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Zombie17COACHANSWERSPart1ZombieBedtimeRhymes17QuestionsandAnswerswithexplanation-Part1.Makesureyouarealsoreadingtheactualeventquestionswithstoryline,whichcontainsimportantinformation.1.“Brendan,let’sgetourbearings.WashingtonisborderedontheWestbythePacificOcean.WhatU.S.Statesand/orCanadianProvincesformitsbordersontheotherthreesides?”(SeeMapscan2:DrivingDistanceChartforquestion#1)Answer:BritishColumbia,Idaho,Oregon Straightmapreading.Onthemapscan,findBCCanada(BritishColumbia)onnorth,ID(Idaho)oneast,OR(Oregon)onsouth.Thisiseasieronhardcopymap.2.“Now,Brendan,rememberourdestinationisRockIsland,WA.WhataretheAAAmapgridreferencesforRockIsland?”(SeeMapscan7:ColumbiaRiverAreaforques2)Answer:K-55 Mapgridreferencesarethegridnumber(north/south)andletter(east/west)atmapmargins.FindRockIslandatK-55.OnthehardcopyAAAusetheindex.3.WhatbodyofwaterseparatestheUSandCanadaatPortAngeles?(SeeMapscan1:OlympicPeninsulaforques3)Answer:StraitofJuanDeFuca SeebluemarkinginthebodyofwaterbetweentheOlympicPeninsulaandVictoria,Canada(intan).JuanDeFucawasaGreeknavigatorworkingforSpain,whomayhavesailedthestraitwhilelookingashortcuttoAsia.Juanalsoshowsupinmurdermysteries:

4.WhatwouldthecostbeforBrendan,whoisfiveyearsold,fortheferryfromPortAngelestoVictoria?JustfindthefareforBrendan—Momcangetherownticket.Theyarenottakingthecar.(SeeMapscan5:TollFacilitiesforques4)

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Answer:Free/$0 SeeTollFacilitieschart-JuanDeFucaStrait.Thereisnocarandyouarenotcountingmom,soBrendanisfree.Portionofchartshowsonmapscanbelow:

5.AsshedriveswestfromPortAngeles,howdoesmomknowthatUS101willbeespeciallypretty?(SeeMapscan1:OlympicPeninsulaforques5)Answer:Bluedots=designatedscenichighway ThereareaseriesofbluedotsalongUS101atthispoint.Seemaplegend/mapscan;thistranslatestoadesignatedscenichighway.6.WhatisthelatitudeatForks,WA?Expressyouranswertothenearesttenthofadegree.Don’tforgetNorthorSouth!(SeeMapscan1:OlympicPeninsulaforques6)Answer:range47.7°-48°N Latitudeismarkedontheleftmarginofthemapscanarea.Find48°markedabitnorthofForks.TheTwilightvampirebooksweresetinForks.Greatplacetobeavampire,becausetherearenotmanysunnydaysontheOlympicPeninsula,andyouknowhowvampiresfeelaboutsunlight.Thehardcopymapwillgiveyouananswerof48°N.7.WithinthedarkgreenOlympicNationalPark,nametwoareaswhereitrainsevenmorethantherest.(SeeMapscan1:OlympicPeninsulaforques7)Answer:Hoh,Quinault,QueetsRainForest(anytwo) Youcanfigurethatitrainsalotintherainforest.ThecenteroftheOlympicPeninsulaismostlylightgreennationalforestlandanddarkergreennationalparkland.Inthedarkergreenarea,findthreeRainForestareas:theHohRainForest,theQuinaultRainForest,andtheQueetsRainForest.MoistairmovesinfromthePacificanddumpslotsofrainasitisforcedupwardsovertheOlympicMountains.Thesearetemperaterainforests,notthetropicalrainforestjunglesyouhearmoreabout.8.WhatistheminimumnumberoflightsthatMichaelwillhavetopassashecarrieshispackage?Answer:4or5 Sincethestorysaysthereisalightateachintersection,allyouhavetodoisfindaroutefromMichael'sofficetoPikeMarketthatcrossestheminimumnumberofintersections.Thereareeither4or5,dependingonwhichsideofthestreetyouthinkPikePlaceMarketison.TherealMarketisafewblockslong-it'sabiggroupofstallsandsmallfoodplaces.Oneofthefishstoresisfamousforthrowingwholesalmonacrosstheroom-you'vegottoduck!Starbucksalsostartedhere.9.HowhighisMt.Rainier?Expressyouranswerinfeet.(SeeMapscan8:MtRainierInsertforques9)Answer:14,416ft Straightmapreading-Mt.Rainierismarkedat14,416ft.Allyouaredoingiscopyingthissoyouneeditexact.10.WhatgeologicfeaturesareshownallaroundthesummitofMtRainier?(SeeMapscan8:MtRainierInsertforques10)

