Download A) Polaris B) Betelgeuse C) Procyon B D) Sirius 1. Which star has a

1. Which star has a surface temperature most similar to
the surface temperature of Alpha Centauri?
A) Polaris
B) Betelgeuse
C) Procyon B
D) Sirius
2. Giant stars have greater luminosity than our sun
mainly because they are
A) hotter
B) farther away
C) larger
D) older
Base your answers to questions 3 through 6 on the Characteristics of Stars graph below and on your
knowledge of Earth science.
3. Describe one characteristic of the star Spica that causes it to have a greater luminosity than Barnard's
Star.
4. The star Canopus has a surface temperature of 7400 K and a luminosity (relative to the Sun) of 1413.
Use an X to plot the position of Canopus on the graph above, based on its surface temperature and
luminosity.
5. Identify two stars from the Characteristics of Stars graph that are at the same life-cycle stage as the
Sun.
6. Describe how the relative surface temperature and the relative luminosity of Aldebaran would change
if it collapses and becomes a white dwarf like Procyon B.
7. Which characteristics best describe the star
Betelgeuse?
A) reddish orange with low luminosity and high
surface temperature
B) reddish orange with high luminosity and low
surface temperature
C) blue white with low luminosity and low surface
temperature
D) blue white with high luminosity and high surface
temperature
8. By using a spectroscope an astronomer can
A)
B)
C)
D)
measure the size of a star
measure the altitude of a star
identify elements in the atmosphere of a star
measure the diameter of a star
Base your answers to questions 9 and 10 on the diagram below, which shows the change in the size of
a star such as our Sun as it evolves from a protostar to a white dwarf star.
9. During which stage of development does the star have a cool surface temperature and the greatest
luminosity?
A) protostar
B) main sequence C) giant
D) white dwarf
10. Which process produces the energy radiated by the star when it becomes a main sequence star?
A) radioactive decay
C) conduction
B) nuclear fusion
D) convection
11. Which star color indicates the hottest star surface
temperature?
A) blue
B) white
C) yellow
D) red
12. Barnard's Star has a surface temperature of about
A) 300 ºC
C) 5000 ºC
B) 3000 ºC
D) 10,000 ºC
13. In order to position a star on an H-R diagram you
must know at least the star's
A)
B)
C)
D)
color and apparent brightness
color, apparent brightness and distance
apparent brightness and age
color and distance
Base your answers to questions 14 through 17 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The diagram represents two possible sequences in the evolution of stars.
14. Which process generates the energy that is released by stars?
A) nuclear fusion
B) thermal conduction
C) convection currents
D) radioactive decay
15. Which table includes data that are characteristic of the surface temperature and luminosity of some
white dwarf stars?
A)
B)
C)
D)
16. Which property primarily determines whether a giant star or a supergiant star will form?
A) mass
B) color
C) shape
17. What causes clouds of dust and gas to form a protostar?
A) magnetism
C) expansion of matter
D) composition
B) gravitational attraction
D) cosmic background radiation
Base your answers to questions 18 and 19 on the graph below, which shows changes in the Sun’s
magnetic activity and changes in the number of sunspots over a period of approximately 100 years.
Sunspots are dark, cooler areas within the Sun’s photosphere that can be seen from Earth.
18. Which graph best represents the relationship between the number of sunspots and the amount of
magnetic activity in the Sun?
A)
B)
C)
D)
19. The graph indicates that years having the greatest number of sunspots occur
A)
B)
C)
D)
randomly and unpredictably
precisely at the beginning of each decade
in a cyclic pattern, repeating approximately every 6 years
in a cyclic pattern, repeating approximately every 11 years
20. Which stars are the youngest?
A) Supergiant
C) Blue star
B) White dwarf
D) Red Dwarfs
21. Which two stars are most similar in luminosity?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Betelgeuse and Barnard's Star
Procyon B and Proxima Centauri
Polaris and the Sun
Alpha Centauri and Sirius
22. The reaction below represents an energy-producing
process.
