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Midterm Exam Astronomy Grade 8

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 50mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

A measure of the force of gravity on an object is called ____________.

a)

mass

b)

weight

c)

density

d)

a pull or a push

2.

You exert force when you open and close a door.

a)

True

b)

False

3.

The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion is called (a)   .

4.

Day when the sun appears farthest north or south of the equator is called (a)   .

5.

The Southern Hemisphere receives the most sunlight of the year around June 21, on the summer solstice.

a)

True

b)

False

6.

A (a)   is a body that orbits a planet.

7.

The moon is Earth's only natural satellite.

a)

True

b)

False

8.

Which of the followings are the planets visible from Earth without a telescope?

a)

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

b)

Mercury, Venus and Mars

c)

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus

d)

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

9.

A star is mainly composed of

a)

Hydrogen and Oxygen

b)

Helium and Oxygen

c)

Hydrogen and Helium

d)

Hydrogen and Methane

10.

The streak of light produced when a small object burns up entering Earth's atmosphere.

a)

a star

b)

a comet

c)

a meteor

d)

an asteroid

11.

A cold mixture of dust and ice that gives up a long trail of light as it approaches the sun.

a)

a comet

b)

a meteor

c)

a meteoroid

d)

an asteroid

12.

A/An (a)   is a pattern or group of stars that people imagined to represent a figure, animal, or object.

13.

Most constellation names today come from the ancient Greeks, who probably took them from ________________________.

a)

the Egyptians and Romans

b)

the Babylons and Egyptians

c)

the Egyptians and Mesopotamians

d)

the Mesopotamians and Romans

14.

What is the constellation's name?

a)

Libra

b)

Pegasus

c)

Leo

d)

Cygnus

15.

What is the constellation's name?

a)

Cygnus

b)

Scorpius

c)

Virgo

d)

Cassiopeia

16.

Big Dipper is part of constellation ________________.

a)

the Pointers

b)

the Ursa Minor

c)

the Ursa Major

d)

the Great Ursa

17.

which of the following about the Big Dipper is True?

a)

The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major.

b)

The Big Dipper is also called the Great Bear.

c)

The Big Dipper is a constellation.

d)

The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Pegasus.

18.

______________ is commonly called the North Star. It is located close to the sky's North Pole.

a)

Venus

b)

Perseus

c)

Polaris

d)

Pegasus

19.

The apparent motion of objects in the sky depends on ____________________.

a)

the motions of Earth

b)

the motions of the Sun

c)

the motions of the constellations

d)

the Earth's season

20.

The planets all orbit the sun in about the same plane, they appear to move through a narrow band in the sky called _____________.

a)

axis

b)

path

c)

Zodiac

d)

constellation

21.

You can see ________________only in the evening or morning because they are closer to the sun than Earth and so they always appear close to the sun.

a)

Mercury and the moon

b)

Mercury and Mars

c)

Venus and Mars

d)

Venus and Mercury

22.

Which of the following is the brightest object in the night sky, other than the moon?

a)

Mercury

b)

Venus

c)

Mars

d)

Jupiter

23.

Tool that helps you find constellations in your location and season

a)

Zodiac

b)

Star chart

c)

Satellite

d)

Star map

24.

A planet is large enough to have been rounded by its

a)

rotation

b)

gravity

c)

moon

d)

orbit

25.

You can match constellations to your location and the season using a GPS receiver.

a)

True

b)

False

26.

Planets appear to move against the background of stars.

a)

True

b)

False

27.

Different cultures have identified the same constellations.

a)

True

b)

False

28.

The North Star is the brightest object in the night sky.

a)

True

b)

False

29.

Path of Earth as it revolves around the sun called _____________

a)

orbit

b)

axis

c)

rotation

d)

revolution

30.

Movement of Earth around the sun

a)

rotation

b)

revolution

c)

orbit

d)

season

31.

When the noon sun is directly overhead at the equator

a)

equinox

b)

solstice

c)

summer

d)

winter

32.

defines the beginning, length, and divisions of a year

a)

Earth's rotation

b)

Earth's tilted axis

c)

Calendar

d)

Time

33.

Earth is closest to the sun when it is summer in the

a)

Southern Hemisphere

b)

Northern Hemisphere

34.

Each of the two days of the year when neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun is called a(n)

a)

winter solstice

b)

summer solstice

c)

equinox

d)

rotation

35.

Earth has ____________________because its axis is tilted as it revolves around the sun.

a)

day and night

b)

seasons

c)

rotation

d)

year

36.

Earth's ______________causes day and night.

a)

revolution

b)

rotation

c)

orbit

d)

axis

37.

Earth's orbit is a slightly elongated circle, or _____________.

a)

eclipse

b)

ellipse

c)

optic

d)

rotated

38.

The _______________________occurs around March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere.

a)

autumnal equinox

b)

summer solstice

c)

vernal equinox

d)

winter solstice

39.

The amount of matter in an object

a)

mass

b)

weight

c)

force of gravity

d)

density

40.

The force of gravity decreases rapidly as distance increases.

a)

True

b)

False

41.

If the distance between two objects doubles, the force of gravity decreases to one fourth of its original value.

a)

True

b)

False

42.

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

a)

Newton's first law of motion

b)

Newton's second law of motion

c)

Newton's third law of motion

43.

Newton concluded that _________________combine to keep Earth in orbit around the sun and the moon in orbit around Earth.

a)

inertia and planetary motion

b)

gravity and motion

c)

inertia and gravity

d)

planetary gravitation and solar gravity

44.

An object with greater _________________________is more difficult to stop or start.

a)

weight

b)

motion

c)

inertia

d)

mass

45.

Earth's gravity pulls the moon inward.

a)

True

b)

False

46.

______________: a pull or a push

a)

law of universal gravitation

b)

force

c)

weight

d)

inertia

47.

_______________ states that every object in the universe attracts every other object

a)

Newton's first law of motion

b)

Law of universal gravitation

c)

Newton's law of planetary gravitation

d)

Inertia

48.

What keeps Earth from falling into the sun?

a)

Its inertia

b)

Its gravity

c)

Its mass

d)

Its orbit

49.

The ancient Egyptians created one of the first calendars.

a)

True

b)

False

50.

Earth's orbit brings the planet closest to the sun in ________________.

a)

January

b)

June

c)

September

d)

March