Galaxies and the Universe
Practice Test
1.
Where did Saturn's rings most likely come from?
SC.E.1.4.2
a.
gravitational attraction of ringlets
b.
the formation of Saturn
c.
leftover debris from a moon that was destroyed
d.
solar system formation
2.
Why do variable stars pulsate in brightness?
SC.E.2.4
a.
movement at a fixed rate
b.
constant contraction
c.
expansion and contraction of their outer layers
d.
gain in mass
3.
What causes the wavelength of a star's spectral lines to shift?
SC.E.2.4.1
a.
motion between the star and the observer
b.
the temperature of the star
c.
the apparent magnitude of the star
d.
the composition of the star
4.
What was the first galaxy to be discovered outside of Earth's galaxy?
SC.E.2.4.2
a.
the Andromeda Galaxy
b.
the Sagittarius Galaxy
c.
the Local Group
d.
the Virgo
5.
What are Jupiter's moons composed of?
SC.E.1.4.2
a.
hydrogen and helium
b.
sulfuric acid
c.
rock and ice
d.
iron and ice
6.
Why is the age of a zircon grain older than the age of the sandstone that it was found in?
SC.D.1.4.3
a.
because of the principle of included fragments
b.
because of the principle of superposition
c.
It is much more stable than the sandstone.
d.
It is much less stable than the sandstone.
7.
Mercury's extremely slow spin causes only __________ days to pass in __________ of Mercury's years.
SC.E.1.4.2
a.
three, two
b.
twenty-four, one
c.
one hundred, one
d.
one, two hundred
8.
What is the name of the Precambrian shield in North America?
SC.D.1.4.2
a.
the Proterozoic Shield
b.
the Northern Shield
c.
the Archean Shield
d.
the Canadian Shield
9.
Where are most asteroids located?
SC.E.1.4.2
a.
orbiting all planets
b.
between Earth and Venus
c.
between Mars and Jupiter
d.
outside of Pluto's orbit
10.
Why can't astronomers directly observe the surface of Venus without landing probes on the surface?
a.
The surface is covered by thick ice sheets.
b.
Venus has a high albedo.
SC.E.1.4.2
c.
Venus has a clockwise spin.
d.
The surface is covered by thick clouds.
11.
Comets are bodies that are __________ that orbit __________.
SC.E.1.4.2
a.
ice and rock, the Sun
b.
helium gas, the Sun
c.
icy, each planet
d.
larger than Earth, Earth
12.
A __________ is visible light arranged according to wavelength.
SC.E.2.4.1
a.
auroras
b.
emission spectrum
c.
spectrum
d.
solar flare
13.
Galaxies that are extremely bright are called __________.
SC.E.2.4.2
a.
active galactic nuclei
b.
superclusters
c.
radio galaxies
d.
spiral galaxies
14.
What do scientists use to measure Earth's distance from globular clusters?
SC.E.2.4.6
a.
the Milky Way
b.
variable stars
c.
the steady-state theory
d.
the Hubble constant
15.
How is the composition of a white dwarf determined?
a.
by the size of the supernova
b.
by its luminosity
c.
by the size of its planetary nebula
d.
by how many reaction phases it went through
16.
How many stars are in the disk of the Milky Way?
SC.E.2.4
a.
100 billion
b.
the same number that you can see with your eyes on a clear night
c.
100,000
d.
1 million
17.
__________ is the combining of light weight nuclei into heavier nuclei, which gives off energy that fuels the Sun.
SC.A.2.4.4
SC.C.2.4.4
a.
Fusion
b.
Fission
c.
Radiation
d.
Division
18.
What is a spectrum that comes from noncompressed gas called?
SC.
SC.E.1.4.1
a.
an emission spectrum
b.
sunspot
c.
rainbow
d.
corona
19.
The eccentricity of a perfect circle is __________ and a very elongated ellipse is __________.
SC.E.1.4.1
a.
nearly zero, one
b.
zero, one
c.
one, zero
d.
zero, nearly one
20.
From what does a star form?
a.
a binary
b.
a nebula
c.
a spectra
d.
a main sequence
21.
Look at the scale in the figure. Infer why our sun will never become a black hole.
SC.E.2.4.1
a.
it has too much gas
b.
it's not in the center of a galaxy
c.
it's too big
d.
it's too small
22.
What is the distance between the Sun and Earth called?
SC.E.1.4.1
a.
1 year
b.
1 mile
c.
1 light year
d.
1 astronomical unit
