Deck 1: Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Question 1

In 2006,the International Astronomical Union produced a major announcement concerning Pluto.What was it?

A)Liquid water has been found on Pluto's surface.
B)Pluto has a moon named Charon that is nearly as large as Pluto itself.
C)Pluto has been officially demoted from its former status as one of nine major planets in our Solar System.
D)Chemical signatures in rocks recovered from Pluto by NASA suggest that it may have once hosted life.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Foucault's experiment with a pendulum proved that ________.

A)Earth is the center of the Universe
B)Earth revolves around the Sun
C)Earth rotates about an internal axis
D)the Sun revolves around Earth

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The geocentric model was developed during the time of the ancient Greeks.This model ________.

A)was abandoned during the time of the Roman Empire and would never be widely held again
B)was held to be true by thinkers throughout the Middle Ages,up until the Renaissance
C)was rediscovered by the Polish astronomer Copernicus and has been the accepted model of the Universe ever since
D)has been proven by NASA space images

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Terrestrial planets are mainly composed of ________ while Jovian planets are made dominantly of ________.

A)volatiles;rock and metals
B)rock and metals;volatiles
C)refractory materials;volatiles and metals
D)volatiles and metals;refractory materials

Question 5

Aside from Earth,the terrestrial planets are ________.

A)Mars,Mercury,and Venus
B)Mars,Venus,and Jupiter
C)Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune
D)Mars and Saturn

Question 6

Our Sun belongs to a galaxy known as ________.

A)Andromeda
B)Cepheus
C)the Milky Way
D)the Stratosphere

Question 7

A light year is a unit that measures ________.

A)time
B)mass
C)distance
D)luminous intensity

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT considered a Jovian planet?

A)Uranus
B)Neptune
C)Saturn
D)Pluto

Question 9

In the heliocentric model ________.

A)Earth orbits around the Sun
B)the Sun orbits around Earth
C)Earth is a stationary planet
D)Mercury and Venus orbit around the Sun,but all other planets orbit around Earth

Question 10

The circumference of Earth is most nearly ________.

A)400 km
B)4,000 km
C)40,000 km
D)4,000,000 km

Question 11

Over 2,000 years ago,an ancient Greek astronomer concluded (correctly)that the ________.

A)Earth is spherical
B)Sun is the center of the whole Universe
C)Earth orbits the Sun in a circular orbit
D)Earth is the center of the Universe

Question 12

An important contribution made by Copernicus is his (correct)assertion that the ________.

A)Earth is spherical
B)Sun is the center of the whole Universe
C)Sun is the center of the Earth's orbit
D)Earth is the center of the Universe

Question 13

Eratosthenes was the first person to accurately estimate the size of Earth.He accomplished this feat by ________.

A)sailing around the world and estimating his average rate of travel
B)comparing the length of an Earth day with the distance between the Earth and the Sun
C)measuring the severity of the greatest earthquakes
D)observing shadows simultaneously cast at two different cities that were separated by a known distance

Question 14

Humans first realized that the Earth was spherical ________.

A)as a result of the voyages of Christopher Columbus
B)when Magellan's crew was able to sail completely around the world
C)during the Renaissance
D)during the time of Aristotle in ancient Greece

Question 15

The Jovian planets are ________.

A)Mars,Mercury,and Venus
B)Mars,Venus,and Jupiter
C)Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus,and Neptune
D)Mars and Saturn

Question 16

The closest galaxy to ours is ________,which is ________ million light years away.

A)Alpha Centauri;1.1
B)Andromeda;2.2
C)Alpha Centauri;3.3
D)Andromeda;4.4

Question 17

Comets are primarily a mixture of ________.

A)rock and metal
B)water (liquid H2O)and ice (solid H2O)
C)ices (frozen water,methane,and other gasses)
D)silicon and oxygen

Question 18

The branch of science that studies the structure and history of the Universe is ________.

A)cosmetology
B)scientology
C)cosmology
D)universalism

Question 19

In ancient Greece,Eratosthenes measured the difference in angles of the Sun's rays in two different locations in Egypt at the same time to calculate the ________.

A)rate of rotation of the Earth
B)distance from the Earth to the Moon
C)distance from Earth to the Sun
D)circumference of the Earth

Question 20

Most asteroids inhabit the "asteroid belt" between the planets ________.

A)Earth and Mars
B)Mars and Jupiter
C)Jupiter and Saturn
D)Neptune and Pluto

Question 21

By far the most common elements in the Universe and in our Solar System are ________.

A)nitrogen and oxygen
B)iron and manganese
C)hydrogen and helium
D)hydrogen and oxygen

Question 22

The figure below shows a moving source of light with four stationary observers at different locations.Which observer will see red-shifted light from the moving source

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D

Question 23

Which of the following is true about blue-shifted light that we detect from the cosmos?

A)It signifies a source that is moving toward us.
B)It is common for galaxies to emit this type of light.
C)The detected light has a longer wavelength than at the source.
D)The detected light has a lower frequency than at the source.

Question 24

The best estimate of when the Universe formed is ________.

