Lunar Phases Concept I n v e n t o r y
This concept inventory is designed to assess your knowledge of t h e
Lunar Phases. Please choose the best answer for each question and record
it on the bubble sheet provided. Answer each question to the best of y o u r
ability. Do not mark on this concept inventory. Please return t h i s
inventory with your bubble sheet.
1 . Immediately after Sunset, you observe a Moon with the following
shape.
The Moon would:
a . be just rising.
b. be at its highest
c. be just setting
d. not see because
e . not see because
f. be anywhere in
position in the sky.
it has y e t to rise.
it has already set.
the sky.
2 . The Moon orbits around the Earth; approximately how long does it t a k e
to complete one orbit?
a. Less t h a n
b. One d a y
c. One week d. Two weeks
one d a y
e. One m o n t h
f. 6 months
g. One y e a r
h. More than o n e
year
3 . The Moon orbits around the Earth; in which direction does it orbit if
observed from a point directly above the Earth’s North Pole?
a. Clockwise
b. Counter Clockwise
c. Either Direction
4 . A New Moon occurs when no lighted portion of the moon is visible t o
an observer on Earth This occurs b e c a u s e
a . an object completely blocks the Moon.
b. the Moon is completely covered by the shadow of the Sun.
c. the Moon is completely covered by the shadow of the Earth.
d. the moon is between the Earth and the Sun.
e . Both a and d .
f. Both b and d
g. Both c and d
h . None of the a b o v e
5 . How often do New Moons occur?
a. Every d a y /
b. Once a
c. Once e v e r y
night
week
two week
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d. Once a
month
e. Once a
year
© 2004
Lunar Phases Concept I n v e n t o r y
6 . When the Moon appears to completely cover the Sun (an eclipse), t h e
Moon must appear to have which shape/ phase?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i. The moon will appear completely dark (New Moon).
j. Can be a ny shape/ p h a s e .
7 . An Australian friend observed a Moon with the following shape tonight,
What shape would the Moon have if you observed at your current location
later tonight?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i. none of the a b o v e
j. any of the a b o v e
8 . The time it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth and the time it takes t h e
Moon to complete a cycle of phases have which of the following
relationships?
a . The Moon completes its cycle of phases in much less time than i t
takes to orbit the Earth.
b. The Moon completes its cycle of phases in approximately the s a m e
time as takes to orbit the Earth.
c. The Moon completes its cycle of phases in much more time than i t
takes to orbit the Earth.
d. There is no relationship between the cycle of phases and the time i t
takes the Moon to orbit the e a r t h .
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© 2004
Lunar Phases Concept I n v e n t o r y
9 . You observe a Moon with the following shape just setting.
What time is it?
a. Dawn
b. Midway between Dawn and N o o n
c. Noon
d. Midway between Noon and Sunset
e. Sunset
f. Midway between Sunset and Midnight
g. Midnight
h. Midway between Midnight and D a w n
i. Any time of the n i g h t
j. Any time of the day or n i g h t
1 0 .Which direction do you look to observe the moon in question 9 set?
a. North
b. East
c. South
d. West
e. Any direction
1 1 .If you could look down on the Earth/ Moon/ Sun system from a point
in deep space located above the Earth’s North Pole, you could o b s e r v e
the following alignments. Which Earth-Moon–Sun geometry w ou l d
produce a full Moon?
Orbit of the M o o n
C
D
B
E
E
A
S
F
H
G
i. none of the a b o v e
j. any of the a b o v e
1 2 .You observe a Moon with the following s h a p e .
