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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   Where does the Eastern Panhandle run, by map 2, Milo asks?

   • From Spruce Knob to the Allegheny Front
   • From Hancock to Marshall County
   • From the Fairfax Stone to Harpers Ferry
   • From Chester to New Cumberland
8. 7.

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

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

   By the note, what share of the state's water flows east, Pia asks?

   • 85 percent
   • 15 percent
   • 50 percent
   • 1.5 percent
10. 9.

    Which claim fits map 1, Ren asks?

    • The plateau slopes down toward the west
    • The Blue Ridge covers the west
    • The whole state is one flat plain
    • The plateau slopes down toward the east
11. 10.

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

    • The lowest point
    • A mountain region
    • The highest point
    • The plateau