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Solar system

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 14mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The illustration below shows how Earth spins. When Earth spins, it turns around an imaginary line called a(n)

a)

rotation

b)

axis

c)

orbit

d)

ellipse

2.

Which answer best explains why Earth receives more energy from the Sun than from any other star?

a)

The Sun is the closest star.

b)

The Sun is a very young star.

c)

The Sun is the hottest star in the galaxy.

d)

The Sun gives off more energy than any other star.

3.

For the objects with no labels, which labels best describe what the student drew in this diagram?

a)

A. Venus and Neptune

b)

B. Venus and Uranus

c)

C. Mercury's moon and Uranus

d)

D. Mercury's moon and Venus

4.

Students set up an investigation to model the apparent brightness of four different stars. They used four identical flashlights and a dark piece of poster board. They labeled the flashlights A, B, C, and D. Each flashlight had brand new batteries. The students placed the flashlights at different distances from the poster board. Then, the students turned on the flashlights and observed the circles of light that shone on the poster board. They ranked the circles of light in order from most bright to least bright. Which list is the best prediction of the order from most bright to least bright?

a)

A, D, C, B

b)

B, C, D, A

c)

A, B, D, C

d)

C, D, B, A

5.

Which choice best describes the parts of the Milky Way?

a)

A. Earth, its moon, the sun, and Jupiter

b)

B. Gas, dust, stars, and objects that orbit stars

c)

C. Asteroids, comets, objects that orbit stars, and the stars

d)

D. The inner planets, the outer planets, gas, and dust

6.

Luca claims that the patterns of stars in the sky only appear to move, but that the patterns do not change. Which piece(s) of evidence would best support this claim?

1) Observations that the patterns of stars in the sky stay the same although they appear to shift across the sky nightly.

2) Observations that different stars appear in different seasons, but the patterns of the stars remain the same.

3) Observations that some stars can be seen in every seasons

a)

1 only

b)

2 only

c)

2 and 3 only

d)

1, 2, and 3

7.

Which list shows the correct order of planets from the sun?

a)

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars

b)

Earth, Mars, Venus, Jupiter

c)

Mars, Venus, Earth, Saturn

d)

Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn

8.

Which planet is an inner planet?

a)

Uranus

b)

Venus

c)

Saturn

d)

Neptune

9.

What information in Walt's chart is in the wrong row of the table?

a)

Causes day and night

b)

Cause shadows to change

c)

Causes change in seasons

d)

Causes sunrise and sunset

10.

Which planet is the solar system’s largest rocky planet?

a)

Mars

b)

Earth

c)

Mercury

d)

Jupiter

11.

What do Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have in common?

a)

They all have rocky surfaces.

b)

They all appear to be similar to Earth.

c)

They all are gaseous planets.

d)

They all appear to be made of rock and ice.

12.

Look at the picture of the moon. What will the moon look like in approximately 14 days?

a)

New Moon

b)

1st Quarter Moon

c)

3rd Quarter Moon

d)

Full Moon

13.

Xavier observes a fully lit moon. When can he expect to see the moon look like this again?

a)

In about 12 hours

b)

In about 24 hours

c)

In about 15 days

d)

In about 30 days

14.

William observed the image of the moon below. He is curious to know what the moon looked like several nights before. Which best describes the shape of the moon that occurred before William observed the moon phase below?

a)

The moon looked exactly the same.

b)

The moon was a full moon (fully visible).

c)

The moon was more than half lit on the right side.

d)

The moon was a new moon (not visible).

15.

Karissa and Taliyah want to develop a model of how Earth moves in space. In their model, Karissa will represent Earth and Taliyah will represent the sun. Which of the following should not be part of Karissa and Taliyah’s model?

a)

A. Karissa walks in a circle around Taliyah.

b)

B. Karissa spins in circles.

c)

C. Taliyah stands still.

d)

D. Taliyah walks in a circle around Karissa

16.

The picture shows a tree and its shadow at two different times of day. Which sentence explains why the shadow changes?

a)

As Earth rotates, the Sun appears to move across the sky from East to West.

b)

As Earth rotates, the Sun does not appear to move across the sky.

c)

As the Sun rotates, the Earth appears to move across the sky from East to West.

d)

As the Sun rotates, it is higher in the sky in the morning.

17.

What causes different constellations to only be seen in certain seasons?

a)

The stars rearrange in the night sky.

b)

Earth revolves around the sun.

c)

Earth rotates on its axis.

d)

Stars are closer to Earth in the summer.

18.

Which is an object in the solar system that is a frozen mass of ice and dust?

a)

an asteroid

b)

a comet

c)

a moon

d)

a planet

19.

Luis sent a map of constellations visible in the Northern Hemisphere to his cousin in the Southern Hemisphere. His cousin said he could not use the map. Why couldn’t he?

a)

The stars on the map can only be seen in Florida.

b)

The stars on the map can only be seen in the Northern Hemisphere.

c)

There are no constellations visible from the Southern Hemisphere.

d)

The constellations change shape as you move from north to south.

20.

How long does it take Earth to move from its summer position to its winter position?

a)

about 15 days

b)

about 30 days

c)

about half a year

d)

about one year