The reaction represents how energy is produced
A) in the Sun by fusion
B) when water condenses in Earth's atmosphere
C) from the movement of crustal plates
D) during nuclear decay
23. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which shows an inferred sequence
in which our solar system formed from a giant interstellar cloud of gas and debris. Stage A shows the
collapse of the gas cloud, stage B shows its flattening, and stage C shows the sequence that led to the
formation of planets.
From stage B to stage C, the young Sun was created
A) when gravity caused the center of the cloud to contract
B) when gravity caused heavy dust particles to split apart
C) by outgassing from the spinning interstellar cloud
D) by outgassing from Earth’s interior
24. The apparent brightness of an object such as a star
25. Which of the following is the same for all stars along
does not depend on
a horizontal line on an H-R diagram?
A)
B)
C)
D)
how fast the star is moving
the strength of the light emanating from the star
the distance from us to the star
the amount and kind of obstacles between us
and the star
A) temperature
C) mass
B) diameter
D) luminosity
26. The Sun is inferred to spend the greatest amount of time in its life cycle
A) contracting from a gas cloud (nebula)
B) as a main sequence star
C) moving away from the main sequence and becoming a giant star
D) changing from a giant star to a white dwarf star
27. Which factor does not affect a star's absolute
magnitude (Luminosity)?
A) The star's temperature.
B) The star's size.
C) The star's distance.
D) The star's shape.
28. Which star has the greatest luminosity?
A) Barnard's star
B) Procyon
C) Alpha Centauri
D) Rigel
29. Compared to our sun, the star Polaris is
A) brighter
B) smaller
C) cooler
D) hotter
30. The "fuel" of the sun is
A) hydrogen
B) helium
C) oil and various hydrocarbons
D) oxygen
31. What are the two most abundant elements in a main
sequence star?
A)
B)
C)
D)
carbon and hydrogen
hydrogen and helium
helium and carbon
carbon and heavy metals
Base your answers to questions 32 through 34 on the diagram below. The diagram represents the
inferred stages in the formation of our solar system. Stage 1 shows a contracting gas cloud. The
remaining stages show the gas cloud flattening into a spinning disk as planets formed around our Sun.
32. Compared to the terrestrial planets, the Jovian planets in stage 5 have
A) larger diameters
B) higher densities
C) shorter periods of revolution
D) longer periods of rotation
33. Approximately how long ago did stage 4 end and stage 5 begin?
A) 1 billion years
B) 5 billion years
C) 20 billion years
D) 100 billion years
34. Which process was occurring during some of these stages that resulted in the formation of heavier
elements from lighter elements?
A) conduction
C) radioactive decay
B) radiation
D) nuclear fusion
Base your answers to questions 35 through 37 on the cross-sectional model below and the table on the
following page, and on your knowledge of Earth science. The model shows a reddish-orange
supergiant star. The layers in the model indicate where new chemical elements are forming from
existing elements as temperature and pressure conditions increase with depth within the star. In each
layer, atomic nuclei of the existing chemical element combine to form the new elements shown to the
right of the arrow. The table shows the chemical symbols and names of selected elements in the star.
35. What is the approximate surface temperature of this star during this stage of development?
A) 3,200 K
B) 6,000 K
C) 10,500 K
D) 18,000 K
36. The luminosity of this star can best be described as
A) less than the luminosity of the Sun
B) greater than the luminosity of most stars in the main sequence
C) approximately the same luminosity as a white dwarf
D) approximately the same luminosity as Aldebaran
37. Which process represented in the model is occurring in each layer of this star to produce the new
chemical elements?
A) contact metamorphism
C) nuclear fusion
B) internal crystallization
D) radioactive decay
38. Compared to other groups of stars, the group that has 44. The schematic below shows the number of stars
relatively low luminosities and relatively low
formed in each mass range for each star more
temperatures is the
massive than 10 M Sun .
A) Red Dwarfs
B) White Dwarfs
C) Red Giants
D) Blue Supergiants
39. Which star’s surface temperature is closest to the
temperature at the boundary between Earth’s mantle
and core?
