Landforms, rivers and resources of the United States and Canada

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card E (fact card, the Great Lakes). The five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) hold about a fifth of the world's surface fresh water. The St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario toward the Atlantic Ocean, with rapids and a drop in height along the way. The St. Lawrence Seaway, opened in 1959, uses locks (water-filled steps) to lift ships past the rapids, so ocean ships can reach Great Lakes ports such as Chicago and Toronto.

2. 1.

   Why did ships need locks on the St. Lawrence before they could reach Chicago, Ren asks?

   • The Great Lakes hold about a fifth of the world's surface fresh water
   • Lake Michigan lies wholly in the United States, so ships need permission to enter
   • The river has rapids and a drop in height, and locks lift ships up past them
   • Locks cause the rapids, which is how the river gets its drop in height
3. 2.

   A student claims: "Chicago is too far inland to be an ocean port." How does Card E bear on that, Tala asks?

   • It weakens the claim, because Chicago lies on the Atlantic Ocean coast
   • It weakens the claim: the Seaway lets ocean ships reach Great Lakes ports such as Chicago
   • It supports the claim, because the St. Lawrence flows away from Chicago to the sea
   • It supports the claim, because Lake Michigan lies wholly in the United States
4. 3.

   How did the Seaway, opened in 1959, change shipping from the Great Lakes, Zee asks?

   • Before 1959 ocean ships reached lake ports; after it, ships had to stop at the rapids
   • The Seaway made the five Great Lakes hold about a fifth of the world's fresh water
   • Locks lifted ships past the rapids, so ocean ships could reach lake ports
   • The Seaway ended the need for any port on the Atlantic Ocean coast

5. Use this

   Card F (fact card, the Pacific Northwest). The Cascade Mountains run north to south near the Pacific coast. Moist ocean winds rise over them. West of the mountains, Seattle gets plenty of rain. East of the mountains, central Washington gets far less. The Columbia River flows through the dry east. Dams on the river, including Grand Coulee (finished in 1942), make electricity and store water for irrigation.

6. 4.

   Why does central Washington get far less rain than Seattle, Esme asks?

   • Moist ocean air drops its rain on the Cascades, which leaves the east dry
   • Central Washington is dry, so the winds from the ocean stop at the mountains
   • The Columbia River flows through the dry east, carrying water from far away
   • The Cascade Mountains lie east of central Washington and block its rain

7. Use this

   Card G (fact card, Arizona). Phoenix and Tucson lie in the Sonoran Desert and get little rain. The Central Arizona Project is a canal 336 miles long that carries water from the Colorado River to Phoenix and Tucson. Seven states and Mexico share the Colorado River. When the river runs low, Arizona's share can be cut. Arizona's mines produce most of the copper mined in the United States.

8. 5.

   Suppose water in the canal moves at 4 miles per hour. About how many days does a drop need for its whole 336 miles, Pia asks?

   • About 3.5 days
   • About 56 days
   • About 14 days
   • About 84 days
9. 6.

   Phoenix and Tucson get little rain. How do they get enough water, Noah asks?

   • Arizona's mines produce most of the copper mined in the United States
   • Phoenix and Tucson make the Colorado River flow by pumping water out of the desert
   • Heavy rain falls on the Sonoran Desert each summer and fills the cities' lakes
   • A 336-mile canal carries water from the Colorado River to the two cities
10. 7.

    When the Colorado River runs low, Arizona's share can be cut. Why might that worry a city and a farm differently, Kira asks?

    • A city would gain from the cut, while a farm would lose its water
    • The canal is 336 miles long, so the cut falls on the farthest users first
    • Farms use the river, so a cut leaves cities with the same amount
    • A city needs the water for homes and jobs, while a farm needs it for crops
11. 8.

    A car drives along the canal's whole length at 48 miles per hour. How long does the trip take, Ari asks?

    • 48 hours
    • 7 hours
    • 16,128 hours
    • 336 hours

12. Use this

    Card H (fact card, West Virginia). The Appalachian Mountains cover most of West Virginia, so the land is steep with narrow valleys and little flat ground. Coal lies in layers under the hills, and mining has long been a major industry. Coal moves out by rail and by barge on rivers such as the Kanawha. Towns and roads fill the narrow valleys along the rivers.

13. 9.

    Why do West Virginia towns and roads fill the narrow valleys, Luz asks?

    • The hillsides are steep, so the valleys have the flat ground and the rivers
    • The towns dug the valleys, which is why the land is steep with little flat ground
    • Coal lies in layers under the hills, and mining has long been a major industry
    • The Appalachian Mountains lie to the west, so towns must be built on high ground
14. 10.

    Compare West Virginia with the Great Plains. Why would huge wheat fields be hard to plant in West Virginia, Milo asks?

    • The Kanawha River floods the valleys each year, which washes wheat away
    • West Virginia has little flat ground, and huge fields need large, flat areas
    • Coal mining has used up the soil, so nothing can grow in West Virginia
    • West Virginia has too much flat ground, so wheat fields would flood