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Grade 9 · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 11

Geographer's Toolkit

Questions, maps and sources

What your child practises

Asking factual and debatable questions, primary and secondary sources, judging whether a source or an AI-made image can be trusted, the four geographic thinking concepts, map scale, latitude, time zones, GIS and GPS, and careers that use geography.

Ontario Curriculum expectation: A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A1.5, A1.6, A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, A2.4 · the geographic inquiry process, geographic thinking concepts, maps and geospatial technology, assessing sources, and geography careers

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which career uses maps and data to plan where roads, transit and parks should go?

    • lifeguard
    • urban planner
    • musician
    • baker
    Show answer

    urban planner

    Hint: Planners use geography and geospatial technology to make decisions.

  2. Question 2

    A photo of a flood is posted online with no source or date. What is the best next step?

    • Assume it is true if it looks real
    • Share it right away
    • Check where it came from and look for other reports before trusting it
    • Assume it is false if it has no caption
    Show answer

    Check where it came from and look for other reports before trusting it

    Hint: AI tools can make realistic images that never happened, so confirm the source.

  3. Question 3

    What does a map legend show?

    • who made the map
    • which way is north
    • how far apart places are
    • what the symbols and colours mean
    Show answer

    what the symbols and colours mean

    Hint: A scale shows distance and a north arrow shows direction.

  4. Question 4

    A student studies how the population of the Prairies has changed over 30 years. Which geographic thinking concept is the focus?

    • geographic perspective
    • spatial significance
    • patterns and trends
    • interrelationships
    Show answer

    patterns and trends

    Hint: Patterns and trends look at how things change over time and place.

  5. Question 5

    On a map, 1 cm represents 5 km. Two cities are 9 cm apart. What is the real distance, in km?

    answer boxkm

    Show answer

    45 km

    Hint: Multiply the map distance by the scale: 9 × 5 = 45 km.

  6. Question 6

    A graph's vertical axis starts at 50 instead of 0, making a small change look huge. This is an example of…

    • a misleading way of presenting data
    • a map scale
    • a more accurate graph
    • a primary source
    Show answer

    a misleading way of presenting data

    Hint: Check the axes and labels before drawing conclusions.

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