Name ______________________________________ Date _________
Earth, Sun, and Moon System
Vocabulary and Concepts
Unit Test AG 141 Grade 5 • Assessment Guide
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Name ______________________________________ Date _________
A student creates a model of Earth’s path around the sun. Which word should she use to indicate that Earth “goes around” the sun?
rotates
revolves
moves clockwise
moves counterclockwise
5.8C
In a drawing of Earth’s path around the sun, what would be the correct label for that path?
rotation
gravity
orbit
axis
5.8C
In the illustration below, what does the arrow show the direction of?
the direction Earth rotates
the direction Earth revolves
the path of the moon around Earth
the path of the winds around Earth
5.8D
What is Earth’s axis?
the imaginary line that goes through Earth from pole to pole
the imaginary line that separates day from night on Earth
the imaginary line that separates warm weather from cold weather on Earth
the imaginary line that goes through Earth from the continent of Asia to the Americas
5.8C
The movements of Earth, the sun, and the moon can be shown with simple diagrams. For example, look closely at the diagram below.
Which letter represents the motion that takes about 27 days?
R
S
T
W
5.8D
Which body is made up of hydrogen and helium and has an atmosphere of the same substances?
the sun
the moon
Earth
both the sun and Earth
5.8D
Most places on Earth have warmer summers and cooler winters. Which of the following is a major cause of the warmer temperatures in a particular part of Earth during summer?
Earth is closer to the sun.
Earth spends more time near the sun.
That part of Earth rotates toward the sun.
That part of Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun.
5.8D
What does the figure 5,500 °C represent?
the average surface temperature of the sun
the average surface temperature of the sun’s solid core
the hottest surface temperature ever recorded on Earth
the hottest surface temperature ever recorded on the moon
5.8D
Which body has a structure of rocky layers and an atmosphere of mainly nitrogen and oxygen?
the sun
the moon
Earth
both the sun and the moon
5.8D
A student draws a model of Earth and the moon. He wants to make the sizes accurate comparisons. If his drawing of Earth is 4 cm in diameter, what size should he draw the moon?
.5 cm
1 cm
2 cm
3 cm
5.3C, 5.8D
Which of the following has no atmosphere?
the sun
the moon
Earth
both the sun and the moon
5.8D
What do the following three distances represent?
1,391,016 kilometers
12,742 kilometers
3,475 kilometers
the distances between the sun, the moon, and Earth
the diameters of the sun, Earth, and the moon
the diameters of the sun, Earth, and the moon orbits
the gravitational pulls of the sun, Earth, and the moon
5.8D
As Earth travels around the sun, what force keeps it from flying out into space?
the gravitational pull of the sun
the gravitational pull of the moon
Earth’s own gravitational pull
the gravitational pull of both the sun and the moon
5.8D
What is the direction and shape of Earth’s path around the sun?
counterclockwise and circular
counterclockwise and oval
clockwise and circular
clockwise and irregular
5.8D
A student did an experiment with a globe and a lamp. He wanted to see what would happen if Earth’s axis of rotation always pointed toward the sun. If he did the experiment correctly, what did he find?
Earth would stop rotating to cause night and day.
Each pole would be in darkness for about half the year.
Earth’s entire northern half would always be in darkness and the southern half always in light.
One pole would always be in darkness, and the other always in light.
5.8C
From which direction does the sun appear to rise and in which direction does it set as Earth rotates?
north to south
west to east
east to west
south to north
5.8C
When it is midday in Texas, it is light outside. What causes it to get dark at night?
the rotation of Earth on its axis
the gravitational pull of the sun
the revolution of Earth around the sun
the revolution of the moon around Earth
5.8C
During the fall equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, which way is the top the Earth’s axis tilting?
toward the sun
away from the sun
not toward or away from the sun
toward and away from the sun, depending on the time of day
5.8D
What causes seasons on Earth?
the speed of Earth’s rotation as it revolves around the sun
the tilt of Earth’s axis as it revolves around the sun
the speed of Earth’s revolution around the sun
the revolution of the moon around Earth
5.8D
Unit Test AG 141 Grade 5 • Assessment Guide
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Name ______________________________________ Date _________
Apply Inquiry and Review the Big Ideas
Write the answers to these questions.
Choose one important idea you studied in this unit. Describe how you would draw a model or diagram to demonstrate that idea. What information would you include? Your model or diagram should show things your audience could not see in the real world, such as Earth completely orbiting the sun.
5.3C
Review an experiment you read about in Unit 10. What valid conclusions can you communicate about the results of the experiment? Summarize the experiment and write and evaluate the conclusions in your own words.
5.2F, 5.3A
Earth’s circumference is the distance around it. Its circumference at the equator (the imaginary line that runs around the center of Earth) is 40,080 kilometers. Earth rotates once every
24 hours. What is its speed of rotation in kilometers/hour?
5.8C, 5.8D
Unit Test AG 141 Grade 5 • Assessment Guide
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company