Topographic Map Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Two hills rise by the same vertical amount over the same horizontal distance. Hill A's contour lines are closer together than Hill B's. What can you infer?
Hill B receives more rainfall
Hill B has the steeper slope
Hill A has the higher summit
Hill A has the steeper slope
2. You must choose a route from a valley floor to a ridge while keeping the gradient as gentle as possible. Which map area is generally the best choice?
Where contour lines are spaced farthest apart
Where contours form the narrowest V shapes
Where several contour lines nearly merge
Where hachured contours form closed loops
3. What terrain is most likely where many contour lines become extremely close together or appear to merge?
A very steep slope or cliff
A gently rolling plain
A wide river floodplain
A broad, nearly level plateau
4. Two streams begin on opposite sides of a long elevated feature and flow away in different directions. What feature most likely separates their drainage areas?
A basin floor
A ridge forming a watershed divide
A closed depression
A stream valley
5. When contour lines cross a stream valley, they commonly form a V shape. Which way does the point of the V face?
Toward the nearest coastline
Toward the steepest valley wall
Upstream, toward higher elevation
Downstream, toward lower elevation
6. A set of closed contours is labeled 300 meters on the outside, then 320 and 340 meters toward the center. What does this pattern indicate?
A depression that becomes deeper toward the center
A flat plain at an elevation of exactly 340 meters
A hill or summit area that rises toward the center
A valley descending from 340 meters to 300 meters
7. A map shows two nearby summits with a lower, narrow area between them, producing an hourglass-like contour pattern. Which landform is between the summits?
An alluvial fan
A river delta
A closed depression
A saddle or col
8. On a map using standard contour conventions, closed contour lines with inward-pointing hachure marks indicate what?
A summit with an unusually steep final slope
A ridge surrounded by lower terrain
A depression or basin lower than the surrounding ground
A plateau with a level interior
9. What information does a spot elevation provide?
The elevation of one specific mapped point
The average elevation of an entire contour interval
The vertical distance from a summit to the nearest stream
The maximum elevation that can occur inside a grid square
10. What does a contour line represent on a standard topographic map?
A route that maintains a constant walking difficulty
Points that share the same elevation relative to the map's stated datum
The boundary between two vegetation types
Points located the same horizontal distance from a summit
11. On a 1:25,000 map, two locations are 4 centimeters apart. Approximately how far apart are they on the ground?
250 meters
10 kilometers
4 kilometers
1 kilometer
12. A map has a 20-meter contour interval. Moving uphill, you cross contours labeled 100, 120, and 140 meters. What elevation does the next contour represent?
180 meters
150 meters
160 meters
240 meters
13. Why are index contours usually drawn darker or heavier than other contour lines?
They provide labeled reference elevations that make contours easier to read
They mark political or property boundaries
They indicate slopes that cannot be crossed safely
They separate natural terrain from constructed features
14. Contours bend around a long elevated feature, forming U or V shapes that point toward lower elevation. Which feature is most likely shown?
A stream valley
A closed basin
A level floodplain
A ridge or spur
15. A location clue describes the country south of China that contains the Kathmandu Valley and the southern side of Mount Everest. Which country is it?
India
Nepal
Bhutan
Pakistan
16. What is the contour interval?
The horizontal distance between any two neighboring contour lines
The elevation difference between adjacent contour lines
The number of contour lines printed between two grid lines
The time required to travel from one contour line to the next