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Worksheets

stem online quiz

Total questions: 58

Worksheet time: 41mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What causes seasons on the Earth?

a)

the moon and the tides

b)

the sun cycle and sunspots

c)

the tilting of the Earth's axis

d)

the distance between the Earth and the sun

2.

What is the Earth's motion around the Sun in a circular orbit called?

a)

Revolution

b)

Roll

c)

Spin

d)

Rotation

3.

What seasons do the solstices occur?

a)

Winter and spring

b)

Summer and Winter

c)

Summer and Fall

d)

Winter and Fall

4.

What is the name of the imaginary line around which the Earth spins?

a)

Axis

b)

Tilt

c)

Equator

d)

Angle

5.

What causes day and night?

a)

the sun goes around the Earth

b)

the Earth orbits the sun

c)

the moon rising causes night time

d)

the Earth rotating on its axis

6.

How many degrees is the axis of the Earth tilted?

a)

45.5 degrees

b)

90.5 degrees

c)

23.5 degrees

d)

13.5 degrees

7.

Which of the following is true about winter in the Northern Hemisphere?

a)

The Earth is farthest from the sun

b)

The South Pole is dark 24 hours per day

c)

Day and night are the same length

d)

The sun is low in the sky

8.

What would happen if Earth's axis was straight up and down instead of tilted?

a)

Life on Earth would not be possible

b)

There would be no day or night

c)

There would be no seasons

d)

Earth would be covered with ice

9.

The Equator receives ________than the Northern Hemisphere

a)

less direct light

b)

more direct light

c)

more night time

d)

sunlight of a higher temperature

10.

In December, the Norther Hemisphere ____________.

a)

has fewest hours of daylight

b)

receives the most powerful sunlight

c)

receives the most direct sunlight

d)

has the sun the highest in the sky

11.

Of the billions of stars in our galaxy, why is the Sun the only star in the galaxy that supplies energy to Earth?

a)

The Sun is the biggest star.

b)

The Sun is the hottest star.

c)

The Sun is the closest star.

d)

The Sun is the oldest star.

12.

What characteristic of stars is MOST closely related to temperature?

a)

color

b)

size

c)

density

d)

brightness

13.

Which BEST explains why stars seen in the night sky are less bright that the Sun?

a)

Other stars are producing less light.

b)

Other stars are smaller than the Sun.

c)

Other stars are facing away from Earth.

d)

Other stars are farther from Earth than the Sun.

14.

What do we call a map of the night sky?

a)

star chart

b)

star gazette

c)

telescope

d)

astrolabe

15.

If you become lost, you should follow the North Star. If you travel in the direction of the North Star, you will be moving north. What is another name for this star?

a)

Polaris

b)

Poland

c)

Pole of the North

d)

Polar

16.

Which of these statements is true concerning the Milky Way galaxy?

a)

The Sun is one star that can be found in the Milky Way galaxy.

b)

There are approximately one million stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

c)

There are nine planets in the Milky Way galaxy.

d)

Earth is located in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

17.

A student observes a glowing band across the night sky. This glowing band is MOST likely

a)

an asteroid orbiting the sun.

b)

orbiting planets in the solar system.

c)

a partial view of the Milky Way galaxy.

d)

light from stars in a distant galaxy.

18.

What can MOST likely be seen without the aid of a telescope on a clear night?

a)

Pluto

b)

asteroids

c)

moons of other planets

d)

the Milky Way galaxy

19.

Classification of galaxies is based on which characteristic?

a)

the color of the galaxy

b)

how many stars make up the galaxy

c)

the shape of the galaxy

d)

how many planets make up the galaxy

20.

Miranda found a table about some planets in her science book. Which planet has a day that is longer than its year?

a)

Venus

b)

Mercury

c)

Earth

d)

Mars

21.

Each of the planets in the solar system orbits at a different average distance from the Sun. Based on the distance from the Sun, which planet has the shortest year?

a)

Earth

b)

Mercury

c)

Neptune

d)

Saturn

22.