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Answer:GlaciersAlittletrickiermapsymbolquestion.Themapsclearlyshowsglaciers,buttheAAAmaplegenddoesnotkeythis.GoodthingyouhavealreadystudiedtheUSGSsymbolsheetshowingglaciers!11.WhymustwevisitParadiseinsummer?(SeeMapscan8:MtRainierInsertforques11)Answer:Roadclosedinwinter ToreachParadiseyoumusttravelonStevensCanyonRoad,whichismarkedasclosedinwinter.Youalsobetterbehave!12.WhyisitlegalforagamblingcasinotooperateinToppenish,WAeventhoughgamblingisnotlegalintheStateofWashington?(SeeMapscan9:Yakima-ToppenishAreaforques12)Answer:LandisonIndianReservation Thisisaninferencequestionwithcomegeneralknowledgethrownin.It'safewstepsremovedfromstraightmapreading.ThemapshowsthatToppenishislocatedwithintheYakimaIndianReservation(easiertoseeonhardcopy).IndianReservationsexistbecauseoftreatiesbetweentheUnitedStatesandindividualIndianNations.Treatieshavenotalwaysbeenhonoredovertheyears,butstatelawsagainstgamblingdonotapplyonthereservation.TheIndianNationcanthusopenacasino.13.WestopattheAAAofficeinKennewick,WA(R-57oninsertmap)toreplaceourwornoutmap.WhatintersectionclosesttotheAAAoffice?Expressastheintersectionof____and___.(SeeMapscan3:Pasco-KennewickInsertforques13)Answer:CanalDriveandCenter(orColumbiaCenter)Blvd TheredovalAAAofficemarkingandredbuildingmarkingshowsontheSouthbankoftheColumbia/LakeWallula,solookforthenearestintersectionofmarkedroads.TheofficeisonCanalDriveclosetoCenter(orColumbiaCenter)Blvd.14.WhattypeofovernightaccommodationsdoestheAAAshowtobeavailableatRitzville,WA?(SeeMapscan6:I-90andRitzvilleandMapscan4Legendforques14)Answer:Campground Amapsymbolquestion.AtRitzville,aredtepeeismarked.Lookonthemaplegendtorevealthatthisisacampground,withdetailsprovidedbyWoodall's.15.WhatdistancealongI-90doesthemapshowforthistrip?(SeeMapscan6:I-90andRitzvilleforques15)Answer:67or69miles Thisquestioninvolveslocatingmapsymbols-inthiscasethemileagemarkingsalongI-90.Thestorytellsyou"theAAAactuallyshowsroadmileagerightonthemap”...“justlookatthoselittleblackdiamondsatsomeoftheintersections!”WorkingEastwardfromInterchange151to220,themileagemarkedonthemapis27+27+13=67miles. Anotherperfectlygoodmethodwillgiveyouadifferentanswer.Most(notall)interstatehighwaysnumbertheexitsinagivenstatebytheirmileagestartingfromastateline.I-90startsafewfeetfromthewaterfrontinSeattle,WAandgoestoBoston,MA.InWashingtonState,interchange1isamilefromstart;interchange5is4milesfurtheralong,andinterchange151isatotalof151milesfromthestart.ThenumbersstartoveragaininIdaho(thenextstateyouwouldentergoingeast).Thissystemisniceifyouaredrivingbecauseyougetanimmediateandprettyaccurateideaofhowfaryouhavetogotogettoaspecificinterchange.Inthiscase,Interchange151to220is220–151=69miles.Eitheroftheseanswersshouldbeexactbecauseyouarenot

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measuringanything,justaddingupafewnumbers.Youcouldalsodeterminethedistancebymeasuringandusingmapscalebarormath,butthatisreallythehardway.Readthestory!16.WepassmanyhayfieldsalongI-90.I-90isremarkablystraightalongthisstretch,asaremostoftheotherroadsinthisarea.Whatdoesthestraightnessoftheroadssuggestaboutthetopographyinthisarea?(SeeMapscan6:I-90andRitzvilleforques16)Answer:Flat Thisrequiresageneralfeelfortopographicmapsandunderstandingofthewayroadsareconstructed.Straightroadsarecheapertobuild-they'reshorter.Ifahighwaytwistsandturnsit'sbecausethelandishillyorpresentsotherbarriers.Iftheroadsarestraight,thenthelandisflat.17.Whatisthestraight-linedistancebetweenthetownofGrandCouleeandthetownofRockIsland?Expressyouranswertothenearestwholekilometer.(SeeMapscan7:ColumbiaRiverAreaforques17)Answer:Range94-115km Thisisastraightmapscalequestion.ScalequestionsarecommoninRoadScholarandcanbedoneintwobasicways.Youcanusethebarscaleonthemaplegendand"walkoff"thedistancewithpencilandpaper,oryoucancalculatethedistancebasedonthemapscale.Astraightmathsolutionisfasterbutyoumustbeabletohandlethedecimalplaces.Youshouldalwaysmakethesemeasurementsinmetricunits.Youwillhave25mminthesamerulerspaceas16-inchfractions--thusabetterguide--andyouwon'thavetoworkwithfractions.Notethatinthiscasetheanswermustbeinmetricunitsanyway.Answerkeysarenormallysetuptoallowfortheslightlydifferentanswerseachmethodwillyield,withanacceptablerangetoallowforhowdifferenteyesmakemeasurements.Mathandmapscalemethod: ImeasurethisdistancefromthetownofRockIslandtotheTownofGrandCoulee(bothmarkedbycirclessoIhaveanexacttarget)as108.5mm.Onthemaplegendthescaleis1:988,416.Thusa1-metermapdistance(ifyoucouldfitit)is988,416metersontheEarth.Nowforthetrickypart:108.5mmis0.1085meters.Multiplythisbythescale,andthedistancebetweentownsis107243meters.Adistancethatlongwouldbeexpressedinkilometers.Dividingthe107243metersby1,000givestheanswer,107km.Thissoundscomplicated,butitisalldoneveryquicklyonabasic$12calculator.Barscaleand"walkitoff"method: UsingoneoftheblankpiecesofunlinedpaperyoualwaysbringtoRoadScholar,markthelocationofeachtownonthemap.Placethispapernexttothescalebaronmaplegendenlargedhere:

Usingthekilometerbar,thereare44kmtotalshown.(Don’tusethisenlargedbartocheckyouranswer).Walkoffyourmarkedpaperin44kmgroups--44+44,andmoreremaining.Fortheremainingpartyoumustusethefinergraduationsontheleftendofthebar.Iseethisas3.5divisions.Thereare8divisionsin22km,soeachoneis2.75km.Then3.5x2.75=9.6km,inadditiontothe44+44youalreadyhad,foratotalof97.6or98km.