A) Sirius
B) Rigel
C) the Sun
D) Betelgeuse
40. According to the graph, the Sun is classified as a
A) main sequence star with a temperature of
approximately 4,000ºC and a luminosity of 100
B) main sequence star with a temperature of
approximately 6,000ºC and a luminosity of 1
C) white dwarf star with a temperature of
approximately 10,000ºC and a luminosity of
0.01
D) blue supergiant star with a temperature of
approximately 20,000ºC and a luminosity of
700,000
41. Approximately how many times larger is the
diameter of the sun compared to the earth?
A) 10 times
B) 100 times
C) 1000 times
D) 10,000 times
42. Compared to the sun a white dwarf star is
A) hotter and larger
B) hotter and smaller
C) cooler and larger
D) cooler and smaller
43. Which star has a higher luminosity and a lower
temperature than the Sun?
A) Rigel
C) Alpha Centauri
B) Barnard’s Star
D) Aldebaran
What is the mass range of the most common stars?
A) 0.08 - 0.5 M Sun
C) 2 - 10 M Sun
B) 10 - 150 M Sun
D) 0.5 - 2 M Sun
45. Base your answer to the following question on the side-view model of the solar system in your
answer booklet and on your knowledge of Earth science. The planets are shown in their relative order
of distance from the Sun. Letter A indicates one of the planets.
Identify the process that occurs within the Sun that converts mass into large amounts of energy.
46. The most observable phenomena in the "Solar
Cycle" is the appearance of
A) solar eclipses
C) solar storms
B) sun spots
D) black holes
Base your answers to questions 47 and 48 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of Earth
science.
The diagram represents the inferred changes to the luminosity and color of the Sun throughout its life
cycle. The diagonal dashed line represents the main sequence stars. The numbers 1 through 5
represent stages in the life cycle of the Sun.
47. For other stars in our galaxy that go through a similar life cycle to our Sun, which star is currently in
the late stage of its life cycle?
A) Alpha Centauri
B) Procyon B
C) Barnard's Star
D) Polaris
48. The Sun is inferred to be the most luminous when it is classified as a
A) white dwarf star
C) main sequence star
B) gas cloud (nebula)
D) giant star
49. Which evidence best supports the theory that the
universe began with a massive explosion?
A) cosmic background radiation in space
B) parallelism of planetary axes
C) radioactive dating of Earth’s bedrock
D) life cycle of stars
50. Light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation
are given off by stars using energy released during
A) nuclear fusion
B) conduction
C) convection
D) radioactive decay
51. Stars are believed to undergo evolutionary changes
over millions of years. The flowchart below shows
stages of predicted changes in the Sun.
53. The probable fate of our sun is
A) to expand as a red giant, undergo a nova
outburst and end as a white dwarf
B) to shrink to a white dwarf then eventually
expand to a red giant
C) become hotter and expand into a blue
supergiant
D) to become a black hole
54. To an observer on Earth, the Sun appears brighter
than the star Rigel because the Sun is
A) hotter than Rigel
B) more luminous than Rigel
C) closer than Rigel
D) larger than Rigel
55. The coolest stars appear
A) white
B) red
C) yellow
D) blue
56. Most of the radiant energy released by the sun
results from the process of
A) nuclear fission
B) nuclear fusion
C) combustion
D) electrical generation
57. Compared to the luminosity and surface temperature
of red main sequence stars, blue supergiants are
According to this flowchart, the Sun will become
A) hotter and brighter in stage 2, then cooler and
dimmer in stage 3
B) cooler and dimmer in stage 2, then hotter and
brighter in stage 3
C) hotter and dimmer in stage 2, then cooler and
brighter in stage 3
D) cooler and brighter in stage 2, then hotter
and dimmer in stage 3
52. What type of star is Polaris?
A) White Dwarf
C) Red Giant
B) Supergiant
D) Main Sequence
A) less luminous and have a lower surface
temperature
B) less luminous and have a higher surface
temperature
C) more luminous and have a lower surface
temperature
D) more luminous and have a higher surface
temperature
58. In the H-R diagram, 90 percent of all stars fall
A)
B)
C)
D)
in the Red Dwarf region.
in the Supergiant region.
among the White Dwarfs.
on the Main Sequence.
