51. What is the most accurate description of the shape of the earth ?
(a) A circle
(b) A sphere
(c) A geoid
(d) An oblate sphere
52. When the earth is at its maximum distance from the sun it is said to be in
(a) aphelion
(b) perihelion
(c) apogee
(d) perigee
53. What is the primary cause of the day and night ?
(a) Earth’s annual motion
(b) Earth’s rotation on its axis
(c) Inclination of the earth’s axis and its rotation
(d) Inclination of the earth’s axis and its revolution
54. What causes the change of seasons ?
(a) Earth’s rotation and revolution
(b) Earth’s revolution
(c) Earth’s revolution and inclination of its axis
(d) Earth’s rotation and inclination of its axis
55. On which planet would one witness sunrise in the west ?
(a) Jupiter
(b) Venus
(c) Saturn
(d) Mercury
56. The latitude is the angular distance of a point on the earth’s surface with respect to
the
(a) Equator
(b) Prime meridian
(c) Pole star
(d) Tropic of Cancer
57. The longitude of a place is its
(a) angular distance east or west of the prime meridian
(b) angular distance north or south of the equator
(c) angular distance east or west of International Date Line
(d) angular distance with respect to the pole star
58. On which date is the earth in perihelion ?
(a) June 21
(b) Dec 22
(c) January 3
(d) July 4
59. The earth is in aphelion on
(a) June 21
(b) Dec. 22
(c) Sept. 23
(d) July 4
60. The sun is veritical over the Tropic of Cancer on
(a) March 21
(b) June 21
(c) Sept. 23
(d) Dec. 22
61. What is most important about the Arctic and the Antarctic circles ?
(a) Within these circle only can the days and nights be longer than 24 hours
(b) The days and nights are never more than 24 hours long here
(c) Both areas frozen continents
(d) Both regions are uninhabited
62. What is true about the equinox ?
(a) Vertical sun over the Tropic of Cancer
(b) Vertical sun over the Tropic of Capricorn
(c) Vertical sun over the equator
(d) Continuous day in the polar regions
63. How much is the mass of the moon when compared with that of the earth ?
(a) 1/49
(b) 1/81
(c) 1/51
(d) 1/8
64. How much of the total surface area of the moon is never visible from the earth
(a) 41 per cent
(b) 47 per cent
(c) 53 per cent
(d) 59 per cent
65. The average distance between the moon and the earth’s
(a) 384,000 km
(b) 267,000 km
(c) 540,000 km
(d) 576,000 km
66. The average distance between the sun and earth is
(a) 145 million km
(b) 150 million km
(c) 155 million km
(d) 160 million km
67. Greenwich mean time is ––––––––––– IST.
(a) 5.5 hours ahead
(b) 12 hours ahead
(c) 4.5 hours behind
(d) 5.5 hours behind
68. What is the unit of measurement of distance between celestial bodies ?
(a) Nautical mile
(b) Statute mile
(c) Light year
(d) Kilometre
69. On the surface of the moon
(a) the mass of an object is more but it weighs lesser
(b) the mass and weight both remain unchanged
(c) the mass is the same but the weight is lesser
(d) the mass is more but the weight is lesser
70. The shortest route between two places is along the
(a) latitudes
(b) longitudes
(c) rivers
(d) direction of winds
71. Consider the following statements regarding asteroids:
1. Asteroids are rocky debris of varying sizes orbiting the Sun.
2. Most of the asteroids are small but some have diameter as large as 1000 km.
3. The orbit of asteroids lies between orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
72. Which one of the following statements is correct with reference to our solar
system?
(a) The earth is the densest of all the planets in our solar system.
(b) The predominant element in the composition of Earth is silicon.
(c) The Sun contains 75 percent of the mass of the solar system.
(d) The diameter of the sun is 190 times that of the Earth.
73. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below
the list:
List-I List-II
(Special characteristic) (Name of Planet)
A. Smallest planet of the solar system 1. Mercury
B. Largest planet of the solar system 2. Venus
C. Planet second from the Sun in the Solar system 3. Jupiter
D. Planet nearest to the Sun 4. Saturn
Codes:
A B C D
(a) 2 3 4 1
(b) 3 4 1 2
(c) 1 1 2 3
(d) 1 3 2 1
74.Diamond Ring is a phenomenon observed
(a) at the start of a total solar eclipse.
(b) at the end of a total solar eclipse.
(c) only along the peripheral regions of the totality trail.
(d) only in the central regions of the totality trail.
75. The tail of a comet is directed away from the sun because
(a) the comet rotates around the sun, the lighter mass of the comet is pushed away
due to the centrifugal force alone.
(b) the comet rotates, the lighter mass of the comet is attracted by some star situated
in the direction of its tail.
(c) The radiation emitted by the sun exerts a radial pressure on the comet throwing its
tail away from the Sun.
(d) The tail of the comet always exists in the same orientation.
Answer Key:
51. (d)
52. (a)
53. (b)
54. (c) The revolution of the earth around the sun alone is not enough for change of
seasons. Had the axis of the earth been vertical, the sun would have been
vertical at the same latitude throughout the year. Therefore the revolution of
the earth and its inclination, both are necessary for the change of seasons.
55. (b) The direction of the sunrise depends upon the direction of the rotation of the
earth on its axis. Any planet rotation on its axis from west to east will
experience sunrise in the east and vice versa. Venus rotates on its axis from
east to west and thus experiences sunrise in the west.
56. (a) Latitude is distance North or south of the equator. It may also be defined as
an angle which ranges from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles.
57. (a) Longitude is measured in degrees East or West of the Prime Meridian.
58. (c) The Earth is closest to the Sun or at the perihelion on January 3, when it is
winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
59. (d) The Earth is farthest from the sun at the Aphelion on July 4, when it is
summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
60. (b) Sun is vertical over the tropic of cancer on June 21 or Summer Solstice.
61. (a)
62. (c)
63. (b)
64. (a)
65. (a)
66. (b)
67. (d)
68. (c)
69. (c)
70. (b) The shortest ditance between two places on the earth surface is along the
Great Circles. The property of a great circle is that a plane passed along it
passes through the centre of the earth and divides it into two equal parts or
hemispheres. Among the latitudes only the equator is a great circle while
among longitudes all of them are great circles.
71. (a) Asteroids are rocky debris of varying sizes orbiting the Sun. They are
generally small but some has the diameter of 1000 km. Asteroids are minor
planets whose orbits lie between Jupiter and Mars. These are said to be the
fragments of a larger planet disrupted long ago. Their number is estimated to
be 30,000 pieces of rocky debris out of which more than half are known.
72. (a) The Earth is the densest planet in the solar system. The density of Earth is
5.513g/cm3. This is an average of all the material on the planet.
73. (d) Smallest planet of the solar system is Mercury while the largest is Jupiter.
Planet second from the Sun in the solar system is Venus; planet nearest to the
Sun is Mercury.
74. (c) Diamond Ring is the phenomenon which occurs along the peripheral regions
of the totality tail. As the last bits of sunlight pass through the valleys on the
moon’s limb, and the faint corona around the sun is just becoming visible, it
looks like a ring with glittering diamonds on it.
75. (a) The tail of the comet is always away from the Sun because the comet rotates
around the Sun, the lighter mass of the comet is pushed away due to the
centrifugal force alone. The tail of a comet is made up of gas and tiny particles
that are carried away from the sun by the solar wind. Comets are formed
mostly from ice and dust, and their tails only form when they are close enough
to be melted by heat from the sun. As the nucleus of a comet begins to melt, it
forms a cloud of gas and small particles known as the coma. When comets
travel close enough into the center of our solar system, pressure from sunlight
causes the coma to form a tail that stretches away from the sun.
