REVIEW FOR SPACE AND SEASONS QUIZ
Quiz Date: ____________________
This quiz will cover information from the first part of our astronomy unit. It will consist of some multiple
choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer/diagram questions. You should review your DQs, activities,
simulations, reading notes, video notes, and concepts from activities we’ve done. Be able to hit the following
targets:

I can distinguish between revolution and rotation and connect these motions to the cycles of day/night and years
experienced by a planet.

I can describe the key factors that affect the strength of gravitational force and gravity’s role in the appearance
and motion of objects in our universe.

I can diagram and describe the Earth-Sun system to explain the reason for seasons on Earth.
1. Gravity is a force of ________________________.
A. pushing
C. repulsion
B. attraction
D. all of the above
2. The technical term for the spinning of Earth on its axis is:
A. orbit
C. rotation
B. revolution
D. magnetic
3. Earth experiences what we call a year due to:
A. its revolution around the Sun
C. the Sun’s revolution around the Earth
B. its rotation around the Sun
D. the Sun’s rotation around the Earth
4. The ________________ of a location is most important in determining which months it will experience
different seasons.
A. altitude
C. latitude
B. longitude
D. climate
5. The shortest day of the year in Oregon is the:
A. vernal equinox
C. summer solstice
B. autumnal equinox
D. winter solstice
6. Mars has about ten times less mass than Earth. This means that the gravitational force you would experience
while standing on Mars would be ______________________ that experienced standing on Earth.
A. less than
C. more than
B. equal to
D. not enough information to determine
7. All objects on Earth would accelerate at the same rate due to gravity if it weren’t for the interference of
_________________________________________.
8. Any object with __________________ will have a gravitational force. The two factors that influence how
strong the gravitational force is are: ___________________________________________________________.
9. The Earth is tilted on its axis about __________ degrees.
10. About how long is the Earth’s period of rotation? What do we experience on the Earth as we go through one
period of rotation?
11. Venus’s period of rotation is 243 days and its period of revolution is about 225 days. Assuming you could
live on Venus, how long would a “day” be (cycle of day and night) and how many days would be on the
calendar to make up a “year”?
12. Why are most large objects in space spherical? How does gravity help explain this? Use a diagram if it helps
your explanation.
13. Why does the Earth orbit the Sun rather than the Sun orbiting the Earth? How does gravity help explain
this? Use a diagram if it helps your explanation.
14. This diagram shows the apparent
path of the Sun during different
seasons. Label the seasons in the
correct box.
a. Which seasons would experience a
similar sun pathway?
b. What does this mean about the day
length during the different seasons?
15. How is it possible for some locations on Earth to experience 24 hours of daylight or darkness? Use a
diagram to help explain how this is possible.
16. Draw a diagram comparing the angle of light hitting Earth’s surface in Oregon in summer versus winter.
17. What is a location that would experience summer during different months than when Oregon experiences
summer? Why does this happen?
18. Why does Oregon experience seasons? Explain all the key factors that play a role in what we experience
throughout the year. Use a diagram to help in your explanation.
Across
6. one of these takes about 365 days for the Earth
10. the roughly circular path any smaller mass makes around a larger mass
11. in summer, locations receive more __________ light
12. motion resulting from spinning about an axis
14. the force of attraction between any two masses
Down
1. the sun does not appear to travel very high in the sky during this season
2. in addition to the mass of an object, this influences how strong the gravitational force is between two objects
3. the imaginary line cutting through Earth from the North to the South Pole
4. either the longest or shortest day
5. the most massive object in our Solar System
7. day and night are roughly equal on this special day
8. if it is summer in Australia, then it is winter in the _____________ hemisphere
9. in winter, locations experience ____________ hours of daylight than in summer
13. a simple explanation of the Earth's seasons can be traced to the ______ of its axis