DeAnza College Astronomy 04 Practice Test 1 Fall 2017
Multiple Choice: Mark answer on separate Scantron Sheet
1. Scientific notation is used in science because
- its makes it easy to write big or small numbers.
- all astronomical distances are expressed in metric units.
- it makes conversions between units easy.
- all of the above
- none of the above.
2. A light-year is
- is the distance light travels in one year.
- is the time it takes light to travel to the nearest star.
- is any year that is not a leap year.
- is the diameter of the Solar System.
- none of the above.
3. The average distance from Earth to the Sun is
- one light-year
- one million miles
- one million kilometers
- one billion kilometers
- one Astronomical Unit (AU)
4. A galaxy contains
- primarily planets
- lots of gas and dust but few stars.
- lots of gas, dust and stars.
- a single star and planets.
- thousands of superclusters.
5. The Local Group is another name for
- the Solar System.
- our galaxy and about 2 dozen nearby galaxies.
- a local rock and roll band.
- a cluster of stars of which the Sun is a part.
- a cluster of stars just outside our galaxy.
6. The Solar System contains
- primarily gas and dust.
- lots of gas and dust but a few stars.
- a star only.
- a single star and planets.
- thousands of superclusters.
7. At what two locations do the celestial equator and ecliptic cross?
- winter solstice and summer solstice.
- vernal equinox and autumnal equinox
- they coincide at all points as they are the same.
- north celestial pole and south celestial pole.
e. zenith and east point.
8. The celestial equator is
a. a line directly around the sky directly above Earth’s equator.
b. the dividing line between the northern and southern celestial hemispheres.
c. the path the Sun appears to follow on the celestial sphere as Earth orbits the Sun.
d. a and b.
e. a and c.
9. The ecliptic is
a. the center line of the zodiac.
b. the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
c. inclined at an angle of 23 ½ degrees to the celestial equator.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. How many constellations are there?
a. 10,000
b. more than 500
c. less than 100
d. more than we can count
14. Earth is closest to the Sun in
a. July
b. September
c. January
d. March
e. Earth is always the same distance from the Sun.
15. 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
16. When is the Sun highest in the sky at Noon here in South Bay?
a. summer solstice
b. autumnal equinox
c. winter solstice
d. vernal equinox
17. When is the Sun lowest in the Sky here in South Bay?
a. summer solstice
b. autumnal equinox
c. winter solstice
d. vernal equinox
18. When are day and night about equal here in South Bay?
a. summer solstice
b. autumnal equinox
c. winter solstice
d. vernal equinox
e. b and d.
19. The star “Polaris” is located in which direction in our South Bay night sky?
a. north
b. east
c. south
d. west
e. overhead
True or False: Mark answer on separate Scantron Sheet.
20. The other visible planets in our Solar System can always be seen within a few degrees of the ecliptic in the sky.
21. The star patterns which form the constellation bear a very accurate resemblance to the figures they are supposed to represent in the sky.
22. A 2nd magnitude star in Ursa Major is brighter than a 4th magnitude star in Orion.
23. The star we call Polaris has always been the star nearest the North Celestial Pole.
24. The Greek letter designation for a star conveys information about a star’s brightness within a constellation.
25. The celestial equator always passes directly overhead.
Matching: Mark answer on separate Scantron Sheet.
26. New Moon a. Period between like phases of the Moon (i.e. New Moon to New moon)
27. Full Moon b. Moon is between Earth and Sun in its orbit
28. Moon’s Sidereal Period c. Moon is at about 90 degree angle with Earth and Sun
29. Moon’s Synodic Period d. Moon is opposite Sun from Earth in its orbit.
30. First Quarter Moon e. Actual period of Moon’s revolution about Earth.
Multiple Choice: Mark answer on separate Scantron Sheet
31. Eclipses of the Sun and moon don’t occur every month because
a. it’s cloudy and we don’t usually see them.
b. the Moon’s orbit is inclined to Earth’s orbit so most of time the Earth-Moon-Sun are not in a perfectly straight line.
c. we usually don’t have a New and a Full Moon each month.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
32. Total lunar eclipses
a. are more easily observed and so seen by more people than total solar eclipses.
b. last for a longer time than total solar eclipses.
c. were used to demonstrate that Earth was round by the Ancient Greeks.
d. all of the above
e. none of the above.
33. During a total lunar eclipse
a. the Moon usually disappears from view.
b. the Moon usually turns a coppery red color.
c. the Moon passes through the dark central portion of Earth’s shadow.
d. a and c.
e. b and c.
34. 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.
35. A Full Moon rises at
a. sunrise
b. sunset
c. midnight
d. noon
e. 9:00 a.m.
36. During which of the following phases of the Moon is the Moon not visible in the sky?
a. New Moon
b. First Quarter Moon
c. Full Moon
d. Third Quarter Moon
e. Waxing Crescent Moon
37. Which of the following people did not accept a heliocentric model for the universe?
a. Galileo
b. Kepler
c. Copernicus
d. Ptolemy
e. none of the above
38. Which of the following did Ptolemy use to explain the motions of the planets in the sky?
a. equant
b. deferent
c. epicycle
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
39. 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 separate Scantron Sheet.
40. Many classical Greek astronomers believed Earth could not move because they detected no parallax.
41. The Ptolemaic Model of the universe was heliocentric.
42. Galileo used a telescope to observe the phases of Jupiter.
43. Copernicus’ Model of the universe was geocentric.
44. According to Kepler, the orbits of the planets around the Sun are ellipses with the Sun at one focus.
45. According to Kepler, the farther a planet is from the Sun the faster it travels around the Sun.
True or False: Mark answer on separate Scantron Sheet.
46. According to Kepler, as a planet travels around the Sun, it travels slowest when nearest the Sun and fastest when farthest from the Sun.
47. Kepler used observational data provided by Tycho Brahe to develop his Three Laws of Planetary Motion.
48. Isaac Newton developed the Law of Universal Gravitation.
49. According to the Law of Universal Gravitation, the force of gravity between two objects is proportional to the product of their masses divided by the square of the distance between them.
50. Johan Kepler developed Three Laws of Motion which are critical to our understanding of planetary motion.
Extra Credit: True or False. Mark answer on separate Scantron sheet.
51. Big Horn Medicine Wheel is a famous religious temple in Great Britain.
52. The greatest ocean tides occur monthly at the times of New and Full Moon.
53. The Diamond Ring Effect is an astronomical occurrence that happens during a Total Lunar Eclipse.
54. The Synodic Period of the Moon is longer than the Sidereal Period of the Moon.
55. Tychonides was a famous son of the astronomer Johann Kepler.
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