Which tide occurs just after a new moon or full moon when there is the greatest difference between high and low water?

• A. Neap tide
• B. Spring tide
• C. Tidal bore
• D. High tide

Answer: (B)

Gravitational forces from the Moon and the Sun shape Earth's tides. When the Moon is new or full, the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up, so their gravity pulls in the same direction. That alignment makes high tides higher and low tides lower, creating the largest difference between high and low water. This is called a spring tide. By contrast, during quarter moons the Sun and Moon pull at right angles relative to Earth, partially canceling each other and producing a smaller tidal range, a neap tide. A tidal bore is a different phenomenon involving a surge moving up a river, not the regular ocean tides.