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

Homes, Farms, and Clothes That Fit the Land

Geography · People & Environments · ages 8-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Farmers cut flat steps into a steep hillside so they can grow crops. What is this called?

    • Irrigation
    • Terracing
    • Draining

  2. Which kind of house would you expect to see in a place that floods often?

    • A house built on tall stilts
    • A house with a flat desert roof
    • A house buried underground

  3. In hot, sunny places, people often wear loose, light-colored clothing to stay cool.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Why do houses in hot deserts often have very thick walls?

    • Thick walls stay cool inside even when it's hot outside
    • Thick walls make the house float during floods
    • Thick walls are cheaper to build than thin ones

  5. A desert town gets very little rain, but farmers there still grow crops in dry fields. How do they most likely get water to their plants?

    • They wait for floods to water the fields
    • They only grow crops that need no water at all
    • They irrigate, bringing water through canals or pipes

  6. A family moves from a village that floods every year to a hot, dry desert town. Which change fits their new home?

    • Keep the same stilt house, since it worked so well before
    • Trade the stilt house for a house with thick mud walls
    • Build the new house low to the ground in a dip

  7. A community lives on a steep, rocky hillside with very little flat land, but they need to grow food. What is the best way for them to adapt the land for farming?

    • Cut terraces into the hillside to create flat planting steps
    • Wait for the hill to naturally flatten over time
    • Dig deep wells and skip planting on the hill entirely

  8. Aiden is designing a house for a village that floods every rainy season. He plans thick stone walls and a home built low to the ground. What should he change?

    • Add even thicker walls
    • Nothing, his plan already fits the place
    • Build the house up on tall stilts instead
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Answer key

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

Homes, Farms, and Clothes That Fit the Land W1-mt_jMDYpyZo6w-s1

  1. Terracing · Terracing turns a steep slope into flat steps that hold soil and crops.
  2. A house built on tall stilts · Stilts lift the floor above rising water, keeping the house dry.
  3. True · Loose, light clothes let air move and reflect sunlight, which helps keep the body cool.
  4. Thick walls stay cool inside even when it's hot outside · Thick mud or stone walls warm up slowly, so the inside of the house stays cooler through a hot day.
  5. They irrigate, bringing water through canals or pipes · Irrigation carries water from rivers or wells to dry fields so crops can grow.
  6. Trade the stilt house for a house with thick mud walls · Stilts protect against floods, which a dry desert does not have. Thick mud walls warm up slowly, so they keep the inside cool in desert heat.
  7. Cut terraces into the hillside to create flat planting steps · Terracing reshapes a steep hillside into flat steps, giving farmers land to plant on.
  8. Build the house up on tall stilts instead · A low house floods easily. Raising it on stilts keeps the floor above the rising water.
Worksheet · LightMySky