Spur is depicted by contour lines shaped how?

• A. U or V shaped, pointing toward high ground
• B. Concentric circles
• C. Hourglass
• D. U or V shaped, pointing away from high ground

Answer: (D)

A spur shows up on a map as contour lines that hug the edge of the rising ground and form a shallow U or V whose point faces away from the high ground. In other words, the notch or tip of the shape points down the spur toward lower ground, indicating that the terrain slopes away from the crest along the spur. This orientation distinguishes spurs from valleys (where V shapes point uphill toward higher ground where streams originate) and from simple hills (which appear as closed contour loops).