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Notethatthetwomethodsgivetwodifferentanswers.Thisiscommon,andanswerkeyswillnormallyallowforbothmethods.18.NamethethreedamsontheColumbiabetweenGrandCouleeandRockIslandDam.(SeeMapscan7:ColumbiaRiverAreaforques18)Answer:ChiefJoseph,Wells,RockyReach FollowtheriverdownstreamfromGrandCouleeDam.(You-tube"coulee"foramusicalgeologylessononcoulees)TheColumbiaflowsnorthfromthedam,thenwest-seeChiefJosephdam.FollowRiversouthtoWellsDam.ContinuesouthtoRockyReachDam,afewmilesaboveWenatchee.Google"NezPierceChiefJoseph".19.Usingthedrivingdistanceandtimechart,exactlyhowlongwouldithavetakentodrivefromSeattletoWenatchee?YoumustpassthroughEverettandSkykomish.Expressas:___hours:___minutes.(SeeMapscan2:DrivingDistanceChartforques19)Answer:3hours,03minutes. Thehardcopymapismucheasiertoreadthanmapscanforthisquestion.Drivingtimebetweenpointsisshowninlightblueashours,minutes.

Tripleg hours:minSeattletoEverett 0:31EveretttoSkykomish 1:07SkykomishtoLeavenworth 0:55LeavenworthtoWenatchee 0:30Totaltime=1hrand123min

3:03

Manystudentshavetroublewiththe"hourandminute"math.Inthisproblemminutesaddupto123.120minutesconvertstotwohours,soyouhaveatotaltripof3hoursand03minutes.Youarenotmakinganymeasurements,justaddingupthenumbersfromthemap,sotheanswermustbeexact.20.Whatisthecontourintervalofthismap?40ftAnswer:40ft ThisisastraightmarginalInformationquestion.AllUSGStopographicmapsshowthecontourinterval,whichdependsonhowsteepinclinesareinthemaparea.Flatterareasmayhaveanintervalof3ft,steeper40ft.(SomeUSGSmapsareinmetricunits.)Questais40feet.Copyitontoyouranswersheetandyou'redone.Makesuretoincludeunits;just40isnotcorrect.SomeUSGSmapsusemetricunits,andsomeusebothEnglishandmetriconthesamemap.21.USGSmapscoveranareadesignatedbylatitudeandlongituderatherthanbymiles.Howmanydegrees,minutesandsecondsoflatitudearecoveredinthismaparea?Expressas:______°,______’,_______”.(No“North”or“South”needed)Answer:000° 07’30” Marginalinformationwithalittleinterpretation.Questaisa7.5minutequadranglemap,asaremosttopomapsusedinRoadScholar.Thatmeansitcoversanareaof7.5minutesoflatitudeandlongitude.Writingthisindegrees,minutes,andsecondgivesyou000°,07’,30”.Nonorth,south,etc.,isneededbecauseyouarenotgivingaspecificlocation,justdescribingthesizeofthemap.

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Ona7.5minutemap,ifthelatitudeattheloweredge(orneatline)is10°00’00”N,thentheupperedgewillbe10°07’30”N.Samewithlongitude;thewesternneatlinewillalwaysbe07’30”greaterthantheeasternneatline.MapsarefurtherdividedintoSectors--seeques#24.22.TheQuesta,NMmaphasascaleof1:24,000.Iftwopointsareexactly2cmapartonthemap,howfarapartaretheyaretheearth’ssurface?Expressyouranswerinwholemeters.Answer:480meters Thisisascalequestion--seeexplanationforquestion17.Thescalehereis1:24,000sothedistanceof2cmiscalculatedas0.02metersx24,000=480meters.23.Mostofthemapareaiscomposedofamountainrangethatisalsoaprotectedarea.Nameboththemountainrangeandtheprotectednationalarea.Answer:SangredeChristoMountainsandCarsonNationalForest Straightmapreading.FindSangredeChristoMountainsandCarsonNationalForest(theprotectednationalarea).24.YolandaknowsthemapareaisdividedintonineMapSectors.InwhichsectorisdowntownQuestalocated?Answer:West4orW4or4Thisisamapgridquestion,similartoQues#2."Downtown"QuestaisinSectorWest4,orjust4.Background-Gridsystems Therearefourgridsystemsyoumustknowfortopographicmaps.TheyareSectorReferenceSystem,PublicLandSurveySystem(PLSS),LatitudeandLongitude,andUniversalTransverseMercator(UTM).a)SectorReferenceSystem-Dividestopomapsintoninesections(called1to9)likeatic-tac-toegrid.Mapsectorsarebasedon2.5’oflatitudeandlongitude.b)PublicLandSurveySystem(PLSS)-ThomasJeffersonsetupthisgridsystemtoorganizepubliclandsforsettlement.Itisnotusedallstates,includingtheoriginal13colonies.c)LatitudeandLongitude-Ontopomaps,findingexactlocationsinvolvesaccuratelylocatingatargetpoint,expressedgeometricallyindegrees,minutesandsecondsbydoingproportions.Thisisaguaranteedtwoquestionsthatarealwaysdoneexactlythesameway.d)UniversalTransverseMercator(UTM)-Isanewersystemofdesignatingearthlocationsthatismorecomputer-friendly.Itusestheblack1kmgridonnewertopomaps.UTMinvolveslargenumbersandmanystudentsareleeryofit,butitisactuallyeasytouseinRoadScholar.Background:-MapSectorReferenceSystemGrid YouabsolutelymustknowtheSectorReferenceSystemgridsystem.Itwillshowupinmanystorylinedirections,directquestionsonsectors,andisneededtodolatitude/longitudeproblems.TheMapSectorsletyoufindthingsmuchfasterthanjustlookingalloverthemap.Theyarenotprecise,butareveryfasttouse.Ittakesafewminutestolearnwithamapinfrontofyouandisreallyeasyafterthat.MapSectorsdividethemapintoninesectorslikeatic-tac-toegrid.Lookatthegridbelow.Sectorsarenumberedfrom1to9andusuallyalsonamedasNorthwest,Southeast,etc.IsuggestyourememberthemasNorthwest1,etc.,torememberwheretheyare.

