Why every flat map stretches something

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   a globe, a Mercator world map, an equal-area world map, and a satellite photo of one side of Earth. Ari's class wants one model that shows every country's true shape and true size at the same time. Which should they use?

   • A globe
   • An equal-area world map
   • A Mercator world map
   • A satellite photo of one side of Earth
2. 2.

   A globe beside a flat world map, with arrows from the globe to the map. Bo asks why every flat world map stretches or squeezes something. Which answer is right?

   • Mapmakers draw some flat maps carelessly
   • Countries change size as borders move
   • A curved surface cannot lie flat without stretching
   • Oceans are shrunk to make room for land
3. 3.

   Data: Wikidata and Wikipedia, read Nov 11, 2026, rounded. Beside it, a Mercator map with Greenland drawn larger than Brazil. On a globe, Brazil is about 4 times as big as Greenland. On Jun's Mercator map, Greenland looks bigger than Brazil. What did the map change?

   • Greenland's size
   • Greenland's distance from the equator
   • Greenland's latitude
   • Greenland's shape
4. 4.

   On an equal-area map, Greenland looks flatter and wider than it does on Kira's globe. What did this map change?

   • Greenland's neighbors
   • Greenland's size
   • Greenland's shape
   • Greenland's latitude

5. Read this first

   Use the table

   Place	Real area (million km²)
   Greenland	2.2
   DR Congo	2.3

   Data: Wikidata and Wikipedia, read Nov 11, 2026, rounded. Beside it, a Mercator map with Greenland drawn far larger than DR Congo.

6. 5.

   DR Congo and Greenland are about the same size. On Luz's Mercator map, Greenland looks many times bigger. What did the map change?

   • Greenland's place on the globe
   • Greenland's shape on the map
   • Greenland's size on the map
   • Greenland's real area
7. 6.

   Data: Wikidata and Wikipedia, read Nov 11, 2026, rounded. On Noah's Mercator map, Greenland looks bigger than India. Using the table, which is bigger in real life?

   • It depends on the map
   • They are exactly equal
   • India
   • Greenland
8. 7.

   Data: Wikidata and Wikipedia, read Nov 11, 2026, rounded. Beside it, a Mercator map where Greenland looks bigger than India. Pia lists four places by real area. Which one is the smallest in real life?

   • DR Congo
   • Brazil
   • India
   • Greenland
9. 8.

   Ren's sailing club draws a course that keeps one compass direction the whole way. Which map shows that course as a straight line?

   • A city street map
   • A Mercator map
   • A globe
   • An equal-area map
10. 9.

    a Mercator map, an equal-area map, a road atlas, a city street map. Tala wants to compare how much land different countries cover, fairly. Which kind of flat map is best?

    • A road atlas
    • An equal-area map
    • A Mercator map
    • A city street map
11. 10.

    Zee needs to see true shapes, true sizes and true directions all together. Which should Zee use?

    • A globe
    • A Mercator map
    • An equal-area map
    • A city street map