Free Response #3: Demographic Trends in the United States



Free Response Questions for Unit 3:

The following are all free Response Questions you could be faced with on the Unit Test.

1. Free Response question from Chpt 7

2. Free Response question from Chpt 8

3. Free Response question from Chpt 9

4. Explain what an amphibian is and why amphibians are disappearing. Describe the significance to the decline in amphibians to their life cycle. Describe a number of factors that could be affecting amphibians. What are three reasons why we should care about the decline in amphibians?

5. Describe the five types of species interaction. Give an example of each. Describe how each type of species interaction affects the species population.

6. Discuss the factors that influence a population and its population growth. Concepts to address include: Population Changes, Biotic Potential, Environmental Resistance, Carrying Capacity, Population Density, Reproductive Patterns, and Survivorship patterns.

7. FRQ: Demographic Trends in the United States

After analysis of census data, demographers noted four distinct age structure diagrams for the United States during the years 1900, 1940, 1958 and 1980. Use this information to answer the questions that follow.

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A) During which time was America have the largest rate of population growth? Which has the smallest rate? Explain your answer.

B) Describe changes in both the birth rate and the death rate for the years 1900 and 1980

C) Countries undergo different demographic stages as they develop. Using your knowledge of US history, explain the demographic states present during each of the four time periods.

D) Compare the age structure diagrams for the years 1940 and 1980. What events, either historical or cultural, caused these distinct shapes?

E) Explain the trend in infant mortality rate (IMR) and total fertility rate from 1900 to 1980.

F) Describe TWO incentives that the government of a country could offer its citizens that would favor a reduction in the growth rate of its population. Explain how these incentives would work, and describe the possible drawback of each.

8. Carrying Capacity Free Response 

Use the following information:

• 104 cm2 = 1 m2             

• 1 hectare = 104 m2

Consider a food chain where a human eats 3,000 kcal per day.  A typical human diet is from the meat of cows that are fed corn that grows in fields.  Assuming that 1% of the Sun's energy is converted by the corn, answer the questions that follow.

1. How many kcal/day must the sun provide to sustain this system?            

2. It can be assumed that crops provide 0.5 kcal of energry in a square centimeter (cm2). How many hectares are required to feed a single human for one year?            

3. Given that the world's population reached 6.0 billion people in 1996, how many hectares of land must be used for agriculture to sustain the entire human population for one year?            

4. It is known that the Earth's land area is approximately 14.7 billion hectares (Raven & Berg, 2001).  Examine the chart of the world's land use below to determine the maximum amount of land available for agricultural production. Compare your answers for part (c) and (d) and explain the sustainability of this system.

|Unsuitable for use: |Agriculture |Urbanized |Forested/Grasslands |

|(Rock, Ice, desert, | | | |

|tundra) | | | |

|29.2% |32.4% |0.8% |37.6% |

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