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WorksheetsAstronomy Assessment
Total questions: 26
Worksheet time: 26mins
What would most likely happen if Earth rotated faster?
Summer would last longer.
A day would be shorter.
The Moon would orbit faster.
The year would be shorter.
A student gathered the information below on four different planets. Which planet is most likely Earth?
W
X
Y
Z
The diagram above represents Earth revolving around the Sun. Which position represents summer in the Northern Hemisphere?
A
B
C
D
A group of students drew the model above to represent the solar system. Which of the objects in the picture has a rocky surface?
A
B
C
D
Which of the following best explains why the Sun sets in the west?
Earth rotates from west to east which makes the Sun appear to move below the horizon.
Earth rotates from east to west which makes the Sun appear to move below the horizon.
The Sun revolves around Earth which makes it appear to move below the horizon.
Earth revolves around the Sun which make the Sun appear to move below the horizon.
The instrument above is used in navigation. Why is this instrument important to navigation?
Because the needle spins it can be used to measure wind speed.
Because the needle spins it can be used to predict the time of sunrise.
Because the magnetic needle always points North it can be used to find direction.
Because the magnetic needle always points North it can be used to find latitude.
A student drew the diagram below to model objects in space. Which object most likely represents a star?
A
B
C
D
The star called Polaris is also called the North Star. Navigators once used it to find directions at night because it does not seem to move. Most other stars and constellations move across the sky at night. Ursa Minor and Ursa Major seem to spin around Polaris during the night.
Why does Polaris not seem to move during the night?
Because it is fixed in the sky.
Because Ursa Minor does not move.
Because it is located directly above the North pole.
Because it revolves around the Sun with Earth.
Above is a model of the Earth and Sun system. Which of the following best explains what is happening on Earth using this model?
Daylight hours are shorter in the Southern Hemisphere.
Daylight hours are shorter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Days are cooler in the Northern Hemisphere.
Days are warmer in the Southern Hemisphere
A student observed the constellation Orion at 9 o’clock at night. She looked again at 11 o’clock and noticed that the Orion was in a different part of the sky.
Why did it seem to move?
Earth rotated and now faced a different part of the sky.
Earth revolved to a different part of the sky.
Orion revolved to a different part of Earth’s sky.
Orion rotated and faced a different part of the sky.
The picture below shows the same tree at different times of day. Picture “A” shows the shadow cast at nine o’clock in the morning. Picture “B” shows the same tree at noon.
Which of the following best explains why the shadow of the tree is different at noon?
The Sun revolves throughout the day which makes shadows smaller.
The Sun revolves until the Sun points directly at the tree at noon.
Earth rotates which makes shadows shorter throughout the day.
Earth rotates until the Sun is almost directly over the tree at noon.
A group of students drew the model of the solar system above. What letter indicates the planet closest to Earth with a mostly gaseous composition?
A
B
C
D
Above is a diagram of Earth in its motion around the Sun. Points A and B represent different constellations.
Which constellation will someone in the Northern hemisphere be able to see in the winter?
(A) because it is in the night sky above the horizon.
(B) because it is in the daytime sky above the horizon.
(A) because it is in the night sky below the horizon.
(B) because it is in the daytime sky below the horizon.
One of the instruments used in ancient times was the astrolabe.
● Astrolabes could be used to predict time using the latitude.
● Astrolabes could be used to find the latitude using the time.
● Astrolabes could be used to predict the time of sunrise and sunset.
● Astrolabes could be used to predict the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars.
Which of the claims below is best supported by this evidence?
Astrolabes were important tools for ancient farmers to help find direction.
Astrolabes were useful for ancient astronomers to help find distant galaxies.
Astrolabes were useful for navigation and exploration because they could find latitude.
Astrolabes were important tools for ancient builders to find the position of the moon.
Above is a diagram of the Moon revolving around Earth. Which position will the moon be in when we see a new moon on Earth?
1
3
5
7
A student observed the moon over several days. She drew the phase of the moon she saw during each of her observations. Her drawings are above.
What did her missing drawing on day 9 most likely look like?
The instrument above is called a sextant. It can measure the angle between the horizon and a celestial body such as the Sun.
Why is this important to navigation?
It can be used to predict time.
It can be used to determine direction.
It can be used to determine speed.
It can be used to determine latitude.
Which of the following is the best argument for the claim that telescopes are important for the study of astronomy?
Telescopes help us predict the position of the moon and stars.
Telescopes allow us to see objects in the sky that we cannot see without them.
Telescopes help us find the latitude of a location.
Telescopes help us predict the time of sunrise and sunset.
Above is a diagram of the moon orbiting Earth. What would the moon most likely look like from Earth when it is at position “M”?
A map of South Carolina that shows the location of two different cities is pictured above. Which of the following best explains which city will have the earliest sunrise?
City B will have the earliest sunrise because Earth rotates from west to east.
City B will have the earliest sunrise because Earth rotates from east to west.
City A will have the earliest sunrise because Earth rotates from west to east.
City A will have the earliest sunrise because Earth revolves from west to east.
A student measured the length of the shadow of a stick at different times of the day and graphed the results above. What best explains the length of the shadow at 8 A.M.?
The Sun is higher in the sky in the morning and casts a shorter shadow.
The Sun is higher in the sky in the morning and casts a longer shadow.
The Sun is lower in the sky in the morning and casts a shorter shadow.
The Sun is lower in the sky in the morning and casts a longer shadow.
The pictures above represent the same house at different times of day. What is the correct order for the pictures beginning in the morning?
A-B-C-D-E
C-A-D-B-E
E-B-D-A-E
C-E-B-A-D
Which of the following best explains why is it dark at night in Loris?
Earth revolves so that it faces a dark area and Loris is in the Moon’s shadow.
Earth revolves so that it faces away from the Sun and Loris is in Earth’s shadow.
Earth rotates so that is faces away from the Sun and Loris is in Earth’s shadow.
Earth rotates so that it faces away from the Sun and Loris is in the Moon’s shadow.
Which of the following best explains what happens to shadows as it gets later in the afternoon?
Shadows get shorter in the afternoon because they get shorter all day.
Shadows get longer because the Sun gets lower in the sky.
Shadows get shorter because the Sun gets higher in the sky.
Shadows get longer in the afternoon because they get longer all day.
Above is a model showing the Sun and Earth. Which of the following best explains what is happening in Myrtle Beach when Earth is in the position marked “X”?
It is summer because it is tilted away from the Sun.
It is winter because it is tilted away from the Sun.
It is winter because it is closer to the Sun.
It is summer because it is closer to the Sun.
A model of the Earth and Sun system is above. Which position in the model presents the position of Earth during the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere?
A
B
C
D
