DeAnza College Astronomy 04 Final Examination Fall 2005
Multiple Choice: Mark answer on Scantron.
1. Which of the following motions of Earth causes the Sun to rise in the east and set in the west?
a. rotation
b. revolution
c. precession
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
2. Which of the following motions of Earth cause the Sun to appear to trace out a path against the background of the stars called the ecliptic?
a. rotation
b. revolution
c. precession
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
3. Which of the following motions of Earth causes the North Star to change over time?
a. rotation
b. revolution
c. precession
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
4. As a star’s magnitude increases from +1 to +6, its apparent brightness in the sky
a. remains the same.
b. increases
c. decreases
d. can either increase or decrease
e. none of the above.
5. Total solar eclipses
a. are more easily observed and so seen by more people than total lunar eclipses.
b. last for a much shorter time than total lunar eclipses.
c. were used to demonstrate that Earth was round by the Ancient Greeks.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above.
6. Who first proposed the Heliocentric Theory or Model of the universe?
a. Galileo
b. Kepler
c. Copernicus
d. Ptolemy
e. Aristotle
True or False: : Mark answer on Scantron.
7. Galileo used a telescope to observe the phases of Venus which confirmed the Heliocentric Model of Copernicus.
8. According to Kepler, the orbits of the planets around the Sun are ellipses with the Sun at one focus.
9. According to Kepler, the farther a planet is from the Sun the faster it travels around the Sun.
10. According to Kepler, as a planet travels around the Sun, it travels slowest when nearest the Sun and fastest when farthest from the Sun.
Multiple Choice: Mark answer on Scantron.
11. The most important "power" of a telescope is its ______power.
a. / resolving / c. / light-gatheringb. / magnifying / d. / seeing
12. The ______of a telescope is a measure of its ability to show fine detail and depends on the diameter of the objective lens or primary mirror.
a / light-gathering powerb. / focal length
c. / magnifying power
d. / resolving power
e. / spherical aberration
13. The Sun produces energy through the process of
a. / combustion / c. / nuclear fissionb. / gravitational collapse / d. / nuclear fusion
14. The visible surface of the Sun is called the
a. / radiative zone / c. / photosphereb. / chromosphere / d. / corona
15. Sunspots
a. / are cooler than their surroundings.b. / are regions where material is rising from below the photosphere.
c. / are the result of convection.
d. / produce spicules.
e. / are generally found near the poles of the sun during sunspot maximum.
16. Which of the following are best described as "flames" of hot gas rising above the photosphere?
a. / spiculesb. / prominences
c. / flares
d. / supergranules
e. / solar wind
17. The lunar maria are
a. / the lava plains of the lunar lowlands.b. / the smooth plateaus of the lunar highlands
c. / less than one billion years old.
d. / moving plates of lunar crust.
e. / older than the lunar highlands.
18. Of the following hypotheses, which one best explains the origin of the moon?
a. / large impact hypothesisb. / capture hypothesis
c. / liquid drop hypothesis
d. / co-accretion hypothesis
e. / fission hypothesis
True or False: Mark answer on Scantron.
19. The Moon is about one-quarter the diameter of Earth and about one-quarter of Earth's mass.
20. The Moon is an airless world which does not possess a measurable atmosphere.
21. The Moon has an internal structure very similar to Earth with a rocky mantle and metallic core.
22. Mercury is the 2nd smallest planet in the Solar System. Only Pluto is smaller.
23. Mercury has the largest diurnal (day to night) temperatures range of any planet in the solar system.
Match the following planetary characteristics with either Venus or Mars or neither or both.
24. Earth's "sister' planet a). Venus
25. The Red Planet b). Mars
c). Characteristic of both
planets
26. A very dense atmosphere 100 times the density
of the Earth's atmosphere. D). Characteristic of neither
planet.
27. Clouds composed of Sulfuric Acid.
28. Polar caps
29. Extinct Volcanoes
30. Dry riverbeds indicating presence of water
in the past.
31. Rotating retrograde (opposite the direction of rotation of other planets).
32. Primary atmospheric gas is carbon dioxide.
33. Has a very thin atmosphere when compared with Earth.
34. Features a huge canyon over 3,000 miles long known as Vallis Marineris.
Multiple Choice: Mark answer on Scantron.
35. The planet Jupiter
a) Is the largest of the planets.
b) Has a strong magnetic field.
c) Has a greater equatorial than polar diameter because of its rapid rotation.
d) All of the above are correct.
36. The Great Red Spot is a “storm” in the upper cloud layers of the planet
a) Jupiter.
b) Saturn
c) Uranus
d) Neptune
37. The Great Dark Spot is a prominent cloud feature in the upper cloud layers of the planet
a) Jupiter.
b) Saturn
c) Uranus
d) Neptune
e) The Great Dark Spot is not a recognized cloud feature on any planet.
True or False: Mark your answer on Scantron..
38. The ring systems of Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are not nearly as prominent as those of the planet Saturn.
39. Asteroids are icy bodies whereas comets are rocky objects.
40. The average size of a comet nucleus is from 50 to 100 miles.
41. Most asteroids are located in the asteroid belt.
42. The total mass of all the asteroids in the asteroid belt approximately equals the mass of the planet Jupiter.
43. The asteroid Vesta is the brightest of the known asteroids.
44. The asteroid Ceres is the largest of all known asteroids
45. In order of increasing size (smallest to largest) the three parts of a comet are the tail, coma or head and nucleus.
Multiple Choice: Mark your answer on Scantron.
46. The Oort Cloud is a cloud of
a. / comet nuclei / c. / asteroidsb. / Meteoroids / d. / planetesimals
47. A comet's tail always points
a. / toward the Sun. / c. / at right angles to the Sunb. / away from the Sun. / d. / there is no relationship between a comet's tail and the Sun.
48. A bit of matter that enters Earth's atmosphere and survives to reach the ground is called
a. / a meteor.b. / a meteoroid.
c. / a meteorite.
d. / a minor planet.
e. / an asteroid.
49. A meteor shower is produced when
a. / a large number of sporadic meteors are observed.b. / the Earth passes through the asteroid belt.
c. / massive particles are carried outward from the sun by the solar wind and enter Earth's atmosphere.
d. / the Earth passes through the orbital path of a comet.
e. / meteors cause condensation in the upper atmosphere that leads to early morning rains.
50. Very bright meteors are called
a. / sporadic meteors. / c. / chondritesb. / bolides / d. / meteoroids.
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