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ThegridbelowhassomeofthecoordinatesfromQuesta,NMonit.Comparethemtotheactualmap.IfyoulookcarefullyattheEasternneatline,youwillsee36° 37’ 30” at the southeastern corner. Athirdofthewayupfindasmallmarkjustinsidetheneatlinemarked40’andtwothirdsofthewayupfind42’30".Thenorthernedgeismarked39° 45”.Longitudeismarkedthesameway.ForQuestaitstartsat105°30'atthenortheasterncornerandincreasesgoingwestto105°37'30". Themapisthusbrokendownintothreesectionseachway,eachsectionbeing2’30"oflatitudeand2'30"oflongitude.That'sninesectors.ThediagrambelowshowsQuestaMapSectors.Tokeepthingssimplethelatitudeisonlymarkedontheeastandthelongitudeonlyonthenorth.Anythingshownherein(parenthesis)isnotactuallyprintedontherealmap-youhavetofigureitoutyourself.latitudeonrightside-increasesSouthtoNorthlongitudeacrosstopinitalics-increasesEasttoWest105°37'30"(W)(105°)35(00"W)(105°)32'30"(W)105°30'(00"W)||||

Northwest1

North2

Northeast3

36°45’(00”N)(36°)42'30”(N)

West4"downtownQuesta"

Central5

East6

(36°)40’(00"N)

Southwest7

South8

Southeast9

36°37’30”(N)

Justincaseyouarenotyetinsane,theactualgridlinesarenotmarkedonthemapascontinuouslines.Theyaremarkedjustinsidethemapedges(called“neatlines”,becausetheymakethemapneat)andasaseriesoffoursmallcrossesor"graticuleintersections”or(“graticuleticks")atthecornersofCentral5.LookatCentral5intheQuestagridaboveandimagineerasingallthelines

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exceptthecornersofC5.ThatshouldgiveyouagoodideaofthewaytheSectorReferencegridshowsonhardcopyUSGSmaps.

++

++

Onthemapscanbelowseeagraticuleintersectionortickmarkintheupperright:

Thoselittlecrossescanbehardtoseeifthemaphasalotofgreenandcontourlinesbuttheyarethere.Onamapifyoutakeoneofthepiecesofblank,unlinedpaperyoushouldalwaysbringtoaRoadeventandputitontheneatlinesatthe2.5'ticks,thenlayitacross,youwillhittheinsidegraticuleintersectionsthatgiveyoutheSectorboundaries.MakesureyouarenotusingeithertheUTMgrid(1kmgridinsolidblacklines)orthePLSSgrid(1milegridinsolidred).25.Whatisthemaximumstraight-linedistancewithinthelargerofthetwotailingsponds?Expressyouranswerinwholemeters.Answer:2040meters Thisisastraight-linedistancequestion,justlike#17.Playingaroundwithyourrulerwillshowamaximummaplengthof85mminthelargetailingspond.That's0.085m.Multiplybythescale-24,000-togettheanswerof2040meters.26.Ifasuddenthunderstormweretodrop7cmofraininthetownofQuesta,whatchangeswouldprobablyberecordedattheWaterGagingStation?Itwould_____A)goup7cmB)godown12cmC)goup25cmD)notchangeAnswer:D)notchange Thisisastreamdirectionquestion.Toanswerthisquestion,youmustdetermineifwaterwillflowfromthetownofQuestatowardstheWaterGage.Thestorysays"SouthwestpartofPLSSSection33,youcanseeaWaterGagingStationontheRedRiver—it’srightnexttoourQuestaSchool".Ifyoudidnotreadthestoryyouarealreadylost.Howsad!TheGagingStationisatabout7500ftelevationandmuchofQuestaisabout7300ft,sotheGagingStationisupstreamfromQuesta.RaininQuestawillthereforenothaveanyeffectontheGage.AnswerisD)notchange.CheckYouTube–StevieNicks–RedRiverValley.

