Class 5 Movements of the Earth Question Answers

Class 5 Movements of the Earth question answers with MCQs, fill in the blanks, short, long and HOTS questions solved. 

 

1. Tick (✓) the right answer.

(a) Day and night on the Earth are caused by __________.

(i) rotation    (ii) revolution    (iii) inclination    (iv) tilting

Answer: (i) rotation

(b) The eclipse when the Moon may turn reddish is __________.

(i) solar eclipse    (ii) lunar eclipse    (iii) total eclipse    (iv) partial eclipse

Answer: (ii) lunar eclipse

(c) The year in which February has an extra day is __________.

(i) Leap year    (ii) New year    (iii) Lunar year    (iv) Solar year

Answer: (i) Leap year

(d) The fixed path in which the Earth revolves around the Sun is called __________.

(i) axis    (ii) orbit    (iii) meridian    (iv) equator

Answer: (ii) orbit

(e) At what angle is the Earth tilted from the perpendicular?

(i) 25½°    (ii) 24°    (iii) 23½°    (iv) 66°

Answer: (iii) 23½°

2. Fill in the blanks.

(a) The journey of the Earth around the Sun is called __________.

Answer: revolution

(b) The __________ and the __________ lie at the two ends of the axis of the Earth.

Answer: North Pole; South Pole

(c) The seasons on Earth are caused by __________ of the Earth and the __________ of the axis.

Answer: revolution; tilt (inclination)

(d) The solar eclipse occurs on a __________ day.

Answer: new moon

(e) In December, the southern hemisphere experiences __________ season.

Answer: summer

3. Rearrange the jumbled words and name the following.

No.

Jumbled word

Correct word

(a)

TORIB

ORBIT

(b)

ERVOUONTIL

REVOLUTION

(c)

NORTOTAI

ROTATION

(d)

ENXIOQU

EQUINOX

(e)

TSECSILO

SOLSTICE


 

4. Match the following.

Column A

Correct match

Column B item

(a) Rotation

(ii)

Axis

(b) Revolution

(iii)

Seasons

(c) Equinox

(iv)

Equal day and night

(d) Eclipse

(i)

Lunar

5. Short Answer Questions

(a) What is “inclination of the Earth”?

Answer: The Earth’s axis does not stand upright. It is tilted at an angle of 23½° from the perpendicular. This tilt is called the inclination of the Earth’s axis.

(b) What is an eclipse?

Answer: An eclipse occurs when one heavenly body blocks the light of another heavenly body or enters its shadow.

(c) In which direction does the Earth rotate?

Answer: The Earth rotates from west to east.

(d) What is the meaning of “solstice”?

Answer: The word “solstice” comes from Latin and means “the Sun stands still”.

(e) Write down the meaning of “equinox”.

Answer: The word “equinox” means “equal night”. On an equinox, day and night are nearly equal in length.

(f) What kind of path does the Earth follow during its revolution?

Answer: The Earth follows a fixed elliptical path called an orbit while revolving around the Sun.

(g) Write down the longest and the shortest days of the year.

Answer: In the Northern Hemisphere, 21 June is the longest day and 22 December is the shortest day of the year.

6. Long Answer Questions

(a) Describe the movements of the Earth in detail.

Answer: The Earth has two main movements—rotation and revolution. Rotation is the spinning of the Earth on its axis from west to east. One rotation takes about 24 hours and causes day and night. Revolution is the movement of the Earth around the Sun along a fixed elliptical orbit. One revolution takes 365¼ days. The extra quarter day is added once every four years, making a leap year of 366 days.

(b) Write down the consequences of the rotation of the Earth.

Answer: The main consequences of rotation are: (1) formation of day and night; (2) the apparent rising of the Sun in the east and setting in the west; (3) high and low tides along with the rise and fall of sea level; and (4) changes in the flow of winds and ocean currents.

(c) Describe the important consequences of the revolution of the Earth.

Answer: The Earth’s revolution, together with the tilt of its axis, causes the seasons and variation in the length of days and nights. A revolution takes 365¼ days, which gives us a leap year every fourth year. The revolutions of the Earth and Moon also help produce solar and lunar eclipses when the Sun, Earth and Moon come into a straight line.

(d) How does the tilt in the axis of the Earth affect seasons?

