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Read each question carefully, study any maps or charts, and write or select your answers. For short-answer questions, use evidence from the map or your knowledge to justify your response.
1. This map shows four labeled states across the United States. Study the map and answer: A geographer wants to describe where most major river systems flow in relation to these states. Based on the map, which labeled state is most likely to have river access to the Gulf of Mexico? Explain your reasoning using the state's location.
2. A large-scale map and a small-scale map can both show the same city. Explain the key difference between what these two maps would show, and describe one situation where a geographer would choose the large-scale map over the small-scale map. Use the terms 'large-scale' and 'small-scale' in your answer.
3. Compare how a large-scale map and a small-scale map represent geographic information. Fill in the table to show how each map type handles these characteristics.
Characteristic Large-Scale Map Small-Scale Map Area shown Level of detail Best used for Example of cultural feature shown
4. Priya is studying how climate affects where people settle. She has two maps: one showing the entire continent of North America and one showing only the state of Arizona. She notices that the Arizona map shows desert communities clustered near rivers, but the continental map does not show those communities at all. Why does the continental map leave out this information, and what does this tell you about how map scale affects what geographic characteristics you can study?
5. Jamal is comparing two maps of the same region. Map A shows the entire Western United States and labels mountain ranges and climate zones. Map B shows only the city of Denver, Colorado and labels neighborhoods, parks, and cultural centers. He wants to explain why immigrant communities in Denver settled near a specific cultural center. Which map should Jamal use, and why is the other map not sufficient for this task?
A Map A, because it shows the climate zones that affected where people traveled B Map B, because it shows local cultural features at the level of detail needed to explain neighborhood settlement patterns C Map A, because mountain ranges explain all patterns of human settlement D Map B, because small-scale maps always show more information than large-scale maps 6. Esperanza reads that the Great Plains region of the United States has very few trees but rich grassland soil, and that many farming communities formed there. She finds this information on a small-scale map of the whole country. Her teacher then asks her to describe the specific location of a farming town called Dodge City, Kansas, and explain what environmental features are nearby. Esperanza says the small-scale map is enough to answer both questions. Do you agree or disagree? Justify your answer by explaining what each type of map can and cannot show.
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