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27.UsingthePublicLandSurveySystem,givethethreepartdescriptionoftheWaterGagingStation’slocation.Expressas:Section____,Township____,Range____Answer:Sec33,Township29N,Range13EBackground:-PLSS ThisisaPublicLandSurveySystem(PLSS)question.ThomasJeffersonsetupthePublicLandSurveySystem(PLSS)gridtoorganizepubliclandsinthenewlypurchasedNorthwestTerritoriesforsaleandsettlement.Itisnotusedintheoriginal13coloniesandseveralotherareas.PLSStakesgettingusedtoandlookshard,butisn’t.IfyouownlandinaPLSSstateyourdeedandsurveyusePLSStolistboundaries;ifyouareinotherareasyoumayhavea"metesandbounds"descriptionusinglandmarkslikerocks,compassbearingsanddistances.Checkdnr.wi.gov/topic/forestmanagement/documents/plsstutorial.pdf.Startingfromscratch,thisisagoodexplanationofthePublicLandSurveySystemgrid. InPLSS,surveyorsonthegroundestablishedbaselines.ThelandalongtheselinesisdividedintoTownshipsof36squaremiles.(Thesearenottownswithstores,people,andScienceOlympiadteams-justareasofland).Townshipsaregivennumbers-Township1Northisnorthofthebaseline,Township7Southistheseventhtownsouthofthebaseline.EastandwestdimensionsarenamedRanges.Agiven36squaremiletownshipthusmightbecalledTownship3North,Range15West. Eachtownshipisdividedinto36onesquaremileSections,whicharenumberedasshownbelow.AssumethisisTownship3North,Range13East(T3N,R13E):

6

5 4 3 2 1

7

8 9 10 11 12

18

17 16 15 14 13

19

20 21 22 23 24

30

29 28 27 26 25

31

32 33 34 35 36

Noticethatthenumberpatternisnotlikereadingprintonapage.Thismadeperfectsensetosurveyorswalkingontheground,becausetheyhadtowalkfromonesectiontoanothertodothesurveys.Youwouldnotfinisharowofsectionsandthenwalkbacksixmilestostartagain;youjustturnaroundandworktheotherway.It'slikeplowingacornfieldorcuttinggrass. EachPLSSsectionisshownontopomapswithredboundariesandnumbers.TownshipandRangenumbersareontheneatlines.Seemapscanbelow,neatlinesouthwestofQuesta.

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Inflatareas,theseredlinescanbehardtoseebecauseroadsareoftenbuiltrightonthem.

Problemsolution:FindPLSSSec33(mapscanwithQues#28).LookingstraightwesttoneatlineshowsT29N.LookingalongnorthernneatlineshowsR13E.28.Let’sgetsuperaccurate!Makethatthefive-partlocation!Expressas____,_____,Sec____,Township____,Range_______Answer:SW¼(orNW¼),SW¼,Sec33,Township29N,Range13E. Thisisaproblemthatdependsonyouranswertothepreviousquestion.YoualreadyknowthatthegagingstationisinSec33,Town29N,Range13E.NowaddthedetailsofwherethegagingstationislocatedwithinSection33. EachSectionisdividedintoquarters,andeachofthemisalsodividedintoquarters,calledquarter-quarters.Noneofthedivisionsismarkedonthemapbutyoucanfigurethemout.Seemapscanbelow:

Asectionisonesquaremile,or640acres.Thesectionisdividedintofourquarters.Eachquartersectionis160acres--abouttheamountoflandneededforasustainablefamilyfarmworkingonhorsepower. Section33

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Northwest1/4

Northeast1/4

Southwest1/4*Gage

Southeast1/4

Tofigureclosely,measurethesectionboxontheQuestamaporinsertscan.TheGagingstationiseasilyintheSW1/4.It'saprettymuchrightontheborderbetweentheSW¼andtheNW1/4ofthesouthwestquarter,sobothanswerswereallowed.Answer:SW¼(orNW¼),SW¼,Sec33,Township29N,Range13E. SincePLSSsectionsaredefinedasonemileoneachside,youcansavesometimebymakingupanoverlay1x1milesquare,drawnat1:24000aheadoftime,withthequartersections,etc.,marked.Usethescalebaronahardcopytopo.Youcanalsogetcommercialgridsforthis-trymaptools.com.Note-PLSSsectionsarealways1x1mileexceptforwhentheyarenot.Sometimesboundariesareindefinite,cutoff,orotherwiseunusual.PLSSgridsdonotshowinbodiesofwater. ThePLSSlettheUSGovernmentselllandtosettlersandgivethemaccuratedeeds.Thelistpricein1820was$1.25peracre-aboutaday'swagesforaskilledtradesman.IfyouwereHomesteading,youusuallygot1/4Section(160acres)oflandforfree.Youhadtobuildahouseandproduceacropwithinfiveyears.YoucanstillHomesteadinAlaska,butbringawarmcoatandlotsofbearspray.29.WhatisthehighestpossibleelevationatQuestaHighSchoolbuilding?Answer:7679ft(exactnorange) Thisquestioninvolvesreadingthecontourlinesanddoingsomethinking;itisnotastraight"copythemap"answer.Background:-ElevationContours Allpointsonacontourlinehavethesameelevation.Theintervalbetweenlinesisshownonthemap—commonly10,20,or40feetbutcouldbesomethingelse,ormetric.Indexlinesareheavierthanothersandhaveelevationlabels,butthelabelmaybeawaysawayfromwhereyouarelooking.Youneedindexlinestofindthevalueoftheotherlineseasily. Ifagivenpointisexactlyonaline,itselevationisthevalueoftheline.Ifitisnottouchingthelineitcannotbethatvalue. Themapbelowhas20ftcontourintervals.Noteindexlinesat800ftand900ft.ThesewouldactuallybelabeledontheUSGSmap.Thelighterlinesat820,840,860,880ft,etc.,wouldshowontheUSGSbutwouldnothavelabels.

