Chapter 10 – Central Asia

Of the following climates, which one is LEAST common in Central Asia?

A. tropical monsoon
B. midlatitude desert
C. midlatitude steppe
D. highland
E. humid continental

Tropical monsoon

Which location is at the highest elevation?

A. Oral
B. Aqtau
C. Kabul
D. Nukus
E. Baku

Kabul

Where in Central Asia are most steppe environments located?

A. west
B. north
C. south
D. east
E. central

North

What Central Asian body of water devolved into a major environmental disaster in the late 20th century?

A. Aral Sea
B. Amu Darya
C. Syr Darya
D. Black Sea
E. Red Sea

Aral Sea

Where are the desert regions of Central Asia mostly located?

A. eastern edge of the region
B. western edge of the region
C. center of the region
D. northern edge of the region
E. southern edge of the region

center of the region

Which of the following countries of Central Asia lies farthest south?

A. Mongolia
B. Kazakhstan
C. Turkmenistan
D. Afghanistan

Afghanistan

What is the primary reason for the shrinking of the Aral Sea?

A. There is climatic change in Central Asia.
B. Large-scale irrigation projects implemented by the Soviets in the 1950s have diverted water from the two rivers that feed the sea.
C. Tectonic rifting in the region is causing the sea’s water to be removed beneath the ground surface.
D. Much of the water has been removed directly from the sea surface by the numerous nuclear desalinization plants along the Aral’s shore.
E. All of the answer choices are correct.

Large Scale irrigation projects implemented by Soviets in 1950’s have diverted water from 2 rivers that fed sea. Amy Darya and Syr Darya

Which Central Asian lake is the largest lake in the world?

A. Aral Sea
B. Lake Baikal
C. Kara Deniz
D. Lake Erie
E. Caspian Sea

…

Why is the environment in Central Asia relatively clean?

A. stringent environmental standards and controls
B. a strong "green" political movement in the region
C. favorable breezes that sweep the heavy industrial pollution that would otherwise permeate the region
D. low population density coupled with low level of economic development
E. All of the answer choices are correct.

low population density coupled with low level of economic development

Which of the following deserts is NOT found in Central Asia?

A. Kara Kum
B. Kalahari
C. Kyzyl Kum
D. Taklamakan
E. Gobi

Kalahari

The Pamir Knot

A. is a complex tangle of east-west and north-south trending mountain ranges on the borders of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and China.
B. is the term for the border between Mongolia and China.
C. refers to the political isolation experienced by Azerbaijan on the western side of the Caspian Sea.
D. refers to the mountainous region lying on the border between Nepal and China.
E. is located in Turkmenistan.

is complex tangle of mountains located where Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and Tajikistan meet – towering ranges in several direction

What do most climate change experts predict will happen to Central Asia as climate change continues?

A. It will be hit hard by climate change, leading to melting of glaciers and reduced river flows.
B. Because of the region’s low density, the problems will be minimal.
C. This dry region will benefit from higher overall precipitation.
D. The region will move to the forefront of solar energy technology development.
E. This region will not be affected by climate change.

It will be hit hard by climate change, leading to melting of glaciers and reduced river flows.

In which country of Central Asia is the Gobi Desert found?

A. Turkmenistan
B. Azerbaijan
C. Tibet
D. Mongolia
E. Afghanistan

Mongolia

The New Silk Road attempts to do all of the following EXCEPT

A. link China and Central Asia to Europe.
B. get products to consumers faster than if transported by sea.
C. reduce transport to 10 days by rail.
D. lower the $9000 current cost of overland transport.
E. link China and Central Asia to markets in North America.

link China and Central Asia to markets in North America

Referring to the graphic below, which of the following dry climates has the greatest amount of annual precipitation?

A. Semey, Kazakhstan
B. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
C. Tasahkent, Uzbekistan
D. Almaty, Kazakhstan
E. šrmqi, China

Kazakhstan

What are some successes in halting the desertification of Inner Mongolia?

