wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

How Big is Big? how Far is Far? PT2

Total questions: 40

Worksheet time: 3hrs 57mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the purpose of using models in space science?

a)

To make objects appear larger

b)

To compare distances and sizes

c)

To change the color of stars

d)

To increase the speed of light

2.

If Earth were the size of a marble, how far would the Moon be in this model?

a)

One foot away

b)

One mile away

c)

One inch away

d)

One hundred feet away

3.

What is a light-year?

a)

The distance light travels in one year

b)

The time it takes for the Earth to orbit the Sun

c)

The distance between the Earth and the Moon

d)

The time it takes for light to reach the Moon

4.

Why do scientists use light-years instead of miles or kilometers?

a)

To make distances seem shorter

b)

To better describe the huge scale of the universe

c)

To measure the speed of light

d)

To calculate the age of stars

5.

What would Mars be if Earth were a marble in the solar system model?

a)

A basketball

b)

A marble

c)

A pea

d)

A beach ball

6.

Why do scientists create models of space objects?

a)

To replace actual distances with smaller numbers that are easier to memorize

b)

To provide a physical way to compare sizes and distances that are otherwise hard to imagine

c)

To avoid using more precise units like miles or kilometers

d)

To make planets and stars look more realistic than they do in space

7.

In the model, Earth is a marble, the Moon is a pea, and the Sun is a beach ball. What does this comparison mainly show?

a)

The Sun’s size is much greater than Earth and the Moon, but the distance also makes it seem smaller in the sky

b)

The Sun is made of different material than Earth or the Moon, so it appears brighter

c)

Earth and the Moon orbit the Sun together, so they must be placed close to each other in the model

d)

The Moon is closer to Earth than the Sun is, which makes eclipses possible

8.

The passage explains the idea of scale. Which example BEST shows scale being used correctly?

a)

Saying the Moon weighs less than the Earth

b)

Drawing Earth larger than the Sun to make it easier to see details

c)

Shrinking both Earth and the Sun to smaller objects but keeping their distances proportional

d)

Measuring the Sun’s diameter directly in miles instead of light-years

9.

Why is the space between Earth and Mars described as mostly “empty”?

a)

Because Mars is made of lighter material than Earth

b)

Because even though the planets are large, the distance separating them is much greater than their sizes

c)

Because telescopes cannot detect any objects between the planets

d)

Because stars are located far beyond the orbit of Mars

10.

Which detail from the passage BEST emphasizes how far away other stars are?

a)

The Moon, in the model, is only one foot from Earth

b)

Proxima Centauri, in the model, would be placed thousands of miles away

c)

The Sun, in the model, is about the size of a beach ball

d)

Mars, in the model, is also a marble but much farther away from Earth

11.

If a scientist wanted to help students imagine the distance to another galaxy, which strategy would be MOST similar to the models in the passage?

a)

Showing students a picture of the Milky Way taken by a telescope

b)

Using marbles and beach balls to shrink galaxies to a smaller but proportional scale

c)

Explaining how long it would take to drive a spaceship to the galaxy using miles

d)

Measuring the stars in the galaxy with a ruler to compare their sizes

12.

What is the MAIN function of comparisons in this passage?

a)

To show that planets and stars are made of the same materials as objects on Earth

b)

To make distances and sizes more understandable by connecting them to everyday objects

c)

To prove that models are more accurate than direct measurements

d)

To explain how scientists discovered the true distances between Earth, the Moon, and the Sun

13.

Which statement BEST expresses the central idea of the passage?

a)

Space is filled with stars, planets, and galaxies that humans can study

b)

Scientists use units like miles and kilometers to measure the solar system

c)

Models and scales are necessary to understand the enormous sizes and distances in the universe

d)

Earth is a small planet in space, but it is still unique compared to other objects

14.

Why does the author end the passage by comparing Earth to a marble floating in space?

a)

To highlight Earth’s shape, which is round like a marble

b)

To remind readers that Earth is small when compared to the vast scale of the universe

c)

To show that Earth’s oceans cover most of its surface, giving it a smooth, marble-like look

d)

To explain why Earth looks smaller than the Sun and the Moon during an eclipse

15.

Page 3:

The beluga whale weighs more than 2,000 pounds?

a)

True

b)

False

16.

Page 4:

The blue whale is the smallest animal that ever lived on Earth.

a)

True

b)

False

17.

Page 5:

How do astronauts travel once they're on the moon?

a)

airplane

b)

train

c)

rover

d)

satellite

18.

Pages 6-7:

The Earth is smaller than the moon, blue whale, a house, a city, or even a whole country.

a)

True

b)

False

19.

Page 8:


What is the diameter of Earth?

a)

12,100

b)

12,760

c)

49,530

d)

51,120

20.

Pages 10-11:

The sun is the biggest object in our solar system.

a)

True

b)

False

21.

Page 12:

Which Star is missing based on diameter (smallest to largest) in Kilometers?

Proxima Centauri, sun, ___________, Arcturus

a)

Betelgeuse

b)

Debeb

c)

Polaris

d)

Sirius

22.

Page 15:


How long would it take a car to travel from Earth to the sun without stopping?

a)

140 years

b)

150 years

c)

160 years

d)

170 years

23.

Pages 16-17:

Which planet is more than 4 billion kilometers from the sun?

a)

Jupiter

b)

Uranus

c)

Saturn

d)

Neptune

24.

Page 19:

How many light years is Arcturus from the Earth?

a)

37

b)

433

c)

3,230

d)

643

25.

How many miles is it to walk all the way around the moon?

a)

4,000

b)

5,000

c)

6,000

d)

7,000

26.

True or False?

There are about 150 countries on Earth.

a)

True

b)

False

27.

Which planet is about the same size as Earth?

a)

Mercury

b)

Venus

c)

Mars

d)

Neptune

28.

How many Earths wide is Jupiter?

a)

9

b)

10

c)

11

d)

12

29.

True or False?

Our Sun is one of the three largest stars in the universe.

a)

True

b)

False

30.

Which star mentioned in the book is the largest?

a)

Deneb

b)

Arcturus

c)

Betelgeuse

d)

Polaris

31.

How long would it take to drive to the Sun from Earth without stopping?

a)

100 years

b)

80 years

c)

220 years

d)

160 years

32.

Which three stars are in Orion's belt?

a)

Alnitak, Betelgeuse, Polaris

b)

Mintaka, Deneb, Alnilam

c)

Alnitak, Alnilam, Arcturus

d)

Mintaka, Alnitak, Alnilam

33.

Which word means, "the distance across a sphere or circle"?

a)

radius

b)

light-year

c)

diameter

d)

diagram

34.
Which planet is the largest?
a)
Jupiter
b)
Saturn
c)
Uranus
d)
Neptune
35.
Question Image

Match the following

a)
1.

Earth

b)
2.

Mars

c)
3.

Saturn

d)
4.

Jupiter

e)
5.

Sun

36.

Label the four Jovian planets, also known as gas giants or ice giants.

37.

Place the planet names in the correct spot.

38.

Identify and fill in the names of the planets.

39.

Correctly label this picture.

40.

Which statement correctly describes a star?

a)

A sphere of dust and gases that contains many elements and produces light from fusion and fission reactions

b)

A collection of gases from several nebulae hot enough to cause a nuclear reaction

c)

A sphere of matter with a density and a temperature great enough to cause a nuclear reaction at its center

d)

A collection of hot gases that forms a sphere but produces no light