--- title: "NCERT Solutions Class 7 Science Ch 12 Earth, Moon, and the Sun" url: https://www.swavid.com/science/class/7/chapter/earth-moon-and-the-sun/ncert-solutions dateModified: 2026-10-07T16:09:36+00:00 --- # NCERT Solutions Class 7 Science Ch 12 Earth, Moon, and the Sun This chapter's questions cover concepts related to the Earth's rotation, revolution, day-night cycles, seasons, and eclipses. Students are tested through fill-in-the-blanks, true/false statements, and descriptive questions based on astronomical observations. Free PDF (6 pages): https://www.swavid.com/api/seo/pdf/ncert/science/class-7/swavid-ncert-solutions-class-7-science-chapter-12-earth-moon-and-the-sun-3e471edda7.pdf ## Let Us Enhance Our Learning ### Question 1 *3 marks · Short answer* In Fig. 12.17, how many hours of sunlight do the North Pole and the South Pole receive during one rotation of the Earth? **Solution** 1. From Fig. 12.17 in the textbook, the North Pole (NP) is tilted away from the Sun (in darkness) while the South Pole (SP) is tilted towards the Sun (experiencing sunlight). 2. During one complete rotation of the Earth (24 hours), a specific pole either continuously faces the Sun or remains away from it depending on the season shown. 3. Therefore, the North Pole receives 0 hours of sunlight and the South Pole receives 24 hours of sunlight. **Answer:** The North Pole receives 0 hours of sunlight and the South Pole receives 24 hours of sunlight during one rotation of the Earth. > Common mistake: Confusing the tilt of the poles and assuming both poles receive equal sunlight or 12 hours each. ### Question 2 *1 mark · Fill in the blank* Fill in the blanks (i) Stars rise in the _________ and set in the __________. (ii) Day and night are caused by the Earth’s __________________. (iii) When the Moon fully covers the Sun from our view, it is called a _____________ solar eclipse. **Part (i)** 1. Stars appear to rise in the East and set in the West due to the Earth's rotation from West to East. Answer (i): East, West **Part (ii)** 1. The cycle of day and night is caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis. Answer (ii): rotation **Part (iii)** 1. When the Moon completely blocks the Sun from our view, it is called a total solar eclipse. Answer (iii): total **Answer:** (i) East, West (ii) rotation (iii) total > Common mistake: Confusing rotation with revolution. ### Question 3 *1 mark · True or false* State whether True or False (i) Lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun comes between the Earth and the Moon. (ii) Sunrise happens earlier in Gujarat than in Jharkhand. (iii) In Chennai, the longest day occurs on the summer solstice. (iv) We should watch the solar eclipse directly with our naked eye. (v) Seasons occur due to the tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation and its spherical shape. (vi) The Earth’s revolution around the Sun causes day and night. **Part (i)** 1. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, not when the Sun comes between them. Answer (i): False **Part (ii)** 1. Since Gujarat is in the western part of India and Jharkhand is in the eastern part, sunrise happens earlier in Jharkhand than in Gujarat. Answer (ii): False **Part (iii)** 1. In the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Chennai, the longest day occurs around 21 June known as the summer solstice. Answer (iii): True **Part (iv)** 1. Directly viewing a solar eclipse with the naked eye can permanently damage the eyes and cause blindness; it must be strictly avoided. Answer (iv): False **Part (v)** 1. Seasons occur due to the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation and its spherical shape. Answer (v): True **Part (vi)** 1. The Earth's rotation on its axis causes day and night, whereas its revolution around the Sun causes seasons and the changing view of the night sky. Answer (vi): False **Answer:** (i) False, (ii) False, (iii) True, (iv) False, (v) True, (vi) False > Common mistake: Confusing rotation with revolution, or mixing up the relative positions during eclipses. ### Question 4 *3 marks · Short answer* Padmashree saw the Orion constellation nearly overhead at 8 pm yesterday. When will she see Orion overhead today? **Solution** 1. Constellations appear to shift earlier in the sky each day because of the Earth's revolution around the Sun. 2. Due to this orbital motion, stars and constellations appear overhead about 4 minutes earlier each day. 3. Therefore, Padmashree will see Orion overhead about 4 minutes earlier than 8 pm today. **Answer:** Padmashree will see Orion overhead about 4 minutes before 8 pm today. > Common mistake: Assuming stars appear at the exact same clock time every day without accounting for Earth's revolution. ### Question 5 *3 marks · Short answer* Nandhini saw a group of stars rising at midnight on 21 June. When will she see the same group of stars rising at midnight next year? **Solution** 1. As the Earth revolves around the Sun, the visible night sky changes gradually over the course of a year. 2. A full revolution takes about 365 days, bringing the Earth back to the same position relative to the stars. 3. Therefore, Nandhini will see the same group of stars rising at midnight on 21 June next year. **Answer:** Nandhini will see the same group of stars rising at midnight on 21 June next year. > Common mistake: Thinking that different stars seen during different months change completely from one year to the next. ### Question 6 *3 marks · Short answer* Abhay noticed that when it was daytime in India, his uncle who was in the USA was generally sleeping as it was night-time there. What is the reason behind this difference? **Solution** 1. The Earth rotates from West to East on its axis, causing different parts of the Earth to face the Sun at different times. 2. When India faces the Sun, it experiences daytime. 3. At the same time, the USA on the opposite side of the Earth faces away from the Sun and experiences night-time. **Answer:** The difference is due to the Earth's rotation, which causes different longitudes to experience daytime and night-time at different times. > Common mistake: Explaining day and night using Earth's revolution instead of rotation. ### Question 7 *3 marks · Short answer* Four friends used the following ways to see the solar eclipse. Who among them was being careless? (i) Ravikiran used a solar eclipse goggle. (ii) Jyothi used a mirror to project the Sun’s image. (iii) Adithya saw the Sun directly with his eyes. (iv) Aruna attended a programme arranged by a planetarium. **Solution** 1. Directly viewing a solar eclipse with naked eyes must be strictly avoided because the intense sunlight can damage the eyes and cause blindness. 