Praxis Earth and Space Sciences: Content Knowledge (5571 / 5572) Practice Test

Waxing means the illuminated portion of the Moon is growing from night to night. After the New Moon, the Moon appears as a crescent, then reaches a stage where the illuminated part is increasing and the Moon is roughly a quarter of the way through its orbit around Earth. That stage is the First Quarter, where the Moon is waxing and the cycle has progressed about a quarter. The other phases don’t fit this description: a New Moon is mostly dark and not waxing; a Full Moon is fully illuminated; and a Waxing Gibbous occurs later, with more than half lit as it moves toward the Full Moon.