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 A: it gains less height
   • Neither: both rise 100 m, so both are just as steep
   • Trail A: close lines mean gentle ground
   • Trail B: wide spacing means a gentle slope
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: the shorter path makes the gentler climb here
   • Path X: it climbs less height
   • Path X: the same rise over a longer distance
   • Path Y: it climbs less height

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

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?

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

8. 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.

9. 5.

   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?

   • 60 lines
   • 7 lines
   • 3 lines
   • 4 lines
10. 6.

    Contour map with a key (model data, not to scale). Noah says a map with a 100 m interval and few lines must show flat land. Agree or disagree?

    • Disagree: a big interval means fewer lines, so check the labels
    • Disagree: few lines mean a cliff
    • Agree: the interval does not change the number of lines
    • Agree: few lines mean flat land wherever they appear

11. 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).

12. 7.

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

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

13. 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.

14. 8.

    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 canyon
    • A butte
    • A wide plain
    • A valley
15. 9.

    model data, not to scale. Lines bunch tightly on both sides of a stream, and the V's are deep and sharp. Which landform is it, Tala?

    • A wide, gentle plain beside a slow stream
    • A canyon: a narrow, steep-walled valley
    • A flat plateau top
    • A ridge with no stream

16. 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.

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