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SAGE Test Review: Astronomy Section
1. A day on Saturn takes about 10 Earth hours. Which fact would best explain this short day?
a. Saturn is less dense than Earth.
b. Saturn is much farther from the Sun than Earth.
c. Saturn rotates more rapidly than Earth.
d. Saturn’s orbit has greater eccentricity than Earth’s
2. A star starts its formation as gravitational forces cause instability within a
a. Black hole
b. Red giant
c. Supernova
d. Nebula
3. A spacecraft traveling to Jupiter would most likely have to navigate which of these natural obstacles?
a. Uranus
b. The asteroid belt
c. The Kuiper belt
d. Neptune
4. What is it about Earth, compared to other planets in the solar system, which makes life possible?
a. It is the only planet the correct distance from the Sun
b. It is the only planet with an atmosphere
c. It is the only planet with a 24 hour day
d. It is the only planet with liquid water
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Nitrogen (N₂) Oxygen (O₂)
Planet X
96.5%
3.5%
0.003%
Planet Y
95.3%
2.7%
0.15%
Planet Z
0.03%
78.5%
20.5%
5. Using the information from the data table above, which planet or planets would most likely be suitable
for life as we know it on Earth?
a. Planet X
b. Planet Y
c. Planet Z
d. Planets X and Y
6. Using the information from the data table above, which planet or planets would most likely have a
problem with extreme temperatures due to the greenhouse effect?
a. Planet X
b. Planet Z
c. Planets X and Y
d. Planets Y and Z
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7. Which of the following statements is the best reason the Big Bang is accepted as a scientific theory?
a. A group of people met together and decided to make it a theory
b. There is no other way to explain the formation of the universe
c. Distant galaxies were observed to be moving away from Earth
d. Edwin Hubble was an honest man
8. In the 1600's Copernicus and Galileo believed that the earth and other planets orbited the sun. Why were
their ideas not accepted at first?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They had no good research to support their claims
People did not study the night sky in the 1600's
Their books were not published until after their deaths
Their claims contradicted those of the prevailing churches
9. Why is the Big Bang Theory the most accepted theory of how the universe was formed?
a. It is the simplest explanation of the current scientific data
b. It is based on a combination of scientific and religious facts
c. It has not been revised or changed by scientists for many years
d. It has been proven correct by using mathematical models
10. Which of the following most accurately explains the origin of heavy elements on Earth?
a. Formed by nuclear reactions in massive, ancient stars
b. Formed by radioactive decay deep within Earth’s core
c. Formed by black holes scattered throughout the galaxy
d. Formed by comets and asteroids falling to Earth
11. According to the Big Bang Theory, what has been happening to the matter in the universe since the Big
Bang occurred?
a. Little change has occurred in the matter
b. The matter has moved from one end of the universe to the other end
c. The matter is contracting and coming back together again
d. The matter has moved outward and collected into galaxies
12. What produces energy in a nuclear reaction?
a. Electricity running through the radioactive atoms
b. Burning of uranium or other radioactive substances
c. Light from atoms as they change
d. The splitting or fusing of atomic nuclei
13. What is the basic difference between ultraviolet, microwave and infrared radiation?
a. Temperature
b. Wavelength
c. Wave speed
d. Half-life
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Use the information in the chart below to answer the next 3 questions. Each box contains an element’s
symbol and its atomic number. The atomic number indicates how many protons are in the nucleus of the
atom and how many electrons the atom has.
1
2
H
3
He
4
Li
5
Be
6
B
7
C
8
N
9
O
10
F
Ne
14. Using the chart above, what will the fusion of two hydrogen (H) atoms produce?
a. One half of a helium (He) atom
b. One helium (He) atom
c. Two helium (He) atoms
d. One lithium (Li) atom
15. Using the chart above, what will the fusion of two helium atoms produce?
a. One lithium (Li) atom
b. One Beryllium (Be) atom
c. One Boron (B) atom
d. One Carbon (C) atom
16. Using the chart above, elements #4-10 are found on Earth. Where were they formed?
a. The Big Bang
b. A supernova explosion
c. Fission reactions on Earth
d. Fusion reactions within a star
17. Using the H-R diagram above, which star is many times brighter than Earth’s sun and much cooler?
a. Barnard’s Star
b. Betelgeuse
c. Rigel
d. Sirius B
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18. Energy is transferred from the sun to earth mainly by
a. Molecular collisions
b. Nuclear fusion
c. Red shifts
d. Electromagnetic waves
19. Base your answer to this question on the graph above. The names and appearance of five major moon
phases are shown at the top of the graph, directly above the date on which the phase was observed.
Which diagram best represents the moon’s phase observed on June 11th.
a.
b.
c.
d.
20. Scientists examine the light spectra from distant stars to determine if the size of the universe is changing.
Why do astronomers believe the size of the universe is changing?
a. The blue shift indicates that distant galaxies are moving away from each other
b. The blue shift indicates that distant galaxies are moving towards each other
c. The red shift indicates that distant galaxies are moving away from each other
d. The red shift indicates that distant galaxies are moving towards each other
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21. Using the diagram above. If the star is a main sequence star, what will happen at “B”?
a. The star will undergo a supernova explosion
b. The star will become a white dwarf
c. The star will collapse and become a black hole
d. The star will disappear and reappear in another universe
22. Using the diagram above, what happens to stars much larger than our Sun when they reach point “B”
a. They will become a white dwarf
b. They will collapse and become a black hole
c. They will disappear and return to another universe
d. They will undergo a supernova explosion
23. Using the diagram above, what is stage “A” called?
a. Nebula
b. Black hole
c. Neutron star
d. Protostar
24. The diagram below illustrates three stages of a current theory of the formation of the universe.
A major piece of scientific evidence supporting this theory is the fact that wavelengths of light from
galaxies are moving away from earth in stage 3 are observed to be
a. Shorter than normal (red shifted)
b. Shorter than normal (blue shifted)
c. Longer than normal (red shifted)
d. Longer than normal (blue shifted)
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25. Starting with the event that scientists theorize happened first, and ending with the event that scientists
theorize happened last, arrange the events in chronological order.
a. Birth of the earliest star
b. Formation of our sun
c. Origin of life on earth
d. The Big Bang
26. Which characteristic do all the planets in our solar system have in common?
a. Angle of axial tilt
b. Direction of revolution around the sun
c. Percentages of atmospheric gases
d. Features of a rocky crust
27. An astronomical unit is the
a. Distance from the earth to the moon
b. Distance from the earth to the sun
c. Distance from the earth to the nearest star
d. Distance light travels in one year
28. The Copernican model of the solar system is similar to Aristotle’s in that it
a. Uses epicycles
b. Used perfect circles instead of ellipses
c. Places the earth in the center
d. Places the sun in the center
29. If you weigh 3 times more than your dog and you both go skydiving, which of the following statements
is true? (NOTE: ignore air and wind resistance forces)
a. Your rate of acceleration towards the center of the earth would be greater than the dog’s
b. Your rate of acceleration towards the center of the earth would be less than that of the dog’s
c. Your rate of acceleration towards the earth would be equal to that of your dog’s
d. The gravitation force of earth would repel you both
30. Which of the following types of light can only be observed from space?
a. Infrared
b. Visible
c. Radiowaves
d. Gamma rays
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