During a(n) __________, the Sun's energy hits the Earth's hemispheres the most evenly, and during a(n) __________, it hits the Earth's hemispheres the most unevenly.

At an equinox, neither hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, so sunlight is distributed most evenly between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. At a solstice, one hemisphere is tilted most toward the Sun while the other is tilted away, making the distribution most uneven. Therefore, the correct choice is “equinox . . . solstice.”

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