Study Guide
Test Design and Test Objectives
Field 04: Geography
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 100 selected-response questions |
| Time | 2 hours and 30 minutes (does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial) |
| Passing Score | 240 |
Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.
Test Objectives
| Subareas | Range of Objectives | Approximate Test Proportions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Geographic Concepts and Skills | 01–06 | 25% |
| II | World Geography | 07–14 | 34% |
| III | United States and Arizona Geography | 15–20 | 25% |
| IV | Contemporary Issues and Future Trends | 21–24 | 16% |
| Total Proportion | 100% | ||
Subarea I–Geographic Concepts and Skills
Objective 0001: Understand basic geographic terms, themes, and specialized fields of geography.
For example:- defining basic geographic terms and concepts (e.g., habitat, resource, acculturation)
- relating these terms and concepts to appropriate geographic situations
- using the five themes of location, place, relationship within places, movement, and region to analyze ecological, economic, social and political relationships and processes
- employing basic concepts of geography to analyze the geographic dimension of human cultures and institutions
- recognizing approaches, techniques, and materials of specialized fields of geography
Objective 0002: Understand how to use maps and globes to answer geographic questions.
For example:- demonstrating familiarity with commonly used maps (e.g., political, relief, resource)
- using latitude and longitude to find places on maps
- distinguishing between maps and globes
- recognizing basic map projections (e.g., Mercator, Robinson)
Objective 0003: Understand the basic natural processes that shape the earth.
For example:- demonstrating familiarity with the geological processes that alter the earth's surface (e.g., volcanic activity, sedimentation), hydrological processes that circulate moisture and erode landforms (e.g., evaporation, condensation), atmospheric processes that create weather (e.g., atmospheric pressure, radiation), and biological processes through which living organisms interact with the physical environment (e.g., the food chain)
- using this knowledge to analyze such geographic phenomena as continental drift, wind patterns, and the characteristics of particular environments and ecosystems
Objective 0004: Understand the relationship of the earth to other bodies in space.
For example:- recognizing how the relationship of the earth to other bodies in space is influenced by such physical forces as gravity, inertia, centrifugal force, and radiation
- understanding these forces and using that knowledge to analyze such phenomena as tidal movements, weather, and seasonal variations in climate and daylight hours
Objective 0005: Understand the interrelationship between geography and history.
For example:- recognizing the ways in which the development of human societies has been shaped by environmental influences
- examining the impact of technological innovations on human societies and the physical environment (e.g., the internal combustion engine)
- analyzing human sources of pollution and the environmental effects of pollution
Objective 0006: Locate, organize, analyze, and interpret geographic information.
For example:- recognizing the characteristics and uses of various sources of geographic information
- interpreting a variety of geographic source materials (e.g., maps, aerial photographs, statistical reports)
- recognizing procedures for retrieving information from traditional sources, computers, and other technological devices
- distinguishing between essential and incidental information
- deciding whether conclusions or generalizations are based on credible information
- determining the reliability of geographic information
Subarea II–World Geography
Objective 0007: Understand major physical features of the earth.
For example:- demonstrating familiarity with the shape and location of major land masses, their significant landforms, and their relationship to bodies of water
- examining relationships among the physical features of a region, its distinctive forms of plant and animal life, and its patterns of human settlement and cultural development
Objective 0008: Understand global and regional climatic patterns.
For example:- understanding the main elements of climate (e.g., temperature, precipitation, air pressure)
- recognizing major climate types
- examining the influence of such factors as atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, latitude, and altitude on climatic patterns
- analyzing different ways in which plant and animal life and human cultures interact with climatic conditions
Objective 0009: Understand global and regional patterns of resource distribution.
For example:- locating major concentrations of important natural resources (e.g., fossil fuels, rain forests)
- analyzing the relationship between resource distribution and economic development
- recognizing the geological and climatic factors that determine the location of water, soil, mineral, fossil fuel, and living resources
Objective 0010: Understand global and regional patterns of population distribution and rural/urban settlement.
For example:- examining periods of major world population increase and decline
- recognizing historical and contemporary patterns of human migration and population distribution
- analyzing the economic, environmental, and cultural reasons for major demographic change
- examining physical and historical factors that have influenced patterns of rural and urban settlement
- analyzing the effect of different patterns of urban/rural settlement on the environment
Objective 0011: Understand global and regional patterns of transportation and communication.
For example:- understanding the historical development of major global and regional trade routes
- examining the impact of the industrial and information revolutions on transportation and communications
- analyzing major factors affecting global and regional patterns of transportation and communication
- examining environmental, economic, and cultural changes that have accompanied the evolution of transportation and communication systems
Objective 0012: Understand global and regional patterns of land use and development.