59. The star Algol is estimated to have approximately
the same luminosity as the star Aldebaran
approximately the same temperature as the Rigel.
Algol is best classified as a
A) main sequence star
B) red giant star
C) white dwarf star
D) red dwarf star
60. Two stars of the same color are plotted on an H-R
diagram. Star A is more luminous than star B. Which
one of the following statements could explain this?
A) Star A is hotter than star B.
B) Star A is more distant than star B.
C) Star A appears brighter in the sky than star B.
D) Star A is larger than star B.
61. Which of the following stars is hottest?
A) a red giant
B) a white dwarf
C) the sun
D) a red dwarf
Base your answers to questions 62 through 64 on the diagram below, which shows two possible
sequences in the life cycle of stars, beginning with their formation from nebular gas clouds in space.
62. According to the diagram, a star like Earth’s Sun will eventually
A) explode in a supernova
C) change into a white dwarf
B) become a black hole
D) become a neutron star
63. Stars like Earth’s Sun most likely formed directly from a
A) nebula
B) supernova
C) red giant
D) black dwarf
64. According to the diagram, the life-cycle path followed by a star is determined by the star’s initial
A) mass and size
C) luminosity and color
B) temperature and origin
D) luminosity and structure
65. The reaction below represents an energy-producing
process.
The reaction represents how energy is produced
A) in the Sun by fusion
B) when water condenses in Earth's atmosphere
C) from the movement of crustal plates
D) during nuclear decay
66. An astronomer can estimate the temperature of a star
by observing its
A) size
B) shape
C) color
D) brightness
67. Compared to other stars, the sun is
71. Measurements indicate that a certain star has a very
high luminosity (100,000 times that of our sun) and
yet has a temperature that is cooler than the sun.
What can you conclude about this observation?
A) It could be a main sequence star.
B) It may be quite large.
C) This is a typical characteristic of stars.
D) There must be an error in measurement.
72. According to our present theories of stellar
evolution, our sun will change next into
A) a white dwarf
B) a black hole
C) a supernova
D) a red giant
73. Compared to the surface temperature and luminosity
of massive stars in the Main Sequence, the smaller
stars in the Main Sequence are
A) among the hottest stars
B) among the smallest stars
C) very unique
D) about average in all respects
68. Compared to the sun, stars near the top of the H-R
diagram are always
A) hotter and less luminous
B) hotter and more luminous
C) cooler and less luminous
D) cooler and more luminous
74. What celestial phenomenum most affects radio
communication and other electrical atmospheric
changes for us on earth?
A) about the same brightness
B) over 10,000 times brighter
C) much redder
D) much hotter
69. If we plot many stars on an H-R diagram, all with
the same luminosity but different temperatures, they
A) solar eclipses
B) solar flares
C) meteorites entering the atmosphere
D) lunar eclipses
75. By which process do stars convert mass into great
amounts of energy?
A) would all lie on the main sequence
B) would be all over the diagram
C) would form a horizontal line
D) would form a vertical line
70. Which star is cooler and many times brighter than
Earth’s Sun?
A) nuclear fusion
B) heat transfer
C) gravitational pull D) radioactive decay
76. At which phase of its evolutionary life is a white
dwarf star?
A) Barnard’s Star
C) Rigel
B) Betelgeuse
D) Sirius
A)
B)
C)
D)
the late phase for small mass star
the remains of a larger star's explosion
in the main sequence phase
early phases, soon after a star's formation
77. The diagram below represents possible stages in the
life cycle of stars.
Which star has the greatest probability of producing
a supernova explosion?
