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Item WC105001: Sunlight transfers different amounts of energy to a lake depending on the position of the sun in the sky.

The photographs below show the sun at two different positions in the sky above a lake: One shows the sun high in the sky and one shows the sun lower in the sky. In both situations, nothing blocks the sunlight from reaching the lake.

                

                  Sun high in the sky                               Sun low in the sky

Would sunlight transfer different amounts of energy to the lake when the sun is at different positions in the sky?

  1. Yes, because the position of the sun changes the angle at which sunlight hits the lake, which determines how much energy the sunlight transfers to the lake
  2. Yes, because the position of the sun changes the distance that sunlight must travel to reach the lake, which determines how much energy sunlight transfers to the lake
  3. No, because how much energy the sunlight transfers to the lake does not depend on where the sun is in the sky
  4. No, because sunlight cannot transfer energy to a lake
Distribution of Responses
Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item CL105001
Students Responding Correctly
Group Correct Total Percent
Overall 850 1597 53%
Grades
  6–8 494 958 52%
  9–12 354 636 56%
Gender
  Male39474353%
  Female44482854%
Primary Language
  English758142253%
  Other6813052%

View data table