Canadian Grade 9 Geography Exams

Front 1

Name Canada's ten provinces.

Back 1

1. Québec

2. Newfoundland and Labrador

3. New Brunswick

4. Nova Scotia

5. Prince Edward Island

6. Ontario

7. Manitoba

8. Alberta

9. Saskatchewan

10. British Columbia

Front 2

Name Canada's three territories.

Back 2

1. Yukon

2. Northwest Territories

3. Nunavut

Front 3

Name the Capital of Ontario.

Back 3

The Capital of Ontario is Toronto.

Front 4

Name the Capital of Québec.

Back 4

The Capital of Québec is Québec Citym

Front 5

Name the Capital of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Back 5

The Capital of Newfoundland and Labrador is St. John's.

Front 6

Name the Capital of New Brunswick.

Back 6

The Capital of New Brunswick is Fredericton.

Front 7

Name the Capital of Nova Scotia.

Back 7

The Capital of Nova Scotia is Halifax.

Front 8

Name the Capital of P.E.I.

Back 8

The Capital of P.E.I. is Charlottetown.

Front 9

What is the Capital of Manitoba?

Back 9

The Capital of Manitoba is Winnipeg.

Front 10

What is the Capital of Alberta?

Back 10

The Capital of Alberta is Edmonton.

Front 11

Name the Capital of Saskatchewan.

Back 11

The Capital of Saskatchewan is Regina.

Front 12

Name the Capital of British Columbia.

Back 12

The Capital of British Columbia is Victoria.

Front 13

Name the Capital of the Yukon.

Back 13

The Capital of the Yukon is Whitehorse.

Front 14

Name the Capital of the Northwest Territories.

Back 14

The Capital of the Northwest Territories is Yellowknife.

Front 15

Name the Capital of Nunavut.

Back 15

The Capital of Nunavut is Iqaluit.

Front 16

Name all four geologic Eras in chronological order.

Back 16

The Precambrian Era, The Paleozoic Era, The Mesozoic Era, and The Cenozoic Era.

Front 17

Name some major events that took place in the Precambrian Era.

Back 17

The first single and multi-celled organisms appeared on earth

Front 18

Name some events from the Precambrian Era that correlates with Canada's formation.

Back 18

The Canadian Shield is formed through glaciation, and is comprised entirely of igneous rock.

Front 19

Name some major events from the Paleozoic Era.

Back 19

Large parts of North America are covered by a shallow layer of water. The age of Amphibians begins. The first insects appear. The first vein of coal formed.

Front 20

What happened for Canada's formation during the Paleozoic Era?

Back 20

The Appalachian Mountains are formed.

Front 21

Name some major events from the Mesozoic Era.

Back 21

The Age of the Dinosaurs begins. The Age of the Reptiles also begins in this era. The first flowering plants appear. Birds and Mammals appear on earth for the first time.

Front 22

What happened for Canada's formation during the Mesozoic Era?

Back 22

The formation of the Rocky Mountains begins. The Innuitian Mountains are completed.

Front 23

Name some major events that happened during the Cenozoic Era.

Back 23

Ice sheets cover North America. Continents come into their present shape. Humans begin to develop. Age of the Mammals begins. Many forms of life evolve.

Front 24

What happened for Canada's formation during the Cenozoic Era?

Back 24

The Rocky Mountains are completed.

Front 25

What are the three main types of rocks?

Back 25

Sedimentary, Metamorphic, and Igneous Rocks.

Front 26

What's the major difference between the rock types?

Back 26

How they are formed.

Front 27

Explain how Sedimentary Rocks are formed.

Back 27

Sediments (sand, shells, pebbles, etc.) will form together after a long period of time through compacting and compression from natural weather occurrences. (ie. Rain, Waves, etc.)

Front 28

Describe the texture of Sedimentary Rocks.

Back 28

Fairly soft and easily bendable.

Front 29

Name two types of Sedimentary Rocks.

Back 29

Conglomerates, and Limestone.

Front 30

Explain how Metamorphic Rocks are formed.

Back 30

They are formed under the Earth's crust through metamorphosis, a change process due to intense heat and pressure.

Front 31

Describe the texture of Metamorphic Rocks.