Emily is preparing a model of the solar system for her science class. She assembles four objects to represent Mercury, Jupiter, Earth, and the Sun. Which of the following objects would BEST represent Earth in her solar system model?

a)

Grain of Sand

b)

Small Pebble

c)

Marble

d)

Basketball

23.

Light from the Sun appears to be much brighter than the light from any other star in our galaxy. Which BEST explains why the Sun is so much brighter?

a)

It is the largest star in our galaxy.

b)

It is the closest star to Earth.

c)

It is reflecting the light of the Moon.

d)

It is the youngest star in the universe.

24.

One difference between the Moon and Earth is that the Moon

a)

revolves around a planet.

b)

has a thick atmosphere.

c)

has liquid water on the surface.

d)

is composed entirely of sedimentary rock.

25.

At night, the Moon is the brightest object in the sky. Where does the Moon's light come from?

a)

The Moon reflects light from Earth.

b)

The Moon reflects light from the Sun.

c)

The Moon makes light beneath its surface.

d)

The Moon has rocks on its surface that glow.

26.

What keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun?

a)

magnetism

b)

friction

c)

air resistance

d)

gravity

27.

Why do we see different stars in the sky at different times of the year?

a)

Earth is revolving around the Sun.

b)

The stars are revolving around the Sun.

c)

The Moon is revolving around Earth.

d)

The stars are revolving around Earth.

28.

The picture shows the position of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon on one night. What moon phase did people on Earth see on this night?

a)

new moon

b)

first quarter

c)

full moon

d)

third quarter

29.

All of these are examples of the ways Earth and the Moon interact EXCEPT

a)

the tides on Earth.

b)

seasons on Earth.

c)

the phases of the moon.

d)

lunar eclipses.

30.

A student observed the stars in the night sky every hour. Which of these MOST likely describes what the student saw?

a)

The stars changed colors as the night became darker.

b)

The stars seemed to stay exactly the same all night long.

c)

The star patterns seemed to move across the sky.

d)

The stars moved away from Earth and became dimmer.

31.

The arrows in the diagram below show how the Sun's rays hit Earth. Each part of the dashed line shows an area lit by an equal amount of sunlight. Which accurately describes the strength of the sunlight?

a)

The lights is strongest at X and weakest at Z.

b)

The light is strongest at X and weakest at Y.

c)

The light is strongest at Z and weakest at Y.

d)

The light is strongest at Z and weakest at X.

32.

The diagram shows the position of Earth when it is summer at Point 1, and winter at Point 2. Which is the BEST explanation for the difference in seasons between Point 1 and Point 2?

a)

Oceans cool the air faster at Point 2 than Point 1.

b)

Point 2 is farther from the Sun than Point 1.

c)

Point 2 receives less direct sunlight than Point 1.

d)

The atmosphere is thinner at Point 2 than at Point 1.

33.

Meagan learned that the way Earth moves around the Sun causes changes to the seasons. Which BEST explains why winter is colder than summer?

a)

The rotation of Earth causes more wind to blow in winter.

b)

Earth is farther from the Sun in winter.

c)

Earth spins faster on its axis in winter.

d)

The tilt of Earth allows less energy to be received in winter.

34.

What do we call rocky or metallic objects that orbit the Sun?

a)

Asteroids

b)

Comets

c)

Moons

d)

Planets

35.

In order from Closest to the sun what Planets are in our Solar system

a)

Mercury,Venus,Earth,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus, Neptune.

b)

Venus,Earth,Mercury,Jupiter,Earth,Neptune,Uranus,Mars

c)

Uranus,Neptune,Saturn,Jupiter,Mars,Earth,Venus,Mercury

d)

Mercury,Venus,Earth,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn,Neptune,Uranus.

36.

What is a comet

a)

Dust and ice orbiting in space.

b)

A small rocky body orbiting in space.

c)

A blown out meteroid

d)

A dwarf planet

37.

