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?
- Summer, when the noon Sun is high
- Any season, since the angle stays the same
- Winter, when low sunlight is stronger
- Summer, when Earth is closest to the Sun
Read this first
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, the same month as summer in the north
- June, since its low Sun is stronger
- June, when Earth is closest to the Sun
- December, with the Sun about 80° high
March 20 about 12; June 21 about 14; September 22 about 12; December 21 about 10. Luz notices that Phoenix gets about 12 hours of daylight on two dates in the table. What is special about those dates?
- Earth is halfway between closest and farthest
- The axis stands straight up on those dates
- The whole Earth has spring on those dates
- Neither pole leans toward the Sun then
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?
- Anchorage is closer to the Sun than Quito
- It is far north, and the north leans sunward
- Days last 12 hours, so the table has a mistake
- Quito has its winter in June
On the orbit diagram, place P is labeled June and Earth moves counterclockwise. Which place does Noah label December?
- R, where the North Pole leans away
- P, where the axis has turned away
- S, where Earth is farthest from the Sun
- Q, three months after June
“top view from above the North Pole, not to scale” At place Q on the orbit diagram, neither pole leans toward the Sun. Which statement about place Q does Pia find true?
- Day and night are about 12 hours each, worldwide
- Both hemispheres have summer together
- The axis points straight up and down
- Earth is at its closest to the Sun
“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?
- Long days, because the axis tips south in June
- Short days and a low noon Sun: winter
- Long days and a high noon Sun: summer
- Short days, because Earth is far from the Sun
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?
- Both hemispheres have summer in January
- January must be summer in the north
- The axis turns away from the Sun in January
- Distance does not cause the seasons
Earth is farthest from the Sun in early July, yet Zee is sweating at a July picnic in Georgia. Which explanation fits?
- Direct sunlight is weaker than slanted sunlight
- The north leans sunward, so its light is direct
- Being farther away makes summer warmer
- Summer comes to the whole Earth in July
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?
- Days stay at 12 hours, so distance must matter
- The axis flips around twice a year
- Being 3% closer makes a summer much hotter
- The tilt changes sun angle and day length a lot