Back 31

Have Ribbon like layers and may have shiny crystals adorning their surface.

Front 32

Name two types of Metamorphic Rocks.

Back 32

Gneiss and Marble are two examples.

Front 33

Explain how Igneous Rocks are formed.

Back 33

Igneous Rocks are created when magma cools and hardens under the Earth's surface. Alternatively lava from volcanoes can do the same under similar pretenses above ground.

Front 34

Describe the texture of Igneous Rocks.

Back 34

Shiny and glass like, filled with tiny holes and spaces from magma bubbles.

Front 35

Name two types of Igneous Rocks.

Back 35

Basalt and Obsidian are both examples of Igneous Rocks.

Front 36

Define Plate Tectonics.

Back 36

The theory that states that Earth's outer shell consists of plates that move.

Front 37

What do Plate Tectonics cause?

Back 37

Plate Tectonics create earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and the formation of new crust.

Front 38

What makes Plate Tectonics move?

Back 38

Convection currents from pressure under the Earth's surface moves the plates.

Front 39

Name the three ways in which plates interact with each other.

Back 39

They can either be Divergent, Convergent or transforming of each other.

Front 40

What does it mean for plates to be diverging?

Back 40

It means that the two plates are moving farther away from each other.

Front 41

What does it mean when two plates are converging with each other?

Back 41

It means they are colliding into each other.

Front 42

What does it mean when plates are transforming?

Back 42

It means they are moving past each other.

Front 43

Define Humus.

Back 43

The dark, upper layer of soil made up of partially decayed plant material.

Front 44

Define Parent Material.

Back 44

Rock from which soil is derived.

Front 45

Define Maritime Climate.

Back 45

Climate Type that is strongly influenced by the closeness of an Ocean or another large body of water. The annual temperature range tends to be small and Precipitation is high.

Front 46

Define Continental Climate.

Back 46

Climate Type that develops away from the influence of the ocean. The annual temperature range tends to be large and Precipitation is low.

Front 47

Define Extreme Range.

Back 47

When the temperature will reach extreme highs in Summer and extreme lows in Winter.

Front 48

Define Moderate Range.

Back 48

When the Temperature will remain moderate to a point through tout the year (never too cold and never too hot).

Front 49

What is the LARGEST Vegetation Type in Canada.

Back 49

Coniferous Trees; e.g., white and black spruce , balsam fir, pine (evergreens) which lose few needles.

Hardy Deciduous Trees (Poplar and white birch) in southern portion.

Front 50

Define Tree Line.

Back 50

The Boundary between the Tundra and the Boreal Forest Zone. North of this line it is too cold for trees to grow.

Front 51

Define Permafrost.

Back 51

Permanently frozen ground that does not completely thaw in the Summer.

Front 52

What are the four main components of soil?

Back 52

Minerals (Rocks), Organic Material, Moisture, and Air.

Front 53

Define Minerals (Rocks) as a component of soil.

Back 53

Minerals come from rock and become part of the soil when rock is worn down into smaller particles. This provides the soil with nutrients.

Front 54

Define Organic Material as a component of Soil.

Back 54

When plants and animals die, bacteria helps them decompose. Humus is formed and provides nutrients and gives soil it's dark colour.

Front 55

Define Moisture as a component in soil.

Back 55

Water dissolves nutrients in the soil and is taken up the plant through its roots. Moisture is necessary for plant survival.

Front 56

Define Air as a component in soil.

Back 56

Plants need air around their roots to breathe. Insects, such as worms that travel through soil provide air spaces as well as Humus.

Front 57

Define Deciduous Trees.

Back 57

Broad-leaved trees that shed their leaves annually in the fall.

Front 58

Define Coniferous Trees.

Back 58

Trees with cones and often needle-like leaves; evergreen.

Front 59

How do Glaciers form?

Back 59

Since Summer never comes to melt the snow, snow will accumulate and compress over many years, gaining a new layer every snowfall. Eventually, this compression of snow will lead to the forming of solid Ice.

Front 60

When is the Winter Solstice and what is it?

Back 60

The winter Solstice occurs every December 21st and it is the shortest day of the year. Note, the day it falls on can vary sometimes.

Front 61

When is the Summer Solstice and what is it?

