Mastery

Earth, Moon, and the Sun — Mastery

30 questions 30 min Full-chapter mastery

Q1. Rashmika, the 12-year-old at the start of Chapter 12, lives in
- A. Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu
- B. Kavalur, Tamil Nadu
- C. Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu
- D. Ooty, Tamil Nadu
Q2. Rashmika notices that the coconut tree shadows are long in the morning but shorter in the afternoon. The underlying reason is
- A. Coconut trees grow shorter during the afternoon.
- B. Shadows always shorten as the day passes.
- C. Coconut leaves block more light at noon than at sunrise.
- D. The Sun's apparent position in the sky changes as the Earth rotates from West to East.
Q3. The Sun appears to move across the sky during the day. The correct way to explain this is
- A. The Sun actually orbits the Earth once a day.
- B. The Earth is stationary and the Sun moves through space at high speed.
- C. The Sun appears to move because we view it from the Earth, which is itself rotating.
- D. The Sun moves only at sunset and sunrise.
Q4. When a torch shines on a globe from one side at a distance of about 1.5 metres, you notice that
- A. The whole globe is uniformly lit on all sides.
- B. Only the top of the globe receives light.
- C. Only the bottom of the globe is dark.
- D. Half of the globe receives light while the other half stays dark.
Q5. Like the Sun, the Moon also appears to rise in the East and set in the West because
- A. The Moon revolves around the Earth from East to West.
- B. The Moon is always closer to the eastern horizon.
- C. The Moon stops rotating in the night sky.
- D. The Earth rotates from West to East.
Q6. In Activity 12.3, a student in Pune sketches the Big Dipper at 7 pm, 9 pm and 11 pm on the same night. The orientation of the Big Dipper appears to
- A. Rotate around the Pole Star
- B. Stay exactly fixed in the sky
- C. Flip upside-down between hours
- D. Shift from North to South across the sky
Q7. The famous fifth-century treatise that records ancient Indian observations of the rotation of the Earth is
- A. Surya Siddhanta
- B. Aryabhatiya
- C. Brihat Samhita
- D. Vedanga Jyotisha
Q8. The scientist who first used a long pendulum in the mid-nineteenth century to give a simple demonstration of the Earth's rotation was
- A. Leon Foucault
- B. Galileo Galilei
- C. Christiaan Huygens
- D. Aryabhata
Q9. If viewed from the top, the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is
- A. Nearly circular
- B. An elongated oval, far from circular
- C. A square loop
- D. A spiral that gets larger every year
Q10. Why do the stars seen in the night sky after sunset gradually change over a year?
- A. Because the stars themselves move large distances every month.
- B. Because the Moon hides different stars in different months.
- C. Because the Earth revolves around the Sun continuously, so we look in different directions in different months.
- D. Because new constellations are created each year by the IAU.
Q11. The Bhil and Pawara indigenous communities of the Tapi Valley used the appearance of certain star patterns as markers for the arrival of
- A. Monsoon rain
- B. Solar eclipses
- C. Winter snowfall in the hills
- D. The longest day of the year
Q12. In June, sunrays in the Northern Hemisphere are more intense than in the Southern Hemisphere because
- A. The Northern Hemisphere is closer to the Sun than the Southern Hemisphere.
- B. The same amount of sunrays is spread over a smaller area in the Northern Hemisphere due to the spherical shape.
- C. The Sun shines brighter only over the Northern Hemisphere.
- D. The Northern Hemisphere has thinner air, allowing more sunrays to pass.
Q13. Consider the following two statements about the North Pole: I. In June, the North Pole receives sunlight for all 24 hours of the rotation. II. In December, the North Pole is in darkness for all 24 hours of the rotation. Which of the following is correct?
- A. Only I
- B. Only II
- C. Both I and II
- D. Neither I nor II
Q14. In Activity 12.4, a friend stands about 5 metres away. By closing one eye and stretching out a thumb, you are able to cover his entire head with the thumb. This shows that
- A. The apparent size of an object depends on its actual size and on its distance from you.
- B. The actual size of the thumb equals that of the friend's head.
- C. The eye is unable to see large objects from a distance.
- D. Distance does not affect what you see.
Q15. The 'diamond ring' is observed
- A. Just before the Moon enters the Earth's shadow during a lunar eclipse.
- B. When Venus transits across the Sun.
- C. Inside a planetarium dome during sky simulations.
- D. After a total solar eclipse, just when the Moon starts to move away from in front of the Sun.
Q16. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow falls on
- A. The full disc of the Moon
- B. Only the southern half of the Moon
- C. A small region of the Earth's surface
- D. A planet between the Earth and the Moon