A. planting licorice in the Hobq Desert
B. using a mesh of wheat straw to stabilize sand while new vegetation establishes itself
C. growing thick vegetation borders to stop the sand dune sprawl
D. planting drought-adapted shrubs
E. All of these are examples of how desertification has been halted.

All the above

Beginning with increased diversion of water during the 1950s, what happened to the Aral Sea?

A. Its shoreline retreated at an unprecedented rate.
B. Villages that had once enjoyed a "seaside" location were stranded 40 miles inland.
C. Salinity levels increased in the Aral Sea, causing fish species to disappear.
D. Eventually, the Aral Sea consisted of two separate lakes.
E. All of the answer choices are correct.

All of the above

What geologic event created Central Asia’s mountain ranges?

A. the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia
B. extensive and recent volcanic eruptions
C. tectonic plate divergence
D. subsidence along local earthquake faults
E. meteor shower

the collision of the Indian subcontient with Asia

In the Tarim Basin, where do most of the people reside?

A. in the foothills of the mountains along the basin’s edge
B. near the basin’s center
C. high in the mountains surrounding the basin
D. toward the eastern opening of the basin
E. in an evenly distributed pattern, throughout the region

in the foothills of the mountains along the basin’s edge

What is the livelihood of pastoralists?

A. growing wheat
B. cultivating rice
C. growing grapes to produce wine
D. growing opium poppies
E. raising livestock

people who raise livestock for sustenance purposes

Which of the following countries of Central Asia lies farthest north?

A. Tibet
B. Kazakhstan
C. Turkmenistan
D. Afghanistan
E. Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan

Since the 1960s, where has the largest proportion of migrants to Tibet and the western provinces of China come from?

A. Indians fleeing because of the border conflict with Pakistan
B. Nepalese who are searching for more productive agricultural land
C. Afghans fleeing internal political conflict
D. Han Chinese from eastern China
E. Mongolians

Han Chinese from eastern China

Which of the following is one of the most densely populated regions of Central Asia?
A. the Gobi Desert
B. the lowlands of Azerbaijan
C. northern Tibet
D. Xinjiang
E. the Kara Kum

lowlands of azerbaijan

Which of the following cities is an UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

A. Samarkand
B. Kashgar
C. Ulaanbaator
D. Baku
E. Astana

…

China has invested $6 billion in Tajikistan. The authors fear what outcome?

A. economic domination of Tajikistan by China
B. an increase in remittances that will destabilize Tajikistan
C. continuing falling oil prices in Tajikistan
D. deportation of Tajik workers from China
E. a decrease in Tajikistan exports to the West

Economic domination of Tajikistan by China

People of which of the following countries of Central Asia are noted for their traditional economy based on transhumance?

A. Afghanistan
B. Kazakhstan
C. Tibet
D. Turkmenistan
E. Kyrgyzstan

Krgyzstan

What livelihood is "the only feasible way of life on the Tibetan plateau," according to the authors of your textbook?

A. nomadic pastoralism based on the yak
B. plantation agriculture based on tea
C. subsistence agriculture based on tubers
D. sedentary agriculture based on a variety of crops
E. transhumance based on sheep

Nomadic pastoralism

Kazakhstan’s population in the agricultural lands of the north

A. is highly concentrated near the border of Russia.
B. lives primarily in the cities of the northern region.
C. is relatively evenly spaced throughout the region.
D. has declined to nearly zero over the past three decades.
E. has been migrating to the south in the past decade.

Lives primarily in the cities of the northern region

Where do the majority of people in Uzbekistan reside?

A. in the cool mountainous uplands
B. near the river valleys and alluvial fans
C. near the coast of the Aral Sea
D. on a plateau area near the border of Afghanistan
E. in the center of the country

Near the river valleys and alluvial fans

Using the graphic below, what is the population density for most of Central Asia?

A. fewer than 6 people per square kilometer
B. 6-25 people per square kilometer
C. 26-100 people per square kilometer
D. 101-250 people per square kilometer
E. 251-500 people per square kilometer

Fewer than 6 people per square kilometer

Which of the following cities of Central Asia is largely a Soviet creation?

