Class 6 Geography Chapter 3 Motions of the Earth Extra Questions and Answers

CBSE Class 6 Geography Chapter 3 Motions of the Earth Extra Questions and Answers is available here. Students can learn and download PDF of these questions for free. These extra questions and answers are prepared by our expert teachers as per the latest NCERT textbook and guidelines. Learning these extra questions will help you to score excellent marks in the final exams.

Class 6 Geography Chapter 3 Extra Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Questions

1: Name the season in which days are shorter.
Answer: winter season

2: Equinox has
a) equal days and equal nights.
b) shorter days and longer nights.
c) longer days and shorter nights.
d) shorter days and shorter nights.

Answer: (a) equal days and equal nights.

3: If it is winters in Northern hemisphere, then in Southern hemisphere it would be _______.
Answer: summer season

4: If earth starts rotating from east to west then the sun will rise from west. True/False
Answer: True

5: In Australia, Christmas is celebrated in __________ season.
Answer: summer

6: Which place is called as land of midnight sun?
Answer: The places beyond Arctic & Antarctic circle

7: 6 hours are ignored while calculating a year for the sake of convenience. True/False
Answer: true

8: What will happen if the earth did not rotate?
Answer: life would not have been possible

9: Define revolution.
Answer: Revolution is the motion of the earth around the Sun on its orbit. It takes 365 days and 6 hours to complete one revolution.

10: Define rotation.
Answer: Rotation is the motion of the earth on its axis. It takes 24 hours to complete one rotation.

11: The rays of the sun fall directly on 21st June on __________.
Answer: Tropic of Cancer

12: What causes day and night?
Answer: Rotation

13: What causes different seasons?
Answer: Revolution

14: Why day is shortest in northern hemisphere on 22nd December?
Answer: On 22 December, sunrays are slanting at Tropic of Cancer which has the Winter Solstice and hence the day is shortest.

15: Which day is considered as shortest day in northern hemisphere?
Answer: 22nd December

16: What do you mean by equinox?
Answer: On 23rd September, neither of the poles is tilted towards the Sun. This is called an equinox.

17: Christmas in New Zealand is celebrated in ________.
Answer: Summer

18: The axis of the earth is a bit tilted and hence makes an angle of 66½o with the orbital plane. True/False
Answer: True

19: Earth’s one revolution around sun takes how many days?
Answer: Jog Fall

20: Name The festival of India that follows solar calendar
Answer: True

21: Name the festival which marks the harvest season in North India.
Answer: Makar sankranti

22: In which month the famous festival of Lohri is celebrated?
Answer: January

23: The Arctic Circle experiences day light continuously for ___________.


Answer: 6 months

24: Name the day which is considered as the shortest day at Southern Hemisphere.
Answer: 21st June

25: Name the day which is considered as the longest day at Northern Hemisphere.
Answer: 21st June

26: The whole earth experience equal days and equal nights on_________.
Answer: Equinox (takes place twice a year on March 21 and September 23)

27: 21st march and 23rd September are the days of
(a) Summer solstice
(b) Winter solstice
(c) Equinox
(d) Spring solstice

Answer: (c) equinox

28: Seasons change due to the change in the _________ of the earth.
Answer: Direction of Hemispheres

29: How many days, does February have in a leap year?
Answer: 29 Days

30: Leap year comes every fourth year because
(a) 6 hours are added for 4 years.
(b) it is easy to divide years by 4.
(c) 3 is not a good number.
(d) 4 hours are added for 6 years.

Answer: (a) 6 hours added for 4 years becomes 6 ×4 = 24 hours = 1 day

31: The earth moves around the sun on a path which is curved. True/False
Answer: True (it is elliptical path which comes under curved category)

32: The earth receives light from _________.
Answer: sun

33: What is circle of illumination?
Answer: The circle of illumination is the division between day and night over the earth. The circle of illumination bisects (cuts in half) all latitudes.

34: Name the angle of tilt of the earth.
Answer: The tilt of the Earth’s axis is called obliquity. It is tilted 23.5 degrees relative to our orbital plane.

35: The amount of solar radiation received by the Earth to annually vary by about how many percentages?
Answer: The solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere fluctuates by about 6.9% during a year

36: 23½° South marks the ____________.
Answer: Tropic of Capricorn is the line that is located 23½° degrees south of the equator.

37: On 21st march and 23rd September, the sun rays fall directly on ________.
Answer: On 21st March and September 23rd, direct rays of the sun fall on the equator.

38: In the northern hemisphere on 21st June
(a) longest day and shortest night occur.
(b) longest night and shortest day occur.
(c) equal day and equal night occur.
(d) longest day and longest night occur.

Answer: (d) longest day and shortest night occur.

39: What are the two factors responsible for the formation of seasons?
Answer: The combined effect of the Earth’s orbital motion and the tilt of its rotation axis results in the season.

