- 1. Earth’s spinning on its axis is called its
A) revolution.
B) cycle.
C) rotation.
D) orbit.
- 2. Which of the following events occurs once every 24 hours?
A) The moon revolves around Earth.
B) The moon rotates on its axis.
C) Earth revolves around the sun.
D) Earth rotates on its axis.
- 3. When the south end of Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun
A) the sun is low in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere.
B) it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
C) the sun is farthest north of the equator.
D) it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
- 4. In a leap year, the number of days is
A) 365 1/4.
B) 366.
C) 365.
D) 364.
A) when day and night are equal.
B) when the sun and moon are at right angles to Earth.
C) when the sun, moon, and Earth line up.
D) only when the sun and moon are the same distance from Earth.
- 6. The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion is
A) gravity.
B) universal gravitation.
C) inertia.
D) orbital motion.
- 7. The pull of gravity on the surface of the moon is
A) one sixth that of Earth.
B) one quarter that of Earth.
C) one eightieth that of Earth.
D) six times that of Earth.
A) seas of water on the moon.
B) regions with many craters.
C) regions formed from huge lava flows.
D) lunar highlands.
- 9. The darkest part of the moon’s shadow is the
A) new moon.
B) umbra.
C) solar eclipse.
D) penumbra.
- 10. The moon’s surface gets very hot in direct sunlight because
A) one side is always turned toward the sun.
B) the moon has no liquid water to absorb the sun’s energy.
C) only some areas have crater walls to shield against sunlight.
D) the moon has no atmosphere.
- 11. The two days on which the sun is overhead at either 23.5 degrees north or south are called
A) solstices
B) equinoxes
- 12. A tide with the smallest difference between low and high tides is called a
A) spring tide
B) neap tide
- 13. The force of gravity on an object is its
A) weight
B) mass
- 14. A lunar eclipse occurs only when the moon is in this phase
A) new
B) first quarter
C) third quarter
D) full
- 15. Each of the two days of the year when neither hemisphere is tilted toward the sun is known as a(n)
A) solstices
B) equinox
- 16. In one year, Earth completes 365
A) rotations.
B) revolutions.
- 17. The day in March on which the sun is overhead at noon at the equator is called the
A) vernal solstice
B) vernal equinox
C) autumnal solstice
D) autumnal equinox
- 18. A solar eclipse occurs during a full moon when Earth is directly between the moon and the sun.
A) True
B) False
- 19. When the moon is in Earth’s umbra, you see a total lunar eclipse.
A) False
B) True
- 20. The distance between two objects and the masses of the objects determine the strength of the force of gravity.
A) False
B) True
- 21. Where in the sky would the sun appear to an observer at Position A on Earth shown in the diagram?
A) not visible
B) on the horizon
C) overhead
- 22. Where in the sky would the sun appear to an observer at Position B on Earth shown in the diagram?
A) on the horizon
B) overhead
C) not visible
- 23. Where in the sky would the sun appear to an observer at Position C on Earth shown in the diagram?
A) on the horizon
B) overhead
C) not visible
- 24. Where in the sky would the sun appear to an observer at Position D on Earth shown in the diagram?
A) overhead
B) on the horizon
C) not visible
- 25. What is the phase of the moon when it is in position E?
A) full moon
B) third quarter
C) first quarter
D) new moon
- 26. What is the phase of the moon when it is in position F?
A) full moon
B) third quarter
C) new moon
D) first quarter
- 27. What is the phase of the moon when it is in position G?
A) full moon
B) third quarter
C) first quarter
D) new moon
- 28. What is the phase of the moon when it is in position H?
A) new moon
B) first quarter
C) full moon
D) third quarter
- 29. In which two positions of the moon would Earth experience neap tides?
A) C and E
B) B and C
C) B and D
D) B and E
- 30. In which two positions of the moon would Earth experience spring tides?
A) C and E
B) B and D
C) B and E
D) B and C
- 31. Which phases of the moon would be visible during the highest spring tides?
A) First Quarter or Third Quarter
B) New or Full
- 32. Assuming the moon is at Position C, what tide would the person at point A be witnessing?
A) low
B) high
- 33. How many tides does a point on the seashore experience over the course of a day?
A) Two high tides and two low tides
B) Two high tides only
C) One high tide and one low tide
D) Two low tides only
- 34. What is the length of time between a high and low tide?
A) A little more than 24 hours
B) A little more than 6 hours
C) A little more than 18 hours
D) A little more than 12 hours
- 35. Why does the Earth experiences seasons?
A) Earth's Tilt
B) Earth's Rotation
C) Inertia
D) Gravity
- 36. What season is it in the Northern Hemisphere when the Northern Hemisphere is pointed toward the sun and the sun hits the Northern Hemisphere most directly?
A) Spring
B) Winter
C) Autumn
D) Summer
- 37. The theory that describes the events that most likely created the moon is called the
A) capture theory
B) fission theory
C) co-accretion theory
D) collision-ring theory
- 38. Astronomers can't use telescopes to study the entire surface of the moon from Earth because the back side of the moon is not visible from Earth because the back side always faces away.
A) True
B) False
- 39. It is more common to observe a solar eclipse than a lunar eclipse.
A) True
B) False
- 40. Gravity and inertia combine to keep Earth in orbit around the sun.
A) True
B) False
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