The Sun Science Worksheet for Grade 6 - EduMonitor - Free Printable

Let’s go through each question one by one, carefully and simply.

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Question 1: Our solar system orbits around ______.

The solar system includes the Sun and all the planets (like Earth, Mars, Jupiter, etc.). All of these orbit around the Sun. The Milky Way is our galaxy — the whole solar system moves around the center of the Milky Way, but that’s not what this question is asking. It’s asking what the *solar system* orbits around — meaning, what do the planets in our solar system circle? That’s the Sun.

✔ Correct answer: b) The sun

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Question 2: What is a dwarf star?

A “dwarf star” usually refers to stars like our Sun — which are called “main sequence dwarfs.” But in astronomy, “dwarf” can also mean small size or low brightness. For example:
- Red dwarfs = small, dim stars
- White dwarfs = very dense, leftover cores of dead stars (small size)
- Brown dwarfs = failed stars, too small to shine brightly

So “dwarf star” can mean:
→ average or low brightness ✔
→ average or low mass ✔
→ average or low size ✔

That means all of the above fits.

✔ Correct answer: d) All of the above

*(Note: Sometimes people think “dwarf” only means tiny, but in astronomy it’s used more broadly for stars that aren’t giants or supergiants.)*

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Question 3: Stars get their energy from ______.

Stars don’t burn like fire. They make energy inside their cores by smashing atoms together — specifically, hydrogen atoms fuse into helium. This process is called nuclear fusion.

Photosynthesis is how plants make food using sunlight — not relevant here. Hydrogen is the fuel, but the *process* that releases energy is nuclear fusion.

✔ Correct answer: c) Nuclear fusion

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Question 4: Most of the energy in our solar system and on earth comes from ______.

Again, the Sun powers almost everything in our solar system. Plants use sunlight for photosynthesis, we get heat and light from the Sun, weather systems are driven by solar energy. Even fossil fuels originally came from ancient plants that used sunlight.

Hydrogen is part of the Sun’s fuel, but the source of energy reaching us is the Sun itself. Nuclear fusion happens *inside* the Sun — but the energy we receive comes *from* the Sun.

Wait — let’s read carefully: “Most of the energy... comes from ___”

If they’re asking about the ultimate origin, it’s nuclear fusion happening in the Sun. But if they’re asking where the energy we experience comes from, it’s the Sun.

Looking at the options:

a) Hydrogen → fuel, not the direct source
b) The sun → yes, this is what gives us light/heat
c) Nuclear fusion → the process inside the Sun
d) Photosynthesis → only for plants, not most energy in solar system

Actually, both b and c could be argued — but since the question says “in our solar system AND on earth”, and most energy on Earth ultimately traces back to the Sun’s output (which comes from fusion), but the *direct source* we interact with is the Sun.

However, looking at standard science curriculum for kids, they usually say: “Energy on Earth comes from the Sun.”

Also, note Question 3 already asked where stars get energy (fusion). So this question is likely testing whether you know the Sun is the source for us.

But wait — option c is “Nuclear fusion” — which is technically correct as the original source. However, the phrasing “comes from” might imply the immediate source.

Let me check common textbook answers.

In elementary/middle school science, when they ask “Where does Earth’s energy come from?” the expected answer is “the Sun”.

Moreover, the image next to Q4 shows the Sun shining on Earth — reinforcing that idea.

So even though fusion is the engine, the energy *we receive* comes from the Sun.

✔ Best answer for student level: b) The sun

*(Advanced note: If this were a high school physics class, they might want “nuclear fusion”, but given the context and other questions, “the sun” is appropriate.)*

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Question 5: Who described how the sun generates energy?

Galileo studied motion and telescopes. Newton did gravity and laws of motion. Einstein gave us E=mc², which explains why fusion releases so much energy — but he didn’t describe the actual process in the Sun.

Arthur Eddington was an astronomer who, in the 1920s, proposed that stars generate energy through nuclear fusion — combining hydrogen into helium. He was the first to seriously suggest this mechanism.

Yes — Arthur Eddington is credited with explaining stellar energy generation via fusion.

✔ Correct answer: d) Arthur Eddington

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Question 6: What is the sun primarily composed of?

The Sun is mostly gas — about 74% hydrogen and 24% helium by mass. The rest is heavier elements.

So primary composition = hydrogen.

Oxygen and carbon exist in trace amounts. Helium is second-most abundant.

✔ Correct answer: c) Hydrogen

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Now, compiling final answers:

Final Answer:
1. b
2. d
3. c
4. b
5. d
6. c