The state of Ohio lies above the Ohio River in the upper left. From the redness in the greater Chicago area and the dominance of fallow fields in Illinois beyond, this is likely a Fall image. In fact, it was taken in October. The towns are Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, and Greeley. The brown color in the mountains results from the high percentage of evergreens in the foliage.
Snow is everywhere including the highest elevations in the Rockies.
The lakes are frozen and snow-covered. Both the snow and the low Sun angle emphasize drainage. Unless you are a geologist, or remember this from a college course in Geology, you probably could not answer the question. However, the main ideas are briefly put together in the text. Still, you may not have made the connection.