Activity Sheet #4 - How to Read a Topographic Map, featuring a contour map with hills A and B and questions about elevation and slope.

Let’s go through each question one by one, using the map and the cross-section (the side view at the bottom) to find the answers.

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Question 1: Which is higher, hill A or hill B?

Look at the cross-section at the bottom — it shows the shape of the land from point A to point B.
- Hill A reaches up to about 40 feet on the vertical scale.
- Hill B reaches up to about 50 feet on the vertical scale.
So, hill B is higher.

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Question 2: Which is steeper, hill A or hill B?

Steepness is shown by how close together the contour lines are on the top map.
- On hill A, the contour lines are spaced farther apart.
- On hill B, the contour lines are closer together.
Closer lines = steeper slope.
So, hill B is steeper.

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Question 3: How many feet of elevation are there between contour lines?

The text says: “On this map, the vertical distance between each contour line is 10 feet.”
Also, looking at the numbers on the map (10, 20, 30, etc.), each line increases by 10.
So, 10 feet.

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Question 4: How high is hill A? ______ Hill B? ______

Look at the highest contour line inside each hill:

- For hill A: The innermost labeled contour is 40. There’s no 50 inside it, so the peak is between 40 and 50. But since we don’t have a 50 line inside, and the cross-section shows it reaching just under 50, we can say approximately 45 feet? Wait — let’s check the cross-section again.

Actually, look at the cross-section graph:
- At point A (left side), the peak is at 40 feet.
- At point B (right side), the peak is at 50 feet.

But wait — the cross-section is drawn along line A–B, and it shows two peaks. The left peak (hill A) goes up to 40, and the right peak (hill B) goes up to 50.

Also, on the top map:
- Hill A has a closed loop labeled “40” — that means the center is above 40 but below 50 (since next line would be 50, which isn’t drawn). So maybe 45? But the cross-section clearly shows 40 for hill A.

Wait — let’s re-read the cross-section. The vertical axis goes from 0 to 50. The left peak (hill A) touches the 40 line. The right peak (hill B) touches the 50 line.

So based on the cross-section:
→ Hill A = 40 feet
→ Hill B = 50 feet

That matches the contour lines too: Hill A’s highest labeled contour is 40; Hill B’s highest is 50.

So: Hill A: 40 feet, Hill B: 50 feet

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Question 5: Are the contour lines closer together on hill A or hill B?

As we said in Question 2, closer lines mean steeper slope. Looking at the top map:
- Around hill B, the lines are packed tighter.
- Around hill A, they’re more spread out.

So, hill B has contour lines closer together.

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Final Answer:

1. Hill B
2. Hill B
3. 10 feet
4. Hill A: 40 feet, Hill B: 50 feet
5. Hill B