A. Tashkent, Uzbekistan
B. Kabul, Afghanistan
C. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
D. Baku, Azerbaijan
E. Astana, Kazakhstan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

In Xinjiang’s Tarim Basin, where are the largest communities found?

A. the northeastern fringe near lakes
B. the southwestern fringe of the basin
C. the southeastern fringe near the Altun Mountains
D. the far north away from the desert basin
E. in the central basin at the mouths of streams and rivers

southwestern fringe of the basin

Which language of Central Asia is an Indo-European language?

A. Azeri
B. Kirghiz
C. Pashtun
D. Mongolian
E. Tibetan

…

The earliest recorded languages of Central Asia belong to what linguistic family?

A. Sino-Tibetan
B. Tai-Kadai
C. Indo-European
D. Niger-Congo
E. Austronesian

Indo-European

What is the most common language group in Central Asia, based on the number of native speakers?

A. Farsi
B. Indo-European
C. Mongolian
D. Tibetan
E. Turkic

Turkic

Followers of which religion in Central Asia suffered brutal persecution when China invaded Tibet?

A. Judaism
B. Shiite Islam
C. Sunni Islam
D. Lamaist Buddhism
E. Zoroastrianism

Lamaist Buddhism

Which statement is TRUE about Islam in Central Asia?

A. Radical Islamic fundamentalism has emerged in regions.
B. The Kazakhs and Kyrgyzs are considered to be more relaxed about religious beliefs.
C. Most of the region’s Muslims are Sunnis.
D. Islam has served as a focus of social identity in Xinjiang.
E. All of these answer choices are true.

All the above

What development led to the emergence of nomadic pastoralism in Central Asia?

A. domestication of the sheep
B. a climate change that made the region dryer
C. domestication of the horse
D. domestication of wheat
E. bears

domestication of the horse

What was the most common foreign language of the countries of Central Asia in the 1970s?

A. Chinese
B. Turkish
C. English
D. Pashtun
E. Russian

Russian

To which of the following languages is Tajik most closely related?

A. Turkish
B. Chinese
C. Russian
D. Uygur
E. Persian

Persian

When Central Asia has been under the communist rule of China, the Soviet Union, and Mongolia, what has happened to religion?

A. All forms of religion were discouraged.
B. Religion was tolerated.
C. Islam was declared the official religion.
D. Orthodox Christianity was declared the official religion.
E. Buddhism was declared the official religion.

All forms of religion were discouraged

What is the current status of Lamaist Buddhism with respect to China?

A. The Chinese have allowed many Buddhist monasteries to open, and their activities are no longer limited.
B. The Chinese have not allowed Buddhist monasteries to open, and the activities of the monks are strictly limited.
C. The Chinese have allowed many Buddhist monasteries to open, but their activities remain limited.
D. The Chinese have not allowed Buddhist monasteries to open, but otherwise, the activities of the monks are not limited.
E. The Lamaist Buddhists are at a standoff with the Chinese.

China arrested hundreds if monks and forced others to undergo "patriotic education"

Who were the eighteenth-century founders of Afghanistan?

A. warriors from China
B. members of the Pashtun ethnic group
C. mostly Jews who have since been expelled from the nation
D. Quisling leaders who were installed by the British government
E. Turkic peoples

members of the Pashtun ethnic group

Why did ethnic Kazakhs from Mongolia migrate back to Mongolia after initially leaving in 1991?

A. discrimination for not speaking Russian
B. not enough subsidies from oil and mineral revenues
C. civil war
D. food shortages
E. there was no more work

discrimination for not speaking Russian

Using the graphic below, what linguistic family dominates the region?
A. Indo-European
B. Tibeto-Burman
C. Sino-Tibetan
D. Dravidian
E. Altaic

…

Which of the following descriptions does NOT apply to Central Asia?