40: The vernal equinox is commonly called _________.
Answer: Spring

Short Answer Type Questions

1: What is winter Solstice?

Answer: The position of the earth when it is winter season in Northern Hemisphere and summer season in Southern Hemisphere is called Winter Solstice.

2: Why do we experience different seasons on the earth’s surface?
a) equal days and equal nights.
b) shorter days and longer nights.
c) longer days and shorter nights.
d) shorter days and shorter nights.

Answer:  Because of the change in the position of the earth around the sun.

3: How is the rotation of the Earth responsible for causing day and night?

Answer: The Earth rotates on its axis from West to East and completes it in 24 hours. When the Earth rotates, the half portion facing the sun causes day and the other half remains in darkness causing night. Thus, day and night is a continuous phenomenon because of the rotation.

4: What would happen if the Earth did not revolve?

Answer: If the Earth did not revolve, then:
i) There would be no change in seasons.
ii) There would not be variety of flora and fauna on the earth.

5: Define the following terms: 
A. Dusk
B. Dawn

Answer: Dusk: – Is that period of evening which has diffused light after the sunset.
Dawn: – It is that period of the morning, which has diffused light just before the sunrise.

6: Why the southern hemisphere celebrates Christmas in summers?

Answer: On 22nd December, the Tropic of Capricorn receives direct sun rays due to the tilt of South Pole towards it. As the sun rays are vertical on it, hence it has summers. Therefore, Christmas which falls on 25th December is celebrated in summers in the Southern hemisphere.

7: Why our shadow seems to be long in the morning and evening but short in noon?

Answer: The shadows are long in the morning and evening and short at noon. It is the effect of slanting and direct rays of the sun. When the rays of the sun are overhead in afternoon, the shadow is shortest. The rays of the sun are slanting during evening and morning hence the shadows are long.

8: When are sun’s rays direct on the equator?
Answer: Sun’s rays fall directly on the equator on 21st March.

9: What do you understand by polar day and polar night?

Answer: The polar night occurs when the night lasts for more than 24 hours. This only occurs inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, when the sun stays above the horizon for a long time is called the polar day or midnight sun.

10: What do you understand by the term autumn equinox?

Answer: On September 22nd or 23rd in the northern hemisphere, when night and day are nearly of the same length and Sun crosses the equator moving southward. And in the southern hemisphere on 20th or 21st March, Sun crosses the equator moving northward it is known as autumn equinox.

11: What is the relative importance of revolution of the earth?

Answer: The seasons are caused due to the revolution of the earth. Due to the change in the position of the earth around the sun, we have different seasons.

12: Why both hemispheres experience different winter and summer solstice?

Answer:  During May, June and July, the northern hemisphere is exposed to more direct sunlight because the hemisphere faces the sun. The same is true of the southern hemisphere in November, December and January. This is due to the tilt of the Earth. So June, July and August are the hottest months in the northern hemisphere and December, January and February are the hottest months in the southern hemisphere.

Long Answer Type Questions

1: Write short notes on Summer Solstice?

Answer: On 21st June, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun. The rays of the sun fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer. As a result this area receives more heat. Since a large portion of the Northern Hemisphere gets light from the sun, it is summer in the north regions of the Equator. The longest day and the shortest night at these places occur. At this time in the Southern Hemisphere all these conditions are reversed. It is winter there. The night is longer than the days. This position of the Earth is called the Summer Solstice.

2: What is a leap year how is it calculated?

Answer: When a year has 366 days instead of 365 days it is known as leap year. We say there are 365 days in the year and by this we mean that it takes the earth 365 days to make its annual trip around the sun. Actually, though, It takes the earth 365-1/4 days to make this trip. This means that every year we gain one-fourth of a day and every four years we gain one full day. If we did nothing about this, our calendar would move backward one full day every four years to keep this from happening, we add the extra day every four years and put it into February .

3: Why is it hotter when the sunrays are vertical at a place?

Answer: The sun rays of the noon are hottest in comparison to the sunrays of the morning and evening. This is because the rays of the sun are almost vertical at noon. They fall over a small area and hence give a greater amount of heat that means the heat received at per unit area increases. The rays of the sun are slanting in the morning and in the evening. They spread over a wider area and hence they cover larger area but give less amount of heat. That is why it is hotter when the sunrays are vertical at a place.

4: Distinguish between summer solstice and winter solstice?

Answer: 

Summer solsticeWinter solstice
Sun shines vertically on the Tropic of cancer.Sun shines vertically on the Tropic of Capricorn
North pole is inclined towards the sun and the south pole is away from it.South pole is inclined towards the sun and the north pole is away from it.
This position is on 21st JuneThis position is on 22nd December.
When the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is also known as the northern solstice.When the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere, it is also known as the southern solstice.