In what way do natural levees differ from point bars?
Natural levees are found along the banks of large rivers as low, linear and parallel ridges of coarse deposits. They are quite often cut into individual mounds.
Point bars, also known as meander bars, are found on the concave side of meanders of large rivers. They are sediments deposited in a linear fashion by flowing waters along the bank.
The key differences are: (1) Natural levees occur along river banks while point bars are found on the concave side of meanders; (2) Natural levees consist of coarse deposits often cut into mounds, whereas point bars are almost uniform in profile and width and contain mixed sizes of sediments.
Explanation
The answer draws directly from the textbook description of both landforms associated with floodplains. Natural levees are characterized by their location along river banks, their linear/parallel ridge structure, and coarse deposits. Point bars are distinguished by their location on the concave side of meanders and their uniform profile with mixed sediment sizes.