Question 150
HardOriginal 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.
Based on the passage, which statement must be true?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The last paragraph says the two halves of the world always have opposite seasons, and gives India's summer and Australia's winter as the example.
If the seasons are always opposite, then when India has winter, Australia must have summer.
Worth noting
The passage never says the tilt itself changes. The tilt stays the same; what changes is which half faces the Sun as the Earth moves along its path.
- Concept
- Drawing a conclusion that follows from a general statement
- Typical timeTypical
- 55 s
- Your timeYours
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