Introduction to Astronomy
Mock Exam
Course Introduction
Introduction to Astronomy provides a comprehensive overview of the universe beyond Earth, exploring fundamental concepts such as the solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. Students will learn about the structure and evolution of celestial bodies, the tools and methods astronomers use to study the night sky, and the scientific principles governing the cosmos. The course emphasizes observation and analysis, fostering an appreciation for the ongoing discoveries and mysteries that drive modern astronomical research.
Recommended Textbook
The Essential Cosmic Perspective 6th Edition by Jeffrey O. Bennett
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2
Chapter 1: Our Place in the Universe
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Sample Questions
Q1) Rank the following 4 items by how long it takes for light to reach us from these objects, from shortest to longest.
A) Sun, Pluto, the Andromeda Galaxy, center of the Milky Way
B) The Andromeda Galaxy, the center of the Milky Way, Pluto, Sun
C) Pluto, Sun, the Andromeda Galaxy, center of the Milky Way
D) Pluto, Sun, center of Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy
E) Sun, Pluto, center of the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy
Answer: E
Q2) When we look at an object that is 1,000 light-years away we see it ________.
A) as it was 1,000 years ago
B) as it was 1,000 light-years ago
C) as it is right now, but it appears 1,000 times dimmer
D) looking just the same as our ancestors would have seen it 1,000 years ago
Answer: A
Q3) Which of the following statements about the Milky Way Galaxy is not true?
A) It contains between 100 billion and 1 trillion stars.
B) Our solar system is located very close to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
C) The galaxy is about 100,000 light-years in diameter.
D) One rotation of the galaxy takes about 200 million years.
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Discovering the Universe for Yourself
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Q1) Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: If you lived on the Moon, you'd see full Earth when we see new moon.
Answer: This is True, because at full moon Earth lies between the Sun and the Moon. Thus, an observer on the Moon would be looking at the night side of Earth.
Q2) The Sun's path, as viewed from the equator, is highest in the sky on ________.
A) the winter solstice
B) the spring and fall equinoxes
C) the summer solstice
D) the day when Earth is closest to the Sun
Answer: B
Q3) Suppose you see a photo showing Jupiter half in sunlight and half in shadow (that is, a first quarter Jupiter). This photo might have been taken by ________.
A) the Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter in the 1990s
B) the Hubble Space Telescope (which orbits Earth)
C) the Keck telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii
D) the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Science of Astronomy
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Q1) Which of the following statements expresses what we mean by a scientific theory?
A) An explanation for a physical phenomenon, an explanation that hasn't been tested yet
B) An educated guess
C) A simple model that explains a wide variety of phenomena and that has survived repeated tests
Answer: C
Q2) The controversial book of this famous person, published in 1543 (the year of his death), suggested that Earth and other planets orbit the Sun.
A) Tycho Brahe
B) Copernicus
C) Kepler
D) Galileo
E) Ptolemy
Answer: B
Q3) Scientific thinking developed only in the past few decades.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding
Motion, Energy, and Gravity
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Q1) As an interstellar cloud of hydrogen gas shrinks in size, its temperature increases,
A) because gravitational potential energy is converted to thermal energy.
B) because kinetic energy is converted to radiative energy.
C) because thermal energy is converted to radiative energy.
Q2) A net force acting on an object will always cause a change in the object's ________.
A) momentum
B) speed
C) mass
D) direction
Q3) Suppose the Sun were suddenly to shrink in size but that its mass remained the same. According to the law of conservation of angular momentum, what would happen?
A) The Sun would rotate faster than it does now.
B) The Sun's rate of rotation would slow.
C) The Sun's angular size in our sky would stay the same.
D) This could never happen, because it is impossible for an object to shrink in size without an outside torque.
Q4) Give an example in which kinetic energy can be converted to thermal energy.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Light: the Cosmic Messenger
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Q1) How can an electron in an atom lose energy to go from a higher energy level to a lower energy level?
A) It loses kinetic energy.
