Download Document

Chapter 39-40 Test A
1. According to scientists, the solar system formed from
a. Colliding planetisimals
b. Rotating stars
c. Colliding stars
d. A rotating disk of dust and gases
2. How does the diameter of the inner planets compare with the outer planets?
a. The diameters of the outer planets are much larger
b. All but one of the inner planets have diameters about equal to the outer planets
c. The diameters of the inner planets are much larger
d. All the planets are equal
3. Which of the outer planets have rings?
a. Saturn and Jupiter
b. Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune
c. Saturn and Neptune
d. Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune
4. Most asteroids lie between the orbits of
a. Jupiter and Saturn
b. Mars and Jupiter
c. Jupiter and Neptune
d. Mars and Earth
5. When the alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth produce a lunar eclipse, the body that is
between the other two is the
a. Earth
b. Moon
c. Sun
d. Asteroid
6. Each time a comet passes the sun, its mass
a. Remains the same
b. Is reduced
c. Increases
d. Does not matter
7. No greenhouse effect occurs on Mercury because of no
a. Daily spin
b. Relatively cool regions
c. Terrestrial radiation
d. Atmosphere
8. Totality during a solar eclipse is not totally dark because
a. The moon is smaller than the sun
b. The moon is directly in front of the sun
c. Of light from the corona
d. The line between the umbra and penumbra leaves room for light
9. Evidence of the solar wind on Earth is the
a. Aurora Borealis
b. Solar sunspots
c. Hurricanes
d. Higher ocean tides in winter
Chapter 39-40 Test A
10. The predominant gas in the atmosphere of Venus is
a. Nitrogen
b. Water vapor
c. Methane
d. Carbon dioxide
11. Asteroids orbit the
a. Sun
b. Moon
c. Earth
d. None of these
12. The best evidence that the sun is a newcomer in the universe is
a. Its relatively slow rate of spin
b. Its high temperature
c. Its very existence
d. The existence of heavy elements in its composition
13. The Earth rotates about its axis once per 24 hours, while the moon rotates about its axis
once per
a. 24 hours
b. Year
c. Month
d. 10 days
14. After another 5 billion years, the sun will become
a. Extinct
b. A red giant
c. A white dwarf
d. A black hole
15. Most of the matter in the universe is thought to be
a. Hydrogen
b. Helium
c. Iron
d. Equal parts hydrogen and helium
16. The event that changes a protostar to a full-fledged star is
a. The emission of light
b. Thermonuclear fusion
c. A major collapse due to gravity
d. A huge expansion
17. A white dwarf is a former
a. White giant
b. Low-mass star
c. High-mass star
d. Red Giant
18. Stars begin their life cycle in a
a. Nova
b. Supernova
c. Black hole
d. Nebula
Chapter 39-40 Test A
19. The masses of stars are found by measurements of
a. Binaries
b. Temperature
c. Light intensity
d. Relative sizes
20. The Milky Way is
a. An irregular galaxy
b. An elliptical galaxy
c. A galaxy in the making
d. A spiral galaxy
21. Summer and Winter constellations are different because
a. The night sky faces in opposite directions in summer and winter
b. Of the spin of the earth about its axis
c. Of the tilt of the earth
d. The universe is symmetric (the same on all sides)
22. A physical feature of a pulsar is
a. Mass
b. Charge
c. Spin
d. Brilliant shine
23. The distances of stars is found by
a. Parallax
b. Temperatures
c. Sonar
d. Doppler
24. Which of these elements is normally the remnant of a supernova?
a. Helium
b. Hydrogen
c. Silver
d. None of these
25. 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 further from the Sun
c. Saturn rotates more rapidly than Earth
d. Saturn’s orbit has greater eccentricity than Earth’s
26. Which planet was formed from the light gases of the outer nebula?
a. Mars
b. Mercury
c. Venus
d. Uranus
Chapter 39-40 Test A
27. Early telescopes showed stars as only points of light, while the planets appeared to be
much larger, providing evidence that stars must
a. Be more plentiful in our solar system than planets
b. Travel in elliptical orbits like planets
c. Be much farther from Earth than planets
d. Reflect more light than planets
28. What is the source of energy for stars?
a. Hydrogen fusion
b. Internal combustion
c. Nuclear fission of metals
d. Burning of solar gases
29. An astronomer uses a telescope to observe a star. The color of the star indicates that it
has a size and temperature similar to the Sun. Using this information, the astronomer can
conclude that the star
a. Is older than the sun
b. Will survive for several billion years
c. Is moving quickly away from Earth
d. Has a mass similar to the mass of Jupiter
30. Scientists hypothesize that the dinosaurs went extinct when this hit earth.
a. Asteroid
b. Meteorite
c. Meteor
d. Earthquake
Completion (2 pts each).
Choose the answer that best completes each statement below. Answer on the back of your
scantron.
1. Because of its many similarities to Earth, ______________________ has been referred to
as “Earth’s twin.”
2. A meteoroid that reaches Earth’s surface is called a(n) _____________________.
3. ______________________ is the smallest planet in the solar system.
4. The last fusion before the final collapse of a star makes ___________________.
5. The Sun and Nemesis are examples of a _____________ star system.
6. A cloud of interstellar material is called a ____________________________.
7. When the moon falls between the sun and the earth you see a ___________________
eclipse.
8. A group of stars is called a ____________________________.
9. The surfaces of Mercury and our moon contain very large craters that were caused by
________________________________.
10. Venus is not the closest planet to the sun, but is the hottest because of
_______________________________.