eclipses MCQs for UPSC Prelims

25 practice questions on eclipses from the Earth, Moon, and the Sun section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 25 come with a written explanation. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

7 Easy 13 Medium 5 Hard

Sample questions

Q1
easy

Looking straight at the Sun during a solar eclipse can

  1. A have no effect of any kind
  2. B improve eyesight for a few days
  3. C cause serious and lasting damage to the eyes
  4. D make the eyes water for a minute and then do no harm
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - 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.

Q2
medium

There is a full moon every month, yet a lunar eclipse is not seen every month. This is because at most full moons

  1. A the Moon passes a little above or below the Earth's shadow
  2. B the Moon lies between the Sun and the Earth
  3. C the Moon travels too fast to be caught by the shadow
  4. D the Earth casts no shadow at the time of full moon
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - the Moon passes a little above or below the Earth's shadow

The tilt of the Moon's path usually carries it clear of the Earth's shadow, so it stays fully lit. The Earth casts a shadow at all times, since it is always lit from one side. Speed is not the point, because the Moon does pass through the shadow whenever the line is right, and a Moon between the Sun and the Earth would be a new moon.

Q3
easy

During a lunar eclipse the bright Moon grows dark because

  1. A the Moon moves behind the Sun
  2. B the Sun stops shining on that side of the sky
  3. C the shadow of the Earth falls on it
  4. D the Moon switches off its own light
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - the shadow of the Earth falls on it

The Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the Moon, so the Moon enters the Earth's shadow and loses its brightness. The Moon has no light of its own to switch off. The Sun keeps shining, and the Moon travels around the Earth rather than going behind the Sun.

Q4
hard

In a certain month there is a new moon and a full moon as usual, but no eclipse of either kind takes place. This must mean that

  1. A at the new moon the Moon passed off the line to the Sun, and at the full moon it passed clear of the Earth's shadow
  2. B the Earth stopped spinning during that month
  3. C the Moon did not complete its journey around the Earth that month
  4. D clouds covered the sky for the whole of that month
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - at the new moon the Moon passed off the line to the Sun, and at the full moon it passed clear of the Earth's shadow

Both eclipses need the three bodies almost exactly in line, and the tilt of the Moon's path lets it miss the line at both positions in the same month, which is the usual state of affairs. The Moon completes its trip every month, the Earth never stops spinning, and clouds would hide an eclipse from view without preventing it.

Q5
easy

Eclipses do not take place every month because

  1. A the Moon disappears for several months in a year
  2. B the Sun does not shine during some months
  3. C the Moon's path is tilted a little, so the three bodies are rarely in an exact straight line
  4. D the Earth stops moving for part of the year
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - the Moon's path is tilted a little, so the three bodies are rarely in an exact straight line

An eclipse needs the Sun, the Earth and the Moon almost exactly in line, and the slight tilt of the Moon's path usually carries it a little above or below that line. The Moon never disappears from its path, the Sun shines all year, and the Earth never stops moving.

Q6
medium

A simple pinhole projector used to watch a solar eclipse safely works by

  1. A gathering all the sunlight onto one very bright point
  2. B reflecting the Sun off a mirror straight into the viewer's eye
  3. C letting sunlight pass through a tiny hole in one card so that a small picture of the Sun falls on a second card below
  4. D making the Sun look larger when viewed through the hole
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - letting sunlight pass through a tiny hole in one card so that a small picture of the Sun falls on a second card below

Light from the Sun travels straight through the tiny hole and forms a small upside-down picture on the lower card, which is dim enough to look at in comfort. The viewer never faces the Sun at all. Sending sunlight into the eye by mirror, or gathering it to a point, would be dangerous rather than safe.

Q7
hard

Read these statements. (i) A total lunar eclipse lasts far longer than a total solar eclipse. (ii) During a lunar eclipse the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth. (iii) A lunar eclipse takes place on a new moon night. Which statements are correct?

  1. A (ii) and (iii) only
  2. B All three
  3. C (i) and (ii) only
  4. D (i) and (iii) only
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - (i) and (ii) only

The Earth's shadow is broad, so the Moon takes an hour or more to cross it, while a total solar eclipse lasts only minutes; this makes (i) correct. Statement (ii) describes exactly what a lunar eclipse is. Statement (iii) is wrong, since a lunar eclipse can happen only at full moon.

Q8
medium

In which of these does the shadow of the Moon fall on the Earth?

  1. A A full moon night
  2. B A half moon night
  3. C A lunar eclipse
  4. D A solar eclipse
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - A solar eclipse

In a solar eclipse the Moon stands between the Sun and the Earth, so its shadow lands on a patch of the Earth's surface. In a lunar eclipse the shadow travels the other way, from the Earth onto the Moon. On ordinary full moon and half moon nights the Moon's shadow points away from the Earth entirely.

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