Question 1

At the Sun Dagger in New Mexico,a dagger-shaped beam of sunlight pierces a spiral

Accepted Answer

A) every day at noon. 
B) at noon on the summer solstice. 
C) at sunset on the spring equinox. 
D) at noon on the day of full Moon each month. 
E) during the totality of a total solar eclipse. 
A) every day at noon. 
B) at noon on the summer solstice. 
C) at sunset on the spring equinox. 
D) at noon on the day of full Moon each month. 
E) during the totality of a total solar eclipse.

Question 2

Galileo challenged the idea that objects in the heavens were perfect by

Accepted Answer

A) showing that heavy objects fall at the same rate as lighter objects. 
B) observing sunspots on the Sun and mountains on the Moon. 
C) proving Kepler's laws were correct. 
D) inventing the telescope. 
A) showing that heavy objects fall at the same rate as lighter objects. 
B) observing sunspots on the Sun and mountains on the Moon. 
C) proving Kepler's laws were correct. 
D) inventing the telescope.

Question 3

When and where did the Library of Alexandria exist?

Accepted Answer

A) from A.D.600 to A.D.1800 in Greece 
B) from A.D.600 to A.D.1800 in Egypt 
C) from 300 B.C.to A.D.400 in Rome 
D) from 300 B.C.to A.D.400 in Greece 
E) from 300 B.C.to A.D.400 in Egypt 
A) from A.D.600 to A.D.1800 in Greece 
B) from A.D.600 to A.D.1800 in Egypt 
C) from 300 B.C.to A.D.400 in Rome 
D) from 300 B.C.to A.D.400 in Greece 
E) from 300 B.C.to A.D.400 in Egypt

Question 4

What is meant by a hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A) a natural phenomenon that requires explanation 
B) an explanation for a phenomenon that makes a prediction 
C) a tentative understanding of a natural phenomenon 
D) a pseudoscientific idea 
E) a historical theory that has been proved inaccurate 
A) a natural phenomenon that requires explanation 
B) an explanation for a phenomenon that makes a prediction 
C) a tentative understanding of a natural phenomenon 
D) a pseudoscientific idea 
E) a historical theory that has been proved inaccurate

Question 5

Describe how Eratosthenes first measured the size of Earth over 2,000 years ago.

Accepted Answer

Eratosthenes used measurements of the an

Question 6

Which of the following was not observed by Galileo?

Accepted Answer

A) stellar parallax 
B) mountains and valleys on the Moon 
C) four moons orbiting Jupiter 
D) phases of Venus 
A) stellar parallax 
B) mountains and valleys on the Moon 
C) four moons orbiting Jupiter 
D) phases of Venus

Question 7

Ptolemy was important in the history of astronomy because he

Accepted Answer

A) developed a model of the solar system that made sufficiently accurate predictions of planetary positions to remain in use for many centuries. 
B) developed the first scientific model of the universe. 
C) was the first to create a model of the solar system that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center. 
D) was the first to believe that all orbits are perfect circles. 
A) developed a model of the solar system that made sufficiently accurate predictions of planetary positions to remain in use for many centuries. 
B) developed the first scientific model of the universe. 
C) was the first to create a model of the solar system that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center. 
D) was the first to believe that all orbits are perfect circles.

Question 8

How did ancient peoples of central Africa predict the weather?

Accepted Answer

They observed the orientation

Question 9

Describe what a scientific test of astrology would involve.

Accepted Answer

First of all,science can only test the t

Question 10

How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Accepted Answer

A) The planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around Earth. 
B) The planets sometimes stopped moving and then reversed to move backward along their circular orbits. 
C) The model showed that apparent retrograde motion occurs as Earth passes by another planet in its orbit of the Sun. 
D) The planets resided on giant spheres that sometimes turned clockwise and sometimes turned counterclockwise. 
A) The planets moved along small circles that moved on larger circles around Earth. 
B) The planets sometimes stopped moving and then reversed to move backward along their circular orbits. 
C) The model showed that apparent retrograde motion occurs as Earth passes by another planet in its orbit of the Sun. 
D) The planets resided on giant spheres that sometimes turned clockwise and sometimes turned counterclockwise.

Question 11

During the Dark Ages in Europe,the scientific work of the ancient Greeks was preserved and further developed primarily by scholars in

Accepted Answer

A) Baghdad. 
B) Greece. 
C) Rome. 
D) India. 
E) China. 
A) Baghdad. 
B) Greece. 
C) Rome. 
D) India. 
E) China.

Question 12

Process of Science: Give a scientific explanation of the success of the central African rainfall-prediction technique of observing the waxing crescent Moon.Can the Moon cause a change in rainfall? Or vice versa?

