Step 1: Picture the two layouts from above.
A compact settlement looks like a dense dot on the map with fields spreading outward from it. A dispersed settlement looks like many small dots scattered evenly across the farmland, with no single dense core.
Step 2: Explain why each pattern forms.
Flat, fertile, well-watered land lets people settle together safely and share a water source, producing the compact pattern. Rough terrain, thin soil or scattered water sources force families to spread out near whatever patch of usable land they farm, producing the dispersed pattern.
Final Answer:
The core difference is spacing: compact settlements group houses close together, dispersed settlements spread them out, usually tracking the terrain and land quality of the area.$\boxed{\text{Spacing driven by terrain and land quality}}$