A map shades each county by its population density, using one census figure for the whole county. Which type of thematic map is it?Wikipedia, Choropleth map. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), c. Map Types
A map's scale is printed as 1:24,000. What does the ratio mean?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 1.3 Mapping the World. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), b. Map Elements
A point has a latitude of 90 degrees N. Where is it?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.1 Geography Basics. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), a. Grid Systems
A ship crosses the International Date Line sailing west. What happens to the calendar date on board?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 1.4 Where in the World Am I?. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), a. Grid Systems
Show all 60 questions (56 more)
Mapping the Earth, continued
Contour lines are drawn close together on one part of a topographic map. What does that say about the land there?U.S. Geological Survey, What is a topographic map?; also Wikipedia, Contour line. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), c. Map Types
The Earth turns 360 degrees in 24 hours. About how wide, in degrees of longitude, is each of the 24 time zones?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.1 Geography Basics. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), a. Grid Systems
How does the distance between lines of longitude change over the globe?NOAA National Ocean Service, What is longitude?. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), a. Grid Systems
On a Mercator world map Greenland looks larger than South America, although it is much smaller. Why?Wikipedia, Mercator projection; also Introduction to Human Geography, section 1.3 Mapping the World. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), c. Map Types
What does a compass rose on a map display?Wikipedia, Compass rose. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, I. Mapping the Earth (15%), b. Map Elements
Culture and environment 18
A city newspaper sells fewer copies in each town that lies farther from the city. Which term names the pattern?Wikipedia, Distance decay. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), a. Cultural systems and processes
A country's fertility rate stays below 2.1 and few people immigrate. What happens to its population?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.3 Population and Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), b. Population
A culture adapts to a place, and the place is changed by the people who live there. What is this two-way relationship called?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 4.2 The Cultural Landscape. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), a. Cultural systems and processes
A desert city builds an indoor ski slope. Which view of people and their environment does the example illustrate?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 1.8 The Human-Environment Relationship. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), a. Cultural systems and processes
A population keeps growing by about 1.4 percent a year. About how long does it take to double?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.3 Population and Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), b. Population
A timber company replants trees after logging so that the forest can be used again. Which approach to resources is this?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 13.5 Preservation of Natural Resources. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), c. Natural resources and culture
As a country industrializes and its people move to cities, what usually happens to family size and income?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.3 Population and Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), b. Population
Basque, spoken in the Pyrenees, has no link to any other language. What is such a language called?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.3 Population and Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), a. Cultural systems and processes
Boats from many ports fish the same open waters, and each crew takes all it can until the stock collapses. Which idea does this illustrate?Wikipedia, Tragedy of the commons. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), c. Natural resources and culture
On a population pyramid, what does each bar stand for?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.3 Population and Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), b. Population
One world geography textbook separates culture from ethnicity. How?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.3 Population and Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), a. Cultural systems and processes
Overgrazing and cutting trees for fuel strip the plant cover from a dry region, and fertile land turns to desert. What is the process called?Wikipedia, Desertification. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), c. Natural resources and culture
What is an environment's carrying capacity?Wikipedia, Carrying capacity. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), b. Population
Which geographer did the most to promote the idea of the cultural landscape, in which culture shapes the visible features of an area?Wikipedia, Cultural landscape. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), a. Cultural systems and processes
Which goal defines sustainable development?Wikipedia, Sustainable development. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), c. Natural resources and culture
Which idea holds that the physical environment dictates a people's culture, a view geographers have largely rejected?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 1.8 The Human-Environment Relationship. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), a. Cultural systems and processes
Which three regions hold the world's biggest population clusters?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.3 Population and Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), b. Population
Why are oil, coal and natural gas classed as nonrenewable resources?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 13.2 Nonrenewable Energy Resources; also the same textbook, section 13.6 Key Terms Defined. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, II. Culture and Environment (30%), c. Natural resources and culture
Spatial patterns of culture 24
A copper smelter turns out a product that weighs far less than the ore going in. By Alfred Weber's reasoning, where should such a bulk-reducing plant be built?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 11.3 Factors for Location. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), c. Economic Systems
A group forbids its members a food, such as the meat of a certain animal, by religious or cultural rule. What is such a prohibition called?Wikipedia, Food and drink prohibitions. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), b. Folk and Popular Culture
A new product reaches the largest cities at once and a remote village years later. What does one human geography textbook call the gap in time?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 4.5 Popular Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), b. Folk and Popular Culture
Buenos Aires holds about eight times as many people as Córdoba, Argentina's second-largest city. What is a largest city that far out of proportion called?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 12.3 Urbanization; also Wikipedia, Primate city. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), d. Settlement and Land Use Patterns
Christmas displays now appear in countries with few Christians. How does one textbook explain holidays in popular culture?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 4.5 Popular Culture. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), b. Folk and Popular Culture
Farmers live on separate farmsteads, each isolated from its neighbors, as across the American Midwest. Which rural settlement pattern is this?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 12.2 Rural Settlement Patterns. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), d. Settlement and Land Use Patterns
Farming, fishing, logging and mining produce raw materials. To which sector of an economy do they belong?Wikipedia, Primary sector of the economy. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), c. Economic Systems
Folklore takes in spoken lore, customs and material culture. Which of these is material culture?Wikipedia, Folklore. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), b. Folk and Popular Culture