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Whichwayaretheelevationsgoing?Theassumptionisthatforenclosedlines,thegroundisgettinghighertowardsthecenter.LookatthepointslabeledA,B,C,&Donthemap.A=exactly840ftbecauseitisdirectlyonthe840ftline.B=exactly860ftforthesamereason.C=theexactelevationisnotshown,butmustbemorethan860ftandlessthan880ft. Thelowestpossibleelevationis861,thehighestpossible879.The‘midrange”elevationishalfwaybetweentheknowncontourlines,or870ft.Thephrasingofthequestionisimportant—it’snotdesignedtotrickyou,butyoumustknowwhatisbeingasked. D=thehighestpossiblepoint,becauseoftheassumptionthatthelandisatthehighestinthecenter.Notethe“x”here.Itmustbehigherthan940ft,whichisthehighestshowncontourline.Butitcannotbeashighas960ftbecausethereisno960ftcontourline.ThehighestpossibleelevationforDisthus959ft.Iftheheightisactuallymarkeddirectlyonthemapthenthatistheheightused.ProblemSolution: Allpointsexactlyonacontourlinearethesameelevation-soifthehighschool(thelargebuildingwiththeflag)wasexactlyonthe7680ftline,itselevationatgroundlevelwouldbe7680ft.Ifitisnottouchingthelineitmustbehigherorlower.Inthemapscanbelow,notethelabeledcontourlinesat40ftintervals.7720and7760arenotactuallylabeledbutyoucanfigurethemout:

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7680772077607800

HighSchoolBldg

Theschooliswestofthe7680,andthepatternofcontourlinesshowthelandisincreasinginelevationtotheeast.Sotheschoolisbelowthe7680line,andthehighestpossibleelevationistherefore7679ft. Ifaquestionasksfortheexactelevationofsomethingbetweenlines--likethepondinthemapscanabove,between7720and7760ft-youcancalculateagoodestimatebyusingthesameproportionmethodasinquestion#45forlatitude. YoucanuseGoogleEarthorothersatellitedataforelevationsofvisiblemapfeaturesthatyoucalculatedfromaUSGSmap.However,satellitesdonotshowelevationsabovesealevelasmapsdo.Insteadofsealevel,theyuseamathematicalbasecalled“theGeoid”.Forthisreasonelevationsfromsatelliteimagesareclosetowhatshowsontopomaps,butmaybenotexactlythesameevenifbothmeasurementsaretotallycorrectintheirownsystems.30.Whatdoesthegreyshadinginthemineareatellaboutthemineland?Answer:Non-NationalForestSystemLandswithintheNationalForest Thisisamapsymbolquestion,butthesymbolexplanationisusuallynotinwithotherlegendinformation.Lookonthelowerleftofthemap-thegreyareashowslandwithinaNationalForestthatisprivatelyowned,sonoproblemrunningamine.Seemapscanbelow.

31.Whatistheexactlatitudeatthis+mark?Expressindegrees,minutes,andseconds.Don’tforgetNorthorSouth!Answer:36° 42’30”N(exactnorange) Thisisamapsectorquestionsimilarto#24,butalittledeeper.The+isaSectorboundaryhachuremark,alsocalledagraticuleintersection.UseapieceofpapertofollowthislineEastorWesttoeitherneatlineandseethe42’30”notation.Thenaddthe36°andtheNorth,whicharenotonthemapdirectlybutyoucanfigureout,toexpresstheactuallatitude.Thereisnocalculationinvolvedbutit'smorethancopyingfromthemap.32.Whatmaterialcomposesthesurfaceofthemineroad?Answer:Dirt Thisisamapsymbolquestion.TheUSGSsymbolsheetyoushoulddownloadandbringtoanyRoadeventshowsmapsymbols.Inthiscase,thesymbolisalsoonthemapitself.

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33.Accordingtothegradesign,howmanyfeetofroadwaywouldbeneededfortheroadtoclimbaverticaldistanceof600feet?Expressinfeet.Answer:7,500feet Sinceyoureadthestory,youknowtheroadhasan8%grade.Thatmeansitclimbs8feetforeach100feetoflength.Sinceyouneedtofindhowmanyfeetofroadisneedfor600verticalfeet,setupaproportion:

8ftvertical/100fthorizontal=600ftvertical/??fthorizontalAnswer=7,500ft

34.Whydoesn’tUSGSshowcontourlinesintheminearea?Answer:Surfaceconstantlychanges(orsimilar) Byitsnature,theareainanactivemineisconstantlychanging.USGSdoesnotshowcontourlinesbecauseofthis--it'sjustnotworthit.Activevolcanicareasmaybetreatedthesameway.35.WhatisthestreamgradientforDeerCreekfromtheEasternNeatLinetoColumbineCreek?Expressasfeetofdropper1,000feetofstreamdistance.Answer:166.6ft/thousandfeet(Range161to171) Thisisanastystreamgradientproblem.Likearoadgrade,streamgradientisameasureofastream'sslope.Itisexpressedasfeetofdropper1,000feetoflength.Streamgradienthasabigeffectonwaterflow,erosion,andsedimentmovement.Themapscanbelowisenlargedtohelpreadelevations.YoushouldbringagoodmagnifiertoRoadScholarevents.

