Grade 7 Earth Moon Sun

Name Class Date
Test: Motions of Earth, the Sun & the Moon

Interpreting Diagrams Use the diagram to answer the questions.
1. What Earth movement is shown by the arrow labeled A? ______________________________________
2. What is the line labeled B called? ____________________________________________________________
3. What is represented by the line labeled C? ___________________________________________________
4. What is the name for Earth’s movement in its orbit? ___________________________________________
5. How long will it take Earth to move through one cycle from point D to point D? _________________
6. At what date will Earth reach point F? _______________________________________________________
7. What is the season in the United States when Earth is at point E? _______________________________
8. At what point on this diagram will Earth be closest to the Sun? _________________________________
9. What season will occur in the United States when Earth is closest to the Sun? ____________________
10. When Earth is at point F, does the Northern Hemisphere receive direct or slanted rays from the
Sun? _____________________________________________________________________________________
Multiple Choice Write the letter of the term or phrase that best completes
each statement.
__________ 1. Day and night are caused by Earth’s

a. revolution. b. rotation. c. shape. d. equator.
__________ 2. Earth’s axis is tilted so that it points toward

a. the Sun. b. the Moon. c. Polaris. d. Canada.
__________ 3. When the Northern Hemisphere is having winter, the Southern Hemisphere is having
a. winter. b. spring. c. summer. d. autumn.
__________ 4. The term equinox means

a. equal day. b. equal night. c. equal year. d. leap year.
Concepts and Challenges in Earth Science, Teacher’s Resources CD-ROM

(c) by Pearson Education, Inc./Globe Fearon/Pearson Learning Group. All rights reserved.
Name Class Date
Test: Motions of Earth, the Sun & the Moon (continued)

__________ 5. When the Sun is highest in the sky, the time of day is
a. midnight. b. evening. c. morning. d. solar noon.
__________ 6. As you move eastward from one time zone to the next, you set your watch
a. back one hour. b. ahead one hour. c. back one day. d. ahead one day.
__________ 7. The amount of time it takes the Moon to make one complete rotation and revolution is
a. 24 hours. b. 31 days. c. 1 year. d. 27 1/3 days.
__________ 8. Earth rotates on its axis from

a. north to south. b. south to north. c. west to east. d. east to west.
__________ 9. The point in the Moon’s orbit in which it is farthest from Earth is
a. apogee. b. perigee. c. aphelion. d. perihelion.
__________ 10. When more than half of the Moon is visible from Earth, the Moon is in its
a. crescent phase. b. new Moon phase. c. full Moon phase. d. gibbous phase.
__________ 11. When the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth,
a. a lunar eclipse occurs. b. a solar eclipse occurs.
c. an Earth eclipse occurs. d. high tide occurs.
__________ 12. Earth rotates once on its axis every

a. hour. b. 27 1/2 days. c. 24 hours. d. 12 months.
__________ 13. Earth’s orbit is shaped like

a. a tilt. b. a sphere. c. a perfect circle. d. an oval.
__________ 14. Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of

a. Earth. b. Polaris. c. the Sun and the Moon. d. Earth’s axis.
__________ 15. A higher than usual tide is a

a. spring tide. b. neap tide. c. high tide. d. water tide.
__________ 16. When the visible part of the Moon is increasing, it is in its
a. apogee phase. b. perigee phase. c. waxing phase. d. waning phase.
__________ 17. A lunar eclipse can occur only during

a. the full-Moon phase. b. the new-Moon phase.
c. the waxing phase. d. the waning phase.
__________ 18. The dark part of a shadow is the

a. penumbra. b. crescent. c. orbit. d. umbra.
__________ 19. During a solar eclipse, scientists can study the Sun’s
a. orbit. b. corona. c. umbra. d. perihelion.
__________ 20. On Earth, people see a total solar eclipse if they are in the
a. Sun’s umbra. b. Moon’s umbra. c. Sun’s penumbra. d. Moon’s penumbra.

Name Class Date
Test: Motions of Earth, the Sun & the Moon (continued)

Written Response Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
21. ANALYZE: Why do the northern and southern parts of Earth have contrasting winter and summer,
while areas close to the equator do not? _______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
22. INFER: Why are the first day of summer and the first day of winter called solstices, or “Sun stops?”
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key
Test: Motions of Earth, the Sun & the Moon
Interpreting Diagrams
1. rotation 2. an axis 3. Earth’s orbit 4. revolution
5. 1 year or 364 1/4 days 6. June 21 7. autumn
8. point D 9. winter 10. direct
Multiple Choice
1. b 2. c 3. c 4. b 5. d 6. b 7. d 8. c 9. a 10. d
11. b 12. c 13. d 14. c 15. a 16. c 17. a 18. d
19. b 20. b
Written Response
21. Earth’s tilt causes the Sun’s rays to strike Earth’s
northern and southern parts unequally, depending
on the Earth’s position in its orbit. Areas close to the
equator receive fairly direct rays from the Sun all
year round.
22. They are called solstices, or “Sun stops,” because
as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the
sky, it seems to stop before it changes direction.

(c) by Pearson Education, Inc./Globe Fearon/Pearson Learning Group. All rights reserved. The Motions of Earth, the Sun, and the Moon

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Name Class Date

Test: Motions of Earth, the Sun & the Moon

1. What Earth movement is shown by the arrow labeled A? ______________________________________

2. What is the line labeled B called? ____________________________________________________________

3. What is represented by the line labeled C? ___________________________________________________

4. What is the name for Earth’s movement in its orbit? ___________________________________________

6. At what date will Earth reach point F? _______________________________________________________

__________ 1. Day and night are caused by Earth’s

__________ 2. Earth’s axis is tilted so that it points toward

__________ 4. The term equinox means

Concepts and Challenges in Earth Science, Teacher’s Resources CD-ROM

Test: Motions of Earth, the Sun & the Moon (continued)

__________ 8. Earth rotates on its axis from

__________ 12. Earth rotates once on its axis every

__________ 13. Earth’s orbit is shaped like

__________ 14. Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of

__________ 15. A higher than usual tide is a

__________ 17. A lunar eclipse can occur only during

__________ 18. The dark part of a shadow is the

Concepts and Challenges in Earth Science, Teacher’s Resources CD-ROM

Test: Motions of Earth, the Sun & the Moon (continued)

Concepts and Challenges in Earth Science, Teacher’s Resources CD-ROM

Concepts and Challenges in Earth Science, Teacher’s Resources CD-ROM

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