Herders drive livestock up to high-country pastures for the summer and back to the lowlands for fall and winter. What is this movement called?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 10.2 Agricultural Practices. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), c. Economic Systems
In central place theory, what is the range of a good or service?Wikipedia, Central place theory. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), d. Settlement and Land Use Patterns
In his heartland theory of 1904, Halford Mackinder argued that whoever controlled one area could control the world. Which area?Wikipedia, The Geographical Pivot of History. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), e. Political Geography
In Rostow's model of economic growth, which of the five stages comes last?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 9.4 Rostow's Stages of Growth and Political Policy. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), c. Economic Systems
In the core-periphery relationship, what does the periphery mainly supply to the core?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.4 Globalization and Development. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), c. Economic Systems
In von Thünen's model of farmland around a single market city, which activity fills the ring closest to the city?Wikipedia, Johann Heinrich von Thünen. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), d. Settlement and Land Use Patterns
Indonesia is made up of thousands of islands. By its shape, what kind of state is it?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 8.2 How Political Space Is Organized. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), e. Political Geography
Islam has two main branches. Which one is much the larger?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 6.2 Overview of Major Religions. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), a. Religious Systems
Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa. What is a territory surrounded by the territory of one other state called?Wikipedia, Enclave and exclave. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), e. Political Geography
Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan are called doubly landlocked. What does that mean?Wikipedia, Landlocked country. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), e. Political Geography
Mongolia lies between Russia and China and separates the two powers. What is a country in that position called?Wikipedia, Buffer state. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), e. Political Geography
New Orleans lies below sea level and floods, yet it sits where the Mississippi's river network meets the Gulf. Which pair of terms names these two facts?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 1.5 How Do I Describe Where I Am?. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), d. Settlement and Land Use Patterns
What is a theocracy?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 6.6 Key Terms Defined. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), a. Religious Systems
Which is the largest ethnic religion?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 6.2 Overview of Major Religions. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), a. Religious Systems
Which model of a city, set out by Ernest Burgess in 1925, arranges land uses in rings around the central business district?Wikipedia, Concentric zone model. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), d. Settlement and Land Use Patterns
Which of the three main branches of Christianity is found mostly in Russia and Eastern Europe?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 6.2 Overview of Major Religions. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, III. Spatial Patterns of Culture (40%), a. Religious Systems
Regional geography 9
A company moves the making of its product to a factory in another country. Which term names this?Dorrell and Henderson, Introduction to Human Geography (open textbook, on LibreTexts), section 11.7 Key Terms Defined. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), c. Globalization
The area a pizza shop delivers to is an example of which kind of region?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.1 Geography Basics. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), a. Defining a region
Jets and the internet shrink the time it takes to reach or contact a distant place. Which term names this effect?Wikipedia, Time–space compression. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), c. Globalization
One world geography textbook describes two major waves of globalization. What drove the first?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.4 Globalization and Development. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), c. Globalization
One world regional geography textbook divides the world into eleven realms. Which countries make up its North American realm?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.1 Geography Basics. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), b. World Culture Regions
People agree that the Midwest exists but draw its edges in different places. What kind of region is it?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.1 Geography Basics. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), a. Defining a region
What is the Sahel?Wikipedia, Sahel. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), b. World Culture Regions
What marks Latin America off as a cultural region of the Americas?Wikipedia, Latin America. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), b. World Culture Regions
Which of these is a formal region?Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography, section 1.1 Geography Basics. DSST Introduction to Geography outline, IV. Regional Geography (15%), a. Defining a region
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the exam content outline in the DSST fact sheet for Introduction to Geography, the exam formerly titled Human/Cultural Geography (Prometric, Rev 06/2018, https://getcollegecredit.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/IntroductionToGeography.pdf, read 2026-10-12): Mapping the Earth 15%, Culture and Environment 30%, Spatial Patterns of Culture 40%, Regional Geography 15%. This bank holds 60: 9, 18, 24 and 9. Every fact was read on 2026-10-12 on the public page named under its question: the Saylor Academy open textbook World Regional Geography: People, Places and Globalization (chapter 1), the open textbook Introduction to Human Geography by Dorrell and Henderson (University of North Georgia Press, on LibreTexts), the NOAA National Ocean Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and Wikipedia. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This DSST Human/Cultural Geography practice test has 60 questions of our own, each with the public page its answer was checked on. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Prometric, which owns the DSST exams.
Read the full guide
What the exam covers
The fact sheet (Rev 06/2018) lists four areas: mapping the Earth 15%, culture and environment 30%, spatial patterns of culture 40%, and regional geography 15%. The bank holds 9, 18, 24 and 9. Spatial patterns of culture takes in religion, folk and popular culture, economic systems, settlement and land use, and political geography.
Length and timing
On test day there are 100 questions and 2 hours, and some are pretest questions that are not scored. The timed test here keeps that pace: 60 questions in 72 minutes.
Learn the pairs that get mixed up: site and situation, range and threshold, conservation and preservation, formal and functional regions.
Questions and answers
Is the DSST Human/Cultural Geography exam still offered?
Yes, under a new title. Prometric's DSST site lists it as Introduction to Geography (formerly titled: Human/Cultural Geography), so a school list or study guide that still uses the old name means this exam.
Is there a DSST Human/Cultural Geography study guide?
Prometric's fact sheet is the free one: the outline, its percentages and four reference textbooks. Most questions here cite two open textbooks, free online: World Regional Geography (Saylor Academy) and Introduction to Human Geography (University of North Georgia Press).
What score do you need on the DSST Introduction to Geography exam?
There is no percent to aim for. The American Council on Education recommends 3 semester hours of lower-level baccalaureate credit at a score of 400, and your school decides which score it accepts.
Are these real DSST geography questions?
No. Every question was written for this page from the lines of the published outline and a public source. None is copied or reworded from the exam or from the fact sheet's sample questions, and a score here does not predict a score there.