Name Class Date

Central America and the Caribbean

Guided Reading Strategies 11.2CHAPTER 11

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Holt World Geography Today 31 Guided Reading Strategies

READING THE SECTION As you read the section, use the space provided to identify thecountry described by each statement. Choose your answers from the list below. Someanswers will be used more than once.

Guatemala Belize Honduras El SalvadorNicaragua Costa Rica Panama

______________________ 1. The United States built a canal across this country inthe early 1900s.

______________________ 2. Most of the region’s Central American Indians live inthis country.

______________________ 3. This is the only country in which Spanish is not theofficial language.

______________________ 4. Indians live on the Caribbean side of Panama and thiscountry.

______________________ 5. Small family farms developed in this country.

______________________ 6. Rich landowners control most of the land in this coun-try.

______________________ 7. Coffee is important to the economy of Costa Rica andthis country.

______________________ 8. Economists regard this country as the region’s leastdeveloped country.

______________________ 9. This country was the last to gain independence, in 1981.

______________________ 10. This country is heavily involved in ecotourism.

POST-READING QUICK CHECK After you have finished reading the section, in thespace provided, identify four reasons why Costa Rica has the highest standard of living inthe region.

1. Reason: ______________________________________________________________

2. Reason: ______________________________________________________________

3. Reason: ______________________________________________________________

4. Reason: ______________________________________________________________

SECTION 3 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. f 6. a2. i 7. h3. c 8. g4. e 9. d5. j 10. b

Post-Reading Quick CheckIf Quebec were independent, the easternprovinces would be separated from the rest ofCanada.

CHAPTER 10SECTION 1 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. Texas2. Mexican Plateau3. Oriental; Occidental4. Valley5. volcano6. isthmus7. Yucatán Peninsula8. silver9. petroleum

10. Gulf of Mexico

Post-Reading Quick Check1. regional high-pressure system known as

the Pacific subtropical high pressure cell2. northeast tradewinds3. elevation levels

SECTION 2 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. Aztec2. conquistadores3. horses4. New Spain5. ejidos6. Haciendas7. missions8. Roman Catholic9. mestizos

10. Spain

Post-Reading Quick CheckJoining NAFTA lowered trade barriers amongMexico, Canada, and the United States. Moremarkets in the north opened up to Mexico,and manufacturing in Mexico expanded.

SECTION 3 STRATEGIESReading the SectionGreater Mexico City—Mexico’s cultural, eco-nomic, and political center; has governmentbuildings, university, museums, theaters,Mexican stock exchange, business headquar-ters; wealth and poverty exist side by side;heavily polluted; Central Mexico—northwestof Mexico City; contains cities and smalltowns; has fertile valleys and small familyfarms; Gulf Lowlands—between Tampico andCampeche; has rich deposits of oil and naturalgas, farming, and ranching; SouthernMexico—mountainous area; poor with fewcities and little industry; Mexico’s most tradi-tional region; Northern Mexico—dry region;prosperous and modern; cultural connectionswith the United States.

Post-Reading Quick Check1. economic inequality2. crime3. improving the country’s poor infrastructure

CHAPTER 11SECTION 1 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. isthmus2. Greater3. 7004. Haiti5. volcanoes6. Cayman Islands7. highland8. salt water9. bauxite

10. El Salvador

Post-Reading Quick CheckStudents should list the following seven countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras,El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama.

SECTION 2 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. Panama2. Guatemala3. Belize4. Nicaragua5. Costa Rica6. El Salvador

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Holt World Geography Today 6 Answer Key for Guided Reading Strategies

7. Honduras8. Honduras9. Belize

10. Costa Rica

Post-Reading Quick Check1. education2. democracy3. political stability4. foreign investment

SECTION 3 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. Christopher Columbus2. used slaves from Africa3. The United States took control of them

away from Spain.4. Puerto Rico5. Haiti and Jamaica6. French and creole7. island religion that blends African tradi-

tions and Christian beliefs8. Santo Domingo in the Dominican

Republic9. market economy

10. Jamaica

Post-Reading Quick CheckUnlike the other Caribbean countries, Cubahas a command economy. Its Communist government makes all the decisions about pro-duction. In addition, Cuba is not a member ofCaricom.

CHAPTER 12SECTION 1 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. Brazil2. Paraguay3. Andes4. Lake Poopó5. Angel Falls6. Pampas7. Amazon River8. Amazon River basin9. Atacama Desert

Post-Reading Quick CheckStudents should list the following animals:llama, alpaca, vicuña, and Andean condor.

SECTION 2 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. hunter-gatherers2. Inca3. western4. Portugal5. Brazil6. 1810 and 18307. buffer8. European9. Spanish

10. Roman Catholic

Post-Reading Quick CheckAnswers will vary, but students should men-tion the isolation, crops, and hunting methodsof the rainforest peoples.

SECTION 3 STRATEGIESReading the SectionMain Idea: Learning what South America islike today involves examining its economy,urban environments, and challenges. Topic I-A: Agriculture in South America ranges fromsubsistence farming to huge commercial farmsand ranches. Topic I-C: Most South Americanfactories produce food items, consumer goods,or building materials for local markets. TopicII: South America’s leading cities are huge incomparison to the other cities. Topic II-B:Rural poverty and limited good land pushpeople away from their small farms. Topic II-D: The urban poor live in slums that surroundthe big cities. Topic III-B: The disappearanceof the Amazon rain forest is of great concern.

Post-Reading Quick CheckThe four full members are Argentina, Brazil,Paraguay, and Uruguay.

CHAPTER 13SECTION 1 STRATEGIESReading the Section1. i 6. b2. h 7. j3. g 8. a4. d 9. e5. f 10. c

Post-Reading Quick Check1. Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland

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Holt World Geography Today 7 Answer Key for Guided Reading Strategies