Seasons Pre/post-test KEY
1. What causes the angle of the sun’s rays to change during the year on
Earth?
a. the tilt of Earth’s axis
b. the sun’s slow rotation
c. Earth’s distance from the sun
d. Earth’s rotation
2. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, during which months does
autumn occur?
a. December, January, February
b. June, July, August
c. March, April, May
d. September, October, November
3. What is the difference between rotation and revolution?
a. Rotation is the way Earth spins. Revolution is how Earth moves
around the sun.
b. Revolution is the way Earth spins. Rotation is how Earth moves
around the sun.
c. Rotation is the way Earth spins. Revolution is how Earth moves
around other planets.
d. Rotation is the way Earth moves around the moon. Revolution is
how Earth moves around the sun.
4. Seasons are caused by Earth’s
a. orbit and tilted axis
b. tilted axis and size
c. orbit and distance from the sun
d. orbit and distance from the moon
5. Which of these occurs during a solar eclipse?
a. The sun’s rays shining toward Earth create a shadow on the moon.
b. The moon blocks the sun’s rays from reaching Earth.
c. The sun blocks the moon’s rays from reaching Earth.
d. The moon’s rays shining toward Earth create a shadow on the sun.
6. During the month of May, in the Northern Hemisphere, the
a. number of daylight hours slowly decreases each day.
b. Sun is lower in the sky each day at noon.
c. Sun rises and sets farther northward each day.
d. Earth gets closer to the sun.
7. Where would you be on the surface of the earth is you were in
complete darkness for twenty-four hours on December 21?
a. the South Pole
b. the Equator
c. the North Pole
d. the Tropic of Cancer
8. The gradual change in the length of your shadow over the course of
the day is caused by_________.
a. the revolution of Earth around the Sun
b. the rotation of Earth on its axis
c. the revolution of the Moon around Earth
d. The rotation of the Moon on its axis
9. Which of the following occurs when the Sun is directly above Earth’s
equator?
a. equinox
b. solstice
c. new moon
d. eclipse
10. In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day occurs on the
a. winter solstice
b. vernal equinox
c. summer solstice
d. autumnal equinox
Open-Response Question
Seasons
Donna used three flashlights shining on pieces of graph paper to model how
sunlight strikes Earth. Her model is shown below.
a. Identify the model above that shows how sunlight would never
strike Kentucky.
b. Explain why the models are good representations of how
sunlight strikes Earth.
c. What effects do differences in sunlight have on different
parts of Earth?
d. Explain why the piece of paper is a good model for Kentucky
today will not be a good model for Kentucky in six months.
Phases of the Moon
Pre/Post-test
1. Which gives the correct order of the moon’s phases?
a. full->first quarter->new->third quarter
b. first quarter->new->full->third quarter
c. new->first quarter->full->third quarter
d. first quarter->third quarter->full->new
2. How much of the moon is always reflecting light from the sun?
a. Half of the moon is reflecting sunlight only during the new moon
phase.
b. Half of the moon is reflecting sunlight only during the full moon
phase.
c. All of the moon is reflecting sunlight at all times.
d. Half of the moon is reflecting sunlight at all times.
3. Which pattern of changes takes about a month to complete?
a. day and night
b. the seasons
c. the moon’s phases
d. occurrence of eclipses
4. David looks into the sky and sees a new moon. Which phase of the
moon will he see in about two weeks?
a. crescent moon
b. first quarter moon
c. full moon
d. new moon
5. As the moon revolves around Earth, the moon
a. always keeps the same side facing Earth
b. does not rotate on its axis
c. turns its entire surface toward Earth
d. does not reflect light
Use the drawing to answer question 6.
6. Which describes the moon phase in the drawing?
a. crescent moon
b. new moon
c. full moon
d. first quarter moon
7. At which position in the moon’s orbit can all of the moon’s lighted side
be seen from Earth?
a.
b.
c.
d.
A
B
C
D
8. Which diagram below shows the relative positions of Earth, the moon
and the sun during a solar eclipse?
9. How long does it take Earth to make one full rotation on its axis?
a. 365 days
b. 24 hours
c. 30 days
d. 12 hours
Use the drawing below to answer question 10.
10.The drawing explains
a. the cycle of day and night
b. how a full moon occurs
c. how a solar eclipse occurs
d. how a lunar eclipse occurs
Open-Response Question
Phases of the Moon
Jane recorded the following shapes of the moon over several nights.
a. Describe what moon shapes Jane recorded and explain how you
can tell how many nights she observed the moon.
b. Explain what would have happened if Jane had continued to
observe the moon. Include a drawing in your explanation.
c. Draw a diagram that shows the positions of Earth, the sun and
the moon on a night when a new moon occurs.