Earth continuously rotates on its axis while also moving in an orbit. About how much time does it take for Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis?

• 24 hours
• 30 days
• 60 minutes
• 365 days

A student drew the following pictures to show the day-night cycle of Earth. Based on the pictures, how many hours should the student record on the nighttime picture to complete a day-night cycle?

• 11 hours
• 12 hours
• 13 hours
• 24 hours

The diagram shows the shadow of a tree in a field at noon on a summer day. The sun rises at 7:00 A.M. on this day. Which diagram best shows the shadow of the tree at 10:00 A.M. on the same day?

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A teacher asks students to explain what they see in this picture. Four student explanations are shown below: Student 1: The sun will set in less than 6 hours. Student 2: The sun will reach the east horizon in less than 10 hours. Student 3: The picture shows early morning. Student 4: The picture shows the location of the sun at noon. Which of the students gave a correct explanation?

• Student 1 only
• Students 2 and 4 only
• Student 2 only
• Students 1 and 3 only

Which of these best explains why the sun appears to move across the sky each day?

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A student builds a model of the solar system that includes a sphere representing Earth. The sphere turns in a full circle on its axis. By using a model of Earth that spins on its axis, the student can best demonstrate —

• the cycle of the four seasons
• the aging of a star
• the passing of a year
• the cycle of day and night

A student draws a model showing the movements of Earth, the moon, and the sun. Which arrow shows the movement that causes day and night on Earth?

• Arrow 1, because it shows the rotation of the sun
• Arrow 2, because it shows the orbit of Earth around the sun
• Arrow 3, because it shows the orbit of the moon around Earth
• Arrow 4, because it shows the rotation of Earth

A student draws diagrams of her house and the location of the sun in the sky. Which diagram below does not correctly represent the location of the sun at the time indicated?

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A student is looking for evidence that Earth is always rotating on its axis. Which of the following would provide the best evidence?

• The different amount of rain that falls each day
• The appearance of shadows changing throughout the day
• The presence of other planets in the night sky
• The different phases of the moon in a month

Some students used a globe to model the rotation of Earth. They shaded in Texas on the globe, as shown below. They rotated the globe and observed that Texas was inexactly the same place after each rotation. The students could rotate the globe quickly or slowly. If the globe could rotate only at the rate that Earth actually rotates, about how long would each complete rotation take?

• 30 days
• 60 minutes
• 24 hours
• 365 days