🔍 Key Concepts

• Spring vs. neap tides and how tidal range changes • The positions of the Earth, moon, and sun relative to each other • What happens when the gravitational pulls of the moon and sun combine or partially cancel

💭 Think About

• Which moon phases create the strongest combined gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans? • Look at each choice: which ones describe a situation where moon and sun are lined up with Earth in roughly the same straight line? • Are spring tides related to the season called spring, or do they occur more frequently than once a year?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be sure you know that ‘spring’ in spring tide does NOT mean the season • Confirm which moon phases occur when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned (syzygy) • Check which choice describes conditions that happen about twice a month, matching how often spring tides occur