Earth, Sun & Moon Patterns — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. The moon was full last night. About how long until the next full moon?
A) About one month
B) About one day
C) About one year
D) About one hour
The moon takes about a month to finish its phases, so a full moon returns monthly.
2. The sun rose at 7 a.m. today. What is a good guess for tomorrow?
A) Around 7 a.m. again
B) Near midnight tonight
C) Tomorrow at noon only
D) Never again
Sunrise times change slowly, so tomorrow's sunrise will be very close to today's time.
3. It is now January and cold. Which season will come about six months later?
A) Summer
B) Winter again
C) Another January
D) No season at all
Six months after a cold January, Earth's tilt brings hot summer days to our side.
4. You see a crescent moon tonight. What is a possible next shape?
A) A half moon soon
B) Two suns at once
C) A square moon
D) A new star moon
Moon shapes change in order, so a crescent often grows into a half moon next.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Because sky events repeat, we can predict what happens next.
When something follows the same pattern, we can safely predict what will come next.
2. After a full moon, the lit part starts to look smaller each night.
The lit part shrinks night by night after full moon, moving us toward new moon again.
3. After winter, the next season we expect is spring.
Seasons follow a fixed order, so spring always comes after winter every single year.
4. Watching the sky and writing notes helps us find sky patterns.
Careful notes show us events that repeat, and those repeats are the patterns we find.
5. A scientist who watches and records the sky is an observer.
An observer watches carefully and writes down what they see to learn about patterns.