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.

   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 carries 38 percent more oil than Malacca does today
   • 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
3. 2.

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

   • It should multiply by 25%, giving about 5 million barrels a day
   • Nothing: 21 ÷ 0.25 is 84 million, which is the total of seaborne oil
   • The 25% is for liquefied gas, so the oil total would be 100 million
   • The 21 million is 2018 and the 25% is 2023 to 2025: years differ
4. 3.

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

   • 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
   • 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
5. 4.

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

   • A shorter route lowers a product’s price by the whole saving in carrying costs
   • 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
6. 5.

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

   • 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
   • Change it: about 25% of the oil traded by sea in 2023 to 2025, not of all oil
7. 6.

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

   • 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
   • No: a canal must be narrower than 100 km and Hormuz is wider
8. 7.

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

   • 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
   • No: the Suez route is not shorter, since the chart gives no tolls
9. 8.

   Ren’s note says: “Hormuz carried 21 million barrels of oil a day in 2011.” Which fix is right?

   • Leave it: Hormuz’s figure is from 2011 and Malacca’s from 2018
   • Change it: Hormuz carried 21 million barrels a day in 2023 to 2025
   • Change it: Hormuz had 15.2 million barrels in 2018
   • Change it: Hormuz’s 21 million is for 2018; 15.2 million is Malacca’s
10. 9.

    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
11. 10.

    Zee’s note says: “The Panama Canal route saves 6,000 km compared with going around Africa.” Which fix is right?

    • Leave it: both canals save about 6,000 km on their routes
    • Change it: Panama saved 6,000 km when it opened in 1914
    • Change it: Panama saves 6,000 km compared with the Suez route
    • Change it: the 6,000 km is Suez’s saving, not Panama’s