Landforms, water and resources of the Middle East and North Africa

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card E (fact card, the Aswan High Dam). Before the dam was finished in 1970, the Nile flooded each late summer and left a layer of fertile mud (silt) on the fields. The water drained away by winter, so most fields grew one crop a year. The dam holds the river back in Lake Nasser. Canals now bring water all year, so many fields grow two or three crops. Silt now settles in the lake, and farmers buy more fertilizer. The dam also makes electricity.

2. 1.

   Which chain on Card E links the dam to higher fertilizer use, Zee asks?

   • Dam built, floods grow bigger each summer, more silt covers the fields, fertilizer goes unused
   • Dam built, silt settles in Lake Nasser, less silt reaches the fields, farmers buy fertilizer instead
   • Dam built, Lake Nasser forms, electricity is made, fertilizer plants get power and farmers buy more
   • Farmers buy more fertilizer, silt settles in Lake Nasser, and then the dam is built to hold the water back
3. 2.

   A student claims: "The Aswan High Dam only helped Egyptian farmers." How does Card E bear on that, Kira asks?

   • It weakens the claim: farmers gained extra crops but lost free silt and now buy fertilizer
   • It supports the claim: the card says farmers still get silt each year
   • It supports the claim: crops grew more, so no costs followed for farmers or for anyone else
   • It weakens the claim: the dam hurt farmers, so it did no good for anyone along the river
4. 3.

   Compare the farm year before and after the dam on Card E. What changed, Bo asks?

   • Water stays available all year, so fields can give two or three crops instead of one
   • The Nile now floods every late summer and drains by winter, so fields give one crop instead of three
   • The dam makes electricity, which farmers use to grow more crops each year
   • Silt now covers the fields each year, so farmers need less fertilizer

5. Use this

   Card F (fact card, the Suez Canal). The canal opened in 1869. It is about 193 km long and joins the Mediterranean Sea (Port Said, north end) to the Red Sea (Suez, south end). It has no locks, because the two seas are at the same level. Without it, ships between Europe and Asia sail around the southern tip of Africa. For a trip between London and the Arabian Sea, the canal saves about 8,900 km. Ships pay a fee to use it.

6. 4.

   Why would a shipping company pay the fee to use the canal, Jun asks?

   • The canal has no locks, so ships pass without waiting at lock gates, and that speed is what the fee buys
   • The fee pays for the trip around Africa's southern tip, which then costs less
   • Paying the fee makes the two seas level, so that ships can pass
   • The shorter route saves sailing time and fuel, which can be worth more than the fee
7. 5.

   A ship travels at 12 km per hour in the canal. About how long does it take to go its full length, Luz asks?

   • About 2,316 hours
   • About 193 hours
   • About 12 hours
   • About 16 hours

8. Use this

   Card G (map key, two rivers). The Tigris and Euphrates both begin in the highlands of eastern Türkiye. They flow southeast through Syria and Iraq and meet near the Gulf. Snow melts in the highlands in spring, so the rivers run highest from about March to May. The flat land between them, Mesopotamia, gets little rain. Farmers dig canals from the rivers to their fields.

9. 6.

   Why do the Tigris and Euphrates flow southeast, Milo asks?

   • Mesopotamia is flat, and flat land makes rivers bend toward the southeast as they cross it
   • Snow melts in spring, and melting snow makes water flow toward the southeast
   • The land slopes down from the Turkish highlands toward the low plain by the Gulf
   • The Gulf is where the rivers begin, and they flow uphill to the highlands
10. 7.

    A dam in the highlands holds back spring snowmelt. What is most likely downstream on the plain, Esme asks?

    • More water floods the plain, since a dam adds water to the rivers
    • Less water reaches the canals of downstream farms in spring unless some is released
    • Nothing changes downstream, because the farms get their water from rain and not from the rivers
    • Downstream farms dry out completely, since a dam stops the whole river for good

11. Use this

    Card H (fact card, Gulf countries). Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have almost no rivers and get under 150 mm of rain a year. Desalination plants turn sea water into fresh water. The plants burn a lot of oil or natural gas, which these countries produce. The salty water left over is returned to the Gulf, which is shallow.

12. 8.

    Why can these countries afford the fuel that desalination needs, Pia asks?

    • The Gulf is shallow, so seawater warms up fast and needs no fuel
    • Desalination makes oil and gas, and selling them pays for the plants that make fresh water
    • Rivers bring fuel to the plants, so the plants cost little to run
    • They produce large amounts of oil and natural gas, so fuel is close at hand
13. 9.

    A student claims: "Desalination solves the water problem with no downsides." How does Card H bear on that, Ari asks?

    • It weakens the claim: plants burn lots of fuel and return salty water to a shallow Gulf
    • It supports the claim: sea water is plentiful, so a plant could not run short of water to treat
    • It supports the claim: the card says plants turn sea water into fresh water
    • It weakens the claim: the card says plants cannot make water safe to drink
14. 10.

    Egypt gets water from the Nile; the Emirates use desalination. What best explains the difference, Noah asks?

    • Egypt is bigger, so a big country must have a river running across its land
    • Egypt has a sea coast and fuel, so it chose the river instead of building desalination plants
    • Egypt has a large river through it; the Emirates have none, but have a sea coast and fuel
    • The Emirates get more rain, so they need a way to remove extra water