Back 61

The Summer Solstice occurs every 21st of June, and it is the longest day of the year (sunlight). Note, the day it falls on can sometimes vary from the 21st.

Front 62

What is a Dry Air Mass?

Back 62

A large body of air that is exempt from most moisture and is hot throughout.

Front 63

What is a moist Air Mass?

Back 63

A large body of air that tends to have large amounts of moisture within it, and due to this will sometimes be a bit colder. As it passes over land it will affect that areas climate.

Front 64

How are Winds created?

Back 64

Winds are created by air moving from high pressure areas towards low pressure areas.

Front 65

What are Ocean Currents?

Back 65

The temperature of an Ocean will affect the air that passes over it. For example the North Pacific Current heats the cool, moist air that passes over it. Some examples of it would be the chilly Labrador Current, the Gulf Stream, and the North Pacific Current.

Front 66

What are Prevailing Winds?

Back 66

Prevailing Winds are well-established patterns of wind movement. The Prevailing Winds in Canada are called the Westerlies.

Front 67

What is elevation?

Back 67

If you climb to a top of a mountain, it will be colder there. This is because as the air rises it expands due to lower air pressure; and as air expands it cools.

Front 68

What is Relief?

Back 68

Relief is where the area around the slope of the mountain is very dry since the air condensed so much going up and down the mountain.

Front 69

What is Natural Vegetation?

Back 69

Vegetation grown without the added interference of Human beings.

Front 70

What is Glacial Retreat, and Glacial Advance?

Back 70

When the glacier grows through Precipitation quicker than it can melt (advance) . Or when a glacier melts quicker than it accumulates ice (retreat). Glaciers are currently retreating.

Front 71

Why are Glaciers important?

Back 71

Glaciers are important because they basically formed our land, creating valleys, water basins, and valleys when they advanced towards the equator.

Front 72

What % of the earth is covered in glaciers?

Back 72

About 10% or 15 Million Square kilometres.

Front 73

What are the three types of landforms in Canada?

Back 73

There is the shield, the Highlands, and the Lowlands.

Front 74

What landforms region is Canada's Breadbasket?

Back 74

The Interior Plains or Prairies.

Front 75

What are the three Highland Mountain Regions and where are they located?

Back 75

First is the Appalachian Mountains which are in the east around Southern Quebec and the Maritimes. Second are the Innuitian Mountains which are in the far north. And finally the Western Cordillera is in the west.

Front 76

Which landforms region covers more than half of Canada?

Back 76

The answer is the Canadian Shield.

Front 77

What landform region is Canada's oldest Highland Region?

Back 77

The Appalachian Mountains formed the longest time ago.

Front 78

What landform region has the greatest population?

Back 78

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands Region by far.

Front 79

What landform region do you live in?

Back 79

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands Region.

Front 80

How do you find average annual temperature?

Back 80

You simply find the mean of all the average temperatures of each month.

Front 81

How do you find the temperature Range?

Back 81

By finding the difference between the lowest and highest temperature.

Front 82

How do you find total annual Precipitation?

Back 82

You simply add all the amounts together.

Front 83

What is the Season of maximum Precipitation.

Back 83

Simply add all the Precipitation up for each month and find the season that quite simply had the most Precipitation.

Front 84

How to determine if it is Continental or Maritime Climate.

Back 84

Simply look out for extremities vs. Moderate temperatures; and low Precipitation vs high Precipitation.

Front 85

What is LOWERN?

Back 85

An Acronym for six factors that affect climate; Latitude, Ocean Currents, Wind/Air Masses, Elevation, Relief, and nearness to Water.

Front 86

Define Immigrate.

Back 86

To move permanently to a country other then one's native country.

Front 87

Define Emigrate.

Back 87

To leave your country of origin to live permanently in another country.

Front 88

What is Demography.

Back 88

The study of population numbers, distribution, trends, and issues.

Front 89

What is Birth Rate.

Back 89

Number of births per 1000 people.

Front 90

What is Death Rate.

Back 90

Number of deaths per 1000 people.

Front 91

What is a Natural Increase Rate.

Back 91

Difference between the birth rate and death rate of a country.

Front 92

What is Immigration Rate.

