How Ancient Civilizations Reacted to Eclipses

What celestial event is described as causing awe and fear in ancient civilizations?

• Comet appearance

• Solar eclipse

• Northern lights

• Meteor shower

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

In ancient China, what was believed to be the cause of a solar eclipse?

• A giant bird blocking the sun

• A battle between sun and moon

• A dragon devouring the sun

• Angry gods

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Which civilization saw solar eclipses as a sign of the sun god's displeasure?

• The Greeks

• The Egyptians

• The Incas

• The Vikings

What did people in ancient China do to scare off the beast they believed was devouring the sun during an eclipse?

• Bang drums and made loud noises

• Prayed silently

• Offered sacrifices

• Performed dances

Which philosopher is credited with beginning to replace superstitious explanations of eclipses with a physics explanation involving shadows?

• Socrates

• Plato

• Anaxagoras

• Aristotle

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Who is said to have predicted the solar eclipse that led to the end of a war between the Lydians and the Medes?

• Herodotus

• Euclid

• Thales of Miletus

• Pythagoras

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

What significant astronomical event in 1919 helped to confirm Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity?

• The appearance of Halley's Comet

• The discovery of Pluto

• Observations of a solar eclipse

• The sighting of a supernova

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

What did the Boston Red Sox's 2004 World Series win coincide with?

• A meteor shower

• A solar eclipse

• A lunar eclipse

• The passing of a comet

What is the modern understanding of what causes a solar eclipse?

• The moon passing between the Earth and the sun

• Sun flares

• Planetary alignment

• The Earth passing between the sun and the moon

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Which ancient civilization's petroglyphs in the southwestern United States are believed to possibly represent solar eclipses?

• The Mayans

• The Aztecs

• The Anasazi

• The Olmecs

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-1