During the December solstice, the northern end of Earth's axis points away from the Sun.

• A. Toward
• B. Away
• C. Perpendicular
• D. Parallel

Answer: (B)

This question tests how Earth's tilt controls which hemisphere tilts toward or away from the Sun during solstices. The axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees relative to the plane of Earth's orbit, so as Earth travels around the Sun, the tilt makes different hemispheres lean toward or away from the Sun at different times of year.

During the December solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. That means the northern end of Earth's axis points away from the Sun, while the southern end points toward it. This orientation explains why the Northern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day of the year and the Sun stays relatively low in the sky.

The other directions don’t describe what happens at this solstice: toward would correspond to the June solstice when the northern hemisphere leans toward the Sun; perpendicular or parallel would imply a different geometrical relationship between the axis and the Sun that isn’t what occurs at this time.