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Population Composition (College Board AP® Human Geography): Exam Questions

7 mins7 questions
11 mark

Which of the following would not be a cause of a gender imbalance within the population?

  • War

  • Migration

  • The existence of military bases

  • Mining towns

  • Epidemics

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21 mark

 Population pyramids show cohorts. Which statement best defines this? 

  • Age groups on the X axis of a population pyramid.

  • Age groups on the Y axis of a population pyramid.

  • Percentages on the horizontal axis.

  • Gender on the left and right

  • Percentages on the Y axis.

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31 mark

At the end of World War 2, a population increase occurred. This was known as a 

  • Birth deficit

  • Baby boom 

  • Graying population

  • Baby echo 

  • Baby bust

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41 mark

“Japan said that one in 10 people were aged 80 or older, making it the oldest country in the world. Last year, almost 30% of the Japanese population was 65 or older.” 

Rosa de Acosta, CNN, July 2024

What shape of population pyramid best resembles the country of Japan?

  • A square/rectangle

  • A tree

  • A Kite

  • A triangle

  • A triangle with one side larger than the other

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51 mark

 “For Americans, the car is the American way. Jay Gatsby roars through capitalism, individual freedom, and the good life. For China, the train is the metaphor. Everyone's on board, there's no chance to steer, and it's clickety-clack to collectivism's dreams.”

― Mei Fong, One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment

Which of the following has resulted from China’s One Child Policy?

  • A high proportion of men due to increased migration

  • The imbalance of the sex ratio, with a higher proportion of men than women.

  • A high dependency ratio as a result of a high youthful population

  • A population boom

  • A population pyramid that resembles a triangle.

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61 mark

If a population pyramid is symmetrical, what trend would you likely see?

  • An equal gender balance 

  • A higher proportion of males. 

  • A large bulge on one side.

  • Unequal gender balance

  • A high proportion of elderly people.

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71 mark
Population pyramid of Niger in 2010, depicting age distribution by gender. Males in blue on the left, females in red on the right.

Study the population pyramid above. Which of the following best describes the rate of population growth on this pyramid?

  • Slow population growth

  • Stable population growth

  • Rapid population growth

  • Negative population growth

  • Population decline 

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