B) It releases a photon equal in energy to its own energy drop.
C) It absorbs a photon equal in energy to its own energy drop.
D) It loses gravitational potential energy.
E) It exchanges gravitational potential energy for kinetic energy.
Q2) Consider an atom of gold in which the nucleus contains 79 protons and 118 neutrons. What is its atomic number and atomic mass number?
A) The atomic number is 79, and the atomic mass number is 197.
B) The atomic number is 79, and the atomic mass number is 118.
C) The atomic number is 118, and the atomic mass number is 197.
D) The atomic number is 118, and the atomic mass number is 79.
Q3) X-rays are more intense than radio waves.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The shorter the wavelength of light, the higher its frequency.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain what an interferometer is and give an example.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System
and Beyond
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Q1) Predictions for Extra-solar Planets: What predictions does the solar nebula theory make regarding possible planetary systems surrounding other stars? Discuss at least two such predictions that have been strongly confirmed by observations. Explain how the detection of "hot Jupiter" extrasolar planets seemed to be a striking inconsistency with the solar nebula theory. Do you think astronomers were justified in modifying the solar nebula theory in the face of such evidence as opposed to discarding the theory altogether?
Q2) Hot Jupiters were a surprise to astronomers. What is the current explanation for their existence?
A) Jupiters form as a companion to the host star, but fail to become actual stars themselves because they are not massive enough.
B) Jupiters are supposed to form far away from their host star, then they migrate closer through gravitational interactions with the protoplanetary disk.
C) The temperature of the hot Jupiters is highly uncertain, so they might not be as hot as the astronomers say.
D) Jupiters actually can form close to the host star, since they do not require as much hydrogen compounds and ice as originally thought.
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds
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Q1) Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth?
A) Burning fuel warms the planet.
B) Burning releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
C) Burning depletes the amount of ozone, thereby warming the planet.
D) Burning produces infrared light, which is then trapped by existing greenhouse gases.
E) All of the above are true.
Q2) All the following statements about Venus are true. Which one offers evidence of a global repaving about a billion years ago?
A) Venus has relatively few impact craters and these craters are distributed fairly evenly over the entire planet.
B) Venus has many circular features, called coronae, which appear to be tectonic in origin.
C) Venus's largest features are three elevated regions that look somewhat like continents.
D) Venus appears to lack any water that could lubricate the flow of rock in its crust and mantle.
Q3) What are some of the things that make Earth unique among the terrestrial planets?
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Jovian Planet Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) How many more times is the atmospheric pressure in Jupiter's core greater than the atmospheric pressure at Earth's surface?
A) 10 thousand
B) 100 thousand
C) 1 million
D) 10 million
E) 100 million
Q2) What is the most abundant gas in Titan's atmosphere?
A) methane
B) nitrogen
C) hydrogen compounds
D) oxygen
E) argon
Q3) Which statement about Io is true?
A) It is the most volcanically active body in our solar system.
B) It is thought to have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water.
C) It is the largest moon in the solar system.
D) It is the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere.
Q4) What is "ice geology"? Give an example illustrating why it is important in the outer solar system.
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Chapter 9: Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their
Nature, Orbits, and Impacts
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Q1) Which of the following statements best describes the size of the largest asteroid, Ceres?
A) It is a little less than half the diameter of our Moon.
B) It is about the size of a terrestrial planet.
C) It is smaller than the jovian planets but larger than the terrestrial planets.
D) It is no larger than a typical mountain on one of the terrestrial planets.
Q2) Why is the Kuiper belt flat but the Oort cloud spherical?
Q3) Which direction do a comet's dust and plasma tails point?
A) Generally away from the Sun
B) Straight behind the comet in its orbit
C) Perpendicular to the ecliptic plane
D) Always almost due north
Q4) What are "dwarf planets"?
Q5) Rather than being a planet, Pluto is really just a large member of
A) the asteroid belt.
B) the Kuiper belt.
C) the Oort cloud.
