For a dipole the positive charge will create a hill, and the negative charge will create a valley. As the charges are moved close to one another, the potential in the region between the positive and negative charge becomes very steep.
In this steep region where the potential has a large gradient, the electric field is very strong.
For the contours, note that there is a line dividing the plane where the potential is zero. This line is equidistant from each charge.
Draw the contours and sketch in the field lines in your journal. You can check your answer using the SilverHammer program.
Go to exercise2.