Esri ArcGIS Pro Associate Pro Certification Practice Exam

What is the primary characteristic of a large-scale map?

1. It covers a vast geographic area with minimal details.

2. It includes many features with few details.

3. It displays smaller geographic areas with more details.

4. It only focuses on urban areas.

The correct answer is: It displays smaller geographic areas with more details.

A large-scale map is distinguished by its representation of smaller geographic areas and the inclusion of a higher level of detail. This means that features like roads, buildings, and land use can be depicted with accuracy and clarity, allowing for more precise analysis and visualization at a local or regional scale. The relationship between scale and detail is such that as the scale becomes larger (for example, a scale of 1:10,000 is larger than 1:100,000), the area covered becomes smaller, thus enabling the map to show more intricate features and information. The other options don’t align with this fundamental concept. A large-scale map cannot cover a vast geographic area effectively while retaining minimal details, as this would imply a small-scale map. Similarly, stating that it includes many features with few details contradicts the idea of a large-scale mapping, where detail is an advantage. Lastly, focusing solely on urban areas does not define a large-scale map, as it's possible for large-scale maps to depict rural areas with equal detail. Therefore, the characteristic of detailing smaller areas while maximizing feature representation is the defining quality of large-scale maps.