Seattle, Tampa, and San Francisco all have what in common?

• A. Rivers
• B. Bays
• C. Mountains
• D. Plains

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how a city’s location by a protective, harboring body of water shapes its development. Seattle, Tampa, and San Francisco are all associated with bays or bay-like water bodies that provide natural harbors and easy access for ships. Seattle sits on Puget Sound, a large inlet connected to the Pacific; Tampa is on Tampa Bay; and San Francisco sits on San Francisco Bay. Those bays have historically supported trade, fishing, and transportation, helping these cities grow.

Rivers, mountains, or plains aren’t the defining feature they share with these cities—each can be linked to those features in some way, but only the bays explain why these particular cities are well-known harbors and port hubs.