The Dr. Feinberg Geography Challenge
Study Guide
Kindergarten and Grade 1
Spring 2012
Mary Lee Burbank School
266 School Street
Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
U.S.A.
Dr. Tricia Clifford, Principal
Parents: Please review this with your child.
Mary Lee Burbank School
266 School Street
Belmont, MA 02478
April 2012
Dear Burbank Kindergarten and Grade 1 Students:
The Dr. Feinberg Geography Challenge for the Junior Division (Students in Kindergarten and
Grades 1 and 2) will take place on the morning of Tuesday, May 8, 2012 from 9:00-10:00A.M.
in the school cafeteria. Your parents or guardians, grandparents and special friends or neighbors
are welcome to attend the Challenge.
All of the questions and answers for the Challenge are found in this book. At the Challenge your
team will be asked a few of the questions in each section of the guide. We encourage you to
study the questions both alone and with your teammates. All questions will be directed to your
team, not to you as an individual. Don’t forget to coordinate with your team on a theme or
color to wear the day of the Challenge.
The purpose of the Challenge is to learn and have fun. You may find that some of the questions
are easiest to learn by using a map or atlas to find locations and features. If you are able to
understand how locations relate to one another, you may be able to avoid simply memorizing
some of the answers, and you may be better able to remember what you have learned even after
the Challenge is over.
Congratulations to all of you who have decided to participate in the Challenge this year! If you
have any questions, please contact Dr. Clifford, or one of the committee chairs, Jacqueline
Kaiser (617) 484-5995, Julia Coelho (617) 489-7786 and Jamie Shea (617) 932-1766.
Good luck!
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Kaiser, Julia Coelho and Jamie Shea
Chairs, The Dr. Feinberg Geography Challenge Committee
Dr. Feinberg Geography Challenge 2012
Kindergarten and First Grade Questions
The World
1. Q:
A:
About how many people live on Earth?
Seven billion
2. Q: How many countries are there in the World?
A: 196
3. Q:
A:
What is the smallest continent in the world?
Australia
4. Q:
A:
Name the two longest rivers in the world.
The Nile River and the Amazon River
5. Q:
A:
What is the country with the largest land area in the world?
Russia
6. Q:
Which two countries have the highest populations in the world?
A: China and India
7. Q:
A:
What continent has the world’s highest mountain range?
Asia (the Himalayas)
8. Q:
A:
Name the continent that has the world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara.
Africa
9. Q:
A:
What country has the most volcanoes?
Indonesia
10. Q:
A:
What is the world’s largest ocean?
The Pacific Ocean.
11. Q:
A:
What is the lowest point (elevation) on land?
Dead Sea (1,369 feet below sea level)
The United States
12. Q:
A:
What is the smallest state in the United States?
Rhode Island
13. Q:
A:
What state has the fewest people living in it?
Wyoming
14. Q:
A:
Name two of the Great Lakes.
Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario
15. Q:
A:
Name two of the bodies of water that border the United States.
Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
16. Q:
A:
What is the name of the river that forms the border between Texas and Mexico?
Rio Grande River
17. Q:
A:
What is the only state in the United State where a polar bear might live?
Alaska
18. Q: Name the country which borders the United States to the north. It is the second largest
country in the world.
A: Canada
19. Q:
A:
What state grows the most apples?
Washington
New England and Massachusetts
20. Q:
A:
There are five states that border Massachusetts. Name any two.
Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont
21. Q:
A:
Name the two islands located off the southern coast of Cape Cod.
Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket
22. Q:
A:
What is the capital of Massachusetts?
Boston
23. Q:
A:
What is the longest river located entirely in Massachusetts?
Charles River
24. Q:
A:
What is the Massachusetts state bird?
The chickadee
25. Q:
A:
Is Vermont to the North or South of Massachusetts?
North
Belmont
26. Q:
A:
Is Belmont a city or a town?
Belmont is a town
27. Q.
A:
Which roads in Belmont cross railroad tracks?
Leonard Street, Trapelo Road and Brighton Street
28. Q.
A:
How far is it from the Burbank School to Belmont Center?
About 1 mile
29. Q:
A:
Before the Burbank School was built, what was the land used for?
farming
30. Q:
A:
Where is the last working farm in Belmont located?
On Glenn Road, less than a mile from Burbank.
Geographical Terms
31. Q:
A:
What do we call a land that is completely surrounded by water?
island
32. Q: What do we call the imaginary line that is drawn around the middle of the earth at an
equal distance from the North to the South Pole?
A: The Equator
33. Q: What do we call a geological landform in the earth’s crust though which molten lava
and gases erupt?
A: volcano
34. Q:
A:
What is the name for a sheltered area of water where ships can anchor safely?
harbor
35. Q:
A:
What is the name of a piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides?
peninsula
36. Q: What do we call a large-scale, steep-sided valley which is deeper than it is wide?
A: canyon
Bonus Question
Q: Who is Dr. Feinberg and why is the Geography Challenge named after her?
A. She was a previous Principal of the Burbank school and she started the
Geography Challenge 17 years ago.
FLAGS
The 2012 Summer Olympics will be held this summer in London, England. Identify these
flags for countries which have hosted the Summer Olympics in the past.
Australia
South Korea
Spain
Canada
China
Germany
Greece
Mexico
United Kingdom