A. mountainous
B. a place of many deserts
C. a place with a history of domination
D. lies south of Russia
E. densely populated

densly populated

The Dalai Lama
A. is the religious and political leader of Tibet.
B. is the new political leader of Afghanistan after the ousting of the Taliban in 2001-2002.
C. is a political leader of Tibet who was installed by the Chinese government after their invasion of the region in 1959.
D. has been found to have ties to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
E. is the political leader of Mongolia.

is the religious and political leader of tibet

What is the name of the ultra orthodox Islamic group that was in power in Afghanistan until the United States military intervened in fall of 2001?

A. Taliban
B. al-Qaeda
C. Loya Jurga
D. Northern Alliance
E. Wahhabis

Taliban

Which Central Asian country had been engaged in a civil war that was brought to a head by the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks?

A. China
B. Azerbaijan
C. Turkmenistan
D. Kazakhstan
E. Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Which country of Central Asia was NOT previously a republic of the former USSR?

A. Kazakhstan
B. Afghanistan
C. Kyrgyzstan
D. Turkmenistan
E. Uzbekistan

Afghanistan

What group founded the Taliban?

A. separatist groups from northern Kyrgyzstan
B. young Muslim religious students in Afghanistan
C. an ethnic minority who are nomadic pastoralists in the Kara Kum desert
D. Pashtun women who were seeking to acquire more freedom in Afghan society
E. Russian soldiers in the 1980s

young Muslim religious students in Afghanistan

All of the following are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization EXCEPT

A. Tibet.
B. Kazakhstan.
C. Mongolia.
D. Kyrgyzstan.
E. Uzbekistan.

…

What is TRUE about strife in Western China?

A. China regards its Central Asian lands as a part of China.
B. Some independence groups are considered terrorist groups by both China and the United States.
C. The Dalai Lama agrees that Tibet should be a part of China but with true political autonomy.
D. Indigenous inhabitants of Tibet and Xinjiang want independence.
E. All of these answer choices are true.

All of the above

What was the source of the military dominance of Central Asia’s nomads before 1500?

A. firearms, which were invented in the region
B. armor, which protected them against their enemies
C. catapults, which were the most advanced weapons of their era
D. a bigger military than their enemies
E. horses, which made them more mobile

horses, which made them more mobile

In the nineteenth century, what country began to displace China from Central Asia?

A. Britain
B. Russia
C. Iran
D. Afghanistan
E. Turkey

Russia

As the nomadic armies of Central Asia declined, which of the following countries benefited?

A. China
B. Britain
C. Russia
D. A and B above

China and Russia

Which areas in Central Asia remain under Chinese control?

A. Tibet and Xinjiang
B. Xinjiang and Kyrgyzstan
C. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan
D. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
E. Tibet and Kazakhstan

Tibet and Xinjiang

How many new countries appeared in Central Asia as a result of the break-up of the Soviet Union?

A. three
B. four
C. five
D. six
E. ten

six

The Russian war in Afghanistan

A. was started by Islamic fundamentalists.
B. was a major victory for the Soviet military.
C. quickly eradicated the communists as a significant force in the country.
D. resulted in Taliban control of most of the country in 1995.
E. continues today.

resulted in Taliban control of most of the country in 1995

How long has Afghanistan been at war?

A. since the early 1950s
B. since the late 1960s
C. since the late 1970s
D. since the late 1980s
E. since the late 1990s

since the late 1970s

What word best describes the political structures in most countries of Central Asia?

A. libertarian
B. authoritarian
C. democratic
D. a monarchy
E. stalled in anarchy

authoritarian

Which of the following countries is (are) trying to influence Central Asia?

A. United States
B. Russia
C. China
D. Iran
E. All of the answer choices are correct.

All of the above

Since 1999, which Central Asian country has been the world’s largest producer of opium?

A. Afghanistan
B. China
C. Mongolia
D. Azerbaijan
E. Tibet

Afghanistan

In which country of Central Asia do people have the shortest life expectancy?

A. Azerbaijan
B. Kazakhstan
C. Afghanistan
D. Mongolia
E. Turkmenistan

Afghanistan

Of all the Central Asian countries, which one has the worst overall composite record of social indicators?