2. Ravikiran, Jyothi, and Aruna used safe viewing methods such as solar eclipse goggles, projecting the Sun's image using a mirror, and attending a planetarium programme. 3. Adithya viewed the Sun directly with his eyes and was therefore being careless. **Answer:** Adithya was being careless because he saw the Sun directly with his eyes. > Common mistake: Thinking that sunlight is weak during an eclipse and safe to watch directly. ### Question 8 *3 marks · Short answer* Fill in the circles in Fig. 12.18 appropriately with one of the following: Sun, Moon, Earth. **Solution** 1. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon comes in between the Sun and the Earth. 2. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon. 3. In Fig. 12.18, the circle corresponding to a solar eclipse is filled with Moon, and the circle corresponding to a lunar eclipse is filled with Earth. **Answer:** The circle for solar eclipse is filled with Moon, and the circle for lunar eclipse is filled with Earth. > Common mistake: Confusing the positions of the Moon and the Earth between the Sun during solar and lunar eclipses. ### Question 9 *3 marks · Short answer* The Moon is much smaller than the Sun, yet it can block the Sun completely from our view during a total solar eclipse. Why is it possible? **Solution** 1. The size of any object as seen by the eye, known as apparent size, depends upon both its actual physical size and its distance from us. 2. Though the Moon is much smaller in physical size than the Sun, it is much closer to the Earth compared to the Sun. 3. Due to this, their apparent sizes in the sky are similar, allowing the Moon to cover the entire Sun during a total solar eclipse. **Answer:** The Moon can block the Sun because its apparent size is similar to that of the Sun due to its much closer distance to the Earth. > Common mistake: Believing that the actual physical size of the Moon is larger than or equal to the Sun. ### Question 10 *3 marks · Short answer* The Indian cricket team matches in Australia are often held in December. Should they pack winter or summer clothes for their trip? **Solution** 1. Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere. 2. In December, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, experiencing the summer season. 3. Therefore, the Indian cricket team should pack summer clothes for their trip to Australia in December. **Answer:** They should pack summer clothes because December is summer in Australia. > Common mistake: Assuming all of December is winter everywhere because it is winter in India. ### Question 11 *3 marks · Short answer* Why do you think lunar eclipses can be seen from a large part of the Earth when they happen, but total solar eclipse can be seen by only a small part of the Earth? **Solution** 1. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon, casting a large shadow that covers the entire face of the Moon visible from a large part of the Earth. 2. During a total solar eclipse, the shadow of the Moon falls on only a very small area on the surface of the Earth. 3. As a result, lunar eclipses can be seen from a large part of the Earth, whereas total solar eclipses can be seen by only a small part of the Earth. **Answer:** Lunar eclipses can be seen from a large part of the Earth because the Earth casts a large shadow on the Moon, while a solar eclipse casts a very small shadow of the Moon on the Earth. > Common mistake: Confusing the shadow sizes cast by the Earth and the Moon. ### Question 12 *3 marks · Short answer* If the Earth’s axis were not tilted with respect to the axis of revolution, explain what would be the effect on seasons? **Solution** 1. Seasons occur because of the tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation and its spherical shape, which causes varying intensity and duration of sunlight across hemispheres over the year. 2. If the Earth's axis were not tilted with respect to the axis of revolution, the sunrays would fall equally on both hemispheres throughout the year. 3. As a result, there would be no cycle of seasons on the Earth. **Answer:** If the Earth's axis were not tilted, there would be no change in seasons, and all places would experience uniform weather throughout the year. > Common mistake: Thinking seasons are caused by the changing distance between the Earth and the Sun during its revolution. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many questions are there in the NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Science Chapter 12 Earth, Moon, and the Sun? The exercise titled Let Us Enhance Our Learning contains 12 questions in total. These questions cover a variety of formats including fill in the blanks, short answers, and true or false statements. ### What topics are covered in the exercise questions of this chapter? The questions cover important concepts such as the apparent motion of constellations, apparent size of the Sun and Moon, and the changing view of the night sky over a year. Other topics include day and night in different longitudes, the effect of Earth's tilt on seasons, polar sunlight during Earth rotation, and the positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon during eclipses. ### Which question type is considered the hardest in this chapter and how should I approach it? Questions about the positions of celestial bodies during eclipses and the effect of Earth's tilt on seasons are often found challenging. You should approach them by first visualizing the relative positions in $3\text{D}$ space and then breaking down your answer into clear scientific steps. ### How can I write answers to score full marks in Class 7 Science examinations? To secure full marks, structure your answers with precise scientific terminology and refer to key phenomena like Earth's rotation and revolution accurately. You can use SwaVid's step-by-step solutions on this page to learn the ideal way to frame your responses. ### Is the free PDF for these NCERT solutions available for download? Yes, SwaVid provides a free PDF and detailed step-by-step solutions for this chapter on this page only. You can easily access and download these resources for your 2026-27 session studies based on the new NCERT book under NCF 2023. ## Related pages - [Class 7 Science chapters](https://www.swavid.com/science/class/7) Solutions written by SwaVid, a personal AI tutor for Class 6 to 10 Maths and Science. Practise this chapter free: https://www.swavid.com/start/student