SOUTH ASIA STUDY QUESTIONS
India is a(n) _____ state.
A. theocratic
B. despotic
C. Islamic
D. secular
E. Hindu
Which of the following statements is false?
A. South Asia has 20% of the world’s population and 67% of its poorest
B. India simply cannot produce enough food to feed its exploding population
C. South Asia has 22% of the world’s population and 35% of its land area
D. Almost 50% of South Asia’s children are malnourished and underweight
E. Nearly half the population of South Asia earns less than $1 per day
The most important river of India is the:
A. Brahmaputra
B. Ganges
C. Indus
D. Nile
E. Irrawaddy
The partitioning of Hindu India from Muslim Pakistan occurred in:
A. ca. 460 B.C.
B. 1857
C. 1947
D. 1971
E. the two areas have never been partitioned
Which of the following is false?
A. Islamabad is a forward capital.
B. India is a democracy, while Pakistan has often been ruled by a military dictatorship.
C. India’s treatment of its Muslim minority has upset Pakistan.
D. India and Pakistan have agreed to partition Kashmir.
E. The process of Hindutva is meant to change India into a Hindu nation.
An area whose control is still disputed by India and Pakistan is:
A. Punjab
B. Jammu and Kashmir
C. Bangladesh
D. Bengal
E. Goa
The ___________ Revolution of the 1960s introduced “miracle” varieties of wheat and rice that significantly increased the productivity of these crops.
A. Communist
B. Green
C. Agricultural
D. Malthusian
E. Gandhian
The physiological density in India is ________ than the arithmetic population density.
A. greater
B. less
C. the same
D. Can't be determined
In describing
A. is an Islamic Republic
B. is a B-climate country
D. is poor in known mineral resources
E. is characterized by all of the above
A. First B. Second C. Third D. Fourth E. Fifth (lower births than deaths, not shown on the diagram)
A. Cities B. Rural areas C. North D.
The most important agricultural product in South
A. Millet B. Wheat C. Rice D. Beef E. Fis
A. Not good—too many issues to overcome, including overpopulation, squalor, inadequate resources, and engulfing terrorism.
B. Not good because it insists on belligerent relationships with the
C. Good because of an oil-rich economy, high literacy, good family planning, and solid international relations with the world super-powers.
D. Good because of decent resources but only if it can maintain its precarious position in the war on terror and a working relationship with
10th most air polluted city (according to course materials, not some odd Internet source). [Hint: it’s in South or SE
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PUBLISHER'S TEST BANK
(Some good, some bad)
