universe & solar system section 4 MCQ Questions & Answers Detailed Explanation

Answer: (c)

Earth is called the ‘Blue Planet’ due to the abundant water on its surface. This is because liquid water covers most of the surface of the planet. The Earth has the right mass, chemical composition, and location can support liquid water.

Answer: (c)

Answer: (d)

As Earth revolves around the Sun there are two moments each year when the Sun is exactly above the equator. These moments are called equinoxes which occur around March 20 or 21. The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere’s summer.

This is the northern solstice in the northern hemisphere and the southern solstice in the southern hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs sometime between June 20 and June 22 in the northern hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere.

The winter solstice (or hibernal solstice), also known as midwinter, is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year.

In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the June solstice. It occurs on 22 September in the northern hemisphere and 20 March in the southern hemisphere. The autumnal equinox occurs on September 23.

Answer: (b)

Answer: (d)

Answer: (d)

The eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Moon comes between Sun and the Earth. The Moon orbits the Earth once a month, and eclipses happen if it lines up exactly with the Earth and the Sun. Solar eclipses occur at New Moon when the Moon is between Earth and the Sun.

Lunar eclipses occur at Full Moon when Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. Eclipses do not take place every month because the orbits of the Moon and Earth are tilted at an angle. Most of the time, the line-up is not precise enough for an eclipse.