TOPIC 46 OF 46

Earth, Moon and Sun

🎓 Class 7 Science CBSE Theory Ch 12 — Earth, Moon and the Sun ⏱ ~8 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]

This MCQ module is based on: Earth, Moon and Sun

[myaischool_lt_science_assessment grade_level="class_7" science_domain="earth_science" difficulty="basic"]

Chapter 12 at a Glance — Earth, Moon and the Sun

Rotation

Earth spins on its axis West → East in 24 hours, giving day and night.

Axis

Imaginary line through the North and South Poles; tilted 23.5°.

Revolution

Earth orbits the Sun in 365¼ days — this is one year; the ¼ builds up to a leap day.

Elliptical Orbit

Earth's orbit around the Sun is a slightly stretched oval (ellipse), not a circle.

Axial Tilt Causes Seasons

23.5° tilt means a hemisphere gets direct sun (summer) or slanted sun (winter).

Solstices

21 June (summer) and 22 December (winter) — extreme tilt days.

Equinoxes

21 March & 23 September — day and night nearly equal everywhere.

Climate Zones

Tropical (hot), Temperate (four seasons), Polar (very cold).

Moon Motions

Rotates and revolves in ~27.3 days — tidally locked; same face always faces Earth.

Phases

Eight shapes in 29.5 days — from Amavasya (New) to Purnima (Full) and back.

Solar Eclipse

Moon between Sun and Earth; only on Amavasya; never look without filters.

Lunar Eclipse

Earth between Sun and Moon; only on Purnima; safe to watch.

Aryabhata

5th-century Indian astronomer who explained rotation and eclipses scientifically.

ISRO Missions

Chandrayaan-1/2/3, Mangalyaan, Aditya-L1 — India's Moon, Mars and Sun exploration.

Keyword Dictionary

RotationSpinning of Earth on its own axis.
RevolutionMotion of Earth around the Sun.
AxisImaginary line through the two poles.
OrbitPath Earth follows around the Sun.
EllipseStretched oval shape of the orbit.
Axial Tilt23.5° tilt of Earth's axis.
SolsticeDay of most extreme tilt toward/away from Sun.
EquinoxDay of equal day and night.
Leap YearYear with 366 days; every 4 years.
HemisphereHalf of Earth — Northern or Southern.
Tropical ZoneHot belt near the Equator.
Temperate ZoneMiddle-latitude zone with four seasons.
Polar ZoneVery cold region near the Poles.
SatelliteBody that revolves around a planet.
PhasesChanging shapes of the Moon's lit face.
AmavasyaNew Moon; night without the Moon.
PurnimaFull Moon night.
Synodic Month29.5-day Moon phase cycle.
Tidal LockingSame face of Moon always toward Earth.
Solar EclipseMoon's shadow falls on Earth.
Lunar EclipseEarth's shadow falls on the Moon.
AryabhataAncient Indian astronomer (476–550 CE).
ISROIndian Space Research Organisation.
ChandrayaanISRO's Moon exploration mission series.
MangalyaanIndia's Mars Orbiter Mission (2013).
Aditya-L1India's first Sun observation mission.

Exercises

1. Tick the correct option: Earth takes approximately ________ to complete one rotation.

(a) 1 hour   (b) 24 hours   (c) 30 days   (d) 365 days

(b) 24 hours. This one full spin gives us the day-night cycle.

2. Fill in the blanks:

(i) The imaginary line about which Earth rotates is called its __________.
(ii) Earth revolves around the Sun in about __________ days.
(iii) The Moon takes about __________ days for one full phase cycle.
(iv) A solar eclipse can happen only on a __________ day.

(i) axis, (ii) 365¼ (about 365), (iii) 29.5, (iv) New Moon / Amavasya.

3. State whether TRUE or FALSE. Correct the false statements.

(a) The Moon produces its own light.
(b) Earth's axis is tilted at 23.5°.
(c) Seasons happen because of Earth's changing distance from the Sun.
(d) Aryabhata calculated eclipses to be shadow events.

(a) False — the Moon reflects sunlight; it has no light of its own.
(b) True.
(c) False — seasons happen because of Earth's axial tilt, not distance.
(d) True.

4. Explain in your own words why we have day and night.

Earth is a sphere and the Sun shines on only half of it at any moment. The lit half has daytime; the dark half has night. Because Earth keeps spinning on its axis once every 24 hours, each place takes turns being in the sunlight and in the shadow, giving us a regular day-night cycle.

5. Why is it summer in India around June but winter in Australia in the same month?

In June the Northern Hemisphere (where India lies) is tipped toward the Sun. Sunlight falls more directly and days are longer, giving summer. The Southern Hemisphere (where Australia lies) is tipped away from the Sun at the same time, so sunlight is slanting and weak, days are shorter, and it is winter there.

6. Distinguish between rotation and revolution of the Earth.

Rotation: Earth spinning about its own axis; takes 24 hours; causes day and night.
Revolution: Earth moving around the Sun in its orbit; takes about 365¼ days; causes the year and (together with the tilt) the seasons.

7. Draw a labelled diagram of the eight phases of the Moon in the correct order starting from New Moon.

The eight phases in order: New Moon (Amavasya) → Waxing Crescent → First Quarter → Waxing Gibbous → Full Moon (Purnima) → Waning Gibbous → Last Quarter → Waning Crescent → back to New Moon. In your sketch, show the lit portion growing on the right (waxing) until the full disc, and then shrinking on the right (waning) back to darkness.

