Question 1

The Metonic cycle is

Accepted Answer

A)  used to keep lunar calendars approximately synchronized with solar calendars. 
B)  used to predict the future orientation of the Earth's axis in space. 
C)  the ancient Greek name for the cycle of lunar phases that repeats every 29 ¹/₂ days. 
D)  the 18-year, 11-day period over which the pattern of eclipses repeats. 
A)  used to keep lunar calendars approximately synchronized with solar calendars. 
B)  used to predict the future orientation of the Earth's axis in space. 
C)  the ancient Greek name for the cycle of lunar phases that repeats every 29 ¹/₂ days. 
D)  the 18-year, 11-day period over which the pattern of eclipses repeats.

Question 2

Which of the following statements expresses what we mean by a scientific theory?

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 3

The Ptolemaic model of the solar system was useless for predicting planetary positions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

When did Ptolemy 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 5

The Metonic cycle is the

Accepted Answer

A)  29 1/2-day period of the lunar cycle. 
B)  12-month period of a lunar calendar. 
C)  19-year period over which the lunar phases occur on about the same dates. 
D)  18-year, 11-day period over which the pattern of eclipses repeats. 
E)  period between successive Easters. 
A)  29 1/2-day period of the lunar cycle. 
B)  12-month period of a lunar calendar. 
C)  19-year period over which the lunar phases occur on about the same dates. 
D)  18-year, 11-day period over which the pattern of eclipses repeats. 
E)  period between successive Easters.

Question 6

The great contribution of Nicholas Copernicus was to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  create a detailed model of our solar system with the Sun rather than Earth at the center 
B)  prove that the Earth is not the center of the universe 
C)  discover the laws of planetary motion 
D)  discover the law of gravity 
A)  create a detailed model of our solar system with the Sun rather than Earth at the center 
B)  prove that the Earth is not the center of the universe 
C)  discover the laws of planetary motion 
D)  discover the law of gravity

Question 7

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 8

People of central Africa predicted the weather by

Accepted Answer

A)  recording the seasonal changes in average temperature. 
B)  observing the path of the planets across the sky. 
C)  observing the length of the lunar cycle. 
D)  observing the orientation of the crescent moon relative to the horizon. 
E)  observing the location of the Moon relative to the Sun in the sky. 
A)  recording the seasonal changes in average temperature. 
B)  observing the path of the planets across the sky. 
C)  observing the length of the lunar cycle. 
D)  observing the orientation of the crescent moon relative to the horizon. 
E)  observing the location of the Moon relative to the Sun in the sky.

Question 9

The Muslim fast of Ramadan occurs

Accepted Answer

A)  on the summer solstice. 
B)  during the ninth month of a 12-month lunar cycle. 
C)  on the spring equinox. 
D)  during a thirteenth month of the Metonic cycle. 
E)  at the end of the Metonic cycle. 
A)  on the summer solstice. 
B)  during the ninth month of a 12-month lunar cycle. 
C)  on the spring equinox. 
D)  during a thirteenth month of the Metonic cycle. 
E)  at the end of the Metonic cycle.

Question 10

From Kepler's third law, a hypothetical planet that is twice as far from the Sun as Earth should have a period of

Accepted Answer

A)  1/2 Earth year. 
B)  1 Earth year. 
C)  2 Earth years. 
D)  more than 2 Earth years. 
E)  It depends on the planet's mass. 
A)  1/2 Earth year. 
B)  1 Earth year. 
C)  2 Earth years. 
D)  more than 2 Earth years. 
E)  It depends on the planet's mass.

Question 11

The Polynesian navigators of the South Pacific found their way primarily by observing the position of Polaris in the night sky.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

How did Eratosthenes estimate the size of Earth in 240 B.C.?

Accepted Answer

A)  by observing the duration of a solar eclipse 
B)  by measuring the size of Earth's shadow on the Moon in a lunar eclipse 
C)  by comparing the maximum altitude of the Sun in two cities at different latitudes 
D)  by sending fleets of ships around Earth 
E)  We don't know how he did it since all his writings were destroyed. 
A)  by observing the duration of a solar eclipse 
B)  by measuring the size of Earth's shadow on the Moon in a lunar eclipse 
C)  by comparing the maximum altitude of the Sun in two cities at different latitudes 
D)  by sending fleets of ships around Earth 
E)  We don't know how he did it since all his writings were destroyed.

