Study guide: United States Physical Geography
Connect landforms, watersheds and regional comparisons.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- The Appalachian Mountains are in the eastern United States, the Rocky Mountains in the west, the Great Plains between major eastern and western highlands, and the Mississippi River drains a large interior region. These are broad locations; one regional label does not describe every local landscape.
- A watershed is land draining toward a common outlet. Upstream means toward the source; downstream means toward the outlet. A tributary feeds another river. Human activities in one part of a basin can affect water elsewhere, though a map alone cannot establish the size of an effect.
- A region groups places using a shared characteristic. A physical region may follow landforms; a political region uses government boundaries; an economic region may follow work or trade; a cultural region may follow language or practices. Their boundaries need not match, and people can belong to several regions.
- People consider water, fertile soil, transportation access and hazards when using a place. A benefit does not cancel a risk. A fictional river town may have useful transport while also facing floods. Assess the specific feature, rather than calling a whole place simply good or bad.
Useful vocabulary
- Appalachian Mountains
- an eastern U.S. mountain system
- Rocky Mountains
- a western North American mountain system
- Watershed
- land draining toward a common outlet
- Upstream
- toward a stream’s source
- Physical region
- a grouping based on natural landscape features
- Political region
- a grouping based on government boundaries
- Water access
- availability of water for a stated use
- Fertile soil
- soil favorable for the stated crop growth
Watch your reasoning
- Mixing up Appalachian Mountains and Rocky Mountains. Re-read what each note says before choosing.
- Adding a detail that is not on the card. Point to the words that help explain your answer.
A worked review example
Worked example: The card says: “A card locates a mountain system in the eastern United States.” That matches Appalachian Mountains. Appalachian Mountains are an eastern U.S. mountain system. Compare the note for Great Plains: Great Plains are a broad grassland region east of the Rocky Mountains. That is a different clue.
Make a practice plan
- Read or listen to the notes in the four lessons. An adult can read aloud.
- Try each lesson’s main question and three practice questions. Say, draw or write what helped you choose.
- Use the review cards, then try the changed card in any lesson you want to practice again.
- Complete the four-box task. Then try the separate subject-test cards.