The configuration or shape and roughness of the ground is referred to as what cartographic term?

• A. Area Symbols
• B. Topography
• C. In the direction of the slope
• D. Contours

Answer: (B)

Understanding how the land is laid out in three dimensions—its shape, elevation, and roughness—comes from the term topography. Topography describes the terrain’s configuration, including landforms and relief, which cartographers analyze and depict on maps using features like contour lines and shading. The other terms don’t capture the overall nature of the ground: area symbols show types of land use or zones; describing a slope’s direction is about orientation rather than the whole terrain; and contours are specific lines that represent elevation changes, not the general concept of ground configuration itself.