaries in Europe, 1980-2013) | As shown in the maps, international boundaries in Europe changed considerably from 1980 to 2013. Nationalism and supranationalism were two geographical processes that changed the number and function of those boundaries. A. Identify ONE geopolitical event that initiated change in the number of international boundaries in Europe between 1980 and 2013. B. Explain how nationalism can eliminate an international boundary. Describe an example from the maps shown. C. Explain how nationalism can create new international boundaries. Describe an example from the maps shown. D. Describe TWO ways supranationalism has affected the functions of international boundaries in Europe. |
| 2018 | Question 1 | 7 (Gender Equality & Empowerment) | Women compose between one-third and one-half of all agricultural laborers in developing countries, and yet empowerment and gender equality have been difficult to achieve.A. Identify a country where more than 75 percent of women in the labor force are active in agriculture.B. For each of the following THREE categories, describe ONE obstacle that may prevent women working in agriculture from achieving greater equality and empowerment.1. Economic 2. Cultural 3. PoliticalC. Identify and explain ONE impact of empowering women within the rural agricultural regions of developing countries. |
| 2018 | Question 2 | 6 (Gentrification) | The older neighborhood shown in the picture is undergoing changes in its demographic profile as the existing built landscape is renovated. A. Explain TWO ways that gentrification may positively impact neighborhoods. B. Explain TWO ways that gentrification may negatively impact neighborhoods. C. Identify and explain ONE way that city governments may reduce the negative impact of gentrification. |
| 2018 | Question 3 | 3 (Cultural Diffusion) | A. Identify TWO specific means by which new expressions in popular culture are diffused globally. B. Popular culture often spreads through a combination of different types of diffusion. Describe how terms, such as those shown in the table, diffuse spatially through each of the following processes. 1. Relocation diffusion 2. Contagious diffusion 3. Hierarchical diffusionC. When new words diffuse, they confront barriers. Identify and explain TWO barriers to diffusion that are often encountered even as new terms become more popular. |
| 2017 | Question 1 | 6 (Mixed Use Development and New Urbanism) | In the last half of the twentieth century some United States cities experienced decline due to deindustrialization and loss of population due to suburbanization. To counteract the inner city decline, urban planners have embraced New Urbanism and mixed-use development ot attack resonates back to the city.A. Identify TWO goals of the New Urbanization movement. B. Explain the difference between mixed-use development and traditional zoning practices. C. Explain TWO benefits of mixed-use development in promoting urban growth. D. Explain TWO criticism of New Urbanism. |
| 2017 | Question 2 | 2 (Population Growth, Rate of Natural Increase, and Anti-natal policies) | The map shows rates of natural increase in human population. A. Identify the world region on the map with the highest rates of natural increase. B. Using the region identified in part A, explain THREE factors that contributes to high population growth rates. C. Describe ONE economic incentive that a country with a high population growth rate could use to decrease population growth, and identify ONE potential impact of this strategy. D. Describe ONE social program or policy that a country with a high population growth rate could use to decrease population growth, and identify ONE potential impact of this strategy. |
| 2017 | Question 3 | 4 (Federal and Unitary governments) | Political geographers classify most countries as either unitary states or federal states. A. Define unitary state and identify the country shown that fits the definition of a unitary state. B. Explain ONE positive and ONE negative impact of a unitary system. C. Identify and explain ONE reason why some countries are governed as federal states. |
| 2016 | Question 1 | 7 (Development) | Development results in a number of economic and social changes with a country. A. Identify primary, secondary, and tertiary economic activities. B. Explain TWO different reasons for each of the following changes that typically occur as a country develops over time> 1. Decline in primary sector employment 2. Decreases in infant mortality rate 3. Improvements in women's social status |
| 2016 | Question 2 | 4 (Politics of language) | Many countries around the world, including Canada, have more that one official language. A. Identify the primary language spoken by most inhabitants in the shaded area on the map. B. Explain how bilingualism can have a positive impact on a country. C. Explain how bilingualism can have a negative impact on a country. D. Discuss TWO reasons, other than language, why Canada does not fit the nation-state concept. |
| 2016 | Question 3 | 5 (Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture and their impacts) | The pictures show two types of agricultural in the world. A. Identify the grain crop shown in each photo. B. Discuss TWO economic differences between subsistence agriculture and commercial agriculture. C. Identify ONE environmental impact resulting from the type of agriculture shown in photo Y. D. Identify ONE environmental impact resulting from the type of agriculture shown in photo Z. |
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