Todeterminestreamgradient,youmustknowtheverticalandhorizontaldistanceofstreamtravel.Theshapeofcontoursshowsthedirectionofstreamflow-notethe"V"shapeofcontoursaroundDeerCreek;theVpointsupstream. DeerCreekflowsintoColumbineCreekbetweentwo8400ftindex(heavy)contours.Readingfromtheleftofthescan,thecontourelevationsare8440,8400,8360,8320(atstream),8360,8400,andup.DeerCreekhitsColumbinerightatthe8320line. AttheEasternneatline,DeerCreekexitsthemapalmost,butnotquite,touchingthe9200ftindexline.Itselevationcanbereadas9199ft.ThetotalverticaldistanceofDeerCreekinthisareaisthus879ft(9199–8320).

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OntheQuestamap(nottheenlargedmapscanabove)measurealongthestreamfromColumbinetotheneatline.Youshouldget67mm,or0.67meters.

Thedistanceonearthis0.067mx24,000scale=1608meters.Convertingtofeet,1608mx3.2808ft/meter=5276feet.Sincetheformulacallsfordropperthousandfeet,thisis5.276thousandsoffeet.Streamgradient=changeinheight/distanceinthousands

Streamgradient=879/5.276=166.6ft/thousandfeet.

Therangeofacceptableanswersreflectsvariationsstudentsmightgetintheirmeasurementsofstreamlength.Notethatstreamgradientquestionsusuallyrequireyoutofigureoutbothelevationchangesandstreamlength,thendeterminethegradient.Sometimesyouaregiventhedistance,butdon'tcountonit.36.TheRockIslandtopomapcoversthesamedegrees,minutes,andsecondsofLongitudeastheQuestatopo.ButevenahumancanseethattheRockIslandmapismuchnarrowerthantheQuestamap.Whyisthisso?Answer:linesoflongitudeconvergetowardsnorth(orsimilar) Thisisafairlycommontypeofquestionifaneventinvolvestwodifferenttopomaps.Linesoflatitudearealwaysthesamespaceapart,butlinesoflongitudearenot.It'saresultofthepeskyfactthattheEarthisround.Degreesoflongitudestartoffabout67milesapartattheequator(24,900mileEarthcircumferencedividedby360),buttheyconvergeatthepoles.Sincetopomapsaresetupas07'30"longitudeacross,amapclosertotheequatoriswiderthanonefurthernorth.TheQuesta,NMmapis18.5incheswide,buttheRockIslandWAmapisonly15.5incheswide.That'sthemaparea,notthepaperitisprintedon.Forcomparison,noticethedifferentwidthsoftwomapscansbelow.HiloisalmostthesouthernmostpointintheU.S.States,andAngleInletisthenorthernmostquadrangleinthelower48states(theblanknorthernpartisinCanada).

Hilo,HI(19°North)

AngleInlet,MN(49.3°North)

l

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37.Inthismaparea,theColumbiaRiverismarkedasflowingeastward.InSectorSW7,mile460isalsomarked.Whatgeographicfeaturewouldbefound460milesawaymeasuredalongtheColumbia?Answer:TheRiver'smouth Thisquestioninvolvesthemarkingsonrivers.Riversflowfromtheirsourcetotheirmouth.Themouth,wheretheriverempties,mightbeanoceanoranotherriver.Justlikemilemarkersalongahighway,USGSmarksmilesonriverstohelplocatefeaturesalongtheriver.Mile0isatthemouth.Sothefeaturefound460milesdownstreamfrommile460ontheColumbiaRiveristhemouthorPacificOcean.Ontributaries,mile0mightbealargerriver.LewisandClarkspentalottoefforttravelingtothemouthoftheColumbia.38.Notcountingtheirrigatedorchards,whatpercentageofthemapareaisforested?A)lessthan5%B)0to20%C)50-60%D)90-100%Answer:A)Lessthan5% Thisquestionrequiresyoutolookovertheentiremapandmakeanestimateofhowmuchofthelandareaiscoveredwithtrees,grass,etc.VegetationshowsgreenonUSGSmaps,butthereisalmostnogreenintheRockIslandarea--justabitalongcreekbottomsinSectorNE3.Youcanseewhyirrigationissoimportant.39.WhatAzimuthwillwebeusingasweapproach?Answer:317° (range314-320) Note:Questions#39,40,41,and43alldealwithusingcompassreadingsandinvolveAzimuth,CompassBearings,andDeclination.ThestorysaysyouareapproachingfromtheSoutheast.Tolineupwiththerunway,youmustflyonthesameAzimuthastherunwayitself.Background:-Azimuths,Bearings,Declination Azimuthsandbearingsarebothwaysofexpressingcompassdirectionfromyoutoanotherplace.TheyaredifferentfromNorthorSouth,whicharefixeddirectionanddonotdependonwhereyouare.Azimuthsaremoregenerallyusedtodayandareallnumerical;bearingsareanolderwayofsayingthesamething.Abearingalwaysstartswitheither"north"or"south",thenanumberindegrees,andfinallyeither"east"or"west".Bearingsarelesscommonbutstillinuse. Tofindeitherazimuthorbearingonamapyouneedaprotractor.Fullcircleprotractors(compassprotractors)arebest.Thegraduationsshouldstartwith0andgoclockwisearoundto359.(0and360arethesamething).Getoneon-lineforafewdollars.Trymapatools.com,benmeadows.com,andforestry-suppliers.com.(ThankstothestudentwholeftthisbehindataRoadevent!)

