Which of the following is a minor terrain feature?

Which of the following is a minor terrain feature?

• A. Draw
• B. Hill
• C. Saddle
• D. Cut

Answer: (A)

Minor terrain features are the smaller, less prominent landscape elements that soldiers use for concealment, cover, and route planning. They’re the little contours and channels that you can navigate around or use to your advantage, rather than the big recognizable shapes like hills or valleys. A draw fits this idea because it’s a small drainage feature: a shallow, narrow valley or gully that channels water but isn’t a large, pronounced valley. It’s a minor feature on a map— useful for understanding movement and cover, but not a dominant landmark. In contrast, a hill is a raised area that stands out as a major terrain feature, and a saddle is a low point between two ridges, both of which are larger and more prominent on the terrain. A cut is a man-made alteration—an excavated channel or trench—rather than a natural terrain feature, so it’s categorized differently from the natural minor features used in standard terrain feature classifications.

Minor terrain features are the smaller, less prominent landscape elements that soldiers use for concealment, cover, and route planning. They’re the little contours and channels that you can navigate around or use to your advantage, rather than the big recognizable shapes like hills or valleys.

A draw fits this idea because it’s a small drainage feature: a shallow, narrow valley or gully that channels water but isn’t a large, pronounced valley. It’s a minor feature on a map— useful for understanding movement and cover, but not a dominant landmark.

In contrast, a hill is a raised area that stands out as a major terrain feature, and a saddle is a low point between two ridges, both of which are larger and more prominent on the terrain. A cut is a man-made alteration—an excavated channel or trench—rather than a natural terrain feature, so it’s categorized differently from the natural minor features used in standard terrain feature classifications.