5th grade space

Question 1

What kind of star is the Sun?

• A. a medium-sized, yellowish star
• B. the largest star known
• C. a tiny, cold star
• D. a planet that glows

Question 2

In a scale model, Earth is a ball 2 cm wide. The Moon is about a quarter of Earth's width. How wide should the model Moon be?

Answer cm

Question 3

Two identical lamps are switched on in a dark field. Lamp A is 2 m away and lamp B is 8 m away. Which looks brighter?

• A. lamp A
• B. lamp B
• C. they look the same

Question 4

In the Northern Hemisphere one star seems to stay still while others circle around it. Which star is it?

• A. Polaris, the North Star
• B. the Moon
• C. the Sun
• D. Mars

Question 5

How much shorter was the shadow at 12:00 than at 08:00?

Answer cm

Question 6

The Sun and other stars: which statement is true?

• A. A star that looks dim must be small.
• B. The Sun is the closest star to Earth.
• C. The Sun is the biggest star in space.
• D. The Sun is a planet.

Question 7

What causes this pattern: we see different constellations in winter and summer?

• A. the Moon orbiting Earth
• B. Earth orbiting the Sun once a year
• C. Earth spinning on its axis once a day

Question 8

How long does this take: Mars travelling once around the Sun?

• A. about 365¼ days (one year)
• B. about 24 hours (one day)
• C. about 687 Earth days (nearly 2 years)
• D. about 29½ days (about a month)

Question 9

Earth spins once every 24 hours. How many times does it spin in 7 days?

Answer 

Question 10

True or false? The same constellations return at the same time each year.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 11

True or false? The Sun orbits Earth once a day.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 12

What shape are the Sun, Earth and Moon?

• A. flat discs
• B. roughly spheres (balls)
• C. cubes
• D. cones

Question 13

Why do we always see the same side of the Moon?

• A. It spins once in the same time it takes to orbit Earth
• B. Earth blocks the other side
• C. The other side is always dark
• D. It does not spin at all

Question 14

People once used shadow sticks (sundials) to tell the time. Why did this work?

• A. Shadows only appear on the hour.
• B. The shadow moves in a regular pattern as Earth turns.
• C. The Sun stops every hour.
• D. The stick knew the time.

Question 15

Among the main phases of the Moon, which comes straight after "full moon"?

• A. new moon
• B. last quarter
• C. first quarter