Beyond Earth MCQs for UPSC Prelims

105 practice questions covering Beyond Earth, organised into 0 topics. 105 questions include a written explanation. Pick a topic below, or try the samples first.

Sample questions

Q1
easy

A bright streak of light that flashes across the night sky and vanishes within a second is called

  1. A a comet
  2. B a constellation
  3. C a meteor
  4. D a planet
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - a meteor

Such a brief streak is a meteor, often called a shooting star although it is not a star at all. A comet stays visible for many nights. A planet moves so slowly against the stars that its motion cannot be seen in a second, and a constellation is a fixed pattern of stars.

Q2
hard

Assertion (A): The planets keep moving around the Sun along fixed paths instead of drifting away into space. Reason (R): The Sun's pull of gravity acts on every planet and keeps it in its path.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Both statements are true and the reason explains the assertion. The Sun is by far the heaviest body in the Solar System, and its gravity constantly pulls each planet towards it, bending the planet's motion into a closed path. Since A is true the last two choices fail, and R gives the cause of A.

Q3
easy

How many planets move around the Sun in our Solar System?

  1. A Nine
  2. B Eight
  3. C Twelve
  4. D Six
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Eight

Our Solar System has eight planets, from Mercury nearest the Sun to Neptune farthest out. The count of nine was used in older books, when Pluto was included, but Pluto is no longer counted as a planet. Six and twelve do not match the Solar System at all.

Q4
easy

The night on which the whole bright disc of the Moon is seen is called

  1. A new moon night
  2. B full moon night
  3. C crescent night
  4. D half moon night
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - full moon night

On a full moon night the entire lit half of the Moon faces us, so we see a complete bright disc. On a new moon night the Moon is not seen at all. A half lit Moon and a thin crescent are stages in between, not the fully lit disc.

Q5
hard

Assertion (A): A comet is a star that carries a long tail behind it. Reason (R): A comet is made mostly of ice and dust, and it grows a tail when it comes close to the Sun.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - A is false, but R is true

The assertion is false, because a comet is not a star; stars are enormous balls of glowing gas that shine for ages. The reason is true, since a comet is a small icy and dusty body whose material streams out as a tail near the Sun. So a false assertion goes with a true reason.

Q6
easy

The four planets nearest to the Sun are together called the

  1. A inner planets
  2. B dwarf planets
  3. C outer planets
  4. D natural satellites
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - inner planets

Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars lie closest to the Sun and are called the inner planets. The outer planets are the four that lie beyond them. A dwarf planet is a smaller body such as Pluto, and a natural satellite is a moon going round a planet.

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Other subjects

Environment & Ecology 1200 Economy 1075 Logical Reasoning 1013 Quantitative Aptitude 916 Polity & Governance 897 Geography 885 Science & Technology 830 Ancient & Medieval History 737 Art & Culture 711 Modern History 589 International Relations 582 Data Interpretation 515 Reading Comprehension 408 Number Play 317 Fractions 142 A Peek Beyond the Point 125 Light: Shadows and Reflections 120 Quadrilaterals 120 Changes Around Us: Physical and Chemical 120 Proportional Reasoning-1 120 Measurement of Length and Motion 116 Exploring Substances: Acidic, Basic, and Neutral 116 Prime Time 116 Light: Mirrors and Lenses 116 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body 115 Exploring Forces 115 Lines and Angles 115 Measurement of Time and Motion 115 Nature's Treasures 115 Parallel and Intersecting Lines 115 Pressure, Winds, Storms, and Cyclones 115 Power Play 114 The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eye 112 Working with Fractions 110 Diversity in the Living World 110 A Journey through States of Water 110 A Tale of Three Intersecting Lines 110 The Amazing World of Solutes, Solvents, and Solutions 110 Electricity: Circuits and their Components 110 How Nature Works in Harmony 110 Large Numbers Around Us 110 Nature of Matter: Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures 110 The World of Metals and Non-metals 110 Electricity: Magnetic and Heating Effects 110 We Distribute, Yet Things Multiply 110 A Square and A Cube 109 The Other Side of Zero 106 Heat Transfer in Nature 105 Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics 105 Health: The Ultimate Treasure 105 Expressions using Letter-Numbers 105 Methods of Separation in Everyday Life 105 Exploring Magnets 105 Our Home: Earth, a Unique Life Sustaining Planet 105 Life Processes in Animals 105 Life Processes in Plants 105 Patterns in Mathematics 103 Perimeter and Area 100 Particulate Nature of Matter 100 Materials Around Us 100 A Story of Numbers 100 Earth, Moon, and the Sun 100