West Virginia's regions, rivers, counties and neighbors on a map

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   West Virginia's landforms

   Map 1, "Landform regions, east to west" (today): The Blue Ridge Mountains mark the eastern border of Jefferson County. The Ridge and Valley region covers most of the Eastern Panhandle: long, narrow ridges with valleys 400 to 2,400 feet below the ridge tops. The Allegheny Front is a steep slope rising to over 4,000 feet; it roughly marks the Eastern Continental Divide. West of it, the Allegheny Mountains rise over 4,500 feet. The Allegheny Plateau covers the western two-thirds of the state and slopes gently west, down to about 1,000 feet; its streams have cut deep, winding valleys, such as the 1,100-foot New River Gorge. Map 2, "Two panhandles and two heights" (today): The Northern Panhandle runs 64 miles north to Chester, between Pennsylvania and Ohio, and is only four miles wide near New Cumberland; its four counties are Hancock, Brooke, Ohio and Marshall. The Eastern Panhandle runs about 110 miles from the Fairfax Stone to Harpers Ferry and has eight counties. Spruce Knob, in Pendleton County, is the highest point at 4,861 feet; the lowest point, 247 feet, is near Harpers Ferry. Key: brown is mountains; green is the plateau; a triangle is the highest point; a circle is the lowest point. Below the maps: The Allegheny Front sends about 85 percent of the state's water west toward the Gulf of Mexico and 15 percent east to the Atlantic Ocean.

2. 1.

   Which region covers the western two-thirds of the state, Ari asks?

   • The Ridge and Valley region
   • The Allegheny Plateau
   • The Eastern Panhandle
   • The Blue Ridge Mountains
3. 2.

   Which region covers most of the Eastern Panhandle, Bo asks?

   • The Allegheny Mountains
   • The Allegheny Plateau
   • The Ridge and Valley region
   • The Northern Panhandle
4. 3.

   What is the Allegheny Front, by map 1, Esme asks?

   • A flat plain along a wide river
   • A straight-line border with Pennsylvania
   • The lowest point in the state
   • A steep slope that roughly marks a divide
5. 4.

   How much higher is Spruce Knob than the lowest point, Jun asks?

   • 4,614 feet
   • 4,624 feet
   • 5,108 feet
   • 4,604 feet
6. 5.

   Which county holds Spruce Knob, by map 2, Kira asks?

   • Marshall County
   • Jefferson County
   • Pendleton County
   • Hancock County
7. 6.

   How wide is the Northern Panhandle near New Cumberland, Luz asks?

   • About 40 miles
   • About 110 miles
   • About four miles
   • About 64 miles
8. 7.

   Why does the plateau have deep, winding valleys, by map 1, Noah asks?

   • Its streams have cut into it
   • People dug them for canals
   • It lies on the Blue Ridge
   • Glaciers pressed it flat
9. 8.

   Which claim fits map 1, Ren asks?

   • The Blue Ridge covers the west
   • The whole state is one flat plain
   • The plateau slopes down toward the east
   • The plateau slopes down toward the west
10. 9.

    What does a triangle mark on map 2, Tala asks?

    • The highest point
    • The lowest point
    • A mountain region
    • The plateau
11. 10.

    Which panhandle is longer, by map 2, Zee asks?

    • The Northern Panhandle, at 64 miles
    • The Northern Panhandle, about 110 miles
    • They are the same length
    • The Eastern Panhandle, about 110 miles