No-stimulus question
World cities as command centers
- Units 1, 6 and 7
- 7 points
- About 25 minutes
A real-world geographic situation described only in words, followed by seven short parts (A–G) that ask you to identify, define, describe or explain ideas from at least two units. On the exam: Question 1 of 3 in the 1-hour-15-minute free-response section (Section II). The three questions together are 50% of your exam score, so each is worth about 16.7%; 7 points, one for each part A–G. College Board suggests about 25 minutes per question, including up to 5 minutes to plan. No calculator.
The question
A small number of cities, such as New York, London and Tokyo, act as command centers of the global economy. Decisions made in these cities shape investment, production and culture in places thousands of kilometers away. Answer all seven parts, (a) through (g). Write in complete sentences; a list of terms will not earn points.
Suggested time: 25 minutes
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Part (a)
1 pointDescribe ONE characteristic of a world city.
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Part (b)
1 pointExplain how time-space compression has strengthened the role of world cities.
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Part (c)
1 pointExplain why quaternary- and quinary-sector jobs tend to concentrate in world cities.
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Part (d)
1 pointExplain how the urban hierarchy can shape the diffusion of a new product or idea.
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Part (e)
1 pointExplain how the gravity model predicts the amount of interaction between two cities.
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Part (f)
1 pointExplain ONE way that inequality can appear at the local scale within a world city.
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Part (g)
1 pointExplain how the rise of a world city outside North America, Western Europe and Japan reflects changes in the global economy.
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