Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Weather and Climate II: Seasonal Differences ~ Item CL125002 ~ Student Performance

Is the number of hours of daylight ever the same at all places on earth over the course of a day?

Yes, the number of hours of daylight is the same at all places on the first day of spring and the first day of fall because on those days the earth’s axis is not angled at all toward or away from the sun.
Yes, the number of hours of daylight is the same at all places on the first day of winter and the first day of summer because on those days the earth’s axis is angled the most toward the sun.
Yes, the number of hours of daylight is always the same at all places because sunlight reaches each place for the same amount of time every day of the year.
No, the number of hours of daylight is never the same at all places on earth because the earth’s axis is always angled some amount toward the sun.

Distribution of responses
Answer Choice		Overall	Grades		Gender		Primary Language
		n = 2160	6–8 n = 1243	9–12 n = 908	Male n = 1025	Female n = 1087	English n = 1872	Other n = 215
A.	Yes, the number of hours of daylight is the same at all places on the first day of spring and the first day of fall because on those days the earth’s axis is not angled at all toward or away from the sun.	24%	25%	21%	25%	23%	23%	25%
B.	Yes, the number of hours of daylight is the same at all places on the first day of winter and the first day of summer because on those days the earth’s axis is angled the most toward the sun.	21%	21%	19%	21%	20%	21%	21%
C.	Yes, the number of hours of daylight is always the same at all places because sunlight reaches each place for the same amount of time every day of the year.	17%	17%	17%	16%	18%	16%	21%
D.	No, the number of hours of daylight is never the same at all places on earth because the earth’s axis is always angled some amount toward the sun.	39%	37%	42%	39%	39%	40%	32%

Science Assessment