A. Afghanistan
B. Turkmenistan
C. Tajikistan
D. Mongolia
E. Kazakhstan

Afghanistan

Where is oil pollution worst in Central Asia?

A. Aral Sea
B. Afghanistan
C. Caspian Sea
D. Tibet
E. Mongolia

Caspian Sea

Most of Central Asia’s oil reserves are found near which physical feature of Central Asia?

A. the Aral Sea
B. the Tarim Basin
C. the Pamir Knot
D. the Kyzyl Kum desert
E. the Caspian Sea

Caspian Sea

What transportation technology must be constructed before the oil wealth of Central Asia can become economically viable?

A. canals
B. highways
C. pipelines
D. railroads
E. specialized oil tankers

pipelines

Afghanistan earns most of its foreign currency by selling

A. weapons.
B. oil.
C. textiles.
D. opium.
E. rice.

opium

Which natural resource is of potentially great importance to economic development in Central Asia?

A. bananas
B. uranium
C. diamonds
D. timber
E. oil

oil

Which of the following statements with respect to Afghanistan’s birthrate is most accurate?

A. Afghanistan, the least-developed and most male dominated country of the region, has the highest birthrate by a substantial margin.
B. Afghanistan, the most-developed and least male dominated country of the region, has the lowest birthrate by a substantial margin.
C. Afghanistan, the least-developed and most male dominated country of the region, has the lowest birthrate by a substantial margin.
D. Afghanistan, the most-developed and least male dominated country of the region, has the highest birthrate by a substantial margin.
E. Afghanistan’s birthrate is about average for Central Asia.

Afghanistan, the least-developed and most male dominated country of the region, has the highest birthrate by a substantial margin

What country is the fourth-largest cotton exporter?

A. Turkmenistan
B. Tajikistan
C. Uzbekistan
D. Kyrgyzstan
E. Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan

What is yttrium used for?

A. high-powered magnets
B. microwave filters
C. lasers
D. commercial lighting
E. glass

microwave filters

China has invested in Afghanistan to obtain?

A. uranium
B. cotton
C. copper
D. opium
E. wheat

copper

What is the literacy rate of women in Afghanistan?

A. 7%
B. 12%
C. 18%
D. 23%
E. 29%

18%

Central Asian countries have difficulty exporting petroleum products because

A. the countries are landlocked.
B. of the high-elevation mountains.
C. there are no roads capable of handling heavy tanker trucks.
D. Western countries do not want to purchase Central Asian oil.
E. prices are way above the average per barrel cost.

the countries are landlocked

The Caspian Sea

A. drains into the Mediterranean.
B. has increased in size over the last three decades.
C. is substantially threatened by oil-industry pollution.
D. is in much greater danger than is the Aral Sea.
E. is the smallest lake in Central Asia.

is substantially threatened by oil-industry pollution

What is the most developed country of Central Asia?

A. Mongolia
B. Kazakhstan
C. Kyrgyzstan
D. Afghanistan
E. Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan

Which of the following statements about economic development in Central Asia is most accurate?

A. Central Asia is one of the world’s poorest regions, but contains significant natural resources, including oil and natural gas.
B. Central Asia is one of the world’s poorest regions, and it contains few natural resources.
C. Central Asia is one of the world’s richest regions, and it contains significant natural resources, including oil and natural gas.
D. Central Asia is one of the world’s richest regions, but contains few natural resources.
E. Central Asia is in the middle of world regions in terms of wealth, but its natural resources may lead to improved conditions.

Central Asia is one of the world’s poorest regions, but contains significant natural resources, including oil and natural gas

According to government planners in Turkmenistan, what product will Turkmenistan begin to export in large quantities, bringing prosperity to the country?

A. bananas
B. movies
C. rice
D. natural gas
E. gold

natural gas

Which of the following Central Asian countries is (are) thought to contain the world’s largest undeveloped fossil fuel deposits?

A. Afghanistan and Uzbekistan
B. Mongolia and Tibet
C. Xinjiang, China
D. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan
E. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan