Astronomy, practice question set quiz 1!

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1. What is the maximum number of planets readily visible to the!
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naked eye on a given night?!
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a. 1!
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b. 2!
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c. 3!
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d. 4!
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e. 5!
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2. Planets!
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a. move rapidly across the sky relative to the stars.!
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b. are stationary relative to the stars.!
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c. all move at the same rate relative to the stars.!
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d. move slowly relative to the stars.!
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e. can appear anywhere in the sky.!
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3. The Moon!
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a. may appear anywhere in the sky.!
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b. always appears within a few degrees of the zodiac.!
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c. always appears within a few degrees of the celestial!
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equator.!
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d. generally appears opposite the Sun.!
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4. The most readily observed motion of a celestial object is!
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produced by!
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a. the motion of the planets across the sky.!
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b. the rotation of the Earth.!
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c. the revolution of the Earth.!
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d. the motion of the Sun around the galaxy.!
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5. An astronomical unit is the!
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a. distance from the Earth to the Moon.!
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b. distance from the Earth to the Sun.!
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c. distance from the Earth to the nearest star.!
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d. distance light travels in one year.!
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e. circumference of the Earth.!
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6. Which of the following statements about planets is FALSE?!
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a. none are visible to observers on the Earth!
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b. they move relative to the stars!
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c. they are found along the zodiac!
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d. they do not twinkle as stars do!
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7. Where must an observer be located on the Earth to view the!
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entire sky over the course of a year?!
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a. the north pole!
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b. the south pole!
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c. the equator!
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d. anywhere on the Earth!
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8. Diurnal motions are caused by!
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a. the rapid rotations of heavenly bodies.!
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b. the motion of the Moon about the Earth.!
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c. the motion of the Sun about the Earth.!
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d. the motion of the Earth on its rotation axis.!
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e. the precession of the Earth's axis.!
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9. Suppose you are on a strange planet. Since you have had an!
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astronomy class at the university, you are aware of the daily!
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motion of stars about a fixed point in the sky. Furthermore,!
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you notice that this fixed point is 30 degrees above the!
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horizon. You then deduce that your latitude on this planet is!
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a. 0ø.!
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b. 15ø.!
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c. 30ø.!
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d. 45ø.!
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e. 60ø.!
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10. Precession is!
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a. the accuracy with which numbers are given in astronomy.!
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b. the slow motion of the Earth's rotation axis on the!
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celestial sphere.!
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c. the apparent backward motion of planets on the celestial!
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sphere.!
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d. the daily eastward motion of the Sun around the celestial!
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sphere.!
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11. Planet X has its rotation axis perpendicular to its orbital!
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plane. Its seasons would be!
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a. shorter than those on Earth.!
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b. longer than those on Earth.!
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c. the same as those on Earth.!
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d. constant.!
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12. If a solar eclipse occured 2 weeks ago, what would be the phase!
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of the Moon today?!
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a. first quarter!
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b. full!
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c. third quarter!
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d. new!
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e. waxing crescent!
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13. Eclipses do not occur each month because!
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a. the Moon is always in the ecliptic.!
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b. the Moon is never in the ecliptic.!
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c. the Earth's axis is tilted to the ecliptic.!
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d. the Moon's orbit is in the ecliptic.!
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e. the Moon's orbit is not in the ecliptic.!
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14. In order for a solar eclipse to occur, the Moon must be!
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a. near new Moon.!
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b. near first or last quarter.!
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c. high in the sky.!
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d. near full Moon.!
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e. in a retrograde loop.!
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15. The length of the tropical year is!
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a. equal to the length of the Earth's sidereal period.!
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b. equal to the length of the Earth's synodic period.!
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c. the time interval from one vernal equinox to the next.!
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d. twelve lunar months.!
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16. If the Moon did NOT rotate we would observe!
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a. the same as we now observe.!
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b. only the lunar back side.!
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c. the lunar north polar region.!
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d. both the front and back side of the Moon.!
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17. Aristotle!
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a. was the first great observational astronomer.!
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b. stated physical laws and then attempted to use them to!
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explain how the universe works.!
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c. discovered the first four elements in the periodic table of!
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elements.!
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d. taught Plato the basic laws of nature.!
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18. Ptolemy!
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a. invented calculus and used it to predict the positions of!
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the planets at any given time.!
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b. wrote books summarizing the astronomical knowledge of!
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earlier cultures.!
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c. was the first of the great Greek astronomers.!
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d. was the first to detect stellar parallax.!
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19. The Almagest was written by!
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a. Plato!
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b. Aristotle!
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c. Hipparchus!
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d. Ptolemy!
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e. Pythagorus!
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20. The reason Copernicus became a "heliocentrist" was that!
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a. the evidence was overwhelmingly strong.!
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b. the evidence was weak but gaining strength.!
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c. it was philosophically pleasing to him.!
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d. the laws of physics as then understood indicated a!
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heliocentric universe.!
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21. Which one of the following statements about the Copernican!
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model is FALSE?!
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a. it was more accurate than the Ptolemaic system in!
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predicting planetary motions!
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b. relative planetary distances could be deduced from it!
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c. relative planetary speeds could be determined from it!
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d. retrograde motion could be easily explained by it!
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e. none: all of the above statements are true!
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22. Tycho Brahe's principal contribution to astronomy was!
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a. his noble blood.!
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b. his suggested model for the solar system (which had a fixed!
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Earth with the Sun revolving about it but the rest of the!
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planets revolving about the Sun).!
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c. the accuracy of his observations and the completeness of!
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his records.!
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d. his choice of Galileo as an assistant.!
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23. Which of the following is a statement of Kepler's first law?!
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a. planets move in perfect circles with the Sun at the center!
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b. planets move along an elliptical path with the Sun at the!
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center!
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c. planets move along an elliptical path with the Sun at one!
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of the foci!
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d. planets move along an elliptical path with the Earth at one!
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of the foci!
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24. In simple language, Kepler's second law means that!
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a. a planet moves more rapidly when near the Sun than when!
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farther away.!
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b. planets close to the Sun have shorter periods than those!
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farther away.!
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c. the Sun is at the center of planetary orbits.!
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d. slowly moving planets are close to the Sun.!
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25. In non-mathematical terms, Kepler's third law says that!
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a. a planet moves more rapidly when near the Sun than when!
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farther away.!
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b. planets close to the Sun have shorter periods than those!
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farther away.!
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c. the Sun is at the center of planetary orbits.!
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d. slowly moving planets are close to the Sun.!
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26. Who is often considered to be the first truly modern scientist?!
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a. Brahe!
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b. Kepler!
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c. Copernicus!
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d. Aristotle!
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 e. Galileo!
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27. Which of the following did Galileo NOT observe?!
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a. sunspots!
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b. the moons of Mars!
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c. the phases of Venus!
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d. the craters on the Moon!
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28. Which of the following has the greatest mass?!
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a. 100 lbs of goose feathers!
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b. 100 lbs of lead!
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c. a 100 lb person!
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d. they all have the same mass!
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29. Acceleration is defined as!
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a. the rate of change of velocity.!
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b. the rate of change of position.!
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c. the rate of change of distance.!
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d. how fast an object moves.!
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e. how fast an object changes position.!
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30. Which of the following would NOT occur if the Earth's mass were!
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doubled? (NOTE: the radius remains the same)!
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a. your mass would double!
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b. your weight would double!
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c. the surface gravity would double!
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d. the escape velocity would increase!
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31. While on the Moon, the Apollo astronauts demonstrated Galileo's!
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experiment at the Leaning Tower of Pisa by dropping a feather!
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and a hammer. They reached the ground at the same time because!
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a. the force of gravity is larger on the feathers than on the!
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hammer.!
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b. the force of gravity has no effect on either object.!
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c. the acceleration of each object is the same.!
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d. the astronauts showed Galileo's experiment to be false.!
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32. Take three identical bricks; strap two of them together. Which!
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statement is true?!
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a. the combined bricks, when dropped, will fall twice as fast!
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as the single brick!
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b. the combined bricks, when dropped, will fall four times as!
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fast as the single brick due to the inverse square law of!
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gravity!
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c. the gravitational force between the Earth and the combined!
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bricks is twice as strong as the gravitational force!
