Cut and fill contours are characterized by what display?

• A. Shown conditions on large areas around roads that define the local terrain with less than a contour interval; shown by hachures along the contour
• B. Thick black lines around rivers
• C. Dotted red lines
• D. Green hatching

Answer: (A)

Cut and fill contours show where earth has to be removed or added to shape a road alignment, so the map highlights the modified terrain around the route. The key display is the use of hachures along the contour lines, which visually indicate relief and where material has been cut from a hillside or needed to be filled to achieve the desired grade. To make this modification clear, the map often uses a contour interval smaller than usual so the changes are easy to see. This combination—area around roads showing altered terrain with hachures along contours—is what identifies cut and fill contours.

Other symbols like thick lines around rivers, dotted red lines, or green hatching don’t specifically represent earthwork or the modified terrain associated with road construction, so they don’t fit the concept as well.