rotation-of-the-earth MCQs for UPSC Prelims

25 practice questions on rotation-of-the-earth 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.

8 Easy 12 Medium 5 Hard

Sample questions

Q1
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.

Q2
hard

Suppose the Earth's axis stood perfectly upright instead of being tilted, while everything else stayed the same. Then

  1. A the Sun would never rise anywhere on the Earth
  2. B there would be no proper seasons, and day and night would be nearly equal all year
  3. C the year would become much shorter
  4. D there would be no day and night at all
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - there would be no proper seasons, and day and night would be nearly equal all year

With an upright axis, sunlight would fall on each place in the same way throughout the year, so the yearly swing between summer and winter would disappear and daylight and darkness would stay nearly equal. Day and night would continue, because they come from the spin. The length of the year depends on the orbit, which is unchanged.

Q3
easy

One complete spin of the Earth about its axis gives us

  1. A one month
  2. B one day and one night
  3. C one year
  4. D one season
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - one day and one night

As the Earth turns once, a place is carried into the sunlit half and then into the dark half, so it gets one day followed by one night. A month is roughly one cycle of the Moon's phases. A year is one trip around the Sun, and a season lasts for a few months of that trip.

Q4
medium

Together with the Earth's yearly journey around the Sun, the tilt of its axis is mainly responsible for

  1. A the tides in the sea
  2. B the seasons
  3. C the phases of the Moon
  4. D day and night
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - the seasons

Because the axis is tilted, each half of the Earth leans towards the Sun for part of the year and away from it for another part, which gives us the seasons. Day and night come from the daily spin instead. The Moon's phases depend on the Moon's own journey around the Earth, and tides are chiefly linked to the Moon's pull.

Q5
medium

Assertion (A): The axis of the Earth is tilted. Reason (R): This tilt of the axis is the reason we have day and night.

  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: C - A is true, but R is false

A is true, since the Earth's axis really is tilted. R is false, because day and night come from the Earth spinning on its axis, and they would still occur even with an upright axis. What the tilt gives us is the yearly cycle of seasons.

Q6
easy

The spinning of the Earth about its own axis is called its

  1. A rotation
  2. B revolution
  3. C orbit
  4. D eclipse
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - rotation

Spinning about its own axis is rotation, and the Earth completes one such spin in about a day. Revolution is the quite different journey the Earth makes around the Sun in a year. An orbit is the path of that journey, and an eclipse is a shadow event involving the Sun, the Earth and the Moon.

Q7
medium

Assertion (A): Day and night follow each other again and again. Reason (R): The Earth goes around the Sun once in about a year.

  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: B - Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

Both statements are true, but they describe different motions. Day and night repeat because the Earth spins on its axis about once in $24$ hours, not because of its yearly journey. If the Earth revolved but did not spin, day and night would not repeat daily, which shows that R is not the reason for A.

Q8
medium

Chintu says the Sun really travels around the Earth every day. Bina says the Earth turns and that makes the Sun seem to travel. Who is correct?

  1. A Bina, because the Earth's spin makes the Sun appear to move
  2. B Neither, because the Sun does not appear to move at all
  3. C Both, because both motions take place every day
  4. D Chintu, because we can plainly see the Sun move
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Bina, because the Earth's spin makes the Sun appear to move

The Sun's daily march across the sky is an appearance created by the spinning of the Earth beneath us. Seeing something move is not proof that it is the thing that moves, as a train journey shows. The Sun does not circle the Earth daily, and its apparent motion is easy to notice, so the last choice is wrong too.

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