Why every flat map stretches something

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   At 60° N, a Mercator map draws land 2 times too wide and 2 times too tall. How many times too big does Pia see its area?

   • 8 times too big
   • 4 times too big
   • 2 times too big
   • 1 time: the area is true
2. 2.

   At about 70° N, Ren's Mercator map draws land about 3 times too wide and 3 times too tall. About how many times too big does its area look?

   • About 3 times too big
   • About 9 times too big
   • About 27 times too big
   • About 6 times too big
3. 3.

   At about 75° N, Tala's Mercator map draws land about 4 times too wide and 4 times too tall. About how many times too big does its area look?

   • About 4 times too big
   • About 16 times too big
   • About 64 times too big
   • About 8 times too big
4. 4.

   Data: Wikidata and Wikipedia, read Nov 11, 2026, rounded. Beside it, a Mercator map where Alaska looks larger than Mexico. Zee's friend says Alaska is bigger than Mexico, because Alaska looks much bigger on a Mercator map. Which response is right?

   • Disagree: the map stretches Mexico, near the equator
   • Agree: lands farther north are bigger
   • Agree: a flat map shows sizes correctly
   • Disagree: Mexico is bigger; the map stretches far-north Alaska
5. 5.

   Ari's friend says a Mercator map is useless. Which response is right?

   • Agree: it shrinks the lands near the poles
   • Disagree: it shows sizes correctly
   • Disagree: it keeps compass directions straight for sailors
   • Agree: it is the one flat map that bends anything
6. 6.

   Bo's friend says an equal-area map is the best map for every job. Which response is right?

   • Agree: it keeps sizes and shapes true
   • Agree: Mercator is the kind of map that bends land
   • Disagree: it makes the poles look too big
   • Disagree: it keeps sizes true but bends shapes
7. 7.

   World map with straight, parallel longitude lines; latitude lines at 0°, 30°, 60° spaced wider and wider toward the poles. On Esme's Map P, latitude lines spread farther apart toward the poles, and longitude lines never meet. Which map is it, and what does it get wrong?

   • Equal-area: land near the poles looks too big
   • Mercator: land near the poles looks too big
   • Mercator: land near the equator looks too big
   • Equal-area: land keeps its true shape
8. 8.

   On Jun's Map Q, latitude lines crowd closer together toward the poles, and land near the poles looks short and wide. Which map is it, and what does it keep?

   • Mercator: nothing is stretched or squashed
   • Equal-area: shapes true, sizes squashed
   • Mercator: sizes true, shapes squashed
   • Equal-area: sizes true, shapes squashed
9. 9.

   Kira's Map R keeps every small shape right, and steady compass courses are straight lines on it. Which map is it, and what does it get wrong?

   • Globe: it keeps sizes and shapes true
   • Mercator: sizes are wrong near the equator
   • Equal-area: sizes are wrong near the poles
   • Mercator: sizes are wrong near the poles
10. 10.

    Luz's note says: "Mercator maps stretch land most near the equator." Which fix makes the note right?

    • Change "most" to "evenly"
    • Change "equator" to "poles"
    • Change "land" to "oceans"
    • Change "stretch" to "keep the true size of"