Land features and how to read a topographic map

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. 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, lines 100 m to 200 m. Trail A crosses them where they are close; trail B where they are far apart.

2. 1.

   Two trails climb from 100 m to 200 m. Trail A crosses close lines; trail B crosses lines spread far apart. Which is the gentler climb for Ari, and why?

   • Trail B: wide spacing means a gentle slope
   • Trail A: close lines mean gentle ground
   • Neither: both rise 100 m, so both are just as steep
   • Trail A: it gains less height
3. 2.

   Bo hikes from camp (200 m) to a lake (260 m). Path X crosses 3 lines in 2 km; path Y crosses 3 lines in 500 m. Which is gentler?

   • Path Y: it climbs less height
   • Path X: the same rise over a longer distance
   • Path X: it climbs less height
   • Path Y: the shorter path makes the gentler climb here

4. 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).

5. 3.

   A park plans a wheelchair-friendly path around a hill. Which way should the path run, Esme?

   • Across the spots where lines bunch together
   • Along one contour line, so the height stays level
   • Up the trails the brown lines mark
   • Straight up where the lines are closest

6. Use this

   Contour map with a key (model data, not to scale). Key: brown lines are contours; blue line is a stream. Index contours labeled 100 m and 150 m, with four thinner lines between. A path starts on the 100 m line and crosses three lines uphill.

7. 4.

   Index lines are 100 m and 150 m, with four lines between. A path starts on the 100 m line and crosses three more lines. How high does it end, Jun?

   • 103 m
   • 130 m
   • 137.5 m
   • 150 m

8. Use this

   Contour map with a key (model data, not to scale). Key: brown lines are contours; blue line is a stream. Index contours labeled 200 m and 300 m, with one thinner line between. Point Q on the second line above 300 m.

9. 5.

   Lines labeled 200 m and 300 m have one line between them. Point Q is two lines above the 300 m line. How high is Q, Kira?

   • 350 m
   • 400 m
   • 302 m
   • 500 m

10. 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. A trail from the 80 m line to the 140 m line.

11. 6.

    A trail starts on the 80 m line and ends on the 140 m line; the interval is 20 m. How many lines does it cross after leaving the start, Luz?

    • 7 lines
    • 4 lines
    • 60 lines
    • 3 lines

12. 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).

13. 7.

    Milo's classmate says two contour lines can cross where a hill gets very steep. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: very steep spots squeeze the lines until they cross
    • Agree: the lines cross at the hilltop
    • Disagree: lines can cross at streams instead
    • Disagree: each line is one elevation, so lines never cross
14. 8.

    Pia reads a claim: "Contour lines show the trails people walk on." Agree or disagree?

    • Disagree: they show where trees grow
    • Agree: the brown lines mark trails
    • Disagree: they join points of equal elevation
    • Agree: they show the paths where people walk uphill

15. 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. A small flat top above the 260 m line, with lines from 200 m to 260 m packed tightly all around; wide, nearly empty land around it.

16. 9.

    A small, high patch has a flat top and tightly packed lines on every side, standing alone above a plain. Which landform is it, Ren?

    • A valley
    • A wide plain
    • A butte
    • A canyon

17. 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. A very wide area above the 600 m line with almost no lines; lines from 400 m to 600 m packed tightly along its south edge.

18. 10.

    A high, flat area many miles wide ends in a steep cliff on one side. Its top has almost no lines. Which landform is it, Zee?

    • A plateau
    • A canyon floor
    • A small butte
    • A low plain