Why is an extra day added to the calendar approximately every four years, creating a leap year?
ATo align with the length of a typical human lifespan
BTo match the phases of the moon exactly
CBecause scientists agreed to add a day arbitrarily
DTo correct for Earth's orbit around the sun taking slightly longer than exactly 365 days
Explanation
A leap year adds an extra day, February 29th, approximately every four years to account for the fact that Earth actually takes about 365.25 days to orbit the sun, slightly more than the standard 365-day calendar year. Without this periodic adjustment, the calendar would gradually drift out of sync with the seasons over time. The rule includes some additional exceptions for century years to keep the calendar even more precisely aligned with Earth’s actual orbital period over the long term. Explore more Everyday Science MCQs on mcqstutor to keep practicing.
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