Grade 6 Topic Test - Earth, Sun & Moon

Student Name: ___________ Class: ________

For questions 1 – 17 circle the letter (A,B,C or D) for the correct answer.

1. A student draws a model showing the movements of Earth, the moon, and the sun.

Which arrow shows the movement that causes day and night on Earth?

A Arrow 1, because it shows the rotation of the sun

B Arrow 2, because it shows the orbit of Earth around the sun
C Arrow 3, because it shows the orbit of the moon around Earth
D Arrow 4, because it shows the rotation of Earth

2. A student draws diagrams of her house and the location of the sun in the sky.
Which diagram below does not correctly represent the location of the sun at the time
indicated?

A B

C D
3. A phase of the moon is shown below.

Which pair of diagrams shows the moon’s phase immediately before and immediately after
this phase?

4. A student wants to use a spinning basketball to model the day-and-night cycle on Earth.

What should the student do in order to best model the cause of the day-and-night cycle?

A Spin the ball in different directions

B Tilt the ball while it is spinning

C Paint one half of the ball black and the other half white

D Shine a bright light on one side of the ball

6. Some characteristics of objects in the solar system are listed below.

Which of the listed characteristics describe both Earth and the moon?

D
7. A student is looking for evidence that Earth is always rotating on its axis.
Which of the following would provide the best evidence?

A The different amount of rain that falls each day

B The appearance of shadows changing throughout the day
C The presence of other planets in the night sky
D The different phases of the moon in a month

8. Argentina is located in the Southern Hemisphere.

Which diagram shows the position of Earth when it is summer in Argentina?

9. Which of these correctly compares the masses of different objects in the universe?
A A moon has less mass than a star and more mass than the planet it orbits.
B A planet has less mass than a galaxy and more mass than the star it orbits.
C A galaxy has less mass than a moon and more mass than a planet.
D A star has less mass than a galaxy and more mass than a planet.
10. The table below shows the distances of three stars from the sun. Students were asked to
make a model of the three stars and to include the sun and Earth in the model. They chose to
use a scale of 1 metre : 1 light-year.

Which model best represents the data?

11. From Earth, we see the sun in the day sky and other stars in the night sky. Nighttime
stars look like tiny points of light.

Which statement explains why nighttime stars appear so much smaller than the sun?

A The stars are much smaller.

B The sky is much darker at night.
C The stars are much farther away.
D The moon blocks out most starlight.

12. What causes day and night on Earth?

A tilting of Earth’s axis

B rotation of Earth on its axis
C movement of Earth around the sun
D movement of the sun around Earth

13. The diagram shows the position of Earth (E) now.

Where will Earth be in six months?

A. near position 1
B. near position 2
C. near position 3
D. near position 4
Q14. A class was learning about the pattern of day and night on Earth.
What part of Earth experiences night at the same time?
A. less than ¼.
B. about ½.
C. about ¾.
D. almost all.

Q15. The diagram below shows four consecutive moon phases.

Which of the following diagrams shows the next four moon phases in the correct order?
A. B.

C. D.

16. In November 2013 an object orbiting the sun seemed to disappear behind the sun. When
a satellite did not detect the object, astronomers thought that the object had been destroyed
when it passed close to the sun. However, when another satellite detected a small, bright
object with a fan-shaped tail, astronomers proposed that the object was not destroyed.
What type of object were astronomers most likely observing?

A. A comet B. An asteroid C. A meteor D. A nebula

17. Students in a science class in the northern hemisphere, made a poster with a diagram to
represent a seasonal change.

Which statement best describes conditions for Earth at Position 1 in the diagram?
A. There are an equal number of hours of daylight and nighttime in the Northern
Hemisphere, and the North Pole is tilted away from the sun.

B.The Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of daylight, and Earth’s axis does not tilt at
this position.

C.There are an equal number of hours of daylight and nighttime in the Northern Hemisphere
because Earth’s axis is not tilted in this position.

D.The Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of daylight, and the North Pole is tilted
away from the sun.

18. The Earth is made up of three layers including the core and the crust.

(a) What is the name of the other layer? ………………………………………………………. [1]

(b) The core is made up of mainly two metals.

One of these metals is nickel.

What is the name of the other metal? ……………………………………………………………. [1]

(c) What is the approximate age of the Earth?

Tick () the correct box.

[1]
[Total: 3]
19. The diagram shows the Earth moving around the Sun.

(a) What causes day and night on Earth? Tick () the correct box.

[1]

(b) Two students are discussing the Sun and the Moon.

Luca says: The Sun gives out light that it produces itself.
Anya says: The Moon does not give out light. It only reflects light from the Sun.

Who is correct? Tick () the correct box.

[1]
[Total: 2]
20. This diagram shows the Earth at two different positions in its orbit.

(a) Write ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ under the correct parts of the diagram. [1]

(b) Draw an X on the diagram to show where the Earth would be when it is spring in the
United Kingdom. [1]
[Total: 2]

21. (a) This diagram shows part of the Solar System. Fill in the missing names.

Fill in the missing names

[2]

(b) Which planet is the coldest: Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn or Venus? _________________ [1]

(c) Write TRUE or FALSE next to these statements:

(i) The Moon is a star. We see it because it makes its own light. _______________________
(ii) The Sun is a star. It makes its own light. ______________________________________
(iii) The planets look smaller than the Sun because they are further away. ______________
(iv) The planets are stars. We see them because they make their own light. __________ [2]
[Total: 5]
22. A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon is in the shadow of the Earth.
This diagram shows the Sun and the Earth.

(a) Draw lines on the diagram on page 1 to show where the shadow of the Earth would be
and label the shadow. [1]

(b) Draw a circle to represent the Moon in the correct position during a lunar eclipse. [1]
[Total: 2]

23. Scientists use ideas to help them to explain observations.

(a) Write down TWO observations that idea 1 can explain.

1.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………[2]

(b) Write down TWO observations that idea 2 can explain.

1.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………[2]

[Total: 4]