A)13.7 Ma
B)13.7 Ga
C)4.57 Ma
D)4.57 Ga

Question 25

Volatile materials can exist as a gas at Earth's surface.Which of the following is NOT a volatile material?

A)water
B)silicon
C)hydrogen
D)carbon dioxide

Question 26

Look at the two conceptual examples of light waves shown below.These two waves ________.

A)have different wavelengths
B)have different amplitudes
C)represent the same hue (colors)of light
D)travel at different velocities

Question 27

Because of the Doppler effect,a light- or sound-emitting object moving toward you has a ________ compared to a stationary object.

A)higher amplitude
B)lower frequency
C)lower amplitude
D)higher frequency

Question 28

Researchers have determined that the Universe began expanding after the Big Bang.When did the Big Bang event occur?

A)1.3 Ga ago
B)13.7 Ga ago
C)137 Ga ago
D)13.7 Ma ago

Question 29

When we say that light from a distant stellar object is red-shifted,this means that the light we see ________.

A)is from an object moving toward us
B)is red in color and must have come from a red giant star
C)has a higher frequency than at the source
D)has a longer wavelength than at the source

Question 30

Compared to our Sun,first-generation stars tend to be ________.

A)larger in mass and cooler
B)larger in mass and hotter
C)smaller in mass and cooler
D)smaller in mass and hotter

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a possible stage in a star's life and collapse?

A)protostar
B)supernova
C)gas giant
D)black hole

Question 32

Atoms that are heavier than iron are generally produced by ________.

A)fission reactions within stars
B)fusion reactions within stars
C)explosions of supernovas
D)the Big Bang

Question 33

According to the Big Bang theory,________.

A)Earth is much older than the rest of the Universe
B)the Universe is much older than Earth
C)Earth and the Universe formed at about the same time
D)there is no way of knowing how old the Universe might be

Question 34

Strong evidence that the Universe is expanding comes from the fact that the light emitted from nearly all distant galaxies appears to be ________.

A)red-shifted
B)blue-shifted
C)green-shifted
D)yellow-shifted

Question 35

The primary evidence that our Sun is a third-,fourth-,or fifth-generation star comes from the fact that our ________.

A)Solar System contains too many heavy atoms to be first generation
B)Solar System is too large to be first generation
C)Sun is too hot to be a first-generation star
D)Sun is too large to be a first-generation star

Question 36

The change in wavelength (and,therefore,frequency)of waves that happens if the source of the waves is moving is explained by the ________.

A)Big Bang theory
B)nebular theory
C)expanding Universe theory
D)Doppler effect

Question 37

According to the Big Bang theory,our Universe is ________.

A)expanding
B)contracting
C)static
D)periodically contracting and expandingddd

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT true about first-generation stars?

A)They only contained light atoms with atomic numbers less than 5.
B)They were short-lived compared to stars like our Sun.
C)Upon dying,they exploded into supernovas.
D)They were powered by nuclear fission.

Question 39

The images below show two different nuclear reactions.The left image shows ________ while the right image shows ________.

A)fusion;fission
B)fission;fusion
C)Both images show the same type of fusion.
D)Both images show different types of fission.

Question 40

The Big Bang theory states that ________.

A)all stars will end their lives explosively as supernovas
B)Earth formed through a series of violent collisions
C)meteors were responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs
D)all matter in the Universe was once confined to a single point

Question 41

The current scientific explanation for the origin of planets,moons,asteroids,and comets is the ________.

A)expanding Universe theory
B)nebular theory
C)Big Bang theory
D)theory of plate tectonics

Question 42

The metal alloy that makes up the core of Earth is ________,as compared to the rocky mantle.

A)less dense
B)denser
C)very similar in chemistry and density
D)distinct in chemistry but of very similar density

Question 43

Which of the following bodies is the smallest?

A)planet
B)star
C)protoplanet
D)planetesimal

Question 44

Scientists believe that the Moon formed due to a large planetesimal colliding with the Earth because it has a composition similar to ________.

A)other meteors
B)other comets
C)Earth's crust
D)Earth's mantle

Question 45

The process of differentiation results in all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)denser materials becoming concentrated near the cores of planets
B)rocky material forming the mantles of planets
C)planets becoming approximately spherical
D)planets forming atmospheres

Question 46

Differentiation of the core from the mantle early in Earth's history was possible because the planet was ________ at the time.

A)very cold
B)very hot
C)very small
D)the only planet in the Solar System

Question 47

The figure below represents the final stage in Earth's formation,which is marked by all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)atmosphere formation
B)rains creating the oceans
C)gases being added by passing comets
D)differentiation of the core and mantle

Question 48

Chemically,the Moon is quite similar to ________.

A)a typical comet
B)Earth's crust
C)Earth's mantle
D)Earth's core

Question 49

According to the currently accepted scientific model,which of the following is NOT correct about the formation of the Moon?

A)A large comet collided with the newborn Earth.
B)A large part of the Earth's mantle disintegrated.
C)The Earth developed a ring,like those found around Saturn and Jupiter.
D)The colliding body disintegrated.

Question 50

Currently,the most accurate ages of Earth come from dating ________.

A)ice in comets
B)ancient volcanic rocks
C)rock samples brought back from the Moon
D)meteorites