Accepted Answer

The Moon's orientation varies

Question 13

He discovered that the orbits of planets are ellipses.

Accepted Answer

A) Tycho Brahe 
B) Copernicus 
C) Kepler 
D) Galileo 
E) Ptolemy 
A) Tycho Brahe 
B) Copernicus 
C) Kepler 
D) Galileo 
E) Ptolemy

Question 14

The ancient goal of astrology was to

Accepted Answer

A) understand the origin of Earth. 
B) make a more accurate model of the universe. 
C) predict the passing of the seasons. 
D) predict human events. 
E) antagonize astronomers. 
A) understand the origin of Earth. 
B) make a more accurate model of the universe. 
C) predict the passing of the seasons. 
D) predict human events. 
E) antagonize astronomers.

Question 15

Kepler's second law,which states that as a planet moves around its orbit it sweeps out equal areas in equal times,means that

Accepted Answer

A) a planet travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun. 
B) a planet's period does not depend on the eccentricity of its orbit. 
C) planets that are farther from the Sun move at slower average speeds than nearer planets. 
D) the period of a planet does not depend on its mass. 
E) planets have circular orbits. 
A) a planet travels faster when it is nearer to the Sun and slower when it is farther from the Sun. 
B) a planet's period does not depend on the eccentricity of its orbit. 
C) planets that are farther from the Sun move at slower average speeds than nearer planets. 
D) the period of a planet does not depend on its mass. 
E) planets have circular orbits.

Question 16

The controversial book of this famous person,published in 1543 (the year of his death),suggested that Earth and other planets orbit the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) Tycho Brahe 
B) Copernicus 
C) Kepler 
D) Galileo 
E) Ptolemy 
A) Tycho Brahe 
B) Copernicus 
C) Kepler 
D) Galileo 
E) Ptolemy

Question 17

When did Copernicus live?

Accepted Answer

A) about 5000 years ago 
B) about 2000 years ago 
C) about 1000 years ago 
D) about 500 years ago 
E) about 100 years ago 
A) about 5000 years ago 
B) about 2000 years ago 
C) about 1000 years ago 
D) about 500 years ago 
E) about 100 years ago

Question 18

Process of Science: I am doing science when I already know the answer to my scientific question and I am searching for evidence in the natural world strictly to support what I know.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

In order to tell time at night,the ancient Egyptians of 3000 B.C.used

Accepted Answer

A) sundials,with light provided by the Moon. 
B) water clocks,measuring the flow of water through an opening. 
C) hourglasses,measuring the flow of sand through an opening. 
D) Moon clocks,which measured time based on the Moon's position relative to the stars. 
E) star clocks,which measured time based on the positions of stars at particular times of night and particular times of year. 
A) sundials,with light provided by the Moon. 
B) water clocks,measuring the flow of water through an opening. 
C) hourglasses,measuring the flow of sand through an opening. 
D) Moon clocks,which measured time based on the Moon's position relative to the stars. 
E) star clocks,which measured time based on the positions of stars at particular times of night and particular times of year.

Question 20

State Kepler's three laws of planetary motion.

Accepted Answer

1.The orbit of each planet is an ellipse

Exam 3: The Science of Astronomy

At the Sun Dagger in New Mexico,a dagger-shaped beam of sunlight pierces a spiral

Galileo challenged the idea that objects in the heavens were perfect by

When and where did the Library of Alexandria exist?

What is meant by a hypothesis?

Describe how Eratosthenes first measured the size of Earth over 2,000 years ago.

Which of the following was not observed by Galileo?

Ptolemy was important in the history of astronomy because he

How did ancient peoples of central Africa predict the weather?

Describe what a scientific test of astrology would involve.

How did the Ptolemaic model explain the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

During the Dark Ages in Europe,the scientific work of the ancient Greeks was preserved and further developed primarily by scholars in

Process of Science: Give a scientific explanation of the success of the central African rainfall-prediction technique of observing the waxing crescent Moon.Can the Moon cause a change in rainfall? Or vice versa?

He discovered that the orbits of planets are ellipses.

The ancient goal of astrology was to

Kepler's second law,which states that as a planet moves around its orbit it sweeps out equal areas in equal times,means that

The controversial book of this famous person,published in 1543 (the year of his death),suggested that Earth and other planets orbit the Sun.

When did Copernicus live?

Process of Science: I am doing science when I already know the answer to my scientific question and I am searching for evidence in the natural world strictly to support what I know.

In order to tell time at night,the ancient Egyptians of 3000 B.C.used

State Kepler's three laws of planetary motion.

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters