Volume 30, Number 3, February 2017

Volume 30, Number 3, February 2017

Answers and instructions

Superpowers quiz

This quiz (available to download separately from this issue’s GeographyReviewExtras) is designed for classroom use. It could be used:

· as a ‘starter’ activity to see what students already know about superpowers or as a quiz at the end of the topic

· as a ‘team quiz’ just for fun, but to try and reinforce some key terminology and concepts

The quiz is marked out of 10.The answers are provided below along with some additional information designed to promote further discussion in the classroom.

Answers

1 The correct answer is C, multipolar. Arguably the period between the world wars 1918–39 was multipolar (USA, Germany, Japan, UK, France) and this contributed to geopolitical instability. Many analysts see the future as a multipolar one.

2 The correct answer is B, the 1940s. Many global institutions date from the immediate postwar period in the 1940s and it could be argued they have changed little since.

3 The correct answer is D, the British empire. This map shows its peak in the early 1920s. It was geographically the largest empire in history, and was notably spread across all continents.

4 The correct answer is C, environmental. The other answers are all ‘pillars’ of superpower status — in other words sources of political and global influence. A discussion could be had as to whether environmental leadership could be a source of power in the future.

5 The correct answer is D, 40%. In 2015 it was actually 44% of spending by the 15 biggest military powers. China was second with 16% (although its military spending is increasing rapidly). Saudi Arabia was third on 6% of the total of US$1.7 trillion.

6 The correct answers is B, 9. This includes Israel which is assumed to be nuclear armed but has never declared itself so. The other countries are USA, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, UK, France, North Korea.

7 The correct answer is B, demographic dividend. This is the idea that a youthful population today will translate into a working-age population in the future and thus boost economic growth. India has a large potential demographic dividend and this is a key reason why it is often said to be a strong candidate for future superpower status. Russia and China have the opposite issue: ageing populations.

8 The correct answer is D, Mandarin Chinese. Roughly 1.1 billion people speak Mandarin, with 900 million speaking it as a first language and 200 million as a second. In contrast 340 million people speak English as their first language, but 600 million as their second. Spanish is third (a total of about 600 million) and French a distant tenth. You could ask which languages come fourth and fifth (Hindi and Arabic).

9 The correct answer is B, the Cold War. This stand-off between the USA and USSR (Russia) was a tense but relatively stable bipolar period that ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union and fall of the Berlin Wall.

10 The correct answer is D, US naval fleet bases. This is a key aspect of the USA’s ability to project its global power. It keeps large naval fleets, including aircraft carriers, stationed across the world and this is unmatched by any other power. Of course this comes at huge financial cost.