For example:- understanding basic forms of land use and development (e.g., agricultural, forestry, mining, industrial)
- examining political, social, economic, and cultural factors that influence patterns of land use (e.g., the need for increased commercial space in a rapidly growing city)
- analyzing the environmental, cultural, and economic consequences of different types of land use and development (e.g., desertification caused by overgrazing)
Objective 0013: Understand global and regional patterns of culture and society.
For example:- demonstrating familiarity with the major cultural groups associated with particular regions and recognizing significant cultural variations within and among the peoples of these regions (e.g., Jewish and Arab residents of Israel, immigrant populations in the United States)
- using knowledge of world and regional cultures to analyze interactions of human societies with each other and with their environments
- understanding how culture and experience influence perceptions of places and regions
Objective 0014: Understand global and regional patterns of economic self-sufficiency and interdependence.
For example:- understanding different types of economies (e.g., capitalist, socialist, mixed)
- recognizing major patterns of world trade
- examining factors encouraging and discouraging economic self-sufficiency and interdependence
- analyzing the relationship of economic choices to issues of resource conservation
Subarea III–United States and Arizona Geography
Objective 0015: Understand major climatic and physical features of Arizona and the United States.
For example:- identifying major state and national landforms and major rivers and other bodies of water
- recognizing the principal climate and vegetation patterns found within Arizona and the United States
- analyzing interactions among physical features, climatic conditions, human communities, and regional ecologies
Objective 0016: Understand patterns of natural resource distribution within Arizona and the United States.
For example:- identifying major state and national resources
- examining geological, climatic, and biological factors that have influenced the location of resources
- analyzing the connection between resource distribution and the social, economic, and political development of Arizona and the nation
- examining ways in which natural resources have shaped regional environments within Arizona and the United States
Objective 0017: Understand patterns of population growth, distribution, and movement within Arizona and the United States.
For example:- locating significant areas of historical and contemporary settlement
- examining economic, technological, and historical factors that have shaped state and national patterns of population growth and decline
- analyzing the effects of population change on the physical environment and human communities of Arizona and the United States
Objective 0018: Understand patterns of transportation and communication within Arizona and the United States.
For example:- understanding the physical and historical conditions and developments that have shaped the evolution of transportation and communication systems in Arizona and the United States
- examining the influence of technology on those systems
- analyzing the impact of state and national systems of transportation and communication on human activity and the natural environment
- using this information to examine contemporary problems
Objective 0019: Understand patterns of land use and development within Arizona and the United States.
For example:- recognizing basic forms of land use and development within Arizona and the United States (e.g., residential, agricultural, industrial, commercial)
- examining physical, historical, and political factors that influence state and national land use decisions
- analyzing the environmental, cultural, and economic consequences of regional land use and development patterns
Objective 0020: Understand social, political, and cultural characteristics of Arizona and the United States.
For example:- understanding the social, political, economic, and religious principles that have shaped the culture of Arizona and the United States (e.g., democracy, free enterprise, religious freedom)
- analyzing the structure and functions of the private and public institutions through which those principles operate
- understanding the impact of those principles and institutions on human activity and the environment within Arizona and the United States
- demonstrating familiarity with the racial and ethnic groups in Arizona and U.S. society
- analyzing social, political, and cultural interactions among those groups
- understanding the importance of cultural pluralism in U.S. history
Subarea IV–Contemporary Issues and Future Trends
Objective 0021: Understand the relationship of geography to contemporary issues in human-environment interactions.
For example:- understanding major issues related to the global environment
- analyzing local and national policies in terms of their global impact on the environment
- determining immediate and indirect causes of environmental problems
- predicting possible future effects of existing patterns of environmental destruction and reclamation
Objective 0022: Understand contemporary issues in demographic change and economic development and interdependence.
For example:- examining physical, social, economic, political, and technological factors that affect population growth and movement
- evaluating the effects of population growth and decline on ecologies, economies, and resources at local, national, and global levels
- analyzing the potential effects of current economic trends on particular societies, on relations among nations, and on the physical environment
Objective 0023: Understand contemporary issues in energy and resource use.
For example:- understanding the global supply and distribution of major natural resources
- examining ways in which particular resources are used
- analyzing factors that influence demand for resources and energy
- evaluating resource and energy policy
- analyzing the effects of various types of resource use on society and the physical environment
Objective 0024: Understand contemporary cultural, ethnic, and geopolitical issues.
For example:- demonstrating familiarity with contemporary world events
- recognizing ideological and military factors influencing recent geopolitical developments
- understanding the roles of nationalism and internationalism in world affairs
- evaluating the implications of current geopolitical trends (e.g., the redrawing of political boundaries, ethnic conflicts, the emergence of new political alignments)
- assessing the possible effects of political change on human uses of the environment