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 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

  3. When drawing a scale diagram of a room, every wall must be drawn using the same scale factor.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. 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

  5. A map scale is 1 cm = 2 km. Two campsites are 6.5 cm apart on the map. How many kilometres apart are they in real life?

    Answer: ______________

  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 road is really 18 km long. On a map with a scale of 1:300,000, how many centimetres long should it be drawn?

    Answer: ______________

  8. 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 should have multiplied instead of divided
    • He used the wrong scale number
    • He measured the map wrong
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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. 30 km · Multiply the map distance by the scale: 3 cm x 10 km = 30 km.
  3. True · Using the same scale factor for every wall keeps the diagram's proportions matching the real room.
  4. 2 km · 4 cm x 50,000 = 200,000 cm. That is 2,000 m, or 2 km.
  5. 13 · Multiply the map distance by the scale: 6.5 x 2 km = 13 km.
  6. 7 · Change 3.5 m to 350 cm, then divide by the scale: 350 / 50 = 7 cm.
  7. 6 · 18 km is 1,800,000 cm. Divide by the scale: 1,800,000 / 300,000 = 6 cm.
  8. 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.
Worksheet · LightMySky