MCQs on the Moon – Geography
Q1. What is the average distance between the Earth and the Moon?
a) 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers)
b) 250,000 miles (402,336 kilometers)
c) 225,623 miles (363,104 kilometers)
d) 210,000 miles (337,964 kilometers)
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Correct Answer: a) 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers)
Explanation: The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is approximately 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers).
Q2. What is the diameter of the Moon?
a) 1,080 miles (1,737 kilometers)
b) 2,160 miles (3,474 kilometers)
c) 3,032 miles (4,879 kilometers)
d) 4,222 miles (6,794 kilometers)
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Correct Answer: b) 2,160 miles (3,474 kilometers)
Explanation: The Moon’s diameter is approximately 2,160 miles (3,474 kilometers).
Q3. What is the Moon’s gravitational force compared to Earth’s?
a) 1/6
b) 1/4
c) 1/2
d) 2/3
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Correct Answer: a) 1/6
Explanation: The Moon’s gravitational force is about 1/6 that of Earth’s.
Q4. What is the Moon’s orbital period around the Earth?
a) 27.3 days
b) 29.5 days
c) 30.4 days
d) 31.5 days
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Correct Answer: a) 27.3 days
Explanation: The Moon’s orbital period around the Earth is approximately 27.3 days.
Q5. What causes the Moon’s phases?
a) The Moon’s rotation
b) The Earth’s rotation
c) The Moon’s orbit around the Earth
d) The Earth’s orbit around the Sun
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Correct Answer: c) The Moon’s orbit around the Earth
Explanation: The Moon’s phases are caused by its orbit around the Earth and the changing angles of sunlight that reach its surface.
Q6. What is the side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth called?
a) Dark side
b) Far side
c) Hidden side
d) Shadow side
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Correct Answer: b) Far side
Explanation: The side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth is called the far side.
Q7. What is the name of the first human-made object to impact the Moon?
a) Luna 1
b) Luna 2
c) Apollo 11
d) Surveyor 1
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Correct Answer: b) Luna 2
Explanation: Luna 2, a Soviet spacecraft, was the first human-made object to impact the Moon in 1959.
Q8. Who were the first humans to land on the Moon?
a) Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
b) John Glenn and Alan Shepard
c) Charles Conrad and Alan Bean
d) Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt
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Correct Answer: a) Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
Explanation: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to land on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
Q9. How many Apollo missions landed astronauts on the Moon?
a) 3
b) 6
c) 9
d) 12
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Correct Answer: b) 6
Explanation: Six Apollo missions (Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) landed astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
Q10. How many astronauts have walked on the Moon?
a) 8
b) 10
c) 12
d) 14
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Correct Answer: c) 12
Explanation: A total of 12 astronauts have walked on the Moon.
Q11. What is the Moon’s largest impact basin called?
a) Mare Imbrium
b) Mare Serenitatis
c) Mare Crisium
d) South Pole-Aitken Basin
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Correct Answer: d) South Pole-Aitken Basin
Explanation: The South Pole-Aitken Basin is the Moon’s largest impact basin, with a diameter of about 1,600 miles (2,500 kilometers).
Q12. What is the Moon’s surface primarily composed of?
a) Basalt
b) Granite
c) Sandstone
d) Ice
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Correct Answer: a) Basalt
Explanation: The Moon’s surface is primarily composed of basalt, a type of volcanic rock.
Q13. What is the term for the Moon’s flat, dark plains?
a) Craters
b) Highlands
c) Maria
d) Rilles
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Correct Answer: c) Maria
Explanation: The Moon’s flat, dark plains are called maria, which is Latin for “seas”.
Q14. What causes the Moon’s surface to be heavily cratered?
a) Volcanic activity
b) Tectonic activity
c) Meteoroid impacts
d) Erosion
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Correct Answer: c) Meteoroid impacts
Explanation: The Moon’s surface is heavily cratered due to meteoroid impacts over billions of years.
Q15. What is the name of the first successful lunar lander?
a) Luna 9
b) Surveyor 1
c) Apollo 11
d) Ranger 7
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Correct Answer: a) Luna 9
Explanation: Luna 9, a Soviet spacecraft, was the first successful lunar lander, which transmitted images from the Moon’s surface in 1966.
Q16. What is the name of the first successful lunar orbiter?
a) Luna 10
b) Surveyor 1
c) Apollo 8
d) Ranger 7
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Correct Answer: a) Luna 10
Explanation: Luna 10, a Soviet spacecraft, was the first successful lunar orbiter, which entered the Moon’s orbit in 1966.
Q17. What is the name of the first US spacecraft to impact the Moon?
a) Ranger 4
b) Ranger 7
c) Surveyor 1
d) Apollo 11
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Correct Answer: a) Ranger 4
Explanation: Ranger 4, a US spacecraft, was the first US spacecraft to impact the Moon in 1962.
Q18. What is the name of the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon?
a) Ranger 7
b) Surveyor 1
c) Apollo 11
d) Luna 9
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Correct Answer: b) Surveyor 1
Explanation: Surveyor 1, a US spacecraft, was the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon in 1966.
Q19. What is the name of the first spacecraft to return lunar samples to Earth?
a) Luna 16
b) Apollo 11
c) Surveyor 1
d) Ranger 7
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Correct Answer: a) Luna 16
Explanation: Luna 16, a Soviet spacecraft, was the first spacecraft to return lunar samples to Earth in 1970.
Q20. What is the name of the first US spacecraft to return lunar samples to Earth?
a) Ranger 7
b) Surveyor 1
c) Apollo 11
d) Luna 16
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Correct Answer: c) Apollo 11
Explanation: Apollo 11, a US spacecraft, was the first US spacecraft to return lunar samples to Earth in 1969.