A) Barnard's Star
B) Betelgeuse
C) Procyon B
D) Sun
78. When a star less massive than our sun consumes all
of its nuclear fuel it will then become a
A) white dwarf
B) nova
C) supernova
D) black hole
79. Which of the following stars is least bright?
A) the sun
B) a blue supergiant
C) a white dwarf
D) a red giant
80. Compared with our Sun, the star Betelgeuse is
A) smaller, hotter, and less luminous
B) smaller, cooler, and more luminous
C) larger, hotter, and less luminous
D) larger, cooler, and more luminous
81. Which star is more massive than our Sun, but has a
lower surface temperature?
A) 40 Eridani B
B) Sirius
C) Aldebaran
D) Barnard's Star
82. Energy is produced within a star's core by the
process of
A) insolation
C) nuclear fusion
B) conduction
D) radioactive decay
Base your answers to questions 83 and 84 on the flowchart below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. The flowchart shows the evolution of stars.
83. Describe how the diameter and luminosity of a main sequence star change as the star becomes
either a giant or a supergiant.
84. Identify the force responsible for the contraction of a nebula (a gas cloud of molecules) to form a
protostar.
85. Which sequence of stars is listed in order of
increasing luminosity?
89. What factor below usually determines whether a star
will be on the main sequence?
A) Spica, Rigel, Deneb, Betelgeuse
B) Polaris, Deneb, 40 Eridani B, Proxima
Centauri
C) Barnards Star, Alpha Centauri, Rigel, Spica
D) Procyon B, Sun, Sirius, Betelgeus
86. Compared to the temperature and luminosity of the
star Polaris, the star Sirius is
A) age
B) mass
C) size
D) distance from our sun.
90. The most abundant element on the sun is
A) hotter and more luminous
B) hotter and less luminous
C) cooler and more luminous
D) cooler and less luminous
87. Compared to the sun, Polaris is
A) hotter and less luminous
B) cooler and more luminous
C) the same temperature and larger
D) hotter and larger
88. As the sun ages it will be composed of
A)
B)
C)
D)
more hydrogen and less helium
more helium and less hydrogen
more oxygen and less carbon
less oxygen and more carbon
A) hydrogen
B) helium
C) carbon
D) oxygen
91. The smallest stars on a H-R diagram are found
A) at the upper left end of the main sequence
B) at the lower right end of the main sequence
C) at the upper right corner of the H-R diagram
D) at the lower left corer of the H-R diagram
92. Which two stars have the most similar luminosity
and temperature?
A) Betelgeuse and Barnard's Star
B) Rigel and Betelgeuse
C) Alpha Centauri and the Sun
D) Sirius and Procyon B
93. Small cool stars would most likely appear to be
A) blue
C) yellow
B) red
D) white
94. What factor from the choices below determines
whether a star will evolve into a white dwarf, a
neutron star, or a black hole?
A) mass
B) percentage of helium
C) percentage of carbon
D) apparent brightness
95. Sun spots are believed to be most closely related to
the sun's
A) corona
B) period of rotation
C) magnetic field
D) changing size
96. Which object forms by the contraction of a large
sphere of gases causing the nuclear fusion of lighter
elements into heavier elements?
102. We know that red giant stars are larger in diameter
than the sun because
A) they are more luminous but have the same
temperature
B) they are less luminous but have the same
temperature
C) they are hotter but have the same luminosity
D) they are cooler but have the same luminosity
103. Which star is hotter, but less luminous, than
Polaris?
A) Deneb
B) Aldebaran
C) Sirius
D) Pollux
104. The explosion of a massive star near the end of its
life is known as a
A) comet
B) planet
C) star
D) moon
97. Which object in space emits light because it releases
energy produced by nuclear fusion?
