Shipping routes, canals and chokepoints

Grade 9 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card A. Compare chart, “Straits and shortcuts”, columns Passage | Joins | Size | One trade figure: Strait of Malacca | the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean) | 900 km long; 65 to 250 km wide, narrowing to 2.8 km near Singapore | about 15.2 million barrels of oil a day (2011); Strait of Hormuz | the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman | about 167 km long; about 39 to 97 km wide | 21 million barrels of oil a day (2018); Suez Canal route | Europe and Asia by sea | 193.3 km of canal | Singapore to Rotterdam: about 6,000 km and nine days shorter than around Africa; Panama Canal route | the Atlantic and the Pacific | 82 km of canal | ships avoid the trip around the southern tip of South America. Notes: in our words, a shorter route can mean fewer days at sea and less fuel, which can lower the cost of carrying goods; carrying is one part of a product’s price. In 2023 to 2025, about 25% of the oil traded by sea and 20% of liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Figures come from different years, so each keeps its year.

2. 1.

   Malacca is 900 km long and up to 250 km wide; Hormuz is about 167 km long and 39 to 97 km wide. Which statement fits the chart, Ari asks?

   • The two are equally tight, since both are called chokepoints
   • Hormuz is the tighter strait, since its widest point, 97 km, is under Malacca’s 250 km
   • Malacca is larger overall, but narrows to 2.8 km, tighter than Hormuz’s 39 km
   • Hormuz is the longer strait, since 167 km is its figure and 65 is Malacca’s
3. 2.

   Hormuz had 21 million barrels a day in 2018; Malacca 15.2 million in 2011. What does that support, Bo asks?

   • No comparison is possible, since the figures are from different years
   • Hormuz’s is higher, but the years differ, so the gap is rough
   • Malacca carries more oil, since 2011 is nearer the start of the chart
   • Hormuz carries 38 percent more oil than Malacca does today
4. 3.

   A student divides Hormuz’s 21 million barrels a day by 25% to estimate all seaborne oil. What is wrong, Esme asks?

   • The 21 million is 2018 and the 25% is 2023 to 2025: years differ
   • The 25% is for liquefied gas, so the oil total would be 100 million
   • Nothing: 21 ÷ 0.25 is 84 million, which is the total of seaborne oil
   • It should multiply by 25%, giving about 5 million barrels a day
5. 4.

   The Suez route saves about 6,000 km and nine days from Singapore to Rotterdam. What speed does that imply, Jun asks?

   • About 330 km a day, from 6,000 ÷ 18, since two directions
   • About 6 km a day, from 6,000 ÷ 1,000, counting the distance in thousands
   • About 54,000 km a day, from 6,000 × 9, a speed no ship could reach
   • About 670 km a day, 6,000 ÷ 9, if the saving is all distance
6. 5.

   Which claim about the Suez route and prices does Card A support, Kira asks?

   • A shorter route lowers prices, since fewer days cut the cost of goods
   • A shorter route can cut carrying cost, one part of a product’s price
   • A shorter route has no link to prices, since carrying is one cost among others
   • A shorter route lowers a product’s price by the whole saving in carrying costs
7. 6.

   A student says Hormuz carries a quarter of all oil. Which fix is right, Luz asks?

   • Change it: about 25% of the oil traded by sea in 2023 to 2025, not of all oil
   • Change it: a quarter of the oil in 2018, when the barrels figure applies
   • Change it: a quarter of liquefied gas, not oil
   • Leave it: a quarter of the oil traded by sea is the same as all oil
8. 7.

   A student says the Strait of Hormuz is a canal. What does Card A support, Milo asks?

   • No: a canal must be narrower than 100 km and Hormuz is wider
   • Yes: its 167 km length is like the 193.3 km of Suez
   • No: the chart calls it a strait; canals are the “km of canal” rows
   • Yes: it joins two bodies of water, so it is a canal
9. 8.

   Singapore to Rotterdam: Suez saves nine days compared with going around Africa. Which comparison is fair, Noah asks?

   • Suez saves nine days against the Panama Canal as well
   • Against the Africa route: about 6,000 km and nine days
   • Each ship saves exactly nine days, whatever its speed
   • Suez saves 9,000 km, since the saving of nine days is 1,000 km a day
10. 9.

    What can the chart say about whether ships from Singapore to Rotterdam should use Suez, Pia asks?

    • No: the Suez route is not shorter, since the chart gives no tolls
    • It lacks tolls and other costs, so it cannot settle the cheapest route
    • The Panama Canal is the shortcut that serves Rotterdam
    • Yes: Suez is shorter by 6,000 km, so it is the cheapest route
11. 10.

    Tala’s note says: “The Strait of Malacca joins the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.” Which fix is right?

    • Change it: Malacca joins the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea
    • Change it: Malacca joins the Atlantic and the Pacific
    • Change it: Malacca joins the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea
    • Leave it: the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are near Malacca