Free Practice Quiz Question List

1 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 1 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

True or false

1 point

True or false: Every map projection introduces some distortion when representing the curved Earth on a flat map.

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

In a GIS, what term describes values such as a road's name or speed limit that are associated with the road's location?

Choose one

1 point

A transit planner wants to identify all locations within a specified distance of bus stops. Which GIS operation is the most direct choice?

A
Overlay the bus stops with land-cover classes to identify shared areas.
B
Create a buffer around each bus stop using the specified distance.
C
Geocode each bus stop to convert its description into coordinates.
D
Use a raster calculation to average the values of nearby cells.

Fill in the blank

1 point

A GIS dataset divides a study area into cells, with each cell storing an elevation value. This is an example of data.

Choose all

1 point

Select all the examples that correctly match a discrete geographic feature to a suitable vector geometry.

A
A well represented by a point.
B
A stream represented by a polygon.
C
A lake represented by a polygon.
D
A bus stop represented by a point.

True or false

1 point

True or false: A map should be designed to imply greater precision than its underlying data support.

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

Two geographic layers appear shifted relative to each other even though they represent the same roads. Which issue is the most relevant to check first?

A
The layers use different colors, so their locations are shifted.
B
The map uses too many labels, which changes the coordinates.
C
The layers have different spatial references, and the GIS has not correctly transformed them.
D
The attribute tables contain different numbers of rows.

Fill in the blank

1 point

A team uses satellite sensors to collect information about forest cover from a distance. This method is called .

Choose all

1 point

Select all items that metadata can record to help a GIS user judge whether a dataset is suitable for a task.

A
The dataset's coordinate system.
B
The dataset's limitations.
C
The analyst's preferred map color scheme.
D
The dataset's source and date.

Written response

1 point

What GIS operation would you use to find which parcels lie inside a mapped flood-risk area?

Choose one

1 point

An analyst is beginning a new GIS project. Which action comes first in the basic GIS workflow?

A
Prepare the layers by correcting errors and organizing attributes.
B
Frame the question by defining what needs to be located, compared, or measured.
C
Analyze the data and record the settings.
D
Present the findings with a clear map or table.

Choose one

1 point

A GIS user geocodes street addresses for a detailed analysis of building entrances. Which limitation should the user account for?

A
It always identifies the exact building entrance, so checking the match is unnecessary.
B
It may estimate a position along an address range, so its match status and method matter.
C
It converts geographic coordinates into a street address and therefore cannot be approximate.
D
It guarantees that all addresses in a dataset have the same positional accuracy.

Open ended

1 point

A city wants to identify possible community garden sites from publicly owned parcels while avoiding flood-risk areas and considering nearby residents. Describe a GIS workflow for this task and explain why the results may depend on more than the software used.

Choose one

1 point

A GIS project needs to map individual well locations. Which vector geometry is the best fit for representing each well?

A
Represent each well as a point feature.
B
Represent each well as a raster cell.
C
Represent each well as a polygon.
D
Represent each well as a line.

Written response

1 point

What term names descriptive or measured values linked to a geographic feature, such as a road’s speed limit? Enter the GIS term.

Choose one

1 point

Two elevation rasters cover the same area. One has smaller cells than the other. If the goal is to represent finer spatial detail, which raster should the analyst choose?

A
Choose the raster with larger cells because it shows more local detail.
B
Choose the raster with smaller cells because it can represent finer detail.
C
Choose the raster with larger cells because it has higher spatial resolution.
D
Cell size does not affect the spatial resolution of a raster.

Choose one

1 point

A roads layer and a rivers layer appear shifted relative to each other. What should an analyst check first before measuring distances between them?

A
Increase the map scale until the layers appear aligned.
B
Assume the features moved and edit their locations by eye.
C
Check the layers’ spatial references and apply an appropriate transformation.
D
Convert the vector layers to raster data, which will align them automatically.

Choose one

1 point

An analyst needs to identify only the parks whose recorded area exceeds a specified threshold. Which GIS operation most directly answers this question?

A
Select the parks whose area exceeds the chosen threshold.
B
Create a zone around every park at a fixed distance.
C
Combine the parks layer with a flood-risk layer to find overlaps.
D
Find the shortest routes along connected roads between parks.

Written response

1 point

What term names documentation of a dataset’s source, date, meaning, coordinate system, quality, and limitations? Enter the GIS term.

True or false

1 point

True or false: A GIS can help identify candidate locations for a plant by combining plant observations with elevation, slope, and rainfall data; its role is not limited to drawing maps.

A
True
B
False