What type of tide occurs when the Sun and Moon are aligned, producing higher high tides?

• A. Neap tide
• B. Spring tide
• C. King tide
• D. Slack tide

Answer: (B)

Tides come from the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on Earth's oceans. When the Sun and Moon line up with Earth—during new moon and full moon phases—their gravity adds together, pulling in the same direction. That stronger combined pull increases the difference between high and low tides, giving higher high tides and lower low tides. This stronger tidal range is called a spring tide. The other scenarios describe different alignments: neap tides happen when the Sun and Moon are at right angles, reducing the tidal range; slack tide is a short period with little water movement between high and low tides; king tide is just a popular name for an unusually high tide, not a formal type.