Back 92

Number of new Canadians who have immigrated here from another country per 1000 people of Canada's population.

Front 93

What is Emigration Rate.

Back 93

Number of people per 1000 population in one year who emigrate.

Front 94

What is Net Migration Rate.

Back 94

Difference between people immigrating to a country and people emigrating from the same country.

Front 95

What is Population Growth Rate.

Back 95

Measurement that combines both natural increase and net migration to calculate the overall growth of a country's population.

Front 96

What is Doubling Time.

Back 96

Doubling Time is how long it takes or would take for a country's population to double at the country's current rate of population growth.

Front 97

What is the Rule of 70.

Back 97

In demographics, a process where you divide 70 by the population growth rate to estimate Doubling Time.

Front 98

What is Dependency Load.

Back 98

Proportion of the population tat is not in the workforce, total number of people 14 and under + 65 and under.

Front 99

What is a Population Pyramid?

Back 99

A graph that depicts population distribution by age and sex.

Front 100

Define Multicultural.

Back 100

Characteristic of a society that is made up of many different cultures.

Front 101

What is a Push Factor?

Back 101

A Factor, such as war, absence of human rights, poor economic and education opportunities, religious persecution, terrorism, and natural disasters, that causes people to emigrate from their country.

Front 102

What is a Pull Factor?

Back 102

A factor that draws immigrants to a country, such as job opportunities, freedom of speech and religion, and lower taxes.

Front 103

What is an Intervening Obstacle?

Back 103

An event or factor that discourages people form migrating from one place to another.

Front 104

What is an Economic Immigrant?

Back 104

Category of Canadian immigrant that includes two groups: (a) skilled workers and (b) individuals with the ability to make a significant financial contribution through the establishment or purchase of a business or the making of an investment that makes jobs.

Front 105

What is a Family Immigrant?

Back 105

A Category of Canadian immigrant in which family members and close relatives of Canadian citizens or landed immigrants can be brought to Canada.

Front 106

What is a Refugee?

Back 106

A person who migrates to another country out of fear of cruel or inhumane treatment or even death is his or her own country.

Front 107

What is Interprovincial Migration?

Back 107

The relocation of individuals from one province to another.

Front 108

What is a Settlement Pattern?

Back 108

Distribution of homes, farms, villages, towns and cities in an area.

Front 109

What does Rural mean?

Back 109

(Places) Outside Towns and Cities.

Front 110

What is Population Distribution?

Back 110

Pattern showing where people live in an area. For example, a scattered distribution along a coastline or road.

Front 111

What is Population Density?

Back 111

Figure calculated by dividing the population of a region by the region's area.

Front 112

What is Rural Settlement?

Back 112

Permanent settlement of people in an area that is well removed from large Urban centres.

Front 113

What is a Survey System?

Back 113

Pattern of land division used in an area.

Front 114

What is Long Lot?

Back 114

Settlement Pattern in Southern Quebec and some other areas of Canada where individual lots tend to be long and narrow and extend back from major rivers and roads.

Front 115

What is a Tributary?

Back 115

A small stream or river that joins a larger stream or river.

Front 116

What is a Concession System?

Back 116

Type of Survey System used in Southern Ontario, whereby land is divided by Concession roads and side roads into squares and rectangles of varying sizes.

Front 117

What is a Section System?

Back 117

Survey System in most of the Prairie provinces with units of land 1.6km by 1.6km (1 Square Mile). When settlers first arrived, they were given a quarter-section of land to farm.

Front 118

What is a Winter-City Concept?

Back 118

Idea to build cities with inside and outside environments that are livable during long, harsh winters.

Front 119

Name four points about New Urbanization and the logic behind it.

Back 119

1. Building communities around people instead of cars.

2. Narrow Lots and smaller Houses (higher density).

3. Mixed-income Housing

4. Homes designed to look like those built 50-100 years ago.

Front 120

What is Smart Growth?

Back 120

Conservation policy intended to promote and manage growth of communities, sustain a strong economy in the region, and maintain a healthy natural environment.

Front 121

What is the Greenbelt?

Back 121

Undeveloped land protected from Urban Development surrounding a city. It contains farms, parks and natural areas.

