Day and night, the year, and why we have seasons
Grade 6 Science Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Bo shines a flashlight straight down, then at a low slant. The slanted spot is bigger and dimmer. Which season in Ohio matches the straight-down beam?
- Winter, when low sunlight is stronger
- Summer, when Earth is closest to the Sun
- Summer, when the noon Sun is high
- Any season, since the angle stays the same
Read this first
Use this
Table, with columns Month and Noon Sun height, noon Sun height above the horizon in Phoenix, Arizona: March about 57°; June about 80°; September about 57°; December about 33°.
Esme reads the table of noon Sun heights in Phoenix. In which month does each patch of ground get the least energy from sunlight?
- March and September, which tie
- December, when the Sun is lowest
- June, when the Sun is highest
- December, when Earth is farthest away
Use this
Table, with columns Month and Noon Sun height, noon Sun height above the horizon in Sydney, Australia: June about 33°; December about 80°.
Jun compares noon Sun heights in Sydney, Australia. In which month is Sydney's sunlight most direct, giving Sydney its summer?
- June, when Earth is closest to the Sun
- June, since its low Sun is stronger
- June, the same month as summer in the north
- December, with the Sun about 80° high
March about 12; June about 19; September about 12; December about 5.5. Kira has a pen pal in Anchorage, Alaska. Which month gives Anchorage its longest days, and why?
- Each month the same, at 12 hours of light
- December, when Earth is closest to the Sun
- June, when the north leans toward the Sun
- June, because the axis turns toward the Sun
Use the table
City and Daylight hours of daylight around June 21 Quito Ecuador (on the equator) about 12 Phoenix Arizona about 14 Anchorage Alaska about 19 Milo compares June daylight in three cities. Why does Anchorage get the most daylight in June?
- Days last 12 hours, so the table has a mistake
- Quito has its winter in June
- It is far north, and the north leans sunward
- Anchorage is closer to the Sun than Quito
On the orbit diagram, place P is labeled June and Earth moves counterclockwise. Which place does Noah label December?
- Q, three months after June
- S, where Earth is farthest from the Sun
- P, where the axis has turned away
- R, where the North Pole leans away
“Orbit diagram, top view from above the North Pole, not to scale:” At place P, the North Pole leans toward the Sun. Ren lives in South Africa. What does Ren have when Earth is at P?
- Short days, because Earth is far from the Sun
- Long days and a high noon Sun: summer
- Short days and a low noon Sun: winter
- Long days, because the axis tips south in June
Table, with columns Time of year and Distance, Earth's distance from the Sun
Early January about 147 million km; early July about 152 million km.
Tala reads that Earth is closest to the Sun in early January. What does this show about winter in the north?
- Distance does not cause the seasons
- The axis turns away from the Sun in January
- Both hemispheres have summer in January
- January must be summer in the north
Earth is farthest from the Sun in early July, yet Zee is sweating at a July picnic in Georgia. Which explanation fits?
- Being farther away makes summer warmer
- Summer comes to the whole Earth in July
- The north leans sunward, so its light is direct
- Direct sunlight is weaker than slanted sunlight
Table, with columns Time of year and Distance, Earth's distance from the Sun
Early January about 147 million km; early July about 152 million km; the difference, about 5 million km, is about 3% of the distance.
Earth's distance from the Sun changes by only about 3% in a year. Ari wonders why the seasons are so strong anyway. Which answer fits?
- The tilt changes sun angle and day length a lot
- The axis flips around twice a year
- Being 3% closer makes a summer much hotter
- Days stay at 12 hours, so distance must matter