On a field trip to a science museum, Lee saw photographs of asteroids and comets that astronomers took using telescopes. What could Lee look for in the photographs to tell a comet from an asteroid?

a)

a long tail

b)

a small size

c)

a rocky surface

d)

an irregular shape

38.

Kashvi likes to look out the window at the moon. She observes that it seems to change every week. Which sentence best explains why this happens?

a)

The moon moves between Earth and the sun

b)

The moon rotates only once in about a month

c)

The same side of the moon always faces Earth

d)

The amount of the lighted part of the moon that faces Earth changes

39.

The moon looks different as it orbits Earth in different phases. One phase is called a full moon. During a full moon, the entire surface of the moon as seen from Earth is in sunlight. How are Earth, the moon, and sun arranged during a full moon?

a)

The sun is between Earth and the moon.

b)

The moon is between Earth and the sun.

c)

Earth is on the side of the moon in darkness.

d)

Earth is located between the sun and the moon.

40.

Which moon phase comes after the waning crescent?

a)

New moon

b)

First quarter

c)

Last quarter

d)

Full moon

41.

If you look up at the night sky long enough, the stars will appear to move across the sky. What is responsible for making the stars appear to move across the sky at night?

a)

Earth's revolution

b)

Earth’s rotation on its axis

c)

Earth’s position in its orbit

d)

Earth’s distance from the sun

42.

Earth revolves around the sun. Look closely at the illustration below, which shows Earth revolving around the sun. How long would it take for Earth to travel between points 4 and 2?

a)

one week

b)

one month

c)

six months

d)

twelve months

43.
Name the moon phase
a)
First Quarter
b)
Last Quarter
c)
New Moon
d)
Full Moon
44.
The cycle of the moon lasts about a _.
a)
day
b)
year
c)
week
d)
month
45.
Which of the following words describe the phases of the moon?
a)
none, quarter, half, three quarters, full
b)
new, crescent, quarter, gibbous, full
c)
dark, light, half, quarter, blue
d)
first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter
46.
Name the moon phase
a)
waning crescent
b)
first quarter
c)
waning gibbous
d)
waxing gibbous
47.
CHALLENGE
When the moon is lined up exactly between the sun and Earth, it is called a ______ ______. 
a)
Solar Eclipse
b)
Lunar Eclipse
48.
As the moon's shape appears to get smaller, we say that the moon is _.
a)
swelling
b)
waxing
c)
waning
d)
disappearing
49.
Temperatures vary over the course of the year at different locations.
a)
True
b)
False
50.
How long does it take for the Earth to rotate on its axis?
a)
36 Hours
b)
24/7 Hours
c)
24 1/4 Hours
d)
24 Hours
51.

Alpha Centauri A is a star that is larger than the Sun, yet it appears much less bright. Which of the following is the best explanation for this?

a)

Alpha Centauri A is further away from Earth than the Sun.

b)

The smaller a star the brighter it appears

c)

The older the star the brighter it appears

d)

The larger the star always appears to be brighter

52.

Which star appears the least bright from Earth?

a)

B

b)

A

c)

C

d)

D

53.

Which star is the brightest?

a)

Sirius

b)

Alderban

c)

Rigel

d)

Sun

54.
Which diagram(s) BEST represent(s) the position of the Moon during a New moon?
a)
A
b)
B
c)
C
d)
A and C
55.

Which season is taking place in the Northern Hemisphere in Position 3?

a)

Winter

b)

Spring

c)

Summer

d)

Fall

56.
What type of eclipse is this?
a)
Solar eclipse
b)
Lunar eclipse
57.
What type of eclipse is this?
a)
Solar Eclipse
b)
Lunar Eclipse
58.
This is a diagram of the moon phases Which moon phase would a lunar eclipse occur in?
a)
New Moon
b)
1st quarter
c)
Full moon
d)
3rd quarter