Front 122

Name all the Vegetation Regions of Canada and where they are generally located.

Back 122

There is the Boreal & Taiga Forest region which takes up most of the Canadian Shield, except for Southern Ontario, and the Southern Continental Maritime Provinces which are all in the Mixed Forest Region. Above the Treeline is the Tundra Region. To the west of the Boreal and Taiga region, the Cordilleran Vegetation region covers most of B.C. excluding Vancouver Island and it's immediate continental Shoreline Area, which is a part of the West Coast Region. Where the Interior Plains, we have the Grasslands (Low and Short), and the Parkland region directly south of it, comprising the southern half of the Plains. Lastly at the very Southern Tip of Canada, is the Deciduous Forest Region.

Front 123

Name the types of Natural Vegetation found in a Tundra.

Back 123

Mostly shrubs, mosses, lichens, and small flowers. In these region plants must mature and bloom very quickly yo produce seeds before the onslaught that is Arctic Winter.

Front 124

What are the Temperature Characteristics of the Tundra?

Back 124

Cold, and short growing season.

Front 125

What are the Precipitation Characteristics of the Tundra?

Back 125

Very little precipitation with most areas receiving less than 400mm of Precipitation on average.

Front 126

What are the Soil Characteristics of the Tundra?

Back 126

Most soil is covered by permafrost, of which only the top meter will thaw in Summer, which causes a water logged surface in the soil, since moisture cannot move downwards. Other than the soil is very thin, and there is very little humus in the topsoil layer of the Tundra.

Front 127

What types of Natural Vegetation can be found in the Boreal & Taiga Forest Region?

Back 127

Coniferous Trees, for example white and clack spruce, pine, balsam fir, all of which lose few needles. It also has Hardy Deciduous Trees, white birch and poplar, which are located more prominently in the Southern Portion.

Front 128

What Temperature Characteristics are there in the Boreal & Taiga Forest Region?

Back 128

Cold temperatures, and short growing season.

Front 129

What Precipitation Characteristics are there in the Boreal & Taiga Forest Region?

Back 129

Wet Climate overall.

Front 130

What Soil Characteristics are there in the Boreal & Taiga Forest Region?

Back 130

Very little humus, combined with a grey coloured, shallow topsoil are found in this region. The Soil here can also sometimes be acidic, and leached, and totally infertile and unsuitable for agriculture. Lastly Rainfall and snow melt wash away any soluble minerals.

Front 131

What types of Natural Vegetation can be found in the Mixed Forest Region?

Back 131

Small shrubs along with Coniferous and Deciduous Trees.

Front 132

What Temperature Characteristics are there in the Mixed Forest Region?

Back 132

With a fairly Temperate climate, it experiences warm summers, and cool winters. However this is counteracted in the East by the harsh climate brought by the Maritime's nearness to water.

Front 133

What Precipitation Characteristics are there in the Mixed Forest Region?

Back 133

Precipitation is regular, and abundant.

Front 134

What Soil Characteristics are there in the Mixed Forest Region?

Back 134

The topsoil is rich in minerals, with a grey-brown colour, that runs considerably deep. There is a good supply of Humus as well. Lastly, lack of leaching makes this region ideal for farming and agricultural purposes.

Front 135

What is Land Use?

Back 135

How Urban, suburban, or rural land is and can be used (e.g. Parks, Housing, Industry, Commercial, Agriculture, etc.)

Front 136

What is Residential Density?

Back 136

Measure of the number of housing units per hectare.

Front 137

What is an Anchor?

Back 137

Large store, such as a department store or grocery store, that is located one at each end of the shopping mall and attracts great numbers of customers.

Front 138

What is a Big-Box Store?

Back 138

Very large store, often specializing in one kind of merchandise.

Front 139

What is Zoning?

Back 139

Laws, usually passed by city Governments, controlling the kind and amount of development in an area.

Front 140

What are Rural-Urban Fringes?

Back 140

Areas adjacent to an Urban Area where there is a mixture of Urban and Rural land uses.

Front 141

What is Urban Sprawl?

Back 141

Low density development surrounding a city.

Front 142

What is New Urbanization?

Back 142

New planning movement to combat Urban and Suburban Sprawl.