Chapter: Chapter 08: South Asia
Multiple Choice
1. Of India’s over 1 billion population, just over_____ million are Muslims.
a) 6
b) 28
c) 65
d) 150
e) 800
2. The country located immediately northwest of India is:
a) Iran
b) Kashmir
c) Bangladesh
d) Afghanistan
e) Pakistan
3. The major river of Pakistan is the:
a) Tigris
b) Ganges
c) Brahmaputra
d) Indus
e) Irrawaddy
4. The lava covered plateau that extends across most of southern India is known as the:
a) Punjab
b) Himalayas
c) Sind
d) Deccan
e) Kashmir
5. The area known as the “land of the five rivers” is:
a) Punjab
b) Hindustan
c) Assam
d) Pakistan
e) none of the above
6. The coastal edges of the Deccan plateau are marked by highlands known as:
a) Ganges
b) Ghats
c) Himalayas
d) Sinds
e) Hindu Kush
7. The southwestern Arabian Sea coast of India is known as the:
a) Coromandel Coast
b) Ghat Coast
c) Malabar Coast
d) Deccan Coast
e) none of the above
8. The Bay of Bengal coast of India is known as the:
a) Coromandel-Golconda Coast
b) Ghat Coast
c) Malabar-Konkan Coast
d) Deccan Coast
e) none of the above
9. The caste system is most associated with which of the following religions:
a) Judaism
b) Islam
c) Buddhism
d) Hinduism
e) Christianity
10. The first true indigenous empire in the South Asian realm was the:
a) Aryan
b) Indus
c) Dravidian
d) Mogul
e) Mauryan
11. Telugu, Tamil, Kanarese, and Malayalam are:
a) border provinces of India, facing Southeast Asia
b) four major cities in Pakistan, all with over 250,000 inhabitants
c) four leading Dravidian languages spoken in southern India
d) the political divisions of Bangladesh, created after independence in 1963
e) the local names for important crops grown in Sri Lanka
12. Aśoka was a strong believer in:
a) Buddhism
b) Hinduism
c) Islam
d) Judaism
e) Confucianism
13. The power penetrating India from the west in the tenth century was:
a) Roman
b) Greek
c) Islam
d) Chinese
e) British
14. The direct administration of India by the British government (the raj ) lasted for:
a) 18 years
b) 90 years
c) 124 years
d) 163 years through 2006, and still continues
e) 247 years
15. In 1947, British India was partitioned into which of the following states?
a) the Punjab and Assam
b) India and Pakistan
c) Kashmir and Afghanistan
d) Ceylon and Sri Lanka
e) Bangladesh and East Pakistan
16. The partitioning of Hindu India from Muslim Pakistan occurred in:
a) ca. 460 B.C.
b) 1857
c) 1947
d) 1971
e) the two have never been partitioned
17. A city that lost a good part of its hinterland to Pakistan in the partitioning of British India is:
a) Calcutta (Kolkata)
b) Bombay (Mumbai)
c) New Delhi
d) Madras (Chennai)
e) Karachi
18. The physiological density in India is ________ the arithmetic population density.
a) greater
b) less than
c) equal to
19. India is probably in the ______ stage of the demographic transition.
a) first
b) second
c) third
d) fourth
e) fifth
20. The portion of India where the population today is growing the fastest is:
a) the Kashmir area
b) the Bombay (Mumbai) urban region
c) the upper Gangetic Plain
d) the states to the northeast of Bangladesh
e) Kathiawar Peninsula
21. Which of the following statements is false?
a) South Asia has more than one-fifth of the world’s population and two-thirds of its poorest
b) India produces enough food to feed its population
c) South Asia has 23% of the world’s population and 12% of its land area
d) About 50% of South Asia’s children are malnourished and underweight
22. Which of the following countries does not share a common border with Pakistan?
a) Iran
b) China
c) Bangladesh
d) Afghanistan
e) India
23. Which of the following associations is incorrect?
a) Sri Lanka and Colombo
b) Bangladesh and Dhaka
c) Nepal and Kathmandu
d) Pakistan and Delhi
e) Bhutan and Thimphu
24. Which of the following is not located in Pakistan?
a) Deccan Plateau
b) Sind
c) Punjab
d) Islamabad
e) Baluchistan
25. Which of the following is the core area of Pakistan?
a) Punjab
b) Sind
c) Assam
d) Tribal Area
e) Baluchistan
26. Which of the following received large groups of refugees from Afghanistan?
a) Sind
b) Punjab
c) North West Frontier
d) Islamabad
e) Kashmir
27. Which of the following cities is located in Pakistan’s Sind region?
a) Dhaka
b) Kabol
c) Islamabad
d) Lahore
e) Karachi
28. The irredentist movement in the North West Frontier of Pakistan is based on cultural affiliations with the neighboring country of:
a) Iran
b) Afghanistan
c) China
d) Bangladesh
e) India
29. Which of the following statements is false?
a) East Pakistan freed itself from its political bonds with West Pakistan and became
independent as Bangladesh.
b) Kashmir achieved independence from Pakistan after a long, irredentist-supported struggle.
c) Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka.
d) India has shifted state boundaries to accommodate regional and local demands.
e) Pakistan moved its capital from Karachi to Islamabad.
30. Which of the following statements is false?
a) Although the official language of Bangladesh is Bengali, the official language of Pakistan is Urdu.
b) While the major natural hazard faced by Bangladesh is flooding, the major natural hazard faced by Pakistan is drought.
c) While rice is the major staple grain in Bangladesh, wheat is the major staple grain in Pakistan.
d) Bangladesh and Pakistan have major mineral resources.
e) Bangladesh and Pakistan were once united into a single country.
31. Which of the following is false?
a) During the Cold War, India tilted toward the Soviet Union, Pakistan toward the United States.
b) Bangladesh is economically less developed than Pakistan.
c) India is a democracy, while Pakistan has often been ruled by a military dictatorship.
d) India's treatment of its Muslim minority has upset Pakistan.
e) India and Pakistan recently agreed to partition Kashmir between them.
