Name landforms from a photograph and from a satellite image
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Mount Rainier, Washington
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS photograph from Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park, July 2023): a mountain with a white top of snow and ice and dark rock ridges below it; green meadow and fir trees in front; clear blue sky. Image 2 (NASA image taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station, July 2018, looking straight down): a white, rounded mountaintop with a ring of black rock around a snow-filled crater; white glaciers run down the sides between dark ridges. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A is the city of Seattle. B is Mount Rainier, south-southeast of A. A scale bar reads 0 to 50 km, and the line from A to B is a little less than 2 bars long. Key: white = snow and ice; black = bare rock; green = trees and meadow. Note (NASA): Mount Rainier, a volcano, is the tallest peak in the Cascade Range, 4,392 m (14,410 ft) above sea level, and has 25 named glaciers. It lies about 95 km (60 mi) from Seattle.
Image 2 shows a snow-filled crater at the top of Mount Rainier. What landform is it, Esme asks?
- A canyon
- A delta
- A volcano
- A mesa
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS photograph, Cape Cod National Seashore, titled Dune Valley from High Head): low hills of pale sand dotted with grass and small green shrubs, a hazy blue sky, and a dark ridge of land far behind. Image 2 (NASA Landsat 8 image, August 23, 2016, natural color): a long arm of land that curves like a bent elbow and ends in a curled hook; the sea lies on three sides of it, labeled Cape Cod Bay on the left and Atlantic Ocean on the right; a scale bar reads 5 km. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A is the arm of land. B is Cape Cod Bay, on the west side of A. C is the Atlantic Ocean, on the east side of A. The arm joins the rest of Massachusetts at its southwest end. Key: green = land; dark blue = deep water; light blue-green = shallow water; thin outline = the border of the park. Note (NASA): Cape Cod National Seashore has 40 miles of seashore, with beaches, ponds and dune fields. Some scientists think Cape Cod is the largest glacial peninsula on Earth.
Image 2 shows an arm of land with the sea on three sides and the mainland at one end. What landform is Cape Cod, Kira asks?
- A bay
- An island
- A peninsula
- An isthmus
Mount Rainier, Washington
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS photograph from Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park, July 2023): a mountain with a white top of snow and ice and dark rock ridges below it; green meadow and fir trees in front; clear blue sky. Image 2 (NASA image taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station, July 2018, looking straight down): a white, rounded mountaintop with a ring of black rock around a snow-filled crater; white glaciers run down the sides between dark ridges. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A is the city of Seattle. B is Mount Rainier, south-southeast of A. A scale bar reads 0 to 50 km, and the line from A to B is a little less than 2 bars long. Key: white = snow and ice; black = bare rock; green = trees and meadow. Note (NASA): Mount Rainier, a volcano, is the tallest peak in the Cascade Range, 4,392 m (14,410 ft) above sea level, and has 25 named glaciers. It lies about 95 km (60 mi) from Seattle.
In Image 2 of Mount Rainier, what does white stand for, Luz asks?
- Bare rock
- Open water
- Trees and meadow
- Snow and ice
Isle Royale, Lake Superior
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS aerial photograph, Isle Royale National Park, titled Aerial View of Belle Harbor): long, narrow strips of green forest lie side by side in deep blue water, with a larger forested shore behind them. Image 2 (NASA Landsat 7 image, merged from scenes of July 4, 2000 and September 25, 2001): one long island of green forest with parallel stripes along its length, in deep blue water, with smaller islands scattered around it. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A long island slants from the lower left (southwest) to the upper right (northeast) in the middle of a wide lake labeled Lake Superior. A scale bar reads 0 to 20 km, and the island is about 3 and a half bars long. Key: dark blue = lake water; green = forest. Note (NASA): the island's long parallel ridges run its 72 km (45 mi) length, and the park also takes in many smaller islands.
In Image 2 of Isle Royale, what does dark blue stand for, Milo asks?
- Bare rock
- Lake water
- Snow and ice
- Forest
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS photograph, Cape Cod National Seashore, titled Dune Valley from High Head): low hills of pale sand dotted with grass and small green shrubs, a hazy blue sky, and a dark ridge of land far behind. Image 2 (NASA Landsat 8 image, August 23, 2016, natural color): a long arm of land that curves like a bent elbow and ends in a curled hook; the sea lies on three sides of it, labeled Cape Cod Bay on the left and Atlantic Ocean on the right; a scale bar reads 5 km. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A is the arm of land. B is Cape Cod Bay, on the west side of A. C is the Atlantic Ocean, on the east side of A. The arm joins the rest of Massachusetts at its southwest end. Key: green = land; dark blue = deep water; light blue-green = shallow water; thin outline = the border of the park. Note (NASA): Cape Cod National Seashore has 40 miles of seashore, with beaches, ponds and dune fields. Some scientists think Cape Cod is the largest glacial peninsula on Earth.
The scale bar in Image 2 of Cape Cod reads 5 km. What does the bar stand for, Noah asks?
