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BROCK UNIVERSITY
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Test 1: October 2015
Course: ASTR 1P01, Section 2
Examination date: 3 October 2015
Time of Examination: 13:00 – 13:50
Number of pages: 9
Number of students: 887
Time limit: 50 min
Instructor: S. D’Agostino
ANSWERS
Each question is worth 1 mark. Total number of marks: 50.
1. A light year
(a) was introduced because of the difficulty in measuring the enormous size of Donald
Trump’s ego.
(b) is a unit of time.
(c) is a unit of speed.
(d) * is a unit of distance.
2. An astronomical unit
(a) is a unit of mass.
(b) is a unit of time.
(c) is a unit of speed.
(d) * is a unit of distance.
3. It takes light emitted by the Sun about 193 s to reach Mercury. The speed of light is
about 300,000 km/s. The distance from the Sun to Mercury is about
(a) 60 thousand km
(b) * 60 million km
(c) 60 billion km
(d) 60 trillion km
4. It takes the Earth about
(a) 1 day
(b) 1 month
(c) * 1 year
(d) 365.25 years
(e) 200 million years
to travel on its orbit once around the Sun.
ASTR 1P01
October 2015
5. It takes the Earth about
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to rotate once on its axis.
(a) * 1 day
(b) 1 month
(c) 1 year
(d) 365.25 years
(e) 200 million years
6. Geological evidence shows that the interior of the Earth is
(a) much colder than its surface.
(b) about the same temperature as its surface.
(c) * much hotter than its surface.
(d) [It’s impossible to tell from geological evidence.]
7. Significant atmospheric winds exist on
(a) the Moon.
(b) Mercury.
(c) * Mars.
(d) Pluto.
8. Impact craters are found on the surface of
(a) Jupiter.
(b) Saturn.
(c) * Mercury.
(d) Uranus.
9. Dense clouds completely obscure the surface of
(a) * Venus.
(b) Mars.
(c) Jupiter.
(d) Saturn.
10. The most massive planet in the solar system is about
(a) 3
(b) 30
(c) * 300
(d) 3,000
as massive as the Earth.
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11. The Sun generates energy in its core primarily by
(a) converting gravitational potential energy to thermal energy.
(b) hydrostatic equilibrium.
(c) magnetohydrodynamics.
(d) * nuclear reactions that convert hydrogen into helium.
12. The distance from the Sun to Neptune, the farthest known planet, is about
(a) * 30 AU.
(b) 30 light years.
(c) 30 parsecs.
(d) 30 kWh.
13. The Sun is
(a) significantly larger than average stars.
(b) significantly smaller than average stars.
(c) * an average-sized star.
(d) not a star.
14. The planets change their positions relative to the stars because
(a) of the rotation of the Earth.
(b) of the Sun’s motion along the ecliptic.
(c) of the gravitational attraction between the planets.
(d) * planets move in their orbits around the sun.
15. The Milky Way contains
(a) hundreds of thousands of stars.
(b) hundreds of millions of stars.
(c) * hundreds of billions of stars.
(d) hundreds of trillions of stars.
16. The age of the Universe is about
(a) 13.7 thousand years.
(b) 13.7 million years.
(c) * 13.7 billion years.
(d) 13.7 trillion years.
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17. The Earth is farthest from the Sun when it is
(a) spring in Canada.
(b) * summer in Canada.
(c) fall in Canada.
(d) winter in Canada.
18. The electrons in an atom are held to the atom primarily by
(a) gravitational forces.
(b) * electromagnetic forces.
(c) strong nuclear forces.
(d) weak nuclear forces.
19. A constellation is
(a) a collection of galaxies that are close together in space.
(b) a collection of galaxies that appear close together in the sky.
(c) a collection of stars that are close together in space.
(d) * a collection of stars that appear close together in the sky.
20. The Sun rises in the
and sets in the
.
(a) * east, west
(b) west, east
(c) north, south
(d) south, north
21. In their daily motions, stars rise in the
and set in the
(a) * east, west
(b) west, east
(c) north, south
(d) south, north
22. The change in visible constellations in each season is due to
(a) * the motion of the Earth around the Sun.
(b) the rotation of the Earth on its axis.
(c) the motion of the local cluster of galaxies.
(d) the motion of the solar system as it circles the galaxy.
.
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23. Stars that are not circumpolar rise about
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each night.
(a) * 4 minutes earlier
(b) 4 minutes later
(c) 50 minutes earlier
(d) 50 minutes later
24. The ecliptic is
(a) a type of illegal hit on kick returns.
(b) the location in space where eclipses occur.
(c) the location in space where the zodiac intersects with the horizon.
