Chapter 4: The Impact of Migration and Settlement on Global Population Growth Flashcards
What is one reason sedentary life led to population growth?
A) Increased access to transportation
B) Higher food specialization and stable food sources
C) Decrease in local resources
D) Greater mobility
B
Fill in the Blank
Early human use of fire to fertilize soil by burning grass and underbrush demonstrates how humans actively altered ____________ to support hunting and early agriculture.
local environment
Multiple Choice
What agricultural technique did early farmers use to clear forested land?
A) Plowing with animals
B) Irrigation
C) Slash-and-burn
D) Crop rotation
C
How did the slash-and-burn method impact soil over time, and what did farmers do when the soil became depleted?
Soil was fertilized initially, but eventually depleted, leading farmers to move to new plots.
Fill in the Blank
The movement of early farmers from Southwest Asia to Europe during the Neolithic era is estimated at a pace of ________ km per year.
1
Which environmental consequence resulted from deforestation as agriculture spread?
A) Expansion of wildlife habitats
B) Increased soil erosion and compromised watersheds
C) Increase in local vegetation diversity
D) Stabilization of microclimates
B
Why did population growth increase with the shift to agriculture and settlement?
Sedentary life allowed for stable food supplies and increased fertility rates, which supported larger populations.
Fill in the Blank
The shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture led to deforestation and changes in __________, which altered climate conditions and local microclimates.
ecosystems
True/False
Hunter-gatherers learned to use fire to improve hunting and increase soil fertility thousands of years before the development of agriculture.
Answer: True
Explanation: Early humans used fire to clear underbrush, which improved visibility for hunting and enriched the soil with ash, supporting plant growth. This knowledge predated organized agriculture and was part of their adaptive strategies for survival.
True/False
Small, mobile populations of hunter-gatherers had limited opportunities for disease transmission, reducing the spread of many infectious diseases.
True
Explanation: Because hunter-gatherers lived in small groups and moved frequently, the opportunity for diseases to spread from person to person was low, limiting large-scale outbreaks.
True/False
Abandoned agricultural fields returned to natural forests through a process of ecological succession over time.
Answer: True
Explanation: After early farmers abandoned depleted fields, natural vegetation gradually reestablished itself through succession, eventually restoring forests if left undisturbed.
True/False
Deforestation due to the expansion of agriculture had no significant impact on local water sources or microclimates.
False
Explanation: Deforestation led to soil erosion and compromised watersheds, which affected rivers and streams and led to changes in local microclimates due to the removal of trees that helped regulate temperature and humidity.
