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2021
AP
®
Human Geography
Sample Student Responses
and Scoring Commentary
Set 1
Inside:
Free Response Question 2
• Scoring Guideline
• Student Samples
• Scoring Commentary
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AP® Human Geography 2021 Scoring Guidelines
Question 2: One Stimulus 7 points
(A)
Describe the world city concept in the context of globalization.
1 point
Accept one of the following:
• A1. World cities are engines of globalization because they are the principal nodes in
the transnational exchange of either capital, knowledge, or culture.
(B)
Explain the importance of world cities as nodes in the hierarchical diffusion of a globalized
culture.
1 point
Accept one of the following:
• B1. World cities contain many of the world’s leading and most influential cultural and
educational institutions, so they have central importance in attracting talent and
disseminating culture and knowledge.
• B2. World cities’ leading financial status means there is a lot of capital to invest in and
dis
seminate culture.
• B3. World cities attract cultural icons because of their importance in the production
and
dissemination of culture (e.g., actors, singers, artists).
• B4. World cities’ ethnic mix and cosmopolitan culture leads to a great diversity of
cuisine
s and fashion.
• B5. World cities use their status to attract international sporting events and other
maj
or global cultural events which disseminates cultural ideas (e.g., through tourists,
athletes, spectators, sponsors).
• B6. World cities diffuse their own national cultures at a global scale while also
diffus
ing international cultures to the countries in which they are located.
(C)
Explain ONE way the Internet may interrupt the hierarchical diffusion of a globalized
culture.
1 point
Accept one of the following:
• C1. As the Internet becomes universally available, it makes remote education, remote
c
ultural activities, and news available to people everywhere instantaneously, so
globalized culture no longer diffuses hierarchically (also contagious diffusion).
• C2. The network connectivity of the Internet means that cultural phenomena (e.g.,
musi
c, fashion) can originate anywhere and be accessible anywhere else
instantaneously, without the need for hierarchical diffusion.
• C3. As the Internet improves free online tools for language translation, culture can be
tra
nsmitted quickly and without barriers, eliminating the need for hierarchical
diffusion through universities and other specialized institutions.
• C4. As the Internet becomes universally available, some countries’ governments have
est
ablished firewalls and/or censored the Internet within their country to prevent the
diffusion of globalized culture.
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AP® Human Geography 2021 Scoring Guidelines
(D)
Explain ONE difference between world cities and metacities. 1 point
Accept one of the following:
• D1. Metacities are urban areas with over 20 million people and are ranked by
population size, whereas world cities are ranked in order of their importance to the
global economy.
• D2. Metacities are mostly located (all but two, Tokyo and New York) in less developed
co
untries, whereas top-ranked world cities (except Beijing) are mostly located in more
developed countries.
• D3. Metacities have grown to attain their status through rapid rural-to-urban
migr
ation from their hinterlands, whereas world cities have attained their status as
nodes of the global economy though the movement and concentration of
transnational finance and trade.
• D4. The populations of metacities are primarily comprised of rural-to-urban migrants
in
the countries where these urban areas are located, whereas world cities’
populations comprise a large percentage of first- and second-generation migrants
from foreign countries.
• D5. Metacities are primarily national economic and cultural centers, whereas world
cit
ies are primarily global economic and cultural hubs.
(E)
Using the data in the table, explain ONE limitation of the world city classification system
in reflecting current patterns of global urban development.
1 point
Accept one of the following:
• E1. Many of the cities with the largest populations in the world are not on this list,
because they do not rank high in the categories used for scoring world cities.
• E2. Urbanization in the world is occurring on the largest scale and most rapidly in less
dev
eloped countries, and those cities are not ranked in the top 10.
• E3. The world city classification does not reflect the largest or the most rapidly
gr
owing cities, as these are in less developed countries.
• E4. The weighting of the criteria for the world city classification system is such that
imp
ortant cities in the world do not appear in the top ten.
(F)
Using the data in the table and the scoring criteria, explain ONE reason for the difference
in scores between London and Washington, D.C.
1 point
Accept one of the following:
• F1. Washington, D.C. has little activity in the Business category compared to London,
which is a global center of finance, so this probably accounts for much of the almost
30 points difference in scores.
• F2. The Business activity category comprises 30% of the score, and London is a global
bu
siness hub, whereas the political engagement category comprises 10% and
Washington, D.C., is a national capital with global influence.
© 2021 College Board
AP® Human Geography 2021 Scoring Guidelines
(G)
Explain ONE way economic linkages among world cities may create risks during global
financial crises.
1 point
Accept one o
f the following:
• G1. World cities’ close financial linkages mean that economic shocks (e.g., stock
market crashes) in one location can be felt rapidly in other locations.
• G2. Transnational financial services firms have locations in several world cities, so
eco
nomic damage during a crisis spreads easily between these locations.
• G3. Concentration of global transportation nodes (major international airports) in
wo
rld cities means pandemics can spread quickly between these cities through air
travel, disrupting economic activity (e.g., in New York City).
