Which term defines neap tide?

• A. The time at which the tide reaches its lowest level
• B. Water bulges toward Moon
• C. Sun and Moon are at right angles; weakest
• D. The regular rise and fall of the ocean's surface influenced by the moon

Answer: (C)

Neap tides occur when the Sun and Moon pull on Earth in perpendicular directions, forming a right angle with Earth in between. When their gravitational influences oppose each other this way, their tidal forces partly cancel, reducing the overall effect and making tides weaker. That means the high tides are not very high and the low tides are not very low, resulting in the smallest tidal range.

This isn’t just about the lowest tide, the bulge toward the Moon, or the general rise and fall of tides. Those ideas describe tides more broadly or specific aspects of the tide, whereas the defining situation for neap tides is the right-angle alignment of Sun and Moon. Neap tides typically occur during the first and third quarters of the Moon.