Ground that forms a natural or artificial incline upward or downward is known as a(n) ________.

Ground that forms a natural or artificial incline upward or downward is known as a(n) ________.

• A. Cross slope
• B. Grade
• C. Profile
• D. Slope

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is describing how steep the ground is in the direction you’re looking at it. Slope is the general term for an incline of the surface—natural hills or artificial embankments—that goes up or down. It covers any direction along the surface and can be expressed as a percent, a ratio, or an angle. Cross slope, by contrast, is the tilt across the width of a surface (side to side), mainly for drainage and surface control, not the overall incline along the length. A profile is a side view along a line that shows elevation changes, but it’s a drawing of the changes rather than the actual surface’s incline. Grade is often used to talk about the incline along the direction of travel, but slope is the broad, all-encompassing term that best fits “upward or downward” on the ground itself.

The main idea here is describing how steep the ground is in the direction you’re looking at it. Slope is the general term for an incline of the surface—natural hills or artificial embankments—that goes up or down. It covers any direction along the surface and can be expressed as a percent, a ratio, or an angle.

Cross slope, by contrast, is the tilt across the width of a surface (side to side), mainly for drainage and surface control, not the overall incline along the length. A profile is a side view along a line that shows elevation changes, but it’s a drawing of the changes rather than the actual surface’s incline. Grade is often used to talk about the incline along the direction of travel, but slope is the broad, all-encompassing term that best fits “upward or downward” on the ground itself.