Continents, oceans, great rivers, mountains and deserts

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Heights and seas (cards A to C; heights and areas are rounded). Card A, the highest peak in each of six land regions, with the region's area: Asia | Mount Everest | 8,849 m | 44.6 million km2. Africa | Kilimanjaro | 5,895 m | 30.4 million km2. North America | Denali | 6,190 m | 24.7 million km2. South America | Aconcagua | 6,961 m | 17.8 million km2. Antarctica | Vinson Massif | 4,892 m | 14.2 million km2. Australia (the mainland) | Mount Kosciuszko | 2,228 m | 7.7 million km2. Europe is left out because the Europe-Asia boundary is drawn in different places. Everest was measured again in 2020; older books give 8,848 m. One meter is about 3.28 feet. Card B, the oceans: Earth's surface is about 510 million km2. The Pacific Ocean covers about 165 million km2, and all of Earth's land together covers about 149 million km2. Card C, a practice map (invented) with this key: green is 0 to 200 m above sea level, yellow 200 to 500 m, orange 500 to 2,000 m, brown above 2,000 m. River R begins in the brown area in the north and reaches the sea in the south. Town P is in the yellow area, and Lake L lies in the green area.

2. 1.

   Using card A, how much higher is Mount Everest than Kilimanjaro, Ari asks?

   • 3,054 m, since 8,849 minus 5,895 is 3,054
   • 3,957 m, the gap between Mount Everest and Vinson Massif
   • 2,954 m, since 8,849 minus 5,895 is 2,954
   • 14,744 m, found by adding the two heights together
3. 2.

   A student says, "The bigger a region is, the higher its highest peak." How does card A answer, Esme asks?

   • Weak: Antarctica is smaller than Australia, so size cannot matter here
   • Strong: Asia is the biggest region and has the highest peak, so size decides
   • Weak: Africa is larger than South America, but its highest peak is lower
   • Weak: card A lists just peaks, so it cannot be used to compare regions
4. 3.

   Using card C, which way does River R flow, and how can you tell, Jun asks?

   • South, because it starts in high brown land and ends at the sea
   • Toward Lake L, because lakes are found at the end of a river
   • North, because rivers flow toward the top of a map
   • South, because the key shows green land is higher than brown land
5. 4.

   Town P is in the yellow area of card C. What can Kira say about its height?

   • It is between 200 m and 500 m above sea level
   • It is between 200 feet and 500 feet above sea level
   • It is exactly 200 m above sea level, where yellow begins
   • It is higher than the brown area, since yellow comes later in the key
6. 5.

   A student says, "The Pacific covers more area than all the land on Earth." How does card B answer, Milo asks?

   • Weak: the Pacific is smaller, because land covers 510 million km2
   • Weak: water and land cannot be compared by area, since one is not ground
   • Strong: the Pacific covers about 165 million km2 and all land about 149 million km2
   • Strong: oceans cover more than land, so each ocean is bigger than all the land on Earth combined
7. 6.

   Card B: Earth's surface is about 510 million km2 and land about 149 million. About how much is water, Noah asks?

   • About 149 million km2, the area of the land
   • About 371 million km2, since 510 minus 149 is 371
   • About 165 million km2, the area of the Pacific alone
   • About 361 million km2, since 510 minus 149 is 361
8. 7.

   Card A gives Everest as 8,849 m, but an older book says 8,848 m. Why might the numbers differ, Pia asks?

   • Older books measured in feet and newer books in meters, so the digits differ
   • One book must be wrong, so the older book should be thrown out
   • The mountain grew by exactly 1 meter, so the older number is out of date
   • A 2020 measurement with better tools updated the old number to 8,849 m
9. 8.

   Why is Europe left out of the table in card A, Ren asks?

   • Its boundary with Asia is drawn in different places, so its top peak is unclear
   • Europe is smaller than Australia, so it is too small to list
   • Europe has no mountains, so it has no highest peak to list
   • Its mountains are too hard to measure, so no one has a number for them
10. 9.

    Card A says one meter is about 3.28 feet. About how many feet high is Denali, Tala asks?

    • About 6,190 ft, the same number with a new unit
    • About 20,300 ft, since 6,190 times 3.28 is about 20,300
    • About 1,900 ft, found by dividing 6,190 by 3.28
    • About 2,030 ft, since 619 times 3.28 is about 2,030
11. 10.

    Using card A, which pair of peaks has the biggest gap in height, Zee asks?

    • Aconcagua and Kosciuszko, a gap of 4,733 m
    • Everest and Kosciuszko, a gap of 6,621 m
    • Denali and Kilimanjaro, a gap of 295 m
    • Everest and Vinson Massif, a gap of 3,957 m