8. Compare and contrast a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse in any four points.

(i) Alignment: Solar — Moon sits between Sun and Earth. Lunar — Earth sits between Sun and Moon.
(ii) Moon phase required: Solar eclipse on New Moon (Amavasya). Lunar eclipse on Full Moon (Purnima).
(iii) Viewing area: Solar eclipse seen only from a narrow strip of Earth. Lunar eclipse visible from the whole night-side of Earth.
(iv) Safety: Solar eclipse is unsafe for direct viewing (use filters). Lunar eclipse is completely safe.

9. What is meant by the 23.5° axial tilt? Why is it important?

Earth's axis is not perpendicular to its orbital plane; it is tilted by 23.5° from the vertical. This tilt stays pointing the same way in space as Earth moves around the Sun, meaning different hemispheres get more or less direct sunlight at different times of the year. This is the reason Earth has seasons and why the length of day changes with the date. Without this tilt, there would be no seasons.

10. Name any two contributions of Aryabhata to astronomy.

(i) He proposed that Earth rotates on its own axis, producing day and night. (ii) He explained eclipses as shadows of Earth and Moon, rejecting the myth of demons swallowing the Sun or Moon. (Other acceptable answers: accurate length of the year ≈ 365.25 days; accurate value of π; advances in algebra and trigonometry.)

11. Match the ISRO mission with what it explored:

(a) Chandrayaan-1   (i) Mars
(b) Mangalyaan   (ii) Sun
(c) Aditya-L1   (iii) Discovered water on the Moon
(d) Chandrayaan-3   (iv) Soft-landed near Moon's south pole

(a)–(iii)   (b)–(i)   (c)–(ii)   (d)–(iv).

12. Rashmika plants a stick upright at Kanyakumari at sunrise. She observes its shadow every two hours till sunset. Describe how the direction and length of the shadow will change during the day, and what this tells her about Earth.

At sunrise, the Sun is low in the east and the shadow stretches long toward the west. As the morning progresses the shadow gets shorter and slowly swings toward the north. Near noon the Sun is nearly overhead and the shadow is shortest, almost under the stick. Through the afternoon the shadow grows again and begins pointing toward the east. At sunset the shadow is long and points eastward. The smooth way the shadow rotates and changes length shows that the Sun is not really moving; rather, Earth is rotating steadily on its axis, changing the angle at which sunlight reaches the stick.

Frequently Asked Questions — Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises

What does the topic 'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' cover in Class 7 Science?

The topic 'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' is part of NCERT Class 7 Science Chapter 12 — Earth, Moon, and the Sun. It covers the key ideas of rotation, revolution, seasons, moon phases, eclipses, NCERT exercises, explained through everyday examples, labelled diagrams and hands-on activities drawn from the NCERT Curiosity textbook. Students learn not just definitions but also the reasoning behind each concept so they can answer competency-based questions and assertion–reason items. The lesson helps Class 7 students build a strong base for higher classes by linking each idea to real observations at home, school and in nature, and by preparing them for CBSE school assessments and Olympiads.

Why is 'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' important for Class 7 NCERT Science?

'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' is important because it builds core scientific thinking that Class 7 students will use throughout middle and secondary school. NCERT Chapter 12 — Earth, Moon, and the Sun — introduces rotation and related ideas that appear again in Class 8, 9 and 10 Science. Mastering this subtopic helps students read labels and safety signs, understand news about science and technology, and perform better in CBSE school exams. The chapter also encourages curiosity and evidence-based thinking — skills that support the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focus on conceptual understanding and competency-based learning.

What are the key concepts students should remember from Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises?

The key concepts in 'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' for Class 7 Science are: rotation, revolution, seasons, moon phases, eclipses, NCERT exercises. Students should be able to define each term in their own words, give at least one everyday example, and explain how the concept connects to other chapters in NCERT Class 7 Science. For example, linking the idea to daily life — in the kitchen, classroom or outdoors — makes revision easier. Writing short notes, drawing labelled diagrams and solving the NCERT in-text and exercise questions for Chapter 12 will help students retain these concepts for unit tests and the annual CBSE examination.

How is Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises taught using activities in NCERT Curiosity Class 7?

NCERT Curiosity Class 7 Science teaches 'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' using an inquiry-based approach with Predict–Observe–Explain activities. Students are asked to make a guess first, then perform a simple experiment with safe, easily available materials, and finally explain what they observed. This matches the NEP 2020 focus on learning by doing. For Chapter 12 — Earth, Moon, and the Sun — the textbook includes hands-on tasks, labelled diagrams and questions that build Bloom's Taxonomy skills from Remember (L1) to Create (L6). Teachers use these activities, along with competency-based questions (CBQs) and assertion–reason items, to check real understanding rather than rote memorisation.

How should Class 7 students prepare for the Chapter 12 exercises?

To prepare for the Chapter 12 — Earth, Moon, and the Sun — exercises in NCERT Class 7 Science, students should first revise the theory in Parts 1–3 and make a short list of definitions and diagrams for rotation, revolution, seasons, moon phases, eclipses, NCERT exercises. Next, attempt each exercise question on their own before checking the solution. Pay extra attention to MCQs, assertion–reason questions and short-answer items, as these appear in CBSE competency-based tests. Practising with the NCERT Curiosity textbook, the exemplar questions, and the MyAiSchool practice bank helps Class 7 students score better in unit tests and the annual examination.

How does 'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' connect to other chapters of Class 7 Science?

'Earth, Moon and Sun — Chapter 12 Exercises' connects to many other chapters in NCERT Class 7 Science Curiosity. The ideas of rotation appear again when students study related topics like heat, light, changes, life processes and Earth-Sun-Moon. For example, understanding this subtopic helps in building mental models for later chapters and for Class 8, 9 and 10 Science. Teachers often use cross-chapter questions in CBSE examinations to test whether students can apply what they learned in Chapter 12 — Earth, Moon, and the Sun — to new situations. This integrated approach matches the NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 focus on holistic, competency-based learning.

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