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6th grade Land features and how to read a topographic map worksheet

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Land features and how to read a topographic map

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. “model data, not to scale” Index lines labeled 400 m and 500 m have one thinner line between them. What is the contour interval, Bo?

    • 100 m
    • 10 m
    • 450 m
    • 50 m

  2. Index lines labeled 60 m and 120 m have five thinner lines between them. What is the contour interval, Esme?

    • 10 m
    • 60 m
    • 12 m
    • 6 m

  3. The interval is 20 m. Point P sits three lines above the 200 m line. What is P's elevation, Jun?

    • 140 m
    • 203 m
    • 260 m
    • 60 m

  4. model data, not to scale. The interval is 5 m. Point S sits four lines above the 30 m line. What is S's elevation, Kira?

    • 34 m
    • 10 m
    • 50 m
    • 20 m

  5. model data, not to scale. A hill whose top loop is labeled 340 m; no 360 m line is drawn. On Luz's map, a hill's highest loop is 340 m and the interval is 20 m. How high is the hilltop inside that loop?

    • Exactly 320 m
    • Between 340 m and 360 m
    • 360 m or more
    • Between 320 m and 340 m

  6. Read this first

    Use this

    Contour map with a key (model data, not to scale). Key: brown lines are contours; blue line is a stream. Contour interval 20 m. Closed loops around one hilltop: 100 m (labeled), 120 m, 140 m, 160 m (labeled, at the top). Lines are close on side A (east) and far apart on side B (west).

  7. Which side view matches Milo's hill map?

    • A flat top with cliffs on each side
    • Steep on the west, gentle on the east
    • Gentle and the same on both sides
    • Steep on the east, gentle on the west

  8. Which side view matches Pia's map of two hilltops?

    • A flat plain
    • A valley with a stream along its floor
    • Two peaks with a dip between them
    • One single peak

  9. The V's where a stream crosses the contours point north. Which way does the stream flow, Ren?

    • North, toward the V points
    • Uphill to the hilltop
    • South, away from the V points
    • Both ways at once

  10. Use this

    Contour map with a key (model data, not to scale). Key: brown lines are contours; blue line is a stream. A stream flows west and crosses three contour lines. Each line bends into a V where the stream crosses.

  11. A stream on Tala's map flows west. Which way do the contour V's around it point?

    • East, upstream
    • West, downstream
    • North, across the stream
    • They make closed circles

  12. Use this

    Contour map with a key (model data, not to scale). Key: brown lines are contours; blue line is a stream. A stream crosses the contour lines. Where it crosses, each line bends into a V whose point aims south.

  13. V-shaped contours cross a blue stream on Zee's map. Is the land there a valley or a ridge?

    • A ridge, as V's mark ridgetops
    • A valley: streams run in valleys
    • A plateau with no slope
    • A plain with no lines
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6th grade Land features and how to read a topographic map worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Land features and how to read a topographic map. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read a contour map: each line is one elevation, and the interval is the height between lines.
  • I can tell steep from gentle ground by line spacing and match a map to its side view.
  • I can name hills, valleys, plains, plateaus, buttes and canyons from contour patterns, and tell which way a stream flows.

Standard: supports MS-ESS2-2

Words to know

contour line: A line joining points of the same elevation

elevation: Height above sea level

contour interval: The height difference between neighboring contour lines

index contour: A wider contour line with its elevation printed on it

profile: A side view of the land along a line on the map

plateau: Large, high, flat land with a steep slope or cliff on a side

Common mistakes

Your child read close contour lines as gentle ground. Close lines mean steep ground; wide gaps mean gentle ground. Try drawing a steep and a gentle hill side by side.

Your child counted contour lines without using the interval. Each gap between neighboring lines is one contour interval of height. Try counting stairs and multiplying by the height of one step.

Your child read contour lines as trails or places where height changes along the line. Each line joins points of the same elevation. Try tracing one line with a finger and saying its height.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with land features and how to read a topographic map?

Your child read close contour lines as gentle ground. Close lines mean steep ground; wide gaps mean gentle ground. Try drawing a steep and a gentle hill side by side.

Are these 6th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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