32. An area whose control is still disputed by India and Pakistan is:
a) Punjab
b) Jammu and Kashmir
c) Bangladesh
d) northern Sri Lanka
e) the Tribal Area
33. Which of the following areas of India is located in the Brahmaputra Valley?
a) Deccan
b) Assam
c) Punjab
d) Kashmir
e) Delhi-New Delhi
34. Which of the following is not one of India’s newest States?
a) Chhattisgarh
b) Punjab
c) Jharkhand
d) Uttaranchal
e) All four of these states were established in 2000.
35. Which State is located in southern India?
a) Assam
b) Kerala
c) Punjab
d) Kashmir
e) Maharashtra
36. Centrifugal forces:
a) tend to pull a state together, unifying it and increasing its cohesion
b) determine the effectiveness with which the boundary system functions to control the population
c) affect the binding function of the capital city
d) have the effect of dividing a state, promoting disunity and internal fragmentation
e) pull a state from representative to authoritarian forms of government
37. In India, a leading centrifugal force has been:
a) Hinduism
b) the caste system
c) education
d) the cultural force of political leadership
e) democracy
38. The dominant centripetal force in India has been the:
a) cultural and religious strength of Hinduism
b) universality of the English Language
c) united opposition to Islam
d) national effort against terminating the caste system
e) war on hunger and malnutrition
39. India's Sikh population is concentrated in:
a) Punjab
b) Assam
c) the far south
d) Kashmir
e) Eelam
40. The priestly caste in India is known as the:
a) Hindus
b) Brahmans
c) Harijans
d) Sikhs
e) Dalits
41. The untouchable caste in India is known as the:
a) Hindus
b) Harijans
c) Brahmans
d) Sikhs
e) Tamils
42. The city located closest to the Ganges Delta is:
a) Kolkata (Calcutta)
b) New Delhi
c) Chennai (Madras)
d) Islamabad
e) Colombo
43. Which of the following statements about Indian agriculture is false?
a) Rice is grown in the east and wheat in the west.
b) Wheat is grown in the east and rice in the west.
c) The Green Revolution led to significant increases in production.
d) Cotton is produced in west-central India.
e) All of the above are true.
44. Agriculture in India:
a) is marked by the equal division of land among the country’s millions of farming families
b) ranks the country third in the world in terms of acreage under rice
c) remained unaffected by the so-called Green Revolution
d) is rapidly closing the gap between national food needs and grain supplies
e) remains inefficient and tradition-bound, so that yields per worker and per unit area are low
45. The ___________ Revolution of the 1960s introduced “miracle” varieties of wheat and rice that significantly increased the productivity of these crops.
a) Communist
b) Green
c) Cultural
d) Malthusian
e) Gandhian
46. India has more land devoted to _____ production than any other country in the world.
a) rice
b) wheat
c) corn
d) cotton
e) tobacco
47. Much of India’s coal supply is found in the:
a) Assam region
b) Chota-Nagpur Plateau
c) Western Ghats
d) the vicinity of Mumbai (Bombay)
e) mountains of the far north
48. Your textbook indicates that a newly developing regional disparity in India is between:
a) urban and rural areas
b) east and west
c) north and south
d) coastal and interior
e) none of the above
49. Since 1900, 8 of the 10 costliest natural disasters in the world have struck which of the following countries?
a) India
b) Bangladesh
c) Pakistan
d) Sri Lanka
e) Nepal
50. Bangladesh was formerly known as:
a) East Pakistan
b) West Pakistan
c) Ceylon
d) British India
e) Burma
51. Which of the following cities suffered severely in the devastating 1991 cyclone that came ashore north of the Bay of Bengal?
a) New Delhi
b) Mumbai (Bombay)
c) Dhaka
d) Karachi
e) Beijing
52. The two countries in the Mountainous North of South Asia are:
a) Sri Lanka and Ceylon
b) Pakistan and Bangladesh
c) Nepal and Bhutan
d) Assam and Punjab
e) Jammu and Kashmir
53. Which of the following statements about Nepal is false?
a) Deforestation is a problem.
b) Agriculture is a true success story.
c) The Himalayas are its dominant physical feature.
d) About 80% of the population are Hindu.
e) Kathmandu is located in the country's core area.
