Map Skills is one of 8 topics in the Grade 9 Social Sciences CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. What do contour lines on a topographic map connect?
All points at exactly the same height above sea level
All rivers on the map
All roads of the same type
All towns with the same population
Answer: All points at exactly the same height above sea level — Contour lines are thin brown lines that connect all the points on a map that are at exactly the same height above sea level.
Easy
2. What does it mean when contour lines are drawn very close together?
The land is steep
The land is flat or gentle
There is a river at that spot
The map is at a very small scale
Answer: The land is steep — Where contour lines are close together, the land is steep; where they are spread far apart, the land is gentle or flat.
Medium
3. Name the small standardised pictures or marks on a topographic map that represent real features, explained in a key or legend.
Answer: map symbols — Map symbols are small standardised pictures or marks that represent real features, explained in a key or legend on the map.
