1. Define cartography.
2. How is thematic cartography different from general purpose cartography?
3. What are some advantages to using a computer to make a map (in contrast to manual means)? Are there any disadvantages?
4. What are the essential characteristics of each level of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio? In each case, what operations will yield meaningful results? What else do you need to know about an attribute scale?
5. Why are theme, space and time important when making a map? Give an example of their relationship to a thematic map.
6. What primary graphic elements are best used for quantitative (ordinal, interval and ratio) data? Why?
7. Why are figure-ground, legibility and visual contrast important as graphic components in map design?
8. Discuss how the graphic controls [ purpose, audience, technical limits and format size ] constrain map design.
9. What is the best primary graphic element to use for symbols on a choropleth map? Why? What primary graphic element is manipulated for symbols on a graduated circle map? Compare and contrast the two types of map.
10. Why do we classify data for (choropleth) mapping purposes?
11. Discuss the relationship between grouping locational data (aggregation) and grouping thematic data (classification) as it applies to thematic mapping.
12. What are the three dimensions of color? Define each.
13. Which of the three dimensions of color is best for showing differences of nominal data? Which of the three dimensions of color is best for showing differences of ordinal data?
14. How would you symbolize nominal differences of "place" on a small scale map?

15. How does projection choice relate to thematic map purpose? What properties are important for thematic map designers, and how many can be preserved at once?
16. What is the role of a 'developable surface' in a map projection? Does the choices of developable surface determine the properties that are preserved?
17. How can you tell which developable surface has been used ofr a given map?

18. What is Tissot's indicatrix? What information does it provide?

19. What is the difference between a contiguous and a noncontiguous cartogram. What primary graphic elements are manipulated in each?
20. How did photo color processing methods foreshadow the way computers handle color for maps?

Scale, Selection, Classification,
Simplification, Symbolization,
Exaggeration