Landforms, rivers and resources of South Asia

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

2. 1.

   Why does the heavy rain fall in summer, Zee asks?

   • Summer winds carry moist air from the Indian Ocean over the land, and it falls as rain
   • The monsoon season runs from June to September, which is a little over three months of the year
   • Winter winds blow from the land toward the sea and bring the heavy rain
   • The heavy rain falls first, and the rain then pulls winds in from the Indian Ocean toward the coast
3. 2.

   A student claims: "South Asia gets about the same rain in every season." How does Card A bear on that, Bo asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • It supports the claim: the card names two seasons, so each must get half the rain
   • It supports the claim: winds blow in both seasons, so rain falls in both of them equally
   • It weakens the claim: summer brings heavy rain, while winter is dry in most places
   • It weakens the claim: winter is the wet season and summer is mostly dry
4. 3.

   A farmer wants flooded fields for rice seedlings. When should the seedlings go in, Tala asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • In January, after the winds blow in from the Indian Ocean toward the land
   • In March, when the land is heating faster than the sea and the winds shift
   • In December, when the winter winds bring the heavy rains to the fields
   • In June, as the summer monsoon rains begin and the fields fill with water

5. Read this first

   Use this

   Card B (map key, the northern mountains). The Himalayas stretch across the north. Snow and glaciers on the high peaks melt slowly through the year and feed the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra, which flow down onto broad plains. Heavy summer rain on the mountains adds to the flow. The mountain wall also blocks cold air that sweeps south from central Asia in winter.

6. 4.

   The Ganges still carries water in the dry winter. Where does some of that water come from, Kira asks?

   • The Ganges flows down onto broad plains in the south, where the land is flat
   • The river's water flows uphill to the glaciers, which then store it for winter
   • Winter monsoon winds blowing in from the Indian Ocean bring daily rain
   • Snow and glaciers on the high peaks melt slowly through the year and feed the river
7. 5.

   Why does the Himalayan wall matter for winter weather on the plains to the south, Luz asks?

   • The wall blocks the weather completely, so the plains get no rain in any season
   • The plains are warm, so they stop the mountains from sending cold air south
   • The wall sends cold air south, so winters on the plains are the coldest anywhere
   • The wall blocks cold air from central Asia, so the plains stay warmer in winter
8. 6.

   A student claims: "If the summer rains failed, the great rivers would run dry in winter." How does Card B bear on that, Jun asks?

   • It supports the claim: the card says rain is the one source of water for the rivers in the mountains
   • It supports the claim: the card says heavy summer rain on the mountains adds to the flow
   • It weakens the claim: the card says the rivers begin on the plains and flow up toward the peaks
   • It weakens the claim: melting snow and glaciers keep water flowing in the dry months

9. Use this

   Card C (fact card, people per square kilometer, around 2022; sources differ a little). Bangladesh: more than 1,000, on flat, fertile delta land with many rivers. Bhutan: about 20, on steep mountain slopes covered by forest.

10. 7.

    About how many times as crowded as Bhutan is Bangladesh, Milo asks?

    • About 980 times
    • More than 1,000 times
    • More than 50 times
    • About 20 times
11. 8.

    Why might Bangladesh have so many more people per km² than Bhutan, Ren asks?

    • Flat, fertile delta land supports farming and homes, while steep forested slopes do not
    • Bhutan has the flat delta, so it has more people per km², and Bangladesh has the mountains
    • Crowds of people made the land flat and fertile, so more people could then arrive
    • Both are countries with many rivers, and rivers are found across South Asia
12. 9.

    A student claims: "Steep mountains mean few people." How does Card C bear on that, Pia asks?

    • It weakens the claim: Bhutan has the most people because mountains are safe places
    • It supports the claim for mountain regions around the world, since Bhutan shows the pattern
    • It weakens the claim: Bangladesh has about 20 people per km² and Bhutan has over 1,000
    • It supports the claim here: steep Bhutan has about 20 per km²; flat Bangladesh over 1,000

13. Use this

    Card D (fact card, the Maldives). The Maldives are about 1,200 small coral islands in the Indian Ocean. The average height of the land is about 1.5 m above sea level. The highest natural point is about 2.4 m (sources differ a little).

14. 10.

    A student claims: "Low islands face flood danger even without a big storm." How does Card D bear on that, Ari asks?

    • It supports the claim: land averaging 1.5 m above the sea can be reached by small sea rises
    • It supports the claim: the sea sits 1.5 m above the islands, so water reaches them
    • It weakens the claim: 1.5 m is high enough that the sea cannot reach the land
    • It supports the claim: the highest point is 2.4 m, so waves cover the islands