KEY TO TEXTBOOK EXERCISES

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.

1. orbit; 2. Saturn; 3. Venus; 4. asteroid belt; 5. new moon
B. Match the rows.
1. (e); 2. (a); 3. (b); 4. (c); 5. (d)
C. Write true or false. Correct the false sentences in your notebook.
1. False. Along with Saturn, recent studies have confirmed the presence of such rings also around Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
2. True
3. False. Halley’s Comet visits our solar system once every 76 years.
4. False. Shooting stars are also called meteors.
5. False. The moon takes about 28 days to revolve around the earth once.
D. Choose the correct answer.
1. (a); 2. (a); 3. (c); 4. (b); 5. (b); 6. (d)
E. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
1. The universe is the boundless expanse of space in which all matter, galaxies, stars, planets, satellites, etc. exist. A galaxy is a group of millions of stars.
2. Constellations are recognizable patterns in the sky made by stars. These patterns supposedly resemble animals, mythological figures, etc., for example, the
Great Bear constellation.
3. The solar system is the sun’s family consisting of various heavenly bodies that revolve around it. These are the eight planets, their satellites, comets, asteroids,
etc. The sun plays a very important role in our solar system. The Sun is the centre of the solar system and its gravity is the pulling force that binds the solar
system.
4. The planet earth is unique because it supports life. This is possible because it has water, atmosphere that has gases critical for life, and land that supports plant
life and other organisms.
5. Between Mars and Jupiter lies a belt of broken rocks and debris of probably an exploded planet. These small rocky bodies are called asteroids.
F. Give reasons for the following.
1. The sun is considered the center of our solar system because it has the most mass and gravity. Its strong gravity pulls all the planets, including earth, to orbit
around it. This keeps the planets in their paths and makes the sun the central point that everything orbits around.
2. The moon changes shape because of how it orbits earth. As it moves, different parts of the moon are lit up by the sun. This creates the phases we see, from a
full moon to a new moon and back again. The changing light makes it look like the moon’s shape is changing throughout the month.
3. We always see the same side of the moon because it spins on its axis at the same rate it orbits earth. This means one side is always facing us, while the other
side is hidden from view. This is called synchronous rotation, and it keeps the same side of the moon visible to us all the time.
G. Answer the following questions in four or five sentences.
1. The earth’s atmosphere has adequate amount of oxygen, which we breathe. It also helps to maintain a suitable range of temperature on the earth. All the other
gases—nitrogen, carbon dioxide and some others that are present in small amount in the atmosphere—are critical for life on earth. For example, ozone in the
atmosphere protects us from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.
2. Meteorites are pieces of rock from space that fall on earth. These rock pieces from the asteroid belt enter the earth’s atmosphere at great speed. Because of
friction with the atmosphere most of these pieces of rocks, called meteors, burn out completely. However, some larger pieces do not burn fully and fall on the
earth making craters.
3. Comets are balls of dust, ice particles and frozen gases that revolve around the sun in a periodic manner. When these come closer to our sun they vaporize and
form a long tail which could be millions of kilometres long. Asteroids are probably pieces of a broken planet that lie between Mars and Jupiter and revolve
around the sun like other planets. Ceres was the largest asteroid, which was reclassified as a dwarf planet.
4. The moon is the earth’s only natural satellite. It is about 3,84,400 km from the earth. Its diameter is one-fourth of that of the earth and its gravity is one-sixth
of the earth’s. The moon has no atmosphere and water, resulting in the absence of any form of life on it. The moon takes about 28 days to revolve around the
earth and the same time to rotate on its axis too.
5. This term ‘phases of the moon’ refers to the different shapes of the moon we see at night. The moon takes about 28 days to go around the earth. The shape of
the moon grows during one half of this period, which is called the waxing period, and reduces during the other half, which is called the waning period. This
happens because of the moon’s different positions during its journey around the earth. (For diagram refer to the book page 14.)
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 KEY TO SUBJECT ENRICHMENT
A. Complete the table: Some hints: To complete the table, have students search for information online about each planet’s distance from the Sun, time to orbit the
Sun, rotation time, and number of satellites. Provide them with a table similar to the example given for Mercury. They should fill in the details for each planet
using reliable sources. Review and discuss their findings together. You can search this website for information: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/overview/
B. Solve this: Answer will vary. To solve this activity, have students first research how long each planet takes to orbit the Sun. Then, using their Earth age, calculate
how old they would be on Mercury, Venus and Mars, based on the planets’ orbital periods. They should divide their Earth age by the orbital period of each planet
to find their age there. Discuss the results in class. For example, a child who is 11 years of age on the earth will be about 45 years on Mercury because the duration
of one year on earth (365 days) is equal to the duration of about four years on Mercury (one year on Mercury is of 88 days).
C. Discuss: The Earth is special because it supports life with plants and animals. To help protect them, you can start by not littering, recycling, and planting trees.
Encourage others to do the same and support local conservation efforts to keep our environment clean and safe for all living things. You can do the following:
1. Take care of the plants in your neighbourhood—water them whenever you can.
2. Don’t throw stones at stray dogs and cattle.
3. Give leftover food to these animals.
D. Source-based question (Textual analysis): (i) The different phases of the moon are seen due to its different positions during its journey around the sun. (ii) Full
moon and new moon phases are seen when the moon, the sun and the earth are in one line. The new moon phase occurs when the moon is in the middle with the
sun and the earth on either side and the full moon phase occurs when the earth is in the middle.
E. Project work:
1. Model making: Divide the class into groups of five and assign each group to create a solar system model. Provide materials like foam balls, clay, and string.
Each group should place planets in their correct orbits around the Sun and include features such as asteroid belts and moons. Ensure accuracy in size and
distance, and then have each group present their model.
2. Travel brochure: Divide the class into eight groups, assigning each a planet of the solar system. Instruct groups to create a travel brochure highlighting their
planet’s size, atmosphere, surface features and unique traits. Encourage them to include illustrations and catchy slogans to attract tourists. Provide materials
like paper, markers and reference books. Allow time for presentation and discussion of each brochure.
F. Field trip: Organize a planetarium visit for students to enhance their understanding of constellations and the solar system. Coordinate with the planetarium for
a guided tour, emphasizing relevant topics. Post-visit, instruct students to create a brief report reflecting on their experience and newfound knowledge. Assign
presentation slots for students to share their reports in class, fostering discussion and deeper engagement with the material.
KEY TO WORKSHEET IN OXFORD EDUCATE
A. 1. Milky Way,  2. 150 million km,  3. Pluto,  4. Venus,  5. Mars,  6. Meteorites,  7. 76 years,  8. one-fourth,  9. 28 days,  10. Meteorites
B. Refer to the diagram given on page 14 of the coursebook.

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