What shapes a place's climate: latitude, height, distance from the sea
Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Ari reads the table. Which place is closer to the equator?
- Portland, at 43.6° N
- Key West, at 24.6° N
- They are the same distance away
Using the table, which place has the warmer January, Bo?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Portland, as it is farther north
- Key West, at 21 °C (71 °F)
- Portland, at −4 °C (24 °F)
- Both about the same
Both places are on the coast near sea level. Which clue explains Key West's warmer climate, Esme?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Latitude: it is nearer the equator
- Height: it is higher up
- It is farther inland
- It is closer to the Sun
Read this first
Use this
Map with a key and a climate table (NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals), columns place, where it is, January average, July average: Phoenix, Arizona, 33.4° N, inland, 337 m above sea level, 14 °C (57 °F), 35 °C (96 °F); Flagstaff, Arizona, 35.1° N, inland, 2,135 m above sea level, −1 °C, below zero (31 °F), 19 °C (67 °F).
Flagstaff is about 1,800 m higher than Phoenix. Which place has the cooler July, Jun?
- Flagstaff, at 19 °C (67 °F)
- Phoenix, as it is lower down
- Both the same, as both are in Arizona
Which line explains why Flagstaff is cooler than Phoenix, Kira?
- Flagstaff is much farther from the equator
- Flagstaff is higher, where the air is colder
- Flagstaff is on the coast
- Flagstaff is higher, so nearer the Sun
In January, which place averages below zero, Luz?
- Flagstaff, at −1 °C (31 °F)
- Phoenix, at 14 °C (57 °F)
- Phoenix, as lower places are colder
- Neither place
Milo needs the word for a place's distance north or south of the equator. Which word is it?
- Longitude
- Humidity
- Latitude
- Altitude
Pia reads: towns near the ocean have milder winters and summers than towns far inland. Which clue is that about?
- Elevation
- Longitude
- Latitude
- Distance from the sea
not to scale. In the side view, which spot gets the most direct sunlight, Ren?
Side view of Earth and sunlight, not to scale. Parallel sunlight arrows come from the left. Spot A is at the equator: the rays hit straight on and light a small area. Spot B is near the North Pole: the same rays hit at a low slant and spread over a larger area. Side view of Earth and sunlight, not to scale. Parallel sunlight arrows come from the left. Spot A is at the equator: the rays hit straight on and light a small area. Spot B is near the North Pole: the same rays hit at a low slant and spread over a larger area. sunlight Spot A equator small area Spot B North Pole larger area Earth - Spot B, near the North Pole
- Spot A, at the equator
- Both spots get the same
Zee shines a flashlight straight down on paper, then tilts it. Which spot of light is like the equator?
- The wide, dim spot from the tilt
- Whichever spot is nearer the flashlight
- The small, bright spot from straight down
- Neither, as a flashlight is too small