3.
5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
1 Which two statements about distance-time graphs are true? [1 mark]
a) A straight line means that the speed is not changing.
b) A straight line means that there is no movement.
c) A curve means that speed is changing.
d) A curve means that speed is constant.
2 Which statement about day and night is true? [1 mark]
a) Day occurs when the Earth is closer to the Sun; night is when the
Earth is further from the Sun.
b) Day occurs in regions facing the Sun; night occurs in regions facing
away from the Sun.
c) Daytime is caused by the tilt of the Sun towards the Earth.
d) Night occurs when the moon blocks the Sun.
3 Explain why stars shine so brightly. [2 marks]
4 Not all planets have circular orbits. The diagram below shows a planet with an
elliptical orbit.
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
3.5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
What difference would an elliptical orbit make to the conditions on a planet
compared with a circular orbit? Explain your answer. [2 marks]
5 Which two statements about an object hanging on a spring and bouncing up
and down are true? [1 mark]
a) When the object is rising there is no force of gravity acting on
the object.
b) When the object is falling the spring is not exerting any force.
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
3.5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
c) When the object is accelerating downwards, the upwards acting force
is smaller than the downwards acting force.
d) The forces are not in equilibrium.
6 Explain why light years are used to measure distances in space but not on Earth.
[1 mark]
7 Two balls are sitting next to each other on the surface of a planet. Which
statement is true if one ball is twice the mass of the other? [1 mark]
a) The strength of the gravitational field acting on the two balls is
the same.
b) The gravitational field acting on one ball is twice that acting on
the other.
c) The greater force acts on the ball with the smaller mass.
d) The two balls are attracted to the planet with the same size of force.
8 Describe how and why your weight would vary if you traveled in a helium balloon
from the Earth’s surface to the outer edge of the atmosphere. [1 mark]
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
3.5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
9 Our Sun is about four billion years old and is estimated to last for at least a
further four billion years. Why will our Sun eventually die? [1 mark]
a) It will run out of hydrogen to burn.
b) It will run out of hydrogen and other elements to release energy
by nuclear fusion.
c) It will collapse under the strength of its own gravity.
d) It will no longer burn because it will run out of oxygen.
10 Look at the distance-time graph for a moving object.
At what speed is the object traveling? [1 mark]
a) 5 meters per second
b) 25 meters per second
c) 125 meters per second
d) 30 meters per second
11 Where does the Sun get its energy from? [1 mark]
a) nuclear fusion
b) nuclear fission
c) burning Hydrogen
d) burning Helium
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
3.5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
12 Explain how the tilt of the Earth’s axis affects the days in Europe at different
times of the year. [2 marks]
13 Scientists have predicted that stars expand as they enter the later stages of their
existence. Assuming the mass of an aging star has not changed, which of these
statements is true? [1 mark]
a) The weight of an object on the star’s surface would not change,
assuming the object is not affected by the heat.
b) The star’s gravitational field would become smaller as it aged.
c) So long as it was not affected by the heat, the weight of an object
on the surface of the star would become less as the star aged.
d) So long as the star existed, the gravitational field at its surface
would remain the same strength.
14 An astronaut throws a steel ball in deep space where no gravity is acting. Which
two statements apply? [1 mark]
a) The ball will gradually slow down unless it gets close enough to
a planet or star for gravity to affect it.
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
3.5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
b) The ball will continue in the same direction at the same speed
unless it gets close enough to a planet or star for gravity to affect it.
c) Once the ball is traveling in deep space there are no significant
forces acting.
d) The ball will continue to accelerate after it leaves the astronaut’s
hand because of the force from the hand.
15 Mars has a gravitational field strength of about 4 N/kg on its surface. Calculate
the weight of a rock, on Mars, which has a mass of 70 kg. [2 marks]
16 Look at the diagram. It shows the positions of a wind-up car traveling at 1 m/s,
and a toy train traveling at 3 m/s.
What positions would the two toys reach two seconds later? What is their relative
speed? [2 marks]
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
3.5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
17 Explain how distances to nearby stars can be measured. [3 marks]
18 A lorry is pulling a trailer along a road with a force of 5700 N. The trailer and the
lorry each have an air resistance of 1000 N. The total of other frictional forces is
3700 N. Which statement correctly describes the situation? [1 mark]
a) The pulling force from the lorry is greater than the total of all the
other forces, so the lorry would accelerate.
b) The forces are in equilibrium; the lorry and trailer would stop moving.
c) The forces are in equilibrium; the lorry and trailer would continue
at the same speed.
d) The pulling force from the lorry is greater than the total of all the air
resistance and other frictional forces, so the lorry and trailer would
keep going at the same speed.
19 Imagine a large asteroid heading close to Earth. Scientists have predicted it will
start to orbit the Earth in a regular pattern. What information would scientists
need to know in order to predict this event? Select one answer. [1 mark]
a) the position of the asteroid as it comes close to the Earth
b) the speed of the asteroid
c) the position and speed of the asteroid
d) the position and speed of the asteroid, plus the atmospheric
conditions on Earth
20 Describe how the forces acting on a suitcase in the boot of a car change when
the car is traveling at a constant speed along a straight road and then slows
down and stops at some traffic lights. [2 marks]
_________________________________
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
3.5 test: Motion on Earth and in Space 2Y/3Y
21 Look at the graph. It shows the movement of a remote control car.
Calculate the average speed for the whole journey and suggest why the graph
may not be entirely realistic. [2 marks]
Total: ______/30
KS3 Science Student Book 3 ©HarperCollinsPublishersLimited 2015
