100 practice questions covering Earth, Moon, and the Sun, organised into 4 topics.
100 questions include a written explanation.
Pick a topic below, or try the samples first.
The Moon is described as a non-luminous body because it
Ais far away from us
Blooks white in colour
Cis smaller than the Earth
Dhas 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
Athe Moon has moved behind the Sun for that day
Bthe Moon stops reflecting light for one day each month
Cthe half of the Moon lit by the Sun is turned away from the Earth
Dthe 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
Aa new moon night
Ban eclipse night
Ca full moon night
Da 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
Aorbits
Beclipses
Cseasons
Dphases
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?
AFrom east to west
BFrom west to east
CFrom south to north
DFrom 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
Acause serious and lasting damage to the eyes
Bhave no effect of any kind
Cimprove eyesight for a few days
Dmake 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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