Question 1

If you walked directly east or west, you would:

Accepted Answer

Walking directly east or west means you are moving along a line of latitude, which is also known as a parallel.

Question 2

An interrupted map projection that uses horizontal parallels and a combination of sine curves and ellipses to represent meridians is the:

Accepted Answer

The interrupted map projection that uses horizontal parallels and a combination of sine curves and ellipses to represent meridians is the Goode projection. The Mercator projection uses straight meridians and parallels that intersect at right angles, and the Winkel Tripel projection uses a combination of pseudocylindrical and pseudoconical map projections to create a compromise projection.

Question 3

Meridians run ______ around the globeand _______ the poles.

Accepted Answer

Meridians run north-south and connect at the poles. East-west lines are called parallels and do not connect at the poles.

Question 4

The network of parallels and meridians used to describe locations on the earth's surface is called the:

Accepted Answer

The geographic grid consists of lines of parallels (latitudes) and meridians (longitudes) that intersect at right angles and cover the entire surface of the earth. It is the primary system used for locating points on the earth's surface. The other options are not accurate descriptions of the geographic grid.

Question 5

A map projection that accurately portrays the size of different areas on the earth's surface, but distorts the shape, is the:

Accepted Answer

The Goode projection, also known as the interrupted homolosine projection, accurately portrays the size of different areas on the earth's surface while minimizing distortion. However, it does come at the cost of breaking up the continents into sections, which can be visually confusing. The Mercator projection, on the other hand, greatly distorts the size of areas at high latitudes, making countries and continents appear much larger than they actually are. The Winkel Tripel projection is a compromise between accuracy and visual appeal, but still has some distortion in shape and size.

Question 6

A map projection is:

Accepted Answer

A map projection is a systematic representation of the curved Earth's surface on a flat surface. It involves the projection of the Earth's features onto a two-dimensional surface with meridians and parallels arranged in a coordinate system.

Question 7

A map projection where a straight line will give a constant compass direction (though this direction doesn't represent the shortest distance between two points), is the:

Accepted Answer

The Mercator projection is a cylindrical projection that preserves angles and shapes while distorting areas and distances. This projection is renowned for having straight meridians and latitudes that intersect at right angles, forming a grid. Thus, a straight line on a Mercator map represents a constant compass direction. However, this projection heavily distorts the sizes of regions as they get closer to the poles.

Question 8

A map projection that can portray the entire surface of the earth without any distortion is the:

Accepted Answer

No map projection can portray the entire surface of the Earth without any distortion. All map projections distort some aspect of the surface, whether it's shape, area, distance, or direction, because they represent the Earth's curved surface on a flat plane.

Question 9

Which of the following shapes cannot be made to lie flat?

Accepted Answer

A sphere cannot be made to lie flat because it is a 3-dimensional shape with no flat surfaces.

Question 10

Of the following, the map projection that would be most useful for comparing the sizes of regions is the:

Accepted Answer

The Goode projection presents a more accurate representation of the relative size of regions compared to other projections, as it maintains the correct size and shape of continents while minimizing distortion.

Question 11

If you walked directly north or south, you would:

Accepted Answer

Walking directly north or south means you are moving along a line of longitude, which is also known as a meridian.

Question 12

A map projection composed of horizontal parallels and vertical meridians is the:

Accepted Answer

The Mercator projection is composed of horizontal parallels and vertical meridians, making it the correct choice for this question. The Goode projection is an interrupted map projection that features curved lines, while the Winkel Tripel projection is a compromise projection that blends aspects of both cylindrical and conic projections. Therefore, neither of these options are the best choice for this question.

Question 13

The prime meridian passes through

Accepted Answer

The prime meridian, also known as the 0° longitude meridian, passes through Greenwich, England. This location was established as the prime meridian in 1884 by the International Meridian Conference, and it serves as the starting point for measuring east-west distances around the world.

Question 14

A value of zero degrees longitude occurs at the:

Accepted Answer

The prime meridian is an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole, passing through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is the line that marks 0 degrees longitude and is used as the reference point for measuring longitude in the eastern and western hemispheres.

Question 15

The ratio that tells us how to convert distances on a map to distances on the real world is called the:

Accepted Answer

The ratio that tells us how to convert distances on a map to distances on the real world is called the scale factor or scale fraction. It is usually represented in the form of a numerical ratio, such as 1:50,000 or 1/50,000. The scale factor allows us to determine real-world distances from measurements taken on a map. Conic projection and orthographic projection are types of map projections, while orthographic fraction is not a recognized term in cartography.

Question 16

A value of zero degrees latitude occurs at the:

Accepted Answer

Zero degrees latitude is the equator, which is the imaginary line that circles the Earth's center at the point where it is the widest. It is located at the midpoint between the North and South poles, and its value is zero because it is used as the reference point for measuring latitude, which is the distance north or south of the equator. The prime meridian, on the other hand, is the line that runs through Greenwich, England and is used as the reference point for measuring longitude, which is the distance east or west of the prime meridian.

Question 17

Parallels run ______ around the globe and _______ the poles.

Accepted Answer

Parallels, or lines of latitude, run east-west around the globe and do not connect at the poles, unlike lines of longitude which run north-south and converge at the poles.

Question 18

Of the following, the map projection that would be most useful for determining the compass direction between two locations is the:

Accepted Answer

The Mercator projection is a cylindrical projection that preserves angles and direction. This makes it useful for navigation and determining compass direction between two locations.

Question 19

Of the following, the map projection that has parallels that are nearly straight, curving slightly toward the edges of the map, and meridians that are increasingly curved farther from the central meridian is known as the:

Accepted Answer

The Winkel Tripel projection has parallels that are nearly straight, curving slightly toward the edges of the map, and meridians that are increasingly curved farther from the central meridian.

Question 20

At any given location, solar noon occurs:

Accepted Answer

Solar noon occurs when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, which is typically around 12 pm local time. It is not at 12 am (midnight) or when the sun is directly above the equator, which is only true during the spring and fall equinoxes.

Quiz 1: Discovering the Earths Dimensions