Earth, Moon and Sun


 

B. Fill in the Blanks (Book Work)

1. When viewed from the top of the North Pole, Earth seems to be rotating from west to east direction.

2. During the rotation of the Earth, the part facing the Sun experiences daytime.

3. In the month of December, the Northern hemisphere experiences winter whereas the Southern hemisphere experiences summer.

4. There is not much variation in the intensity of sunrise falling on the equator in different months.

5. We can safely watch lunar eclipse with our naked eye.


C. State True or False (Book Work)

1. When the Moon is completely in the Earth's shadow, it is a total solar eclipse.

Answer: False.
Correct statement: When the Moon is completely in the Earth's shadow, it is a total lunar eclipse.

2. There are many superstitions associated with solar eclipse.

Answer: True.

3. The Moon is smaller in size than the Sun.

Answer: True.
The Sun is much larger than the Moon in actual size.

4. All stars and constellations appear to remain fixed in their position in the sky.

Answer: False.
Correct statement: Stars and constellations appear to move across the sky because of Earth's rotation, although their relative positions within a constellation appear nearly unchanged.

5. The Moon appears to rise in the west and set in the east.

Answer: False.
Correct statement: The Moon generally appears to rise in the east and set in the west.


D. Odd One Out ( Notebook Work )

1. Earth, Sun, Venus, Mercury

Odd one out: Sun
Reason: The Sun is a star, whereas Earth, Venus and Mercury are planets.

2. Big Dipper, Orion, Pole Star, Ursa Minor

Odd one out: Pole Star
Reason: Big Dipper, Orion and Ursa Minor are constellations, whereas Pole Star is an individual star.

3. Australia, Russia, Canada, United States of America

Odd one out: Australia
Reason: Australia lies mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, while the others lie in the Northern Hemisphere.

4. Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Argentina

Odd one out: Turkey
Reason: Turkey lies in the Northern Hemisphere, while Australia, New Zealand and Argentina are in the Southern Hemisphere.


E. Assertion–Reason (Book Work)

1. Assertion: While Aadhya is having lunch in New Delhi, Nitya in New York is sleeping because it is night there.

Reason: Earth rotates from west to east.

Answer: (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.

2. Assertion: Pole Star appears nearly stationary in the sky from Earth.

Reason: The stars do not appear to move in the sky.

Answer: (c) Assertion is true but Reason is false.

Explanation: The Pole Star appears nearly stationary because it lies very close to the direction of Earth's rotational axis. Other stars appear to move across the sky.

3. Assertion: Stars and constellations that appear in the east at sunset change during different months.

Reason: Earth takes 24 hours to complete one rotation.

Answer: (b) Both Assertion and Reason are true, but Reason is not the correct explanation.

Explanation: The change in the constellations visible at a particular time in different months is mainly due to Earth's revolution around the Sun, not its daily rotation.

4. Assertion: Days are longer in summer than in winter in India.

Reason: India receives sunlight for more than 12 hours during summers as it lies in the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer: (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason correctly explains the Assertion.

5. Assertion: It is advisable to watch a solar eclipse directly with your eyes.

Reason: The Sun is intense even during the eclipse.

Answer: (d) Assertion is false but Reason is true.

Correct statement: A solar eclipse should never be viewed directly with naked eyes.


II. Logic-Based Questions ( Notebook Work )

1. The planet Venus cannot block the entire sunlight from reaching Earth. Why?

Venus cannot completely block the Sun as seen from Earth because its apparent size in the sky is much smaller than the Sun's apparent size. Therefore, Venus cannot cover the entire visible disc of the Sun.

2. Christmas is winter in India but summer in Australia. Why?

India is in the Northern Hemisphere, while Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere. In December, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun and experiences winter, whereas the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and experiences summer.

3. Why is a total solar eclipse visible only for a few minutes?

A total solar eclipse occurs only when the Moon's umbra falls on a particular region of Earth. Because Earth and Moon are continuously moving, this shadow quickly moves across Earth's surface. Therefore, totality lasts only for a short time.

4. Sia noticed Saptarishi and Dhruva Tara on a clear May evening. Will she notice them at the same position after a few hours?

Saptarishi: No. It will appear to have moved across the sky because of Earth's rotation.

Dhruva Tara (Pole Star): It will appear almost at the same position because it lies very close to the direction of Earth's rotational axis.

5. Why can't solar eclipses be seen everywhere on Earth?

A solar eclipse can be seen only from the region of Earth over which the Moon's shadow falls. Since the Moon's shadow covers only a limited area of Earth's surface, a solar eclipse cannot be seen everywhere.


III. Higher Order Thinking Skills ( Notebook Work )

1. How would seasonal patterns change if Earth's axis were tilted more than 23.5°?

If Earth's axis had a greater tilt:

  • Summers would become hotter in the respective hemispheres.
  • Winters would become colder.
  • The difference between summer and winter would become greater.
  • The variation in day and night length would also increase.
  • Polar regions would experience more extreme periods of daylight and darkness.

2. How do seasons differ between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?

The seasons are opposite in the two hemispheres.

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

Summer — June to August

Winter — June to August

Winter — December to February

Summer — December to February

Spring around March

Autumn around March

Autumn around September

Spring around September


3. Differences between Solar and Lunar Eclipses

Solar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse

Moon comes between Sun and Earth.

Earth comes between Sun and Moon.

Moon's shadow falls on Earth.

Earth's shadow falls on Moon.

Occurs during a New Moon.

Occurs during a Full Moon.

Visible from a limited region of Earth.

Can be seen from a much larger part of Earth's night side.

Should not be viewed directly with naked eyes.

Can be viewed safely with naked eyes.



No comments:

Post a Comment