Hard

Earth, Moon, and the Sun — Hard

15 questions 18 min PYQ-grade reasoning

Q1. Assertion (A): Seasons on the Earth occur because the orbit is oval, so the Earth is at different distances from the Sun in different months. Reason (R): The Earth is closest to the Sun in January. Choose the correct option
- A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
- B. Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
- C. A is false, R is true.
- D. Both A and R are false.
Q2. Consider the following statements about why seasons occur on the Earth: I. When the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, that hemisphere is significantly closer to the Sun, which is the main reason for its summer. II. The tilt of the Earth's axis along with its spherical shape causes seasons. III. The Earth is closest to the Sun in January. Which of the above is/are correct?
- A. I and II only
- B. II and III only
- C. I and III only
- D. All three
Q3. Consider the statement: 'Sunrise happens earlier in Gujarat than in Jharkhand.' Which of the following correctly evaluates this statement?
- A. True — Gujarat is on the western side of India and sunrise begins on that side first.
- B. True — Gujarat is closer to the equator than Jharkhand.
- C. False — Jharkhand lies east of Gujarat in India, and the Earth's West-to-East rotation makes sunrise occur first in eastern parts.
- D. True only on the equinox days, false otherwise.
Q4. Consider the statement: 'In Chennai, the longest day occurs on the summer solstice.' Which of the following is the most accurate evaluation?
- A. False — Chennai lies in the Southern Hemisphere, where the longest day is on 22 December.
- B. True — Chennai lies in the Northern Hemisphere, so its longest day in the year is around the summer solstice (21 June).
- C. False — Days in Chennai are exactly 12 hours throughout the year.
- D. True only when there is a solar eclipse on 21 June.
Q5. At the North Pole, the Sun rises on the equinox day around 21 March and remains continuously in the sky for about how long before it sets?
- A. 12 hours
- B. 24 hours
- C. Six months
- D. One year
Q6. Four friends used the following ways to observe a solar eclipse. Who among them was being careless? I. Ravikiran used a solar-eclipse goggle. II. Jyothi used a mirror to project the Sun's image onto a screen. III. Adithya watched the Sun directly with his eyes. IV. Aruna attended a programme arranged by a planetarium.
- A. Only I
- B. Only II
- C. Only III
- D. Only IV
Q7. A lunar eclipse can be seen from a large part of the Earth when it happens, but a total solar eclipse can be seen by only a small part of the Earth. The best explanation is
- A. Lunar eclipses last longer than 24 hours, while solar eclipses last only a few minutes.
- B. The Moon emits its own light during a lunar eclipse, so it is visible everywhere.
- C. Solar eclipses can only be seen from the equator.
- D. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow on the Moon is visible to everyone on the night side; during a total solar eclipse, the Moon's small shadow falls on only a small region of the Earth.
Q8. Why do Mercury and Venus not produce a solar eclipse even though they orbit between the Sun and the Earth?
- A. They are much farther from the Earth than the Moon is, so their apparent sizes are too small to block the Sun.
- B. They are too small in actual size compared to the Earth.
- C. They produce their own light, so the Sun is not blocked.
- D. They orbit in a plane completely different from the Earth's.
Q9. Consider the statement: 'A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun comes between the Earth and the Moon.' Which evaluation is correct?
- A. True, as printed in the chapter.
- B. True only when the Earth's axis is not tilted.
- C. True for total lunar eclipse, false for partial lunar eclipse.
- D. False — a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.
Q10. If the Earth's axis of rotation were not tilted with respect to the axis of revolution, what would be the effect on seasons?
- A. Seasons would be more extreme than today.
- B. Only one hemisphere would have seasons, the other would not.
- C. Seasons would still occur, but only in the polar regions.
- D. There would essentially be no seasons; sunlight would fall on each hemisphere in the same way throughout the year.
Q11. Padmashree saw Orion nearly overhead at 8 pm yesterday. Today, when can she expect to see Orion nearly overhead?
- A. Around the same 8 pm; Earth's rotation does not change this.
- B. Exactly twelve hours later at 8 am.
- C. Exactly six months later in the year.
- D. A few minutes before 8 pm; over the year, a star rises slightly earlier each day because of the Earth's revolution.
Q12. Nandhini saw a group of stars rising at midnight on 21 June. When will she see the same group of stars rising at midnight?
- A. On 21 December the same year.
- B. Around 21 June the next year.
- C. Every midnight thereafter, because stars do not change position.
- D. Never again, because stars only appear once.
Q13. The Indian cricket team's matches in Australia are often held in December. What kind of clothes should the team pack for the trip?
- A. Heavy winter clothes, because December is winter everywhere.
- B. Monsoon raincoats, because December is monsoon in Australia.
- C. Any clothes — climate is the same on both sides of the equator.
- D. Summer clothes, because Australia lies in the Southern Hemisphere and December is summer there.
Q14. Consider the following statements about solar eclipses: I. In the area where the Moon's shadow falls completely, observers see a total solar eclipse. II. In areas where the Moon only partially blocks the Sun, observers see a partial solar eclipse. III. A total solar eclipse can last for several hours at one location. Which is/are correct?
- A. I and II only
- B. II and III only
- C. I and III only
- D. All three
Q15. An astrophotographer in Mahuli (Maharashtra) takes a long-exposure photograph of the night sky. The star trails appear as arcs of circles centred close to a particular point. That point lies very near to
- A. Sirius
- B. The Sun's apparent path
- C. The Pole Star
- D. Orion's middle belt star

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