Question 13

Describe how Eratosthenes first measured the size of Earth over 2000 years ago.

Accepted Answer

Eratosthenes used measurements of the th

Question 14

Which of the following is not part of a good scientific theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  A scientific theory cannot be accepted until it has been proven true beyond all doubt. 
B)  A scientific theory must make testable predictions that, if found to be incorrect, could lead to its own modification or demise. 
C)  A scientific theory must explain a wide variety of phenomena observed in the natural world. 
D)  A scientific theory should be based on natural processes and should not invoke the supernatural or divine. 
A)  A scientific theory cannot be accepted until it has been proven true beyond all doubt. 
B)  A scientific theory must make testable predictions that, if found to be incorrect, could lead to its own modification or demise. 
C)  A scientific theory must explain a wide variety of phenomena observed in the natural world. 
D)  A scientific theory should be based on natural processes and should not invoke the supernatural or divine.

Question 15

He was the first to prove that comets lie beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

Describe the Ptolemaic model of the solar system. How did Ptolemy account for the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Accepted Answer

Although Ptolemy's model was an Earth-ce

Question 17

Which of the following is not one of, nor a direct consequence of, Kepler's Laws?

Accepted Answer

A)  The force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers. 
B)  As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times. 
C)  The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. 
D)  More distant planets orbit the Sun at slower speeds. 
A)  The force of attraction between any two objects decreases with the square of the distance between their centers. 
B)  As a planet moves around its orbit, it sweeps out equal areas in equal times. 
C)  The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. 
D)  More distant planets orbit the Sun at slower speeds.

Question 18

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 19

He developed a system for predicting planetary positions that remained in use for some 1,500 years.

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 20

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.

The Metonic cycle is

Which of the following statements expresses what we mean by a scientific theory?

The Ptolemaic model of the solar system was useless for predicting planetary positions.

When did Ptolemy live?

The Metonic cycle is the

The great contribution of Nicholas Copernicus was to ________.

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

People of central Africa predicted the weather by

The Muslim fast of Ramadan occurs

From Kepler's third law, a hypothetical planet that is twice as far from the Sun as Earth should have a period of

The Polynesian navigators of the South Pacific found their way primarily by observing the position of Polaris in the night sky.

How did Eratosthenes estimate the size of Earth in 240 B.C.?

Describe how Eratosthenes first measured the size of Earth over 2000 years ago.

Which of the following is not part of a good scientific theory?

He was the first to prove that comets lie beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Describe the Ptolemaic model of the solar system. How did Ptolemy account for the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Which of the following is not one of, nor a direct consequence of, Kepler's Laws?

When did Copernicus live?

He developed a system for predicting planetary positions that remained in use for some 1,500 years.

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

Our Place in the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

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

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

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Exam 3: The Science of Astronomy

The Metonic cycle is

Which of the following statements expresses what we mean by a scientific theory?

The Ptolemaic model of the solar system was useless for predicting planetary positions.

When did Ptolemy live?

The Metonic cycle is the

The great contribution of Nicholas Copernicus was to ________.

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

People of central Africa predicted the weather by

The Muslim fast of Ramadan occurs

From Kepler's third law, a hypothetical planet that is twice as far from the Sun as Earth should have a period of

The Polynesian navigators of the South Pacific found their way primarily by observing the position of Polaris in the night sky.

How did Eratosthenes estimate the size of Earth in 240 B.C.?

Describe how Eratosthenes first measured the size of Earth over 2000 years ago.

Which of the following is not part of a good scientific theory?

He was the first to prove that comets lie beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Describe the Ptolemaic model of the solar system. How did Ptolemy account for the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Which of the following is not one of, nor a direct consequence of, Kepler's Laws?

When did Copernicus live?

He developed a system for predicting planetary positions that remained in use for some 1,500 years.

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

Our Place in the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

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

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

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

The Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe

Filters