D) the moon system around Neptune.
E) an extrasolar planetary system.
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Chapter 10: Our Star
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Q1) Order the interior layers of the Sun from the hottest to the coldest.
A) Photosphere, convection zone, core, radiation zone
B) Core, radiation zone, convection zone, photosphere
C) Radiation zone, core, convection zone, photosphere
D) Photosphere, convection zone, radiation zone, core
Q2) Which of the following best explains why nuclear fusion requires bringing nuclei extremely close together?
A) Nuclei normally repel because they are all positively charged and can be made to stick only when brought close enough for the strong force to take hold.
B) Nuclei are attracted to each other by the electromagnetic force, but this force is only strong enough to make nuclei stick when they are very close together.
C) Nuclei have to be very hot in order to fuse, and the only way to get them hot is to bring them close together.
D) Fusion can proceed only by the proton-proton chain, and therefore requires that protons come close enough together to be linked up into a chain.
Q3) Briefly explain why sunspots are cooler than surrounding regions of the Sun, and why they look dark in photos.
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Chapter 11: Surveying the Stars
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Sample Questions
Q1) The spectral sequence sorts stars according to A) mass.
B) surface temperature.
C) luminosity.
D) core temperature.
E) radius.
Q2) All stars spend approximately the same amount of time on the main sequence. A)True
B)False
Q3) You measure the parallax angle for a star to be 0.5 arcseconds. The distance to this star is
A) 0.5 light-year.
B) 0.5 parsec.
C) 5 light-years.
D) 5 parsecs.
E) 2 parsecs.
Q4) The size of the Earth's orbit is doubled. This will allow the parallaxes of more distant stars to be measured.
A)True
B)False
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Star Stuff
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Q1) Generally speaking, how does the surface temperature and luminosity of a protostar compare to the surface temperature and luminosity of the main-sequence star it becomes?
A) A main-sequence star is hotter and dimmer than it was as a protostar.
B) A main-sequence star is hotter and brighter than it was as a protostar.
C) A main-sequence star is cooler and dimmer than it was as a protostar.
D) A main-sequence star is cooler and brighter than it was as a protostar.
Q2) What happens when the gravity of a massive star is able to overcome neutron degeneracy pressure?
A) The core contracts and becomes a white dwarf.
B) The core contracts and becomes a ball of neutrons.
C) The core contracts and becomes a black hole.
D) The star explodes violently, leaving nothing behind.
E) Gravity is not able to overcome neutron degeneracy pressure.
Q3) Which type of star spends the longest time as a protostar?
A) O star
B) B star
C) M star
D) G star
Q4) Briefly summarize the stages of life for a high-mass star.
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Chapter 13: Bizarre Stellar Graveyard
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Q1) The maximum mass for a white dwarf is 1.4 solar masses.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Suppose a white dwarf is gaining mass because of accretion from a binary companion. What happens if its mass reaches the 1.4 solar mass limit?
A) The white dwarf undergoes a collapse and expels the excess mass in a nova eruption.
B) The white dwarf (which is made mostly of carbon) suddenly detonates carbon fusion and this creates a white dwarf supernova explosion.
C) The white dwarf immediately collapses into a black hole, disappearing from view.
D) A white dwarf can never gain enough mass to reach the limit because a strong stellar wind prevents the accreting material from reaching it in the first place.
Q3) All massive-star supernovae leave behind black holes as remnants.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What is the evidence that gamma-ray bursts originate from beyond the Milky Way Galaxy?
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Chapter 14: Our Galaxy
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Q1) What do we mean by the interstellar medium?
A) The gas and dust that lies in between the stars in the Milky Way galaxy
B) The dust that fills the halo of the Milky Way galaxy
C) The middle section of the Milky Way galaxy
D) The name of an oracle who can channel messages from beings that live near the star called Vega
Q2) What kind of object do we think lies in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy?
