Class 7 Science: Earth, Moon, and the Sun MCQs (NCERT)

100 practice questions on Earth, Moon, and the Sun, a chapter in the NCERT Class 7 Science textbook, organised into 4 topics. Every question includes a written explanation. Pick a topic below, or try the samples first.

Practice by topic

Sample questions

Q1
easy
The Moon is described as a non-luminous body because it
  1. A is far away from us
  2. B looks white in colour
  3. C is smaller than the Earth
  4. D has no light of its own
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - has no light of its own

Non-luminous means an object does not produce light, and the Moon only sends back the sunlight falling on it. Size, distance and colour have nothing to do with the word. A firefly is tiny and still luminous, while a huge dark rock is not.
Q2
hard
On a new moon day the Moon is high in the sky along with the Sun, yet we cannot see it. The reason is that
  1. A the Moon has moved behind the Sun for that day
  2. B the Moon stops reflecting light for one day each month
  3. C the half of the Moon lit by the Sun is turned away from the Earth
  4. D the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon at every new moon
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - the half of the Moon lit by the Sun is turned away from the Earth

The Moon is right there in the daytime sky, but the sunlit half faces away from us and the dark half faces the Earth, so there is nothing bright to see. The Moon travels around the Earth and does not go behind the Sun. The Earth's shadow points away from the Sun, so it cannot reach the Moon at new moon, and the Moon reflects light all the time.
Q3
easy
The night on which the whole of the Moon's disc is seen bright is called
  1. A a new moon night
  2. B an eclipse night
  3. C a full moon night
  4. D a half moon night
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - a full moon night

When the entire disc appears lit, the night is called a full moon night. On a new moon night no bright part is seen at all. A half moon night shows only one half of the disc lit, and an eclipse is a shadow event that happens only occasionally.
Q4
easy
The different shapes of the bright part of the Moon seen on different nights are called its
  1. A orbits
  2. B eclipses
  3. C seasons
  4. D phases
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - phases

The changing shapes are known as the phases of the Moon, and they repeat in a regular cycle. An eclipse is a rare shadow event and not a monthly change of shape. An orbit is a path, and seasons belong to the Earth's yearly journey around the Sun.
Q5
medium
In which direction does the Earth spin on its axis?
  1. A From east to west
  2. B From west to east
  3. C From south to north
  4. D From north to south
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - From west to east

The Earth turns from west to east, which is why the Sun and the stars appear to move the other way, rising in the east and setting in the west. A spin from east to west would make the Sun rise in the west. The Earth does not roll from pole to pole, so the last two directions are wrong.
Q6
easy
Looking straight at the Sun during a solar eclipse can
  1. A cause serious and lasting damage to the eyes
  2. B have no effect of any kind
  3. C improve eyesight for a few days
  4. D make the eyes water for a minute and then do no harm
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - cause serious and lasting damage to the eyes

The Sun's light is intense enough to injure the delicate inner layer of the eye, and the harm can be permanent. The danger is worse during an eclipse because the dimmed sky tempts people to keep staring. Looking at the Sun never helps eyesight, and treating it as harmless is exactly the mistake that causes injuries.

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