AP Human Geography (APHG) Models & Theories Practice Test

Weber’s Least-Cost Theory says a firm will choose a location that minimizes the overall costs of production, not just one type of cost. The model focuses on three main cost components: transport costs (moving inputs to the factory and goods to markets), labor costs (wages and the availability of workers), and agglomeration costs that rise as firms cluster together (things like congestion, higher land prices, and increased competition). The idea is to find a site where the sum of these costs is as low as possible, balancing the savings from nearby resources or markets with the costs of labor and crowded conditions. That’s why the best answer includes minimizing transport costs, labor costs, and increasing agglomeration costs. Choices that suggest maximizing transport costs, minimizing only transport costs, or locating purely by political boundaries don’t fit this cost-balancing approach.