Land and Water of the Mid-West

Mr. Ball’s 4th Grade

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Which of the following was created by the melting of Ice Age glaciers?

A. thick sheets of iceb. Great Lakesc. Earth’s climated. Midwest region

Which of the following describes a canal?

A. flat-bottomed boat that carries goodsb. prehistoric period when the earth was

covered with icec. gated part of a river that raises or

lowers the water leveld. waterway dug across land for ships to

go through

Which of the following connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean?

A. St. Lawrence Seaway and St. Lawrence River

b. Illinois Waterway and Illinois River

c. Mississippi River

d. Chicago River

Which of these is a flat-bottomed boat that transports goods?

A. canalb. lock

c. barge

d. glacier

What is one advantage of shipping goods by barge?

A. It is very fast.b. It uses a lot of fuel.c. It allows food to spoil.

d. It costs less than other methods.

Which of the following describes the badlands millions of years ago?

A. Rivers, wind, and rain carved the land.

b. There were dry hills and sharp, rocky cliffs.

c. Rivers flowed through a lush, green plain.

d. The land was filled with jagged rocks and steep canyons.

Which is one reason why the climate of the badlands became cooler and less humid?

A. Dinosaurs once lived and roamed there, killing the green plants.

b. Rivers flowed through the lush, green plain.

c. Mountain ranges rose and blocked rain that once fell there.

d. The last Ice Age began.

What is erosion?A. a region of dry hills and sharp cliffs formed

of crumbling rock

b. the process by which water and wind wear away rock

c. one of the richest fossil beds in the worldd. the region of southwestern South Dakota

Which of the following would you probably NOT see on a prairie?

A. trees

b. grasses

c. sheep

d. cattle

Which is NOT a reason why the Midwest is an important agricultural region?

A. The growing season is long.

b. All the farms grow the same type of crop.

c. The summers are warm.

d. The soil is deep and rich.

Why is the area of the Central Plains known as the Corn Belt?

A. Farmers there wear belts made out of corn.

b. It gets enough rain so that corn grows well there.

c. It gets very little rain so that corn grows well there.

d. Farmers there grow soybeans as well as corn.

Which is NOT one of the main crops grown in the Midwest?

A. corn

b. cotton

c. soybeans

d. wheat

How does irrigation help farmers?

A. It allows them to bring water from rivers or from underground to spray over their crops.

b. It allows them to see the current prices of crops on a sign.

c. It allows them to plant oats and wheat, which add nutrients to the soil.

d. It allows them to switch between two crops on one field.

Which of the following is a very important product of Wisconsin?

A. milk and dairy products

b. farm machinery

c. wheat

d. cotton

What is a system of rivers, lakes, and canals through which many ships travel

A. waterway

b. lock

c. prairie

d. crop rotation

The gated part of a canal or river

A. waterway

b. lock

c. prairie

d. crop rotation

The planting of different crops in different years

A. waterway

b. lock

c. prairie

d. crop rotation

Area where grasses grow well but trees are rare

A. waterway

b. lock

c. prairie

d. crop rotation

What are some advantages and disadvantages of shipping goods by barge?

Transporting by barge can be cheap and the flat-bottomed barges can move easily in shallow canals. A disadvantage is that they move slowly and foods should not be shipped on barges because they can spoil

A large amount of milk and many different dairy products are produced in Wisconsin. What do you think the land of Wisconsin is like? Why? What crops do you think are important to dairy farmers?

The land in Wisconsin is probably flat and open so that the dairy cows can roam freely on it. Grasses and other grains probably grow well there. Dairy farmers probably need crops of oats, corn, and other grains that their cattle like to eat.