The earth and solar system

Traps in The earth and solar system

• Picks a closely related feature or term
  Learn related features as contrasting pairs: how each forms and what it looks like.
• Solar system and earth misconceptions
  Order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Equinoxes ~21 March and 23 September (equal day and night). Solstices ~21 June and 22 December. Lunar eclipse: earth between sun and moon.
• Confuses rotation and revolution
  Rotation (24 h) → day and night. Revolution (365¼ days) with the tilted axis (23½°) → seasons and changing day length.
• Over-generalises a pattern
  Geographic patterns have exceptions; be wary of always/never/all.
• Gives only part of the answer
  Recall the full definition or list of factors and check the option covers it.
• Chooses a true but irrelevant statement
  Test each option against the exact term or feature in the stem.
• Confuses statistical maps and graphs
  Dot map: each dot = a fixed quantity (distribution). Choropleth: shading by administrative area (density). Isopleth: lines joining equal values (isohyets, isotherms). Flow map: line width shows volume of movement. Proportional circles/bars: size proportional to value.
• Latitude and longitude errors
  Latitude: angular distance N/S of the equator (parallels). Longitude: angular distance E/W of the Greenwich meridian. Tropics 23½°; Arctic/Antarctic Circles 66½°; International Date Line ≈ 180°; 15° of longitude = 1 hour; 1° = 4 minutes.
• Map reading errors
  Close contours = steep slope; wide = gentle. Gradient = vertical interval ÷ horizontal equivalent (same units). Four-figure grid ref: eastings first, then northings.
• Reverses the process or effect
  Trace the cause and effect step by step and check the direction at each step.
• Uses the wrong time per degree of longitude
  The Earth turns 360° in 24 h: 15° per hour, so 1° = 4 minutes. Convert minutes to hours by dividing by 60.
• Uses the wrong operation
  Picture the situation (higher = colder; back bearing = ± 180°) before choosing the operation.
• Stops at an intermediate value
  Check the final number answers the question asked (temperature AT the summit, not the change).
• Uses an everyday idea instead of the geography
  Test the intuition against the physical process; geography terms and causes often differ from their everyday sense.