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between the Earth and the single brick!
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d. the gravitational force between the Earth and the combined!
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bricks is the same as the gravitational force between the!
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 Earth and the single brick!
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33. If in a violent moment you kick a wall, your foot will hurt.!
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This is best explained by!
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a. Newton's first law of motion.!
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b. Newton's second law of motion.!
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c. Newton's third law of motion.!
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d. the universal law of gravity.!
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34. Which of the following statements about the Earth's orbit is!
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FALSE?!
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a. The orbit is elliptical!
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b. The average distance to between the Earth and the Sun is 1!
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A. U.!
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c. The orbital velocity is constant!
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d. the period of the orbit is 1 year!
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35. The escape velocity from a planet's surface depends upon!
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a. your mass and the planet's mass.!
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b. your mass and the planet's radius.!
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c. the planet's mass and radius.!
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d. your mass and the planets orbital period.!
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e. the planet's mass and orbital period.!
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1. Light-years are used to measure!
a) time. c) weight.!
B) DISTANCE. d) mass.!
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2. A first-quarter moon is best seen at!
a) sunrise. C) SUNSET.!
b) noon. d) midnight.!
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3. Total solar eclipses would be more frequent if!
a) the moon orbited further from the Earth.!
B) THE MOON ORBITED CLOSER TO THE EARTH.!
c) the moon's orbit were more highly inclined to the Earth's.!
d) the Earth had a smaller radius.!
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4. Ancient naked-eye observations and reasoning already provided!
a) a solid measurement of the Sun's distance.!
b) measurements of the sizes of stars.!
c) correct explanations for the retrograde motions of planets.!
D) A REASONABLE ESTIMATE OF THE EARTH'S SIZE.!
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5. A partial solar eclipse is best viewed!
a) directly through a telescope.!
B) BY PROJECTION WITH OR WITHOUT A TELESCOPE.!
c) through welder's goggles.!
d) after sunset.!
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6. To locate an object in the sky, we use!
a) latitude and longitude. c) parallax.!
B) RIGHT ASCENSION AND DECLINATION. d) the local standard of rest.!
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7. Seasons occur because of!
a) our changing distance from the Sun.!
b) precession of the equinoxes.!
C) THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE EARTH"S EQUATOR AND ITS ORBIT.!
d) the Moon's gravitational influence.!
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8. We see the moon appear to show phases caused by!
a) the shadow of the Earth.!
B) OUR VIEWING DIRECTION COMPARED TO THE DIRECTION OF SUNLIGHT.!
c) its tidally locked rotation.!
d) its own irregular shape.!
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9. Different stars are visible in the night sky at different times of the year!
a) because of the Moon's motion about the Earth.!
b) because of our rotation on the Earth's axis.!
C) BECAUSE OF OUR ORBITAL MOTION ABOUT THE SUN.!
d) because of precession of the Earth's axis.!
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10. Constellations in astronomy are!
A) ARBITRARY BUT USEFUL SUBDIVISIONS OF THE SKY.!
b) physical grouping of genuinely associated stars.!
c) defined only in those areas where we sometimes see the Moon and planets.!
d) a way of memorializing famous astronomers.!
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Objects in orbit undergo weightlessness because!
A) THEY ARE ALREADY FALLING.!
b) they are beyond the range of Earth's gravity.!
c) their mass has changed.!
d) of an optical illusion.!
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5. Kepler's three laws describe!
A) THE MOTION OF PLANETS AROUND THE SUN. c) epicycles and deferents.!
b) the motion of stars through the sky. d) a geocentric system.!
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6. Which of the following did Galileo observe and use as a demonstration!
of Copernicus' scheme for the solar system?!
a) Stars in the Milky Way. !
b) Sunspots.!
C) A COMPLETE CYCLE OF PHASES FOR VENUS.!
d) Rings around Saturn.!
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7. Planets orbit the Sun along!
a) circles. B) ELLIPSES.!
c) hyperbolae. d) logarithmic spirals!
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The ozone layer in our atmosphere!
a) produces ultraviolet radiation. c) absorbs infrared radiation.!
B) BLOCKS ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION. d) reflects radio waves.