A) nova
B) pulsar
C) supernova
D) nebula
105. The region of the H-R diagram occupied by most
stars is the
A) Earth's Moon
B) Halley's comet
C) Venus
D) Polaris
98. Which star has the greatest size?
A) main sequence region
B) red giant region
C) white dwarf region
D) quasar region
106. During a total solar eclipse one might view
A) Sun
B) Alpha Centauri
C) Betelgeuse
D) Procyon
99. Great amounts of energy are released in the core of a
star as lighter elements combine and form heavier
elements during the process of
A) compaction
B) condensation
C) radioactive decay D) nuclear fusion
100. Which statement describes the general relationship
between the temperature and the luminosity of
main sequence stars?
A) As temperature decreases, luminosity
increases.
B) As temperature decreases, luminosity remains
the same.
C) As temperature increases, luminosity
increases.
D) As temperature increases, luminosity remains
the same.
101. A Red giant star would most likely have a
temperature of
A) 5,000ºC
C) 20,000ºC
B) 10,000ºC
D) 30,000ºC
A)
B)
C)
D)
sun spots
the sun's corona
the sun's solar winds
nothing of the sun, since it is totally blocked
by the moon
107. Which process combines lighter elements into
heavier elements and produces energy within the
Sun and other stars?
A) fusion
B) insolation
C) conduction
D) radioactive decay
108. The vertical axis of an H-R diagram relates to the
A) the color of the star
B) the actual visual brightness of the star
C) the apparent brightness of the star compared to
our sun
D) the speed of the star
109. Which star is cooler and less luminous than the
Sun?
A)
B)
C)
D)
110. The graph below represents the brightness and
temperature of stars visible from Earth.
Proxima Centauri
Pollux
Rigel
40 Eridani B
Which location on the graph best represents a star
with average brightness and temperature?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
111. Which list shows stars in order of increasing
temperature?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Barnard’s Star, Polaris, Sirius, Rigel
Aldebaran, the Sun, Rigel, Procyon B
Rigel, Polaris, Aldebaran, Barnard’s Star
Procyon B, Alpha Centauri, Polaris,
Betelgeuse
Answer Key
Star Life Cycle and Star Classification
1.
A
14.
A
46.
B
81.
C
2.
C
15.
D
47.
B
82.
C
16.
A
48.
D
83.
17.
B
49.
A
18.
A
50.
A
19.
D
51.
D
20.
C
52.
C
21.
B
53.
A
Diameter:
— increases —
becomes larger
Lumino- sity:
— increases —
higher rate of energy
emission — The star
appears brighter.
22.
A
54.
C
84.
23.
A
55.
B
24.
A
56.
B
— gravity —
gravitational
attraction
25.
D
57.
D
26.
B
58.
D
27.
C
59.
A
28.
D
60.
D
29.
A
61.
B
30.
A
62.
C
31.
B
63.
A
32.
A
64.
A
33.
B
65.
A
34.
D
66.
C
35.
A
67.
D
36.
B
68.
B
37.
C
69.
C
38.
A
70.
B
39.
C
71.
B
40.
B
72.
D
3.
–more
massive/larger/giant
size/supergiant –
Spica emits energy
at a greater rate than
Barnard's Star.
–hot- ter/greater
surface temperature
– Spica is a
blue-colored star.
4.
5.
6.
– Spica –- Sirius –
Alpha Centauri –
Barnard's Star –
Proxima Centauri
Relative surface
temperature:
–Alderbaran's
surface temperature
will increase. –It
will get hotter.Relative luminosity:
–Its luminosity will
be reduced.
–Luminosity will
decrease.
7.
B
41.
B
73.
C
8.
C
42.
B
74.
B
9.
C
43.
D
75.
A
10.
B
44.
A
76.
B
11.
A
45.
B
12.
B
13.
A
– fusion, – nuclear
77.
fusion, – conversion 78.
of hydrogen to
79.
helium/H to He
80.
A
C
D
85.
D
86.
B
87.
C
88.
B
89.
A
90.
A
91.
B
92.
C
93.
B
94.
A
95.
C
96.
C
97.
D
98.
C
99.
D
100.
C
101.
A
102.
A
103.
C
104.
C
105.
A
106.
B
107.
A
108.
B
Answer Key
Star Life Cycle and Star Classification
109.
A
110.
B
111.
A