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Content Benchmark E.8.B.6
Students know the Sun is a medium-sized star located in the Milky Way Galaxy, part of which
can be seen as a glowing band of light spanning the clear night sky. W/S
Sample Test Questions
1st Item Specification: Given examples, compare the mass, brightness, and color of the Sun
to other stars.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. When observed from Earth on a clear night, the Milky Way Galaxy appears as a
A. circular pattern of stars.
B. elliptical pattern of stars.
C. glowing band of light.
D. random spotting of light.
2. How many times greater is Sun’s diameter than Earth’s diameter?
A. 19 times
B. 109 times
C. 1109 times
D. 11,009 times
3. Compared to other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, the Sun’s diameter classifies it as a
A. micro-sized star.
B. smallest-sized star.
C. medium-sized star.
D. largest-sized star.
4. The Sun appears to our eyes as the brightest star in the sky because it
A. is visible during daytime, while other stars are visible only at night.
B. has a much hotter temperature than most stars, making it glow brighter.
C. emits yellow light, which is several times brighter than other colors.
D. is far closer than any other star, which makes it look the brightest.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
5. Approximately 5 billion years into the future, the Sun will cease hydrogen fusion and will
begin helium fusion at a substantially higher core temperature. What effect will this change
in fuel have on the Sun’s diameter? The Sun’s diameter will
A. increase, because greater internal pressures expand the surface.
B. decrease, because more mass is burned at higher temperatures.
C. not be affected, because fusion creates only one size of star.
D. fluctuate wildly, because this will change the Sun into a pulsar.
6. Use the diagram below depicting stars in the Milky Way Galaxy to answer the following
question.
(From http://www.kheper.net/cosmos/stars/stars.htm)
The size of the stars is an indication of how massive they are. How massive is the Sun
compared to the other stars in the diagram?
A. Near the bottom 10% of stars.
B. Near the top 10% of stars.
C. A star of very low mass.
D. A star of very high mass.
7. Use the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram below depicting the relationship between temperature
and absolute magnitude of stars to answer the following question.
(From http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/senior/astrophysics/stellarevolution_hrintro.html)
When comparing the Sun to Rigel (see arrows on diagram), it is clear that the Sun has a
A. similar temperature and same absolute magnitude as Rigel.
B. warmer temperature and same absolute magnitude as Rigel.
C. warmer temperature and a higher absolute magnitude than Rigel.
D. cooler temperature and a lesser absolute magnitude than Rigel.
8.
The graphic below displays the relationship between a star’s temperature and its color.
(From http://www.nightscapes.net/techniques/TechnicalPapers/StarColors.pdf)
What color would be exhibited by a star with a temperature of around 23,000K?
A. Red
B. Blue
C. White
D. Yellow
9. Use the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram below depicting the relationship between temperature
and absolute magnitude of stars to answer the following question.
(From http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/senior/astrophysics/stellarevolution_hrintro.html)
The Sun is a yellow star. Based on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, what color would the
Sun be if it cooled by 2000K?
A. Red
B. Blue
C. White
D. Yellow
Constructed Response E.8.B.6
1. Use the following table and information to answer the questions below. Brightness of
stars is traditionally expressed as magnitude.
Star
Name
Sirius
Apparent Absolute Distance from Earth
Magnitude Magnitude
(light years)
-1.46
1.40
8.6
Arcturus
-0.04
0.20
34
Vega
0.03
0.60
25
Rigel
0.12
-8.61
1400
Procyon
0.38
2.60
11.4
Betelgeuse
0.50
-7.20
1400
Deneb
1.25
-7.20
1500
-26.40
4.80
1.58 x 10-5
Sun
(Derived from
http://www.hopkins.k12.mn.us/pages/high/courses/online/astro/course_documents/light_and_telescopes/light/magni
tude_distance.htm)
A. Using apparent magnitude, identify the brightest star and the dimmest star. Then, using
absolute magnitude, identify the brightest star and the dimmest star
B. Discuss why a star of high apparent magnitude might have a low absolute magnitude and
why a star of low apparent magnitude might have a high absolute magnitude.
Content Benchmark E.8.B.6
Students know the Sun is a medium-sized star located in the Milky Way Galaxy, part of which
can be seen as a glowing band of light spanning the clear night sky. W/S
Answers to Sample Test Questions
2. C, DOK level 1
3. B, DOK level 1
4. C, DOK level 1
5. D, DOK level 1
6. A, DOK level 2
7. B, DOK level 2
8. D, DOK level 2
9. B, DOK level 2
10. A, DOK level 2
Constructed Response E.8.B.6 Score Rubric:
Response addresses all parts of the question clearly and correctly.
3 points
Based on apparent magnitude, the Sun is the brightest star (-26.40)
and Deneb is the dimmest star (1.25). Absolute magnitude shows
Rigel to be the brightest star (-8.61) and the Sun to be the dimmest
star (4.80).
Brightness of stars is traditionally expressed as magnitude. The
more negative the value of magnitude, the brighter the star. The
more positive the value of magnitude, the dimmer the star. Two
types of magnitude are used when describing the brightness of stars.
Apparent Magnitude is how bright the stars seem as viewed from
Earth. Absolute Magnitude is obtained by mathematically placing
all stars 32.62 light years (10 parsecs) from Earth, and calculating
how bright they would appear at that distance. Comparing the
apparent magnitudes and absolute magnitudes of the stars to their
distance from Earth reveals that low absolute magnitude stars can
appear to be very bright if they are quite close to Earth, while high
absolute magnitude stars can appear to be very dim if they are quite
far from Earth.
2 points
Response addresses all parts of the question and includes only minor
errors.
1 point
Response does not address all parts of the question.
0 points
The response is totally incorrect or no response provided.