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Multiple Choice Quiz
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Choose the best answer.



1

The fact that the spectra of most stars consist of dark lines on a bright background means that these stars __________________.
A)have cool interiors surrounded by hot atmospheres
B)have hot interiors surrounded by cool atmospheres
C)have hot interiors surrounded by hot atmospheres
D)have cool interior surrounded by cool atmospheres
2

The surface temperature of the sun is about ________________.
A)600 K
B)6000 K
C)6 million K
D)14 million K
3

Auroras are caused by _________________.
A)streams of colored gases from the sun
B)streams of charged particles from the sun
C)comets
D)micrometeorites
4

Sunspots are ______________.
A)dark clouds in the sun's atmosphere
B)regions somewhat cooler than the rest of the sun's surface
C)regions somewhat hotter than the rest of the sun's surface
D)of unknown nature
5

The duration of the sunspot cycle is approximately __________________.
A)27 days
B)6 months
C)3 years
D)11 years
6

Most of the matter in the sun is in the form of _________________.
A)neutral atoms
B)ions
C)molecules
D)liquids
7

The sun's energy comes from _________________.
A)nuclear fission
B)radioactivity
C)the conversion of hydrogen to helium
D)the conversion of helium to hydrogen
8

If we know both the intrinsic and the apparent brighnesses of a star, we can finds its ____________________.
A)mass
B)temperature
C)distance
D)age
9

Cepheid variable stars are valuable to astronomers because _________________.
A)the are very brilliant, easily seen stars
B)their intrinsic brightnesses and periods of variation are directly related
C)their periods of variation are short
D)they all lie in the constellation Cepheus
10

In order to determine the mass of a star, it must _________________.
A)belong to the main sequence
B)be a Cepheid variable
C)be relatively close
D)be part of a double-star system
11

The size of a star can be found from its _________________.
A)temperature and mass
B)temperature and intrinsic brightness
C)temperature and apparent brightness
D)mass and apparent brightness
12

The color of a relatively cool star is _________________.
A)white
B)yellow
C)blue
D)red
13

The reason stars more than about 100 times as massive as the sun are not found is that _________________.
A)they would split into double-stars systems
B)they would be black holes from which no light can escape
C)the gravity of such a star would not hold it together against the pressure produced by nuclear reactions in its interior
D)the high internal pressure would prevent nuclear reactions from taking place
14

Stars belonging to the main sequence ________________.
A)have the same mass
B)have the same temperature
C)radiate at a steady pace
D)fluctuate markedly in brightness
15

The main sequence on the H-R diagram includes _________________.
A)the sun
B)white dwarfs
C)red giants
D)pulsars
16

When the hydrogen supply in a typical main sequence star begins to run out, other nuclear reactions occur and the star becomes a __________________.
A)red giant
B)white dwarf
C)supernova
D)neutron star
17

At the end of its life cycle, a typical star becomes a _________________.
A)red giant
B)white dwarf
C)supernova
D)neutron star
18

The heaviest elements are created in _________________.
A)stellar interiors
B)stellar atmospheres
C)black holes
D)supernova explosions
19

A pulsar is not ________________.
A)the remnant of a supernova explosion
B)rotating rapidly
C)composed largely of neutrons
D)as large as the earth
20

A "black hole" appears black because ________________.
A)it is too cool to radiate
B)it is surrounded by an absorbing layer of gas
C)its gravitational field is too strong to permit light to escape
D)its magnetic filed is too strong to permit light to escape







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