Space and Solar System Review

Students are modeling the Earth, the Sun, and their relative motions. A basketball is used to represent the Sun, and a tennis ball is used to represent Earth. In order to accurately model the cause of day and night on the Earth, the students must –

• Lift the tennis ball off the table

• Rotate the tennis ball on its axis

• Rotate the basketball on its axis

• Move the tennis ball around the basketball

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

A student placed a stick in the ground and recorded the position of its shadow throughout the day as the Sun moved through the sky. Which outline on the student’s recorded observations represents where the shadow was at 8:00 in the morning?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

The illustration below shows where the shadow of a flagpole fell at 6:00 AM, 9:00 AM and 12:00 noon on a particular day. Which point on the diagram represents where the shadow can be predicted to fall at 4:30 pm?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Saturn rotates on its axis once, approximately every 10 hours. From this information, it can be concluded that Saturn will differ from Earth in which of the following ways?

• Saturn will have more extreme seasonal temperature changes than Earth

• The length of one year on Saturn will be twice as long as on Earth

• Shadows cast on the surface of Saturn will be shorter than on Earth

• A day/night cycle on Saturn will be less than half the time of the Earth's

A new teacher is allowed to choose her new classroom. She plans to arrive at work before the sun rises each day and would still like to watch the sun rise. What direction should the window face in the classroom the teacher selects?

• North

• South

• West

• East

Which of the following statements is true?

• Earth's revolution causes the day/night cycle

• Earth takes 24 hours to revolve around the sun

• Earth rotates once every 24 hours

• The positions of other planets affect the day/night cycle

The San Jacinto Monument is 173 meters tall, but its shadow changes throughout the year.  Which of the following is the most reasonable prediction for the length of the shadow of the monument during the month of November?

• 226 meters

• 165 meters

• 85 meters

• 50 meters

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Early in the morning, the Sun appears low in the sky, but by noon, it is higher in the sky.  This is because –

• Earth has rotated on its axis

• the Sun has increased in temperature

• the Sun has turned to face the Earth

• the Earth has moved closer to the sun

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

The diagram illustrates Earth rotating, as well as how the Sun’s light illuminates Earth. According to the diagram, which point on Earth is about to experience sunset?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

A student modeled the cause of day and night on Earth using a lamp and a baseball. If one second equals one hour, how should the student model one day/night cycle on Earth?

• Turn the lamp off and on every hour for 24 hours

• Rotate the baseball once every 24 seconds

• Spin the baseball 24 times in one hour

• Move the baseball around the lamp in 24 seconds

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1