How long until the Moon looks this way again?
a. 1 d a y
b. 1week
c. 2 weeks
d. 3 weeks
later
later
later
later
e. 1
f. 6 months
g. 1 y e a r
h. None o f
month
later
later
the above
later
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© 2004
Lunar Phases Concept I n v e n t o r y
1 3 .If you were to observe the Moon in question 12, in London, England
what shape would you expect the Moon to have?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
i. none of the a b o v e
h.
j. any of the a b o v e
1 4 .As the Sun sets, you observe a Moon just rising. What direction w o u l d
you look to observe the Moon?
a. North
b. East
c. South
d. West
e. Any direction
1 5 .What shape would the Moon in question 14 have?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
i. none of the a b o v e
h.
j. any of the a b o v e
1 6 .If you could look d own on the Earth/Moon/Sun system from a point i n
space located above the Earth’s North Pole, you could observe t h e
following alignments. Which Earth-Moon–Sun geometry would p r o d u c e
a Moon with a shape shown below?
Orbit of the M o o n
C
D
B
E
E
A
S
F
H
G
i. none of the a b o v e
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j. any of the a b o v e
© 2004
Lunar Phases Concept I n v e n t o r y
1 7 .You observe the moon with the following shape and phase tonight,
At some later time, you observe the moon again and it has the following
shape and p h a s e .
How long between your two observations?
a. 1 h o u r
b. 3 h o u r s
c. 6 h o u r s
f. 1 week
g. 2 Weeks
h. 3 Weeks
d. 1/2 d a y
i. 1 m o n t h
e. One d a y
j. More t h a n
1 month
1 8 .What caused the moon to appear different in your two observations i n
question 1 7 ?
a . an object is now between the Moon and the E a r t h
b. the Moon is now covered by the shadow of the S u n
c. the Moon is now covered by the shadow of the Earth.
d. the Moon’s position relative to the Earth has c h a n g e d .
e . Both a and d .
f. Both b and d
g. Both c and d
h . None of the a b o v e
1 9 .If you could look down on the Earth/Moon/Sun system from a point i n
space located above the Earth’s North Pole, you would observe that t h e
Moon orbits around the Earth. At one point in time it is in position A,
as shown below. At some later time, the moon is now in position B.
Orbit of the M o o n
B
E
A
How much time passed between these two observations?
a. 1 h o u r
b. 3 h o u r s
c. 6 h o u r s
d. 1/2 d a y
f. 1 week
g. 2 Weeks
h. 3 Weeks
i. 1 m o n t h
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S
e. One d a y
j. More t h a n
1 month
© 2004
Lunar Phases Concept I n v e n t o r y
2 0 .Which direction did the moon travel around the Earth?
a. Clockwise
b. Counter Clockwise
c. Either Direction
2 1 .In general, how c onfident are you that your answers to this survey a r e
correct?
a . Not at all confident (just guessing)
b. Not very c o n f i d e n t
c. Not S u r e
d. Confident
e . Very Confident
2 2 .What is your college major (or current area of interest if undecided)?
a . Business
b. Education
c. Humanities, Social Science or the Arts
d. Science, Engineering, Agriculture or Architecture
e. Other
2 3 .What is your age?
a . 0-20 years o l d
b. 21-23 years o l d
c. 24-30 years o l d
d. 31 or o l d e r
e . Decline to a n s w e r
2 4 .What is your gender?
a . Female
b. Male
c. Decline to a n s w e r
2 5 .Which best describes your home community (where you attended h i g h
school)?
a . Rural
b. Small T o w n
c. S u b u r b a n
d. U r b a n
e . Not in USA
2 6 .Which best describes your ethnic background?
a. African American
b. Asian-American
c. Native American
d. Hispanic-American
e. African (not American)
f. Asian (not American)
g. White, non Hispanic
h. Multicultural
i. None of the Above
j. Decline to a n s w e r
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Lunar Phases Concept I n v e n t o r y
2 7 .What was the highest level math class you completed prior to t a k i n g
this course?
a . Algebra
b. Trigonometry
c. Geometry
d. Pre-Calculus
e . Calculus
2 8 .How good at math are you?
a . Very Poor
b. Poor
c. Average
d. Good
e . Very Good
2 9 .How good at science are you?
a . Very Poor
b. Poor
c. Average
d. Good
e . Very Good
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© 2004