Landforms, rivers and resources of East and Southeast Asia
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
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Four landscapes of East and Southeast Asia
Place Landscape Weather Mongolia's steppe and the Gobi wide, dry grassland and desert on a high plateau, far from any sea cold winters, warm summers, little rain Tibetan Plateau, western China the largest high plateau on Earth, about 4,500 m above sea level on average cold all year, thin air, dry Mekong Delta, Vietnam flat land at the river's mouth, close to sea level warm all year, with a wet season and a dry season Honshu, Japan an island where mountains cover most of the land; flat plains lie mostly along the coast cool winters, warm and humid summers Model rule: air is about 6.5°C cooler for every 1,000 m of height.
Herds graze on Mongolia's steppe far more than crops are grown there. Which fact on card A best explains that, Ari asks?
- Its winters are warm, so herd animals can stay outdoors the whole year
- Thin air at 4,500 m keeps crops from growing there, but not the grass
- Wide, dry grassland with little rain suits grass better than crops
- It is flat land close to sea level, which is good for grazing animals
The Tibetan Plateau averages about 4,500 m high (card A). Using the model rule, about how much cooler is the air there than at sea level, Bo asks?
- About 3°C cooler
- About 29°C cooler
- About 45°C cooler
- About 6.5°C cooler
Rice is grown in flooded fields. Which pair of facts on card A makes the Mekong Delta a good place for it, Esme asks?
- Flat land near sea level, and a warm climate with a wet season
- Flat land, but a dry climate with very little rain through the year
- Flat land, but a cold climate with snow most of the year
- Mountains with steep slopes, and cool, dry summers
Mountains cover most of Honshu, and flat plains lie along its coast (card A). What does that suggest about where its cities grew, Jun asks?
- On the highest peaks, where there is the most room
- On the coastal plains, where flat land is easiest to build on
- Spread evenly over the whole island, since mountains do not matter
- Far inland in the mountains, away from the sea
Suppose a summer day on Honshu's coast is 28°C (made up). Using card A's rule, about what is the air temperature on a mountain 2,000 m above it, Kira asks?
- About 41°C
- About 1.5°C
- About 21.5°C
- About 15°C
Luz's note says, "All of Honshu is flat farmland." Which fix is supported by card A?
- Mountains cover most of Honshu; flat land lies along the coast
- Honshu is an island, so it has no flat land anywhere on its coasts
- Honshu is a dry desert, so there is very little farmland on it
- Honshu is mostly flat, except for a few low hills in the far north
Where three rivers start and end
River Where it starts Where it ends Yangtze the Tanggula Mountains, high on the Tibetan Plateau in the west the East China Sea, at sea level in the east Mekong highlands of the Tibetan Plateau in the northwest the South China Sea, through a delta in the south of Vietnam Yellow River the Bayan Har Mountains, high in the west the Bohai Sea, at sea level in the east Water flows downhill, from higher land toward lower land. A river that slows near the sea drops the silt it carried. A delta is low land built from that silt where a river meets the sea.
Card B shows the Yangtze starts high in the west and ends at sea level in the east. Which way does it flow overall, Milo asks?
- Toward the east, from the high west to the sea
- Toward the west, from the sea up into the mountains
- Toward the south, because rivers flow down the page of a map
- Toward the north, because it starts in the Tanggula Mountains
The Mekong starts in the northwest highlands and ends in the south of Vietnam (card B). Which way does it flow overall, Noah asks?
- Toward the north, from the delta up into the highlands
- Toward the west, because the Yangtze and Yellow River flow east
- Toward the south, from the northwest highlands to the delta
- Toward the east, because rivers end in the east
Pia stands at the start of the Yellow River and at its end (card B). Which statement is true about the land height at the two places?
- Both are at the same height, since a river stays level along its length
- The start is higher than the end, since the river runs down to the sea
- The end is higher than the start, since the river climbs toward the sea
- The start is lower, since mountains are near the sea
Which two rivers on card B both start high in the west and end at the sea in the east, Ren asks?
- The Yangtze and the Mekong
- The Yangtze and the Yellow River
- The Mekong and the Yellow River
- The three rivers on the card together