Mojave desert

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mojave-desert

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is the Mojave desert?Approximately 48,000 square miles (124,000 square kilometers)
2. What is the location?Southwestern United States, encompassing parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah
3. What is the climate?Arid to hyperarid, with extreme temperature fluctuations and very low precipitation
4. What makes the Mojave Desert so dry?The Mojave Desert stays very dry because the Sierra Nevada mountains block rain and the Colorado River creates a rain shadow, so the area gets less than 10 inches of rain each year.
5. Why do Joshua trees survive in the desert?Joshua trees keep water inside their thick, waxy trunk and have a special cuticle that stops water from escaping, which helps them survive the hot desert.

Physiographic Province: A region with distinct geological and topographical characteristics.
Rain Shadow Effect: A dry area formed on the leeward side of a mountain range that blocks precipitation.
Endemic Species: A species that is native and found only in a specific geographic area.
Diurnal Variation: The difference between the highest and lowest temperatures within a 24-hour period.