54. The small group of islands 400 miles south of India are the:
a) Ceylonese
b) Sri Lankans
c) Maldives
d) Dravidians
e) Colombos
55. The Hindu population of Sri Lanka is known as the:
a) Ceylonese
b) Sinhalese
c) Tamils
d) Ghats
e) Lankanese
True/False
56. The Ghats are the southernmost range of the Himalayas.
57. The Malabar-Konkan Coast of India contains the Eastern Ghats and the city of Chennai (Madras).
58. Southern India contains the Deccan Plateau.
59. The Ganges and Brahmaputra River valleys converge.
60. The Indo-Europeans were known as Aryans.
61. Dravidians are in the majority on the island formerly called Ceylon.
62. The caste system has completely disappeared from Indian society.
63. The Mauryan Empire incorporated the majority of the Indian subcontinent.
64. Prince Aśoka was the founder of the Buddhist religion in the third century B.C.
65. Islam from the beginning was a faith alien to India, and the country successfully resisted its penetration throughout history.
66. Prince Siddhartha is better known as Muhammad in modern Pakistan.
67. The British East India Company administered India from 1728 until the country became independent in 1947.
68. Throughout their history, the Sikhs have been fiercely pro-Muslim, and since partition have desired to have their territory united with Pakistan.
69. The Punjab region extends into Pakistan and India.
70. India’s Muslim population now constitutes less than 2% of the country’s population.
71. The physiologic population density of a country is always lower than the arithmetic density.
72. The population of Bangladesh is nearly 50% larger than that of Pakistan.
73. India today is the world’s second most populous state.
74. Demographic transition theory describes changes in birth rates, death rates, and population growth over time.
75. In the first stage of the demographic transition both birth rates and death rates are high.
76. In the second stage of the demographic transition, the population explosion begins.
77. South Asia contains more than 20% of the world’s population, but two-thirds of its poorest inhabitants.
78. The majority of Kashmir’s population is Hindu.
79. Karachi always has been the cultural and emotional focus of the Pakistani nation.
80. Lahore is the cultural heart of Pakistan.
81. The Sikhs are concentrated in Punjab.
82. The so-called “untouchables” of the Indian caste system are untouchable because it is believed that they are directly descended from a Hindu god.
83. The lowest-ranking social group in the Hindu caste system is the Brahmans.
84. Gandhi’s daughter, Indira, served as India's president in the years between her father’s regime and the revolution led by Nehru that overthrew her government in 1966.
85. The leading crop grown in Punjab is wheat.
86. The west in India is now developing faster than the east.
87. The territory of Bangladesh is essentially the deltaic plain of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system.
88. Much of Bangladesh’s land lies close to sea level, leaving the country prone to frequent flooding.
89. Nepal and Bhutan are landlocked countries.
90. Nepal today, because of deforestation and soil erosion, faces a serious ecological crisis.
91. Bhutan is located between Nepal and Kashmir.
92. Ceylon was formerly known as Sikkim.
93. The majority of Sri Lanka’s people are Aryans, who trace their history to ancient northern India.
94. Sinhalese extremists have been demanding an independent state of Eelam in the area around Colombo.
95. The three stages of the insurgent state model are contention, equilibrium, and counteroffensive.
Fill-in-the-blank
96. The lava-covered plateau extending across most of the southern portion of India is the ________.
97. The lowland of far southeastern India that borders the Indian Ocean and contains the city of Madras (Chennai) is called the __________ Coast.
98. The partitioning of the Indian subcontinent into the modern states of India and Pakistan occurred in the year ___________.
99. The cultural focus of Islam in Pakistan today is the city of __________.
100. The amount of cultivated land per person is known as the __________ density.
101. The social stratification that dominates Hindu India is known as the ________ system.
102. __________ forces bind a state together, unifying and strengthening its foundations.
103. The __________ Revolution of the 1960s introduced “miracle” varieties of wheat and rice that signifi¬cantly increased the productivity of these crops.
104. The former state of East Pakistan, which separated from West Pakistan after a brief war in 1971, is now called ____________.
105. The mountain range containing Mt. Everest, the world’s highest peak, is called the _________.