Answer: Because the Earth’s axis is tilted, the two hemispheres receive different amounts of sunlight during different parts of the year. A hemisphere tilted towards the Sun receives more direct rays, has longer days and experiences summer. The hemisphere tilted away receives slanting rays, has shorter days and experiences winter. As the Earth revolves, the tilt remains in the same direction, so the seasons change.

(e) Define solstice. Describe the summer solstice and winter solstice in detail.

Answer: A solstice is a day when the Sun’s direct rays fall over one of the two tropics. On 21 June, the Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. The Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun and experiences summer solstice; it has its longest day and shortest night. On 22 December, the Sun is overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn. The Southern Hemisphere has summer, while the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter solstice and has its shortest day and longest night.

(f) What do you mean by equinox? How many equinoxes are there? Describe them.

Answer: Equinox means “equal night”. It is a day when the Sun shines directly over the Equator and day and night are almost equal in both hemispheres. There are two equinoxes: 21 March, called the vernal equinox, and 23 September, called the autumn equinox. Around these dates, spring and autumn begin in opposite hemispheres.

(g) What is solar eclipse? Describe it in detail.

Answer: A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth and blocks the Sun’s rays partly or completely. The Moon’s shadow falls on a part of the Earth. It can occur only on a new moon day. Looking directly at a solar eclipse is dangerous, so it must be viewed only with proper certified eye protection.

(h) What is lunar eclipse? Describe it with the help of a diagram.

Answer: A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon. The Earth blocks sunlight and its shadow falls on the Moon, making the Moon partly or completely dark. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon may appear reddish. A lunar eclipse can last for about one and a half hours and is safe to watch with the naked eye.

Diagram: Lunar Eclipse (Sun — Earth — Moon)

(i) Why do the lengths of days and nights vary?

Answer: The lengths of days and nights vary because the Earth’s axis is tilted and the Earth revolves around the Sun. When a hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, it receives sunlight for a longer time and has longer days. When it is tilted away, it has shorter days and longer nights. On the equinoxes, day and night are nearly equal.

(j) Write the names of main seasons on the Earth. How are these formed?

Answer: The four main seasons are summer, autumn, winter and spring. They are formed because the Earth revolves around the Sun while its axis remains tilted. This changes the angle and duration of sunlight received by each hemisphere. Therefore, the two hemispheres experience opposite seasons at the same time.

(k) How are days and nights formed?

Answer: Days and nights are formed by the rotation of the Earth. At any time, the half of the Earth facing the Sun receives sunlight and has day, while the half turned away from the Sun remains dark and has night. As the Earth rotates, places move from daylight into darkness and back again.

7. HOTS Questions

(a) Why does the Sun rise in the east and set in the west?

Answer: The Earth rotates from west to east. Therefore, the Sun appears to move in the opposite direction—from east to west—so it seems to rise in the east and set in the west.

(b) What will happen if the Earth stops rotating?

Answer: If the Earth stopped rotating, the normal cycle of day and night would end. One side would remain in sunlight and become extremely hot, while the other side would remain dark and become extremely cold. Winds, oceans and weather would be severely disturbed, making life very difficult.

(c) What would happen if the Earth had no tilted axis? How would it affect our lives?

Answer: Without the tilt of the Earth’s axis, there would be no distinct seasons. Most places would receive nearly the same amount of sunlight throughout the year, and the lengths of days and nights would change very little. Farming, weather patterns and the natural life cycles of plants and animals would be very different.

(d) What would happen if the Earth did not revolve around the Sun?

Answer: Hypothetically, if the Earth did not revolve around the Sun, there would be no normal year and no seasonal cycle caused by revolution. The same seasonal conditions would continue instead of changing through summer, autumn, winter and spring.

(e) Which country is called the “Land of Midnight Sun”?

Answer: Norway is commonly called the “Land of the Midnight Sun” because, in its northern regions, the Sun remains visible even at midnight for part of the summer.

Quick Revision

·         Rotation: 24 hours; west to east; causes day and night.

·         Revolution: 365¼ days; elliptical orbit; gives a leap year every four years.

·         Earth’s axial tilt: 23½° from the perpendicular.

·         Equinoxes: 21 March and 23 September.

·         Solstices: 21 June and 22 December.

·         Solar eclipse: Moon between Sun and Earth. Lunar eclipse: Earth between Sun and Moon.

 

 

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