Q17. When only part of the Moon is in the Earth's shadow and the rest of the Moon is visible, it is called a
- A. Partial lunar eclipse
- B. Total lunar eclipse
- C. Partial solar eclipse
- D. Diamond ring eclipse
Q18. In Sanskrit and many Indian languages, the phenomenon called 'eclipse' in English is known as
- A. Grahan
- B. Pradakshina
- C. Vyoma
- D. Anumana
Q19. The best-known classical Indian astronomical text that provides calculations to predict eclipses is
- A. Mahabharata
- B. Arthashastra
- C. Charaka Samhita
- D. Surya Siddhanta
Q20. The Kodaikanal Solar Observatory is operated by the
- A. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
- B. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
- C. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
- D. Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru
Q21. M.K. Vainu Bappu led efforts in setting up many instruments and telescopes in India. Two such locations mentioned in the chapter are
- A. Ooty and Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu
- B. Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu and New Delhi
- C. Mahuli in Maharashtra and Tapi Valley in Gujarat
- D. Manora Peak near Nainital and Kavalur in Tamil Nadu
Q22. A Class 7 student says, 'The Sun actually moves across the sky each day from East to West.' Which is the best teacher response?
- A. Affirm the statement; the chapter says the Sun moves East to West.
- B. Reject the statement without explanation.
- C. Ask the student to do Activity 12.1 (merry-go-round) and explain that the Sun only appears to move because the Earth rotates from West to East.
- D. Tell the student that the Sun moves only at sunrise and sunset.
Q23. Several students believe that 'seasons occur because the Earth is closer to the Sun in summer and farther in winter.' Which is the best instructional response?
- A. Confirm the belief because it sounds intuitive.
- B. Explain the small distance change and emphasise that the axial tilt and spherical shape are the actual reason, citing that the Earth is closest to the Sun in January.
- C. Ask students to memorise the dates of solstices and equinoxes only.
- D. Refer the question to a higher class without addressing it.
Q24. A Class 7 teacher is planning a field visit to a planetarium for a solar eclipse viewing event. Which approach best matches the chapter's safety guidance?
- A. Allow students to look at the Sun briefly without any protection because the eclipse weakens the Sun's light.
- B. Use sunglasses and binoculars for clear viewing.
- C. Rely entirely on the planetarium's specialised eye protection and the scientific explanation provided by the organisers, and never let students view the Sun directly.
- D. Skip the safety briefing because the planetarium's domes are dark.
Q25. The axis of rotation of the Earth is best described as
- A. An imaginary line passing through the Earth around which it rotates
- B. A physical metal rod inside the Earth
- C. The equator of the Earth
- D. The orbit of the Earth around the Sun
Q26. Why does a total solar eclipse at any one location on the Earth last only a few minutes?
- A. Because the Sun briefly stops shining.
- B. Because the air becomes cold and ends the eclipse.
- C. Because the Moon's shadow vanishes after a few minutes.
- D. Because the Earth's rotation and the Moon's orbital motion together make the Moon's shadow move across the Earth's surface.
Q27. The 'Transit of Venus' is observed as
- A. A tiny black dot passing across the bright face of the Sun.
- B. A diamond ring appearing around the Moon.
- C. Venus disappearing for a few hours in the night sky.
- D. Venus turning red during a lunar eclipse.
Q28. In Fig. 12.18 of the chapter, three circles labelled for a 'Solar eclipse' show Sun on the left. In the same arrangement, the middle and the right circle should be filled with
- A. Earth on the left as Sun, Moon in the middle, Earth on the right
- B. Sun, Sun, Sun
- C. Moon in the middle, Earth on the right
- D. Earth in the middle, Moon on the right
Q29. Rashmika's opening puzzle — why coconut tree shadows are long in the morning and short in the afternoon — is correctly resolved as follows
- A. Both the Sun and the Earth move significantly; their motion together changes shadow length.
- B. The Earth stays still while the Sun travels above it.
- C. Trees actually bend as the day progresses.
- D. The Sun only appears to change position as the Earth rotates from West to East, so the angle of sunlight on the tree changes through the day.
Q30. Match the chapter's fill-in-the-blanks (Q2 of exercises) — choose the correct triple: I. Stars rise in the _____ and set in the _____. II. Day and night are caused by the Earth's _____. III. When the Moon fully covers the Sun from our view, it is called a _____ solar eclipse.
- A. East / West; rotation; total
- B. West / East; revolution; partial
- C. North / South; rotation; annular
- D. East / West; revolution; total

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