Landforms, rivers and resources of Central and South America and the Caribbean
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
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Height and temperature near the equator
Place What the card says Guayaquil, Ecuador close to the equator and close to sea level; hot and humid Quito, Ecuador also close to the equator, but about 2,800 m above sea level; cool all year La Paz, Bolivia in the tropics, about 3,600 m above sea level; people wear warm coats Peaks near the equator some tall peaks in the Andes near the equator are snow-covered all year Model rule: air is about 6.5°C cooler for every 1,000 m of height.
Quito and Guayaquil both lie close to the equator, yet Quito is cool and Guayaquil is hot (card C). What best explains the difference, Ari asks?
- Quito is about 2,800 m high, and air is cooler at greater height
- Quito has more rain than Guayaquil, which lowers the temperature through the year
- Quito lies much farther from the equator than Guayaquil does, so it is cooler
- Guayaquil is higher up the mountains, where the sun is closer to it
A balloon (made up) rises from a beach where the air is 30°C. Using card C's rule, about how warm is the air when it reaches 3,000 m, Bo asks?
- About 10.5°C
- About 28°C
- About 49.5°C
- About 23.5°C
Quito and Guayaquil share a latitude but not a temperature. What does that show about using latitude alone, Jun asks?
- Cities near the equator are cold, so Guayaquil's heat is a puzzle
- Temperature depends on the size of the city, not on its height
- Latitude has no effect on temperature, so Quito's coolness is a puzzle
- Height also changes temperature, so latitude alone cannot predict it
A coastal town has air of 28°C (made up). A village on the same mountain, 2,000 m higher, is about how warm using card C's rule, Kira asks?
- About 21.5°C
- About 15°C
- About 41°C
- About 1.5°C
Some tall peaks near the equator stay snow-covered all year (card C). Which chain explains it, Luz asks?
- Snow is carried there from the poles by the wind
- The equator is cold, so peaks there are cold at each height
- Height cools the air about 6.5°C per 1,000 m, so high peaks stay cold
- Heat from the equator melts snow in winter, which then falls back as snow in summer
The Panama Canal
Topic What the card says What it is an 82 km waterway built by people across the narrow land of Panama What it joins the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean side) and the Pacific Ocean Locks steps of water that lift ships about 26 m up to Gatun Lake and lower them again Before the canal ships sailed around the southern tip of South America to pass between the oceans A lock is a chamber with gates; water is let in or out to raise or lower a ship.
Card D says people built a canal across the narrow land of Panama. Why was it worth building, Milo asks?
- It lets ships avoid the equator, where the sailing is hot
- It lets ships sail from the Pacific Ocean up into the Amazon River
- It makes the Atlantic and the Pacific into one single ocean
- Ships pass between the oceans without sailing around the tip
The canal's locks lift ships about 26 m up to Gatun Lake (card D). What does that tell Noah about the lake?
- The locks are 26 km long
- Gatun Lake is at the same height as the oceans
- Gatun Lake sits about 26 m lower than the oceans
- Gatun Lake is about 26 m higher than the oceans
Suppose a trip around South America's southern tip is 20,000 km (made up) and the canal route is 12,000 km. How much shorter is the canal route, Pia asks?
- 800 km shorter
- 32,000 km shorter
- 12,000 km shorter
- 8,000 km shorter
Ren writes three sentences about the canal. Which one does card D support?
- The canal is 82 m long, with locks that lift ships 26 km
- The canal joins the Pacific to the Caribbean Sea and nothing else
- People built the 82 km canal to join the Atlantic and Pacific
- Rivers formed the canal on their own over many thousands of years
Zee's note says, "The Panama Canal joins the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea." Which fix uses card D?
- It joins the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean side) and the Pacific Ocean
- It joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean through the isthmus
- It joins the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean across Panama
- It joins the Amazon River and the Pacific Ocean across the Andes