•
G4. Terrorist attacks focused on the financial centers of world cities (e.g., New York
City, London) can result in closure of stock markets and cessation of economic
activity, which spreads rapidly to negatively affect other world cities.
Total for question 2
7 points
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2A 1 of 3
2
2 of 3
2
3 of 3
2B 1 of 2
2B 2 of 2
2C 1 of 1
AP
®
Human Geography 2021 Scoring Commentary
Question 2
Note: Student samples are quoted verbatim and may contain spelling and grammatical errors.
Overview
Students were expected to demonstrate knowledge of world cities as well as of metacities and to blend in
knowledge of hierarchical diffusion and globalization as they relate to world cities. Further, they needed to
recognize how the Internet may interrupt the hierarchical diffusion stemming from world cities, or in other
words, to explain a scenario when hierarchical diffusion can switch to contagious diffusion. Then, they were
asked to explain a limitation of the classification of world cities presented to them in stimulus material and
explain the difference in scores on this classification system for two cities on the accompanying top ten list.
Finally, they were asked to explain a way that economic linkages among world cities create risks during global
financial crises.
Skills required of the students were to (1) describe the geographic concept of world cities, (2) explain spatial
relationships in a specified context by explaining world cities as nodes in the process of hierarchical diffusion
of a globalized culture, (3) explain a likely outcome in a geographic scenario by demonstrating knowledge of
how the internet can interrupt the hierarchical diffusion from world cities, (4) compare the geographic concepts
of world cities and metacities, (5) explain a possible limitation of the data in the world classification system as
presented in the stimulus, (6) compare patterns in quantitative data by explaining differences in the scores for
two top-ten world cities, and (7) explain spatial relationships across various geographic scales, in this case
linkages among world cities, using the geographic process of a global financial crisis.
Sample: 2A
S
core: 7
The response in p
art A earned 1 point because it describes world cities as engines of globalization because
they are the principal nodes in the transnational exchange of either capital, knowledge, or culture.
The response in part B earned 1 point because it explains that world cities have a central importance in
attr
acting talent and disseminating culture and knowledge.
The response in part C earned 1 point because it explains how the internet allows cultural phenomena to
orig
inate anywhere and be accessible anywhere else instantaneously.
The response in part D earned 1 point because it explains that metacities are urban areas with over 20 million
people,
whereas world cities are ranked in order of their importance to the global economy.
The response in part E earned 1 point because it explains the limitation that the world city classification does
not ref
lect the largest or the most rapidly growing cities, as these are in less developed countries.
The response in part F earned 1 point because it explains that the business category comprises 30% of the
scor
e, and London is a global business hub, whereas the political engagement category comprises 10% and
Washington, D.C., is a national capital with global influence.
The response in part G earned 1 point because it explains world cities’ close financial linkages mean the
econ
omic shocks in one location can be felt rapidly in other locations.
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Visit College Board on the web: collegeboard.org.
AP
®
Human Geography 2021 Scoring Commentary
Question 2 (continued)
Sample: 2B
Score: 5
The response to p
art A earned 1 point because it describes how world cities are engines of globalization
because they are the principal nodes in the transnational exchange of either capital, knowledge, or culture.
The response to part B earned 1 point because it explains how world cities are cultural centers of power and
dif
fuse culture to other areas of the world with less economic or cultural power.
The response to part C earned 1 point because it explains how some areas are remote and the government
does
not want globalized culture to diffuse there, so the Internet is restricted.
The response to part D earned 1 point because it explains the difference between metacities and world cities is
that m
etacities are urban areas with over 20 million people and are ranked by population size, whereas world
cities are ranked in order of their importance to the global economy.
The response to part E did not earn a point because it does not explain limitations in the world city
cla
ssification system inflecting current patterns of global urban development.
The response to part F did not earn a point because it does not explain a reason for the difference in scores
bet
ween London and Washington, DC.
The response to part G earned 1 point because it explains how world cities’ close financial linkages mean that
econ
omic shocks in one location can be felt rapidly in other locations.
Sample: 2C
Score: 3
The response to p
art A did not earn a point because it does not describe the economic, knowledge, or cultural
significance of world cities.
The response to part B earned 1 point because it explains that world cities contain many of the world’s leading
and mos
t influential cultural and educational institutions, so they have central importance in attracting talent
and disseminating culture and knowledge.
The response to part C earned 1 point because it explains the way the network connectivity of the Internet
means th
at cultural phenomena can originate anywhere and be accessible anywhere else instantaneously.
The response to part D did not earn a point because it does not explain a difference between world cities and
meg
acities.
The response to part E did not earn a point because it does not explain a limitation of the world city
cla
ssification system in reflecting current patterns of global urban development.
The response to part F did not earn a point because it does not explain a reason for the difference in scores
bet
ween London and Washington, DC.
The response to part G earned 1 point because it explains that world cities’ close financial linkages mean that
econ
omic shocks in one location can be felt rapidly in other locations.
© 2021 College Board.
Visit College Board on the web: collegeboard.org.