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Earth's Place in the Universe

Total questions: 31

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Why do I see different constellations during the year?

a)

Earth's Rotation

b)

Sun's Rotation

c)

Earth's Revolution

d)

The tilt of Earth's Axis

2.
Which response is the BEST answer for:
If gravity was not present, which direction would the Earth move?
a)
Earth would keep revolving around the sun as normal.
b)
Earth would start to orbit around the moon.
c)
Earth would continue moving in a straight line along the path of it's velocity.
d)
Earth would stop rotating, and crash into the sun.
3.

Why does our sun appear so bright compared to other larger stars in the sky?

a)

It is a larger in size than most stars

b)

It burns hotter than most stars

c)

It is closer to Earth than other stars

4.

Which movement of the Earth would best be described as spinning?

a)

Rotation

b)

Revolution

c)

Orbit

d)

Orbit

5.

If a short shadow is cast, which of the following statements is true?

a)

It must be early morning

b)

It must be noon

c)

It must be late afternoon

6.

Earth rotates on its axis every...

a)

24 hrs

b)

once per month

c)

Once per year

7.

Why does the sun appear to move across the sky from morning to night?

a)

The sun's temperature has increased

b)

Earth has rotated on its axis

c)

The Earth has moved closer to the sun

8.

Which describes why summer days are longer?

a)

The Earth rotates slower in the Summer

b)

The sun's temperature increase in the summer

c)

The Earth is tilted towards the sun in the Summer

9.
What is gravity?
a)
a force between objects that pushes them apart
b)
a force between any two objects that pulls them together
c)
a force that causes objects to remain at rest
d)
potato salad
10.

A group of stars that forms a pattern

a)

constellation

b)

nebula

c)

supernova

d)

galaxy

11.

a huge system of stars, planets, dust, and gas held together by gravity

a)

supernova

b)

constellation

c)

black hole

d)

galaxy

12.

the imaginary line around which Earth rotates or spins

a)

axis

b)

solar system

c)

rotation

d)

revolution

13.

What causes the seasons to occur?

a)

Earth´s rotation

b)

Earth´s tilt

c)

Earth´s revolution and tilt

14.

How long does it take Earth to make one revolution around the sun?

a)

365 1/4 days

b)

12 hours

c)

24 hours

15.

The sun is a

a)

Planet

b)

Star

c)

Satellite

16.

True or false? The Sun is the brightest star.

a)

True

b)

False

17.

If two stars have the same actual brightness, why might one of them appear dimmer to us?

a)

The dimmer star is probably older.

b)

The dimmer star is further away.

c)

The dimmer star is closer to us.

d)

The brighter star has a longer lifespan.

18.

Mrs. Saverse's class performs an experiment to study the brightness of stars based on their distance away from Earth. Hunter holds his flashlight close to the board. Caris holds her flashlight far away from the board. Whose flashlight would appear the brightest?

a)

Hunter's, because the closer a star is to Earth the brighter it will appear.

b)

Hunter's, because the closer a star is to Earth the dimmer it will appear.

c)

Caris's, because the further a star is to Earth the brighter it will appear.

d)

Caris's, because the further a star is to Earth the dimmer it will appear.

19.

Besides the Sun, why do other stars appear to only be tiny specks of light?

a)

The other stars are not the same color as the Sun.

b)

The other stars are not as hot as the Sun.

c)

The other stars are not as close as the Sun.

d)

The other stars are not as large as the Sun.

20.

The Sun rises in the ___.

a)

North

b)

South

c)

East

d)

West

21.

The Sun sets in the ____.

a)

North

b)

South

c)

East

d)

West

22.

The Earth rotates counterclockwise, which causes the Sun to rise in the east and set in the west. What would happen to the location of the sunrise and sunset if the Earth began to to spin the opposite direction (clockwise)?

a)

The sunrise and sunset would switch positions: It would rise in the west and set in the east.

b)

There would only ever be sunrise, and never a sunset.

c)

There would only ever be sunset, and never a sunrise.

d)

Nothing would change.

23.

When the Sun appears to be low in the sky, shadows are ___.

a)

the longest

b)

the shortest

24.

When the Sun appears to be high in the sky, shadows are ___.

a)

the longest

b)

the shortest

25.

In which season does the Sun appear to be the highest in the sky?

a)

Spring

b)

Summer

c)

Fall/Autumn

d)

Winter

26.

Which season is represented by path #3?

a)

Spring

b)

Summer

c)

Fall/Autumn

d)

Winter

27.

Which season is represented by path #1?

a)

Spring

b)

Summer

c)

Fall/Autumn

d)

Winter

28.

At what time of day (no matter the season) are shadows the shortest?

a)

12:00 AM (midnight)

b)

6:00 AM

c)

12:00 PM (midday/noon)

d)

6:00 PM

29.

True or false? There are more daylight hours in the summer months than in the winter months.

a)

True

b)

False

30.

In Ancient times, people used sundials or "shadow clocks" to tell the time. Why might this be difficult to do on a cloudy day?

a)

It would not be difficult. It would work just fine.

b)

It would be difficult because the clouds would block the sun and there would not be good shadows.

c)

It would be difficult because people would not want to go outside to read the sundial on a cloudy day.

d)

It would be difficult because shadows stay still when there are clouds.

31.

Would a sundial or a "shadow clock" still work if the Earth stopped spinning? Why or why not?

a)

Yes, because the Earth doesn't need to spin for a shadow clock to work.

b)

Yes, because the Sun moves around the Earth.

c)

No, because the Earth has to be spinning in order for the Sun to cast shadows that will move on the shadow clock.

d)

No, because everything would be completely still until the Earth started spinning again.