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?

   • Locks cause the rapids, which is how the river gets its drop in height
   • 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
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: 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 weakens the claim, because Chicago lies on the Atlantic Ocean coast
   • 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?

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

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.

   How can the Columbia River help farms in dry central Washington, Bo asks?

   • Farms in the dry east make rain that fills the river behind the dams
   • The Cascade Mountains melt into the river, which waters the fields
   • The river brings rain from the Pacific Ocean, so no dams are needed
   • Dams store its water, which can be carried to fields in the dry east

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

   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
   • A city needs the water for homes and jobs, while a farm needs it for crops
   • 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
10. 7.

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

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

11. 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.

12. 8.

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

    • 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
    • The towns dug the valleys, which is why the land is steep with little flat ground
    • The hillsides are steep, so the valleys have the flat ground and the rivers
13. 9.

    How can coal from steep hills reach markets far away, Jun asks?

    • Coal moves on flat ground, so steep hills make it impossible to ship
    • Rail lines and barges on rivers such as the Kanawha carry it out
    • Coal is carried by ship straight from the hills, since West Virginia has a long coast
    • Markets far away come to the hills to dig the coal themselves
14. 10.

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

    • 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
    • The Kanawha River floods the valleys each year, which washes wheat away