This assessment checks Lesson 1 learning outcomes.
Part A — Multiple Choice
Select one best answer.
- The Tropical Zodiac begins at:
A. 0° Taurus
B. 0° Aries
C. 0° Gemini
D. 0° Pisces - The intersections of the ecliptic and the celestial equator are:
A. 0° Cancer and 0° Capricorn
B. 15° Leo and 15° Aquarius
C. 0° Aries and 0° Libra
D. 0° Virgo and 0° Pisces - The Ascendant is the point where:
A. The ecliptic crosses the meridian
B. The ecliptic meets the eastern horizon
C. The ecliptic meets the western horizon
D. The Sun reaches its daily peak - Primary (diurnal) motion refers to:
A. The sky’s right-to-left daily rotation
B. Planets drifting left-to-right through the zodiac
C. The Moon’s phases
D. Precession of the equinoxes - A chart is diurnal when:
A. The Moon is above the horizon
B. The Ascendant is in a day sign
C. The Sun is above the horizon
D. The Midheaven is in a fire sign - In whole-sign houses, the 1st house is defined by:
A. The Ascendant degree
B. The Ascendant’s sign
C. The Midheaven sign
D. The Sun’s sign - The lunar nodes are:
A. Small moons of Earth
B. Fixed stars
C. Calculated points where the Moon’s path crosses the ecliptic
D. Asteroids - Arabic Parts are:
A. Physical bodies in space
B. Computed points derived from longitudes and the Ascendant
C. Star clusters
D. House cusps - In the classical geocentric order from Earth outward, the first three spheres are:
A. Mercury, Moon, Venus
B. Moon, Mercury, Venus
C. Venus, Moon, Mercury
D. Moon, Venus, Sun - An ephemeris primarily lists:
A. Planetary aspects only
B. Planet positions by sign–degree–minute by date
C. House cusps for all latitudes
D. Fixed star magnitudes
Part B — True/False
- The Primum Mobile is the outer sphere that imparts daily motion to inner spheres.
- The fixed stars were considered more “divine” than the planets due to their regularity.
- The Descendant is 90° from the Ascendant.
- In whole-sign houses, the MC can fall in the 9th or 11th house.
- “Rx” in an ephemeris means a planet is retrograde on that date.
- The Tropical Zodiac ties sign boundaries to constellations.
- The Moon often has two daily ephemeris entries because it moves quickly.
- Sect is determined by the Sun’s position relative to the horizon.
- Turning off Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto is required for this course’s charts.
- Arabic Parts are listed only by sign, never by degree.
Part C
Provide brief, clear responses. Use complete sentences where asked.
1. Why is the traditional worldview important to learn astrology?
2. What is the basis of the Tropical Zodiac?
3. Cast a chart for your birth or an event chart for your current time and location (whole-sign, mean nodes, POF on).
Deliverables:
- Snapshot of the chart (or PDF/export).
- Chart Sect (diurnal or nocturnal) with one-sentence justification
- Placements table (use the template below).
Placements table template
| Point | Sign & degree | Whole-sign house |
| Ascendant | 1 | |
| Midheaven | ||
| Sun | ||
| Moon | ||
| Mercury | ||
| Venus | ||
| Mars | ||
| Jupiter | ||
| Saturn | ||
| North Node | ||
| South Node | ||
| Part of Fortune |
4. Cast the birth chart of Eleanor Roosevelt (Oct 11, 1884, New York, 11:00 AM), whole-sign, mean nodes, POF on.
Deliverables:
- Snapshot of the chart (or PDF/export).
- Chart Sect with one-sentence justification.
- Placements table (use the same template).
5. Using the 2020 ephemeris at cafeastrology:
https://cafeastrology.com/2020-ephemeris.html
Provide the positions (sign and degree–minute) for:
- Saturn on March 22, 2020
- Sun on April 10, 2020
- Moon at noon on June 6, 2020
- Mercury on August 13, 2020
- State the dates in 2020 when Saturn turns retrograde and when it goes direct