Landforms, rivers and resources of Russia and northern Eurasia

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card A (fact card). Russia covers about 17.1 million square kilometers (km²). Siberia, the part east of the Ural Mountains, covers over 13.1 million km², about three quarters of Russia's area. It holds roughly a quarter of Russia's people. Winters in Siberia are long and very cold, and in many places the ground stays frozen all year (permafrost).

2. 1.

   Compare Siberia with the rest of Russia. What does Card A suggest, Luz asks?

   • Siberia is more crowded, because it covers three quarters of Russia's area, so more people fit there
   • Siberia is less crowded, with three quarters of the land but about a quarter of the people
   • Siberia lies east of the Ural Mountains, which makes it the eastern part of Russia
   • Siberia is cold because few people live there, and more people would warm the land up
3. 2.

   A student claims: "Siberia has no ground that ever stays frozen." How does Card A bear on that, Tala asks?

   • It supports the claim, because winters are long and the ground thaws every summer
   • It weakens the claim, because in many places the ground stays frozen all year
   • It supports the claim, because permafrost means soil that is rich enough for farming
   • It weakens the claim, because people living there keep the ground frozen

4. Use this

   Source 2, a river captain's log (invented): "June 3, left Yakutsk on the Lena. The ice in the delta did not break until July 1."

6. 3.

   A student claims: "These rivers carry ships to the sea all year long." How does Card B bear on that, Bo asks?

   • It weakens the claim, because the Arctic Ocean and the river ice are frozen for much of the year
   • It supports the claim, since a frozen river makes a firm, flat road for ships to follow
   • It supports the claim, since three long rivers flow the whole way to the Arctic Ocean coast
   • It weakens the claim, because Card B says the rivers flow south to a warm sea
7. 4.

   Does the captain's log agree with the ice pattern on the map key, Jun asks?

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • Yes: the log shows that Siberian rivers clear their ice by the same date
   • Yes: the ship could leave upstream on June 3, but the delta ice held until July 1
   • No: the log shows the delta melted first, while the map key says upstream melts first
   • No: the log says the Lena flows south, while the map key says it flows north
9. 5.

   Why are wheat farms found on the steppe and not in the tundra, Pia asks?

   • The steppe has dark, rich soil, while the tundra's soil stays frozen
   • Wheat farms turn the steppe into grassland, since farming comes before the grass
   • The taiga is a huge band of forest, and forests cover more land than grass
   • The tundra lies in the southwest, where the weather is warm enough for crops
10. 6.

    Which work fits the taiga best, and why, Milo asks?

    Use the picture in question 5.

    • Logging, because the taiga is a huge band of pine, spruce and larch forest
    • Fishing in the ocean, because Card C names the Arctic coast
    • Herding on open grass, because the taiga is mostly treeless frozen land
    • Growing wheat, because the card says wheat farms cover much of the taiga
11. 7.

    A student claims: "Siberia is one big frozen plain." How well does Card C support that, Zee asks?

    Use the picture in question 5.

    • Poorly: Card C shows tundra, taiga and steppe, which are very different kinds of land
    • Well: the first zone listed on Card C is the tundra, which has frozen soil and no trees
    • Well: the tundra is frozen, so the rest of Siberia must be frozen as well, up to the southern border
    • Poorly: the steppe is frozen and the tundra is rich farmland

12. Use this

    Card D (clock times, UTC offsets, no daylight saving time). Moscow is UTC+3. Novosibirsk is UTC+7. Vladivostok is UTC+10. Russia has 11 time zones, from its western edge to its Pacific coast.

13. 8.

    It is noon in Moscow. What time is it in Novosibirsk, Esme asks?

    • 8 a.m.
    • 3 p.m.
    • 7 p.m.
    • 4 p.m.
14. 9.

    A call starts at 9 a.m. in Moscow. What time is it in Vladivostok, Noah asks?

    • 4 p.m.
    • 12 p.m.
    • 2 a.m.
    • 7 p.m.
15. 10.

    Why does Russia need 11 time zones, Ren asks?

    • Russia has no daylight saving time, so each region keeps its own time
    • Russia stretches far from west to east because it has so many time zones
    • Russia stretches far from north to south, so the sun rises at different times
    • Russia stretches far from west to east, so the sun rises at very different times