General Science Question Answers Chapter 16 Class 6 Maharashtra Board

Question Answers For All Chapters – General Science Class 6

The Universe

Exercise

1. Name these:
Answer – (a) Birthplace of stars – Nebula
(b) Biggest planet in the solar system – Jupiter
(c) The galaxy which is our neighbor – Andromeda
(d) Brightest planet in the solar system – Venus
(e) Planet with the largest number of satellites – Jupiter
(f) Planets without a single satellite – Mercury and Venus
(g) Planet with a rotation different from other planets – Venus (rotates from east to west)
(h) A celestial body that carries a tail along – Comet

2. Fill in the blanks:
Answer – (a) The group of galaxies of which our Milky Way is a part is called the Local Group.
(b) Comets are made of ice and dust.
(c) The planet Uranus appears as if it is rolling along its orbit.
(d) Jupiter is a stormy planet.
(e) The Pole Star is the best example of a Variable type of star.

3. Say if the statements given below are right or wrong. Rewrite the statements after correcting them.
Answer – (a) Venus is the planet closest to the sun. (Wrong – Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.)
(b) Mercury is called a stormy planet. (Wrong – Jupiter is called a stormy planet.)
(c) Jupiter is the biggest planet. (Right)

4. Answer the following.
(a) What is a special characteristic of the planet Mars ?
Answer –  Mars is called the Red Planet because its soil contains iron, giving it a reddish color. It also has the highest and longest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons.

(b) What are the types of galaxies ?
Answer –  Galaxies are of different types based on their shape:

• Spiral Galaxy (like the Milky Way)
• Elliptical Galaxy
• Barred Spiral Galaxy
• Irregular Galaxy

(c) Which celestial bodies does a galaxy include ?
Answer – A galaxy includes stars, planetary systems, nebulae, gas clouds, dust clouds, star clusters, and dead or newly born stars.

(d) Name the different types of stars.
Answer – The different types of stars are:
Sun-like stars (e.g., Sirius, Alpha Centauri)
Red Giants
Supernova
Binary or Twin Stars
Variable Stars (e.g., Pole Star)

(e) What are the types of comets and on what basis are they classified?
Answer – Comets are classified based on how long they take to revolve around the sun:

• Short-period comets (take less than 200 years)
• Long-period comets (take more than 200 years)

(f) What is the difference between meteors and meteorites ?
Answer –  Meteors are small space rocks that burn up in Earth’s atmosphere and appear as shooting stars.
Meteorites are meteors that do not burn up completely and reach the Earth’s surface.
(g) What are the characteristics of the planet Neptune ?
Answer –  Neptune is the 8th planet in the solar system.
It has extremely fast winds and very long seasons (about 41 years each).
It has 13 known satellites.

5. Match the following.