(d) * the imaginary line on the celestial sphere traced out by the apparent motion of
the Sun.
25. The Earth’s South Pole is tipped most closely towards the Sun on
(a) the vernal equinox, which occurs on about March 20th.
(b) the summer solstice, which occurs on about June 21st.
(c) the autumnal equinox, which occurs on about September 22nd.
(d) * the winter solstice, which occurs on about December 21st.
26. The most recent lunar eclipse took place on
(a) * 27 September 2015.
(b) 14 June 2013.
(c) 5 December 2011.
(d) 19 March 2009.
27. At the equinoxes, the Sun rises in St. Catharines
(a) * directly in the east.
(b) a little north of east.
(c) a little south of east.
(d) directly in the west.
28. At the equinoxes, the number of hours between sunrise and sunset in St. Catharines is
(a) less than 12.
(b) * exactly 12.
(c) more than 12.
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29. In St. Catharines, after the winter solstice and before the summer solstice, the Sun
rises a little farther
each day.
(a) * north of east.
(b) south of east.
(c) east of north.
(d) east of south.
30. In St. Catharines, after the winter solstice and before the summer solstice, the Sun
each day.
sets a little farther
(a) * north of west.
(b) south of west.
(c) west of north.
(d) west of south.
31. A full moon occurs when
(a) the Moon lies approximately between the Earth and the Sun.
(b) * the Earth lies approximately between the Moon and the Sun.
(c) the Sun lies approximately between the Earth and the Moon.
(d) the Sun, Earth, and Moon form an approximate right angle.
32. The phase of the Moon is first quarter when
(a) the Moon lies approximately between the Earth and the Sun.
(b) the Earth lies approximately between the Moon and the Sun.
(c) the Sun lies approximately between the Earth and the Moon.
(d) * the Sun, Earth, and Moon form an approximate right angle.
33. The full moon sets at about
(a) noon.
(b) sunset.
(c) midnight.
(d) * sunrise.
34. The new moon sets at about
(a) noon.
(b) * sunset.
(c) midnight.
(d) sunrise.
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35. Eclipses can occur only during “eclipse seasons;” eclipse seasons occur approximately
every
(a) 6 weeks.
(b) * 6 months.
(c) 6 years.
(d) 6 centuries.
36. If the Moon rises a few hours before sunset, then its phase is
(a) waxing crescent.
(b) waning crescent.
(c) * waxing gibbous.
(d) waning gibbous.
37. If the Moon rises a few hours before sunrise, then its phase is
(a) waxing crescent.
(b) * waning crescent.
(c) waxing gibbous.
(d) waning gibbous.
38. If the Moon sets a few hours before sunset, then its phase is
(a) waxing crescent.
(b) * waning crescent.
(c) waxing gibbous.
(d) waning gibbous.
39. If the Moon sets a few hours before sunrise, then its phase is
(a) waxing crescent.
(b) waning crescent.
(c) * waxing gibbous.
(d) waning gibbous.
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40. The first-quarter moon rises at about
(a) sunrise.
(b) * mid-day.
(c) sunset.
(d) the middle of the night.
41. The third-quarter moon rises at about
(a) sunrise.
(b) mid-day.
(c) sunset.
(d) * the middle of the night.
42. The fact that the Earth is a sphere was deduced in the 4th century BC by
(a) * Aristotle.
(b) Cleopatra.
(c) Drake.
(d) Epictetus.
(e) Pitbull.
43. The diameter of the solar system is approximately
(a) 100,000 km.
(b) 100,000,000 km.
(c) * 100 AU.
(d) 100 light years.
44. The planet most distant from the Sun is
(a) Jupiter.
(b) Saturn.
(c) Uranus.
(d) * Neptune.
(e) Pluto.
45. The planet closest to the Sun is
(a) * Mercury.
(b) Venus.
(c) Earth.
(d) Mars.
(e) Jupiter.
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46. The Kuiper belt is
(a) holding up Mr. Kuiper’s pants.
(b) located between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.
(c) located around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
(d) * located beyond the orbit of Neptune.
47. The Oort cloud
(a) is right next to the cumulus cloud and the nimbus cloud.
(b) is located between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy.
(c) is located in the cosmic void between Donald Trump’s ears.
(d) * is located beyond the Kuiper belt.
48. The amount of time between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse can be as short as about
(a) one week.
(b) * two weeks.
(c) three weeks.
(d) four weeks.
49. The Earth’s radius is about
(a) 640 km.
(b) * 6,400 km.
(c) 64,000 km.
(d) 640,000 km.
50. The constellations of the Zodiac lie along the
(a) * ecliptic.
(b) celestial equator.
(c) celestial seasonings.
(d) celestial tuning fork.