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1 | |
On a very clear night you can see a band of misty light. This is |
| | A) | the aurora. |
| | B) | the Milky Way, composed of the other stars in our galaxy. |
| | C) | due to modern air pollution and stratospheric ozone destruction. |
| | D) | an optical illusion, known as the Milky Way, caused by the refraction of starlight in the atmosphere. |
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2 | |
The size of our galaxy |
| | A) | has never been measured. |
| | B) | is equal to that of the largest galaxies known. |
| | C) | is about 130,000 light-years across but only about 10,000 light-years thick. |
| | D) | can be measured fairly accurately using parallax techniques aimed at the most distant stars. |
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3 | |
Most of the stars in our galaxy |
| | A) | are located in the spiral arms extending from the galactic nucleus. |
| | B) | are found in the nucleus of the galaxy. |
| | C) | are much smaller than our sun. |
| | D) | are definitely known to have earthlike planets orbiting around them. |
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4 | |
The Milky Way is composed of |
| | A) | a huge cluster of stars that are all approximately the same age. |
| | B) | a gaseous nebula found on the edge of the known universe. |
| | C) | on the order of 100 billion stars. |
| | D) | the remains of three small galaxies that collided about two billion years ago. |
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5 | |
If the stars of our galaxy did not revolve around its center |
| | A) | the galaxy would collapse due to gravitational attraction. |
| | B) | the stars would be flung out into space due to centripetal force. |
| | C) | they would collide with one another. |
| | D) | they would quickly overheat and burn out. |
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6 | |
The center of our galaxy |
| | A) | appears to lack any form of radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays. |
| | B) | is opposite to the point referred to as Sagittarius A. |
| | C) | apparently contains an object of huge mass. |
| | D) | gives off a bright blue-white light that can even be seen from the earth. |
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7 | |
Which of the following is not a significant source of radio waves from space? |
| | A) | quasars |
| | B) | spinning comets and asteroids |
| | C) | motion of ions and electrons in very hot gases |
| | D) | high-speed electrons moving in magnetic fields |
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8 | |
Ammonia and formaldehyde |
| | A) | have been detected in galactic space. |
| | B) | are known to occur only on the earth and moon. |
| | C) | can be detected in the photosphere and core of the sun. |
| | D) | are both compounds that must be produced artificially. |
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9 | |
Dark matter in the universe is composed of |
| | A) | burned out white dwarfs and black holes. |
| | B) | neutrinos. |
| | C) | huge dust clouds. |
| | D) | no one knows, and this is a major scientific mystery. |
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10 | |
Cosmic radiation is a form of |
| | A) | ionizing radiation. |
| | B) | fast moving iron atom nuclei. |
| | C) | ultraviolet radiation. |
| | D) | gamma rays. |
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11 | |
Primary cosmic rays |
| | A) | are undetectable by humans and thus have defined definition. |
| | B) | are found only on the dark side of the moon. |
| | C) | were first discovered by William Herschel in 1781. |
| | D) | passing through the retinas of astronauts have the appearance of flashes of light. |
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12 | |
The hypothesis that galaxies are moving apart is supported by |
| | A) | the blue shift in the spectral lines of light reaching us. |
| | B) | the progressive dimming of light from faraway galaxies. |
| | C) | trace elements found in interstellar space. |
| | D) | the red shift in the spectral lines of light reaching us. |
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13 | |
According to Hubble's Law, |
| | A) | the speed of travel of all stars is increasing over time. |
| | B) | the speed of travel of all stars is decreasing over time. |
| | C) | the universe once was expanding, but is now contracting. |
| | D) | the galaxies the farthest away from us are traveling the fastest. |
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14 | |
The name quasar |
| | A) | was made up based on a line in a James Joyce novel. |
| | B) | is derived from the country where they were first discovered, Quastar. |
| | C) | is a contraction of quasi-stellar radio sources. |
| | D) | has dropped out of general use among professional astronomers. |
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15 | |
Quasars are generally characterized by |
| | A) | a very low-density core |
| | B) | rapidly fluctuating energy outputs. |
| | C) | very small red shifts. |
| | D) | the absorption of surrounding energy. |
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16 | |
Studies based on cosmic background radiation suggest that the universe is about |
| | A) | 3700 million years old. |
| | B) | 3.7 billion years old. |
| | C) | 13.7 billion years old. |
| | D) | 37 billion years old. |
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17 | |
The concept of the big bang |
| | A) | is a beautiful theory but lacks any empirical evidence. |
| | B) | was designed to appeal to scientists and religious leaders alike. |
| | C) | is supported by Hubble's Law. |
| | D) | depends on large amounts of antimatter being continuously converted to matter. |
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18 | |
Cosmic background radiation corresponding to 2.7 K |
| | A) | has never been found beyond the bounds of our present galaxy. |
| | B) | was discovered in 1965 and hailed as the first evidence that supports the big bang theory. |
| | C) | accounts for 99 percent of the radiation in the universe. |
| | D) | demonstrates that the universe continues to heat up and gain energy over time. |
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19 | |
The hydrogen to helium ratio of the universe |
| | A) | is approximately 15 to 1, as found in our sun. |
| | B) | came into being about three minutes after the universe's origin, according to the big bang theory. |
| | C) | cannot yet be determined, although it is hoped that the next generation of radio telescopes will resolve this issue. |
| | D) | is responsible for the development of life on the earth. |
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20 | |
Particles and antiparticles |
| | A) | can materialize from photons. |
| | B) | will only annihilate each other under low pressure conditions. |
| | C) | existed in equal amounts in the early universe. |
| | D) | are never found outside of the core of a massive star. |
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21 | |
The inner planets of our solar system |
| | A) | are rocky because it was too warm near the protosun for gaseous elements to collect. |
| | B) | formed much later than the outer planets. |
| | C) | are the only planets that can sustain water in any form. |
| | D) | are believed to have originally been asteroids from interstellar space. |
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22 | |
Many newly formed stars |
| | A) | are known to lack any planets, thus suggesting that planetary material in the universe has become quite rare. |
| | B) | lack planets due to the gravitation pressure that tends to force them into interstellar space. |
| | C) | are surrounded by disks of dust and gas. |
| | D) | are composed primarily of helium, carbon, and iron. |
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23 | |
Concerning extrasolar planets, |
| | A) | over 100 have been detected since 1995. |
| | B) | most found so far are larger than earth, but this is simply due to the fact that smaller extrasolar planets are more difficult to detect. |
| | C) | the discovery of numerous extrasolar planets makes it increasingly likely that life may exist elsewhere in the universe. |
| | D) | all of the above are true. |
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24 | |
The possibility of interstellar space travel |
| | A) | is limited purely by our imagination. |
| | B) | would be practical if only we decided to devote the time and resources to it. |
| | C) | is extremely unlikely due to the fundamental laws of physics. |
| | D) | is limited by the inability of humans to survive in a weightless condition for more than several years. |
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25 | |
The SETI (Search for extraterrestrial intelligence) program |
| | A) | uses radio telescopes around the world to look for extraterrestrial messages. |
| | B) | has had limited success, detecting only two unambiguous messages in forty years. |
| | C) | is entirely funded by the government grants. |
| | D) | is actively broadcasting a signal to anyone out there who might be listening. |
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