Scale drawings and maps · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Reading scale on maps and diagrams

Mathematics · Ratio & Proportion · ages 11-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. On a map with a scale of 1:25,000, what does 1 cm on the map represent in real life?

    • 25,000 cm
    • 25 cm
    • 250,000 cm

  2. A room is 5 m long. On a 1:50 plan, how long is it drawn?

    • 10 cm
    • 5 cm
    • 50 cm
    • 1 cm

  3. A map uses 1 cm to 8 km. Two towns are 4 cm apart on the map. How far apart are they in kilometres?

    Answer: ______________

  4. A map has a scale of 1 cm = 10 km. Two villages are 3 cm apart on the map. How far apart are they in real life?

    Map (cm)3
    • 13 km
    • 30 km
    • 3 km

  5. On a 1:20,000 map, a lake is 3 cm long. What is its real length?

    • 6 km
    • 60 km
    • 0.6 km
    • 0.06 km

  6. You are drawing a room that is really 3.5 m wide, using a scale of 1 cm = 50 cm. How many centimetres wide should the drawing be?

    Real (m)3.5

    Answer: ______________

  7. A bedroom is 4 m by 5 m. Drawn at 1 cm to 1 m, what is the area of the drawing in square centimetres?

    Answer: ______________

  8. A map has a scale of 1:50,000. A path measures 4 cm on the map. What is the real length of the path in kilometres?

    • 2 km
    • 20 km
    • 200 km

  9. Finn is using a map with a scale of 1 cm = 4 km. He measures a river as 7.5 cm long and works out 7.5 / 4 = 1.875 km. What did Finn get wrong?

    • He used the wrong scale number
    • He measured the map wrong
    • He should have multiplied instead of divided

  10. A 1:40,000 map shows a path 5 cm long. What is the real length in kilometres?

    Answer: ______________

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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Reading scale on maps and diagrams W1-mt_1badik7iKJ-s1

  1. 25,000 cm · The ratio 1:25,000 means every 1 cm on the map equals 25,000 cm on the ground.
  2. 10 cm · 5 m is 500 cm, and 500 / 50 = 10 cm on the plan.
  3. 32 · Each centimetre means 8 km, so 4 cm means 4 x 8 = 32 km.
  4. 30 km · Multiply the map distance by the scale: 3 cm x 10 km = 30 km.
  5. 0.6 km · 3 x 20,000 = 60,000 cm, which is 0.6 km.
  6. 7 · Change 3.5 m to 350 cm, then divide by the scale: 350 / 50 = 7 cm.
  7. 20 · The drawing is 4 cm by 5 cm, so its area is 4 x 5 = 20 square centimetres.
  8. 2 km · 4 cm x 50,000 = 200,000 cm. That is 2,000 m, or 2 km.
  9. He should have multiplied instead of divided · To turn a map length into a real length, multiply by the scale value: 7.5 x 4 = 30 km.
  10. 2 · 5 x 40,000 = 200,000 cm, which is 2 km.
Worksheet · LightMySky