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Bright Because It Is Close is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on arguing that the sun's brightness is due to its distance from Earth, aligned to Common Core standard 5-ESS1-1. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 18 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Bright Because It Is Close

5-ESS1-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Why is the sun's apparent brightness poor evidence that it is a large star?
  • A.The sun is not a star
  • B.Brightness never relates to size
  • C.Its closeness explains the brightness without any claim about size
2.The sun looks far brighter than any other star. What is the best explanation?
  • A.It is the biggest star there is
  • B.It is the only real star
  • C.It is very much closer to Earth than the other stars
3.Which measurement would settle whether a dim star is small or distant?
  • A.Its colour only
  • B.Its distance from Earth
  • C.How long you look at it
4.Two torches of equal brightness are set at 2 m and 20 m. What do you see?
  • A.The far one looks brighter
  • B.They look the same
  • C.The nearer one looks much brighter
5.What does that torch model show about stars?
  • A.Torches are stars
  • B.Distance changes how bright a light looks
  • C.Stars are torches
6.A star is moved twice as far away in a model. What happens to how bright it looks?
  • A.It looks dimmer
  • B.Nothing changes
  • C.It looks brighter
7.A star looks dim. What are the two possible reasons?
  • A.It is going out
  • B.It is far away, or it gives out less light, or both
  • C.It is always small
8.What is 'apparent brightness'?
  • A.Its temperature
  • B.How bright a star looks from Earth
  • C.How much light it really gives out

LessonPrint · 5-ESS1-1 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Bright Because It Is Close

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Its closeness explains the brightness without any claim about size
  2. 2.It is very much closer to Earth than the other stars
  3. 3.Its distance from Earth
  4. 4.The nearer one looks much brighter
  5. 5.Distance changes how bright a light looks
  6. 6.It looks dimmer
  7. 7.It is far away, or it gives out less light, or both
  8. 8.How bright a star looks from Earth

More practice for 5-ESS1-1

Argue that stars look dimmer than the sun because they are much further away.

Teaching this next? Bright Because It Is Close is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-ESS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.