NCERT Solution Class 6th Social Science Geography Chapter – 1 The Earth in the Solar System Question & Answer

1. Answer the following questions briefly.

(a) How does a planet differ from a star?

Answer – Differences between a planet and a star

(b) What is meant by the ‘Solar System’?

Answer – The term Solar System refers to the “family” of the Sun. The Sun is a star around which eight planets, among other celestial objects, revolve in orbits. This whole system of bodies is called the Solar System. The Sun is the “head” of this system.

(c) Name all the planets according to their distance from the sun.

Answer – The list of planets in the order of their distance from the Sun is as follows:

Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

(d) Why is the Earth called a unique planet?

Answer – The Earth is regarded as a unique planet because of the following reasons:

• It is the only planet known to support life. It has oxygen and water present in proportions that allow life to thrive.
• It also has a temperature range that supports life.
• The proportion of water present is about two-thirds of the surface of the earth when compared to land.

(e) Why do we see only one side of the moon always?

Answer – One revolution of the moon around the earth takes about 27 days. Incidentally, the moon’s rotation about its own axis also takes nearly the same time. One day of the moon is equal to 27 Earth days. So only one side of the moon can be seen from the earth.

(f) What is the Universe?

Answer – The Universe is the largest unit in which we live. It is a collection of galaxies. There is only one Universe and everything that exists in this Universe itself.