What information is shown in the legend of a topographic map?

• A. The Classes of Roads and Route Markers
• B. The Contour Interval
• C. The Scale
• D. Grid References

Answer: (A)

The legend on a topographic map is like a translator for the symbols used on the map. It tells you what each line, color, and icon represents so you can identify features at a glance. Roads have different styles and symbols to show their classes (local streets, main roads, highways, etc.) and any route markers or highway shields. The legend makes sense of these road symbols, allowing you to distinguish what you’re looking at and how important each road is for navigation.

Contour interval and scale are important map details, but they appear in different parts of the map (often in the margins or a scale bar) and serve different purposes: contour interval tells you the elevation spacing, while the scale converts map distance to real-world distance. Grid references describe the coordinate system used for locating places and are usually explained separately from the symbol legend. So the information most directly shown in the legend is the classes of roads and route markers, since these are the symbols you need to interpret the road network on the map.