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ThestartingpointformeasuringAzimuthiswhereveryouare,orwhateverpointonthemapisdesignated.Theazimuthisthedirectionfromtheretoanotherspecificpoint.Thehardestpartismakingsurethat0degreesonyourprotractorisalignedwithNorthonthemap,andheldsteadywhileyoumakeyourdegreereading.Centertheprotractoronthestartpoint,useapieceofpapertoaligntheNorth-SouthorEast-Westaxiswiththemapmargins,anotherpapertoaligntheprotractorcenterwithcenterwithyourtarget,andreadtheazimuth.Apartnerisgoodforlendingahandhere.40.Yolandacheckshercompass.Whatisthemagneticdeclinationatthecenterofthemaparea?ExpressasdegreesEastorWestoftrueNorth.Answer:17.5° EastofNorth(exactnorange) AregularcompasspointsnorthbasedonalignmentwiththeEarth'smagneticfield.ThemagneticNorthPoleisnotinthesameplaceasthegeographicNorthPole,anditmovesalittleeachyear.Itisabout250milesawayfromthegeographicNorthPole. USGSMapsalwayslistdeclinationatthecenterofthemap,inSectorCenter5.Thedeclinationasofthemapdateisshownasmarginalinformationasonthemapscanbelow.

ThestarisPolaris,ortruenorth.GNisnotgeographicnorth;itisGridNorthandisusedinUTMgridcoordinates.MNismagneticnorth.ThedifferenceEastorWestbetweentruenorthandmagneticnorthisthedeclination(alsocalledvariation).Dependingonwhereyouare,itcanbealmostnothingorabout20°.Togetanideaofhowimportantthisis,supposearifleshooterisaimingatagolfballafootballfieldaway.Ifheraimisoffby1minute,shemissesbyaninch.One

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degreeoffandshemissesbyfivefeet.Imaginehowfarshewouldmissifflying100miles,butinthewrongdirectionby17.5°!AgivenquestioninaRoadScholarshouldtellyouifyoumustcorrectazimuthsfordeclination.41.Yolandadoessomequickmentalmath—she’sgotaheckofabrain!Whatwillhercompassazimuthbeaftercorrectingformagneticdeclination?Answer:299.5° (range295-305) Thiscandriveyoucrazy.IfthedeclinationistotheEast,subtractfromtrueazimuthtogetmagneticdirection.Ifdeclinationiswestofnorth,addtotrueazimuthtogetmagneticdirection. TheGoogleEarthimagebelowistheactualrunwayatRockIsland.Notethe"30"paintedontheendasyouapproachfromtheSoutheast.Mostrunwaysaremarkedwiththecorrectapproachmagneticazimuthasanaidtopilots.Theactualmagneticazimuthisroundedtothenearesttendegreesandlastdigitisdropped.Foranapproachazimuthof300°,therunwaynumberisthus30.Theotherendofthesamerunwaywouldbemarked"12",sincethepilotisapproachingfromtheNorthwestonamagneticazimuthof120°--oppositeof300°.

42.Howlongisrunway#2?Expressinmeters.Answer:1680meters(range1650-1700)Thisisastraightforwardscalequestion.Onthefullmapscantherunwaymeasures70mm=0.07mx24,000scale=1680m(range1650-1700)43.WhatistheoldfashionedcompassbearingYolandawoulduseifapproachingonrunway#1?(SheisapproachingfromtheSouth;ignoredeclination)Answer:North9° West(rangeN06W-N12W)Background:-CompassBearings Anotherwayofgivingcompassdirectionsiscompassbearings—anolderanddifferentwayofsayingthesamething.Theideaistogivebasicinformationfirst,thenthedetails.Thebasicinformationiswhetheryouaregoingnorthorsouth,andthenaskjusthowfarawayfromstraightnorthorsouth.Acompassbearing,therefore,willalwaysstartwitheither"north"or"south",thenanumberindegrees,andfinallyeither"east"or"west". Forthisproblem,theapproachazimuthtotherunwayismeasuredbyprotractorat351°.That's9°tothewestoftruenorth,andiswrittenasNorth09°West. Whileazimuthscanbenumberedfrom0°to359°,bearingscannotbeabove90°.Ifthebearinggivenabovewas91°westofnorth,itisactuallyclosertosouthandwouldbewrittenasSouth89°West.

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Bothazimuthsandbearingsarecurrentlyinuse.Olderrecords--logs,deeds,etc.,arealmostalwaysinbearings.Seebelow:

AnexcerptfromtheJournalofLewisandClark,November4th,1805.TheyareontheColumbiaRiver.Originalspellingretained.…metalargecanoefrombelowwith12men,thecanoeornamentedwithImagescarvedand…fixedverynetelyonthecanoe...wehadafullviewofMt.St.HelienwhichisperhapsthehighestpinnacleinAmericaitbearsNorth25˚Eastabout90miles…itrisesSomethingintheformofaSugarlofe.

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