Changes to Land

A river flowing across the rocky surface of the earth could create which of the following? 

• A. Dunes
• B. Mountain
• C. Canyon
• D. Hill 

How could students best model the formation and movement of dunes? 

• A. Pour water over piles of sand. 
• B. Slowly drip wet sand into a tub of water. 
• C. Use a spoon to dig a hole in a tray of sand. 
• D. Use straws and blow piles of sand. 

When the students created the small pile of sand at the end of the flow of water, they modeled the formation of which of the following?

• A. Dunes
• B. Canyon
• C. Plain
• D. Delta

What natural force formed the Grand Canyon by slowly cutting through the rock over many millions of years? 

• A. A boulder
• B. A glacier
• C. A river 
• D. A landslide 

A delta forms where the river meets the ocean because the ocean-

• A. makes the river slow down and deposit sediments. 
• B. contains salt water and the river contains fresh water. 
• C. is usually much older that the water in the river. 
• D. has powerful currents that weathers the rocks on the shore. 

A delta, the landform found at the mouth of a river, forms when 

• A. plants on the river bank cause erosion. 
• B. the river deposits sediments as it slows. 
• C. rushing water makes stones in the river smooth. 
• D. water flowing down the mountain makes it taller. 

Which of the following landforms is the result of a river carving out land by erosion?

• A. Canyon
• B. Sand dune
• C. Delta
• D. Mountain

Students used a fan to blow piles of sand. This best models which of the following natural processes that create changes to the land? 

• A. Weathering of rocks to make soil. 
• B. Deposition of sediments to form deltas. 
• C. Formation and movement of dunes. 
• D. Carving out plains creating canyons. 

Which condition is necessary for dunes to be formed?

• A. Loose, sandy sediments and strong winds. 
• B. Frequent rains and abundant plant life. 
• C. Strong ocean currents and large boulders. 
• D. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. 

Canyons and deltas are similar in that both form - 

• A. due to the action of moving water. 
• B. high in the tallest mountains. 
• C. where lots of sediments collect. 
• D. in and around active volcanoes.