KS3 ordnance survey maps - recognising contour lines

Geography Quiz - O. S. Maps 02 (Questions)

This KS3 Geography quiz asks questions on O.S. maps. The first maps that were drawn were more like pictures of a place. They were not always particularly accurate and it was not possible to include a lot of data on them. This is why mapmakers decided to use symbols. Ordnance Survey maps use many different symbols and can pack a huge amount of information into a small space. Different types of information are represented in different colours in order to make it easier and faster for you to read the data from a map.

The landscape is three dimensional but the surface of a map is only two dimensional. To solve this problem, the O.S. use contour lines. These are thin brown coloured lines on a map that link points of the same height. The reference point is the mean sea level at Newlyn in Cornwall. By looking at how the contours are arranged, you can get an idea of what it will look like when you get there. For example, you can see if there is a valley or a spur, a steep slope or a gentle slope and so on.

Which of these is a type of map scale?

[ ]	Laminate
[ ]	Lateral
[ ]	Linear
[ ]	Lunar

What do widely spaced contours tell us?

[ ]	It is a plateau
[ ]	Slopes are gentle
[ ]	Slopes are steep
[ ]	The land is completely flat

What is not a reason for using symbols on a map?

[ ]	They are easily understood by everybody
[ ]	They are easy to read
[ ]	They make the map prettier
[ ]	They save space

Which saying helps us remember compass points from the top in clockwise order?

[ ]	Everybody Wants New Shoes
[ ]	Naughty Elephants Squirt Water
[ ]	We Snore Every Night
[ ]	Worms Never Eat Slugs

On an O.S. map what do the letters MS mean?

[ ]	Major Settlement
[ ]	Milestone
[ ]	Mini Supermarket
[ ]	Mining Site

Atlases use what colour for very high mountains?

[ ]	Black
[ ]	Orange
[ ]	Purple
[ ]	Red

Which of the following does not have an O.S. symbol that resembles the real thing?

[ ]	Bus station
[ ]	Lighthouse
[ ]	TV mast
[ ]	Windmill

The difference in height between contours is the what?

[ ]	Contour division
[ ]	Contour gap
[ ]	Contour interval
[ ]	Contour split

The O.S. symbol for a picnic site looks like what?

[ ]	A litter bin
[ ]	A packet of crisps
[ ]	A table
[ ]	An apple

10.

Tourist information symbols are always what colour?

[ ]	Blue
[ ]	Green
[ ]	Pink
[ ]	Yellow

Geography Quiz - O. S. Maps 02 (Answers)

Which of these is a type of map scale?

[ ]	Laminate
[ ]	Lateral
[x]	Linear
[ ]	Lunar

A non-linear scale is sometimes used in atlases - Mercator's projection is a good example of a non-linear map scale

What do widely spaced contours tell us?

[ ]	It is a plateau
[x]	Slopes are gentle
[ ]	Slopes are steep
[ ]	The land is completely flat

The closer the contours the steeper the slope

What is not a reason for using symbols on a map?

[ ]	They are easily understood by everybody
[ ]	They are easy to read
[x]	They make the map prettier
[ ]	They save space

Maps are intended to give the user as much data as possible

Which saying helps us remember compass points from the top in clockwise order?

[ ]	Everybody Wants New Shoes
[x]	Naughty Elephants Squirt Water
[ ]	We Snore Every Night
[ ]	Worms Never Eat Slugs

North, east, south, west

On an O.S. map what do the letters MS mean?

[ ]	Major Settlement
[x]	Milestone
[ ]	Mini Supermarket
[ ]	Mining Site

MP is milepost

Atlases use what colour for very high mountains?

[ ]	Black
[ ]	Orange
[x]	Purple
[ ]	Red

O.S. maps do not use colour to show heights of features

Which of the following does not have an O.S. symbol that resembles the real thing?

[x]	Bus station
[ ]	Lighthouse
[ ]	TV mast
[ ]	Windmill

It's like a rectangle combined with a circle and filled in with a red colour. That makes it stand out on the map

The difference in height between contours is the what?

[ ]	Contour division
[ ]	Contour gap
[x]	Contour interval
[ ]	Contour split

Usually at 10 metre intervals, sometimes 5 metres, depending on the scale of the map

The O.S. symbol for a picnic site looks like what?

[ ]	A litter bin
[ ]	A packet of crisps
[x]	A table
[ ]	An apple

It looks like a folding picnic table seen from the side

10.

Tourist information symbols are always what colour?

[x]	Blue
[ ]	Green
[ ]	Pink
[ ]	Yellow

This makes it easier for tourists to pick out places of interest to them like campsites and viewpoints