- The depth of the bay
- The width of the park
- 5 km on the ground
- 5 km across the page
Mount Rainier, Washington
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS photograph from Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park, July 2023): a mountain with a white top of snow and ice and dark rock ridges below it; green meadow and fir trees in front; clear blue sky. Image 2 (NASA image taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station, July 2018, looking straight down): a white, rounded mountaintop with a ring of black rock around a snow-filled crater; white glaciers run down the sides between dark ridges. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A is the city of Seattle. B is Mount Rainier, south-southeast of A. A scale bar reads 0 to 50 km, and the line from A to B is a little less than 2 bars long. Key: white = snow and ice; black = bare rock; green = trees and meadow. Note (NASA): Mount Rainier, a volcano, is the tallest peak in the Cascade Range, 4,392 m (14,410 ft) above sea level, and has 25 named glaciers. It lies about 95 km (60 mi) from Seattle.
Pia reads that Mount Rainier has a crater. What is a crater here?
- A bowl-shaped dip at a volcano's top
- A flat-topped hill with steep sides
- A long, narrow bay
- Where a river meets the sea
Isle Royale, Lake Superior
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS aerial photograph, Isle Royale National Park, titled Aerial View of Belle Harbor): long, narrow strips of green forest lie side by side in deep blue water, with a larger forested shore behind them. Image 2 (NASA Landsat 7 image, merged from scenes of July 4, 2000 and September 25, 2001): one long island of green forest with parallel stripes along its length, in deep blue water, with smaller islands scattered around it. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A long island slants from the lower left (southwest) to the upper right (northeast) in the middle of a wide lake labeled Lake Superior. A scale bar reads 0 to 20 km, and the island is about 3 and a half bars long. Key: dark blue = lake water; green = forest. Note (NASA): the island's long parallel ridges run its 72 km (45 mi) length, and the park also takes in many smaller islands.
Ren reads that Isle Royale is an island. What is an island?
- A narrow strip joining two lands
- A hill with a flat top
- Land with water on three sides
- Land with water all around it
Mount Rainier, Washington
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS photograph from Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park, July 2023): a mountain with a white top of snow and ice and dark rock ridges below it; green meadow and fir trees in front; clear blue sky. Image 2 (NASA image taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station, July 2018, looking straight down): a white, rounded mountaintop with a ring of black rock around a snow-filled crater; white glaciers run down the sides between dark ridges. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A is the city of Seattle. B is Mount Rainier, south-southeast of A. A scale bar reads 0 to 50 km, and the line from A to B is a little less than 2 bars long. Key: white = snow and ice; black = bare rock; green = trees and meadow. Note (NASA): Mount Rainier, a volcano, is the tallest peak in the Cascade Range, 4,392 m (14,410 ft) above sea level, and has 25 named glaciers. It lies about 95 km (60 mi) from Seattle.
Which image shows Mount Rainier's snow-filled crater from straight above, Zee asks?
- Both images the same way
- Neither image
- Image 2, from space
- Image 1, the photograph
Isle Royale, Lake Superior
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS aerial photograph, Isle Royale National Park, titled Aerial View of Belle Harbor): long, narrow strips of green forest lie side by side in deep blue water, with a larger forested shore behind them. Image 2 (NASA Landsat 7 image, merged from scenes of July 4, 2000 and September 25, 2001): one long island of green forest with parallel stripes along its length, in deep blue water, with smaller islands scattered around it. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A long island slants from the lower left (southwest) to the upper right (northeast) in the middle of a wide lake labeled Lake Superior. A scale bar reads 0 to 20 km, and the island is about 3 and a half bars long. Key: dark blue = lake water; green = forest. Note (NASA): the island's long parallel ridges run its 72 km (45 mi) length, and the park also takes in many smaller islands.
Which image lets Ari see all of Isle Royale at once?
- Neither one
- Image 1, the aerial photograph
- Both show the whole island
- Image 2, from space
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
(public-domain NPS and NASA images, described in words): Image 1 (NPS photograph, Cape Cod National Seashore, titled Dune Valley from High Head): low hills of pale sand dotted with grass and small green shrubs, a hazy blue sky, and a dark ridge of land far behind. Image 2 (NASA Landsat 8 image, August 23, 2016, natural color): a long arm of land that curves like a bent elbow and ends in a curled hook; the sea lies on three sides of it, labeled Cape Cod Bay on the left and Atlantic Ocean on the right; a scale bar reads 5 km. Map (drawn for this question, north at the top): A is the arm of land. B is Cape Cod Bay, on the west side of A. C is the Atlantic Ocean, on the east side of A. The arm joins the rest of Massachusetts at its southwest end. Key: green = land; dark blue = deep water; light blue-green = shallow water; thin outline = the border of the park. Note (NASA): Cape Cod National Seashore has 40 miles of seashore, with beaches, ponds and dune fields. Some scientists think Cape Cod is the largest glacial peninsula on Earth.
Image 1 shows sand hills on Cape Cod. Where do they belong in Image 2, Bo asks?
- In the Atlantic Ocean
- On the arm of land
- In Cape Cod Bay
- Nowhere, since Image 2 is another place