Question 148
MediumOriginal questionAsk most people why summer is hot and they will say that the Earth is closer to the Sun at that time of year. The idea sounds , and it is wrong.
It is true that the Earth's path around the Sun is not a perfect circle, so the distance between them changes a little during the year. But the northern half of the planet has its winter when the Earth is closest to the Sun, and its summer when the Earth is farthest away. Compared with how far away the Sun is, the change in distance is too small to make much difference to our weather.
The real cause is the Earth's . The planet spins around an imaginary line, its , which runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. That axis does not stand straight up; it leans to one side. As the Earth travels round the Sun, first one half of the planet and then the other is tipped towards the Sun and receives its most rays. When the North Pole leans towards the Sun, it is summer in the northern half of the world; when it leans away, it is winter there.
Because the poles are at ends of the planet, the two halves of the world always have opposite seasons. When it is summer in India, it is winter in Australia.
Why does the writer mention that the distance between the Earth and the Sun changes "a little"?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The writer grants that the distance does change, which is the true part of the common belief.
Then the writer shows that the change is too small to matter and does not match the seasons, which is why the belief is wrong.
Worth noting
Nothing in the passage says the Earth is moving away from the Sun. The change in distance happens within each year.
- Concept
- Understanding how a writer answers an objection
- Typical timeTypical
- 50 s
- Your timeYours
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