GEOG 260 midterm exam

Details

The midterm exam will take place in our normal classroom on Monday, October 5, 2026. The exam will be on paper and consist of a mixture of multiple choice, short answer, and matching/sorting questions. Please bring a pencil.

Study guide

This list of terms/concepts should suffice as a study guide:

1. Geography/what makes a map
2. Maps as arguments
3. Geographic information systems
4. The “humpty-dumpty” article by Stan Openshaw
5. Key spatial data models (vector/raster) and when to use them
6. Important spatial data formats (e.g., shapefiles, .csv) and when to use them
7. Qualitative vs. quantitative data
8. Symbolization for different qual/quant data
9. Color schemes/ramps for qual/quant data
10. Best practices/conventions for GIS file naming
11. Differences between geographic and projected coordinate systems
12. Types of distortion
13. Important/frequently used kinds of projections
14. Data classification schemes and when to use them
15. Table joins
16. Choropleth maps
17. Cartography and design concepts
18. Visual and intellectual hierarchy
19. Figure-ground relationship
20. Sequential vs. divergent color schemes and when to use them
21. Different symbols (e.g., graduated symbols) and when to use them
22. Basic details about U.S. census (e.g., why it exists, who uses it, what are its units of areal measurement)
23. Important vector analysis operations (e.g., buffers, merges, spatial joins)

Refer to the slides, labs, and readings.