Fill is depicted by contour lines that extend from what to what?

• A. From filled area to lower ground
• B. From cut line to roadbed
• C. U or V shapes
• D. Concentric circles

Answer: (A)

Contours show points at the same elevation, so they reveal how the surface rises and falls. When there’s fill, the surface is elevated above the surrounding ground. The contour lines around that filled area indicate higher elevations near the fill and then extend outward toward lower ground, showing the slope down from the raised area. That’s why this option is the best: it captures how fill sits above adjacent terrain and how the lines express that decrease in elevation away from the filled area. The other patterns describe different features—lines forming U or V shapes relate to streams or depressions, concentric circles usually indicate a hill, and a line from a cut to a roadbed isn’t about how fill is depicted on a contour map.