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

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

   • The Ridge and Valley region
   • The Allegheny Mountains
   • The Allegheny Plateau
   • The Northern Panhandle
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 flat plain along a wide river
   • A straight-line border with Pennsylvania
5. 4.

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

   • Marshall County
   • Jefferson County
   • Hancock County
   • Pendleton County
6. 5.

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

   • From the Fairfax Stone to Harpers Ferry
   • From Spruce Knob to the Allegheny Front
   • From Chester to New Cumberland
   • From Hancock to Marshall County
7. 6.

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

   • People dug them for canals
   • Its streams have cut into it
   • It lies on the Blue Ridge
   • Glaciers pressed it flat
8. 7.

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

   • 50 percent
   • 85 percent
   • 15 percent
   • 1.5 percent
9. 8.

   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
10. 9.

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

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