From Source to Sea · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

From Source to Sea

Geography · Physical Geography · ages 11-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. What is a tributary?

    • A dam wall
    • A smaller stream joining the river
    • A boat crossing

  2. Where does a river begin?

    • At its source, often high in hills
    • At the bottom of the sea
    • Inside a water tower

  3. A river mouth can be where the river meets the sea or a lake.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. What is a delta?

    • A mountain spring
    • A fan of mud where the river meets still water
    • A deep ocean trench

  5. Which pair describes the downstream channel?

    • Narrow and shallow
    • Steep and rocky
    • Wide and deep

  6. River water usually flows faster downstream even though the slope is gentler.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Two rivers share one slope and run in matching channels with the same kind of bed, read where water fills equal space. One gains many tributaries, and measures show it passes more water each second. The other gains none. Which usually runs faster, and why?

    • The fed one, with more water
    • The lonely one, with less to carry
    • Both match exactly always

  8. A town above a dam floods less while one below floods more. What may the dam change?

    • The names of the rivers
    • The colour of the bridges
    • The timing and size below
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Answer key

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

From Source to Sea W1-mt_VuUB9PiYan-s1

  1. A smaller stream joining the river · Tributaries feed their water into the main flow.
  2. At its source, often high in hills · High hill springs and streams gather into the young river.
  3. True · Source starts the journey, mouth ends it.
  4. A fan of mud where the river meets still water · Slow still water can make the river drop its mud in a fan.
  5. Wide and deep · Downstream the river spreads wide and runs deep.
  6. True · Downstream runs deeper with more water each second, which usually raises speed despite the gentle slope, though flat lower reaches can slow.
  7. The fed one, with more water · The channels match in size, shape, slope, and bed, with equal water-filled space read at both. The fed flow passes more water each second, so it usually runs faster.
  8. The timing and size below · Dams store and release water, so the flow pattern below shifts.
Worksheet · LightMySky