A) A 3 to 4 million solar mass black hole
B) A gigantic X-ray binary system
C) A dense cluster of young, hot stars
D) An enormous collection of dark matter, explaining why we detect no light at all from the galactic center
Q3) How does the diameter of the disk of Milky Way Galaxy compare to its thickness?
A) The diameter is about 100 times as great as the thickness.
B) The diameter and thickness are roughly equal.
C) The diameter is about 10 times as great as the thickness.
D) The diameter is about 100,000 times as great as the thickness.
Q4) Reflection nebula are bluer than the stars that illuminate them. The Earth's sky is bluer than the Sun. Is this a coincidence? Explain why or why not.
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Chapter 15: Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology
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Q1) Collisions between galaxies typically unfold over a period of ________.
A) several days
B) several months
C) thousands of years
D) hundreds of millions of years
Q2) How is the energy that powers radio galaxies, quasars, and other active galactic nuclei produced?
A) by nuclear fusion near a central black hole
B) by magnetic fields that trap and accelerate charged particles, which then radiate large amounts of energy
C) by matter that has been converted to pure energy by interacting with the jets shot out by a central black hole
D) by gravity, which converts the potential energy of matter falling toward a central black hole into kinetic energy, which is then converted to thermal energy by collisions among the particles of matter
E) by matter-antimatter annihilation near a central black hole
Q3) Galaxy collisions were more common in the past.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe
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Q1) The mass enclosed in any orbit can be estimated from the equation M(<r) = v²r / G.
If the quantity v is constant, regardless of radius, where is the mass located?
A) The mass is spread out over large radius.
B) The mass is concentrated in the center.
C) The mass is distributed like a doughnut, with a hole in the center.
D) Cannot be determined from the information given.
Q2) Which hypothetical universe has an older age, all other things being equal?
A) Dark matter doesn't affect the inferred age of the universe.
B) The one with less dark matter
C) The one with more dark matter
Q3) Some galaxy clusters have not finished forming and are still attracting new members today.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Dark matter in galaxies and clusters of galaxies is purely hypothetical because we have no way of detecting its presence.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is the difference between WIMPs and MACHOs?
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Chapter 17: The Beginning of Time
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Questions
Q1) What direct evidence do we have that the weak and electromagnetic forces were once unified as a single force?
A) The most advanced telescopes are able to see back to the GUT era in the universe.
B) Detectors on Earth have received photons and high-energy particles from the GUT era.
C) Temperatures in the center of the Sun can reproduce the conditions during the Electroweak era.
D) Particle accelerators on Earth can reach energies equivalent to the high temperatures of the Electroweak era and have produced particles predicted by the unified theory.
E) We have no direct evidence of such a unified force.
Q2) Evidence for Inflation: What is the observational evidence the universe underwent a brief but very rapid period of inflation at the end of the GUT era, early in the history of the Universe. Does any of this evidence count as direct observational evidence? Does the validity of the Big Bang depend on inflation being correct?
Q3) What do we mean by inflation, and why might it have occurred at the end of the GUT era?
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Page 19
Chapter 18: Life in the Universe
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Sample Questions
Q1) Generalizing from a Single Example: Many would argue that our concept of life and intelligence is severely limited by the fact that we have only the "single example" of the Earth. Do you agree with this view (address the questions of life and intelligence separately)? To what extent do you feel that the search for extraterrestrial life is biased by the example of life on the Earth? Does the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life suffer more or less from the same bias?
Q2) In the Drake equation (Number of Civilizations = NHP × f_life × f_civ × f_now , what do we mean by f_ now?
A) The fraction of planets with civilizations at the present time (as opposed to only in the past or future)
B) The fraction of planets in the galaxy on which a civilization could theoretically develop right now
C) The fraction of civilizations in the universe that currently are sending messages to us D) The fraction of all species ever to exist that we currently are aware of
Q3) Briefly explain the meaning of each term in the equation Number of Civilizations = Np × f_life × f_civilization × f_now.
Q4) What is the evidence that suggests planetary systems are common in the universe?
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