IGCSE Geography Paper 4 CIE Practice Test

A ranging pole provides a bright, vertical reference that acts as a sighting target in surveying. When you need to know how steep a slope is, you place the pole at the point along the slope and use a clinometer to sight to the top of the pole. The angle you read from the clinometer gives the slope angle, and the pole helps ensure the measurement is precise by giving a clear, known target at a fixed position. It isn’t used for measuring river depth, rainfall, or wind speed, which require other instruments.