Ancient cultures usually named constellations to
A. identify regions of the sky.
B. predict events.
C. commemorate their ancestors.
D. honor gods, heroes and animals.
ANSWER: 

The principal use of constellations today is to
A. identify regions of the sky.
B. predict the future.
C. identify ancient gods and goddesses.
D. retell mythologies.
ANSWER: 

The concept of the celestial sphere can be best described as a
A. great, hollow, crystalline sphere that the Earth sits upon.
B. rotating sphere representing the motion of planets only.
C. great, hollow, crystalline sphere surrounding Earth, with the Earth at the center.
D. rotating sphere that ancient astronomers believed carried only the sun in its orbit around Earth in a period of one year.
ANSWER: 

The summer solstice occurs on the day when the sun
A. rises in the northeast and sets in the southwest.
B. reaches its highest position in the sky as viewed from the northern hemisphere.
C. rises at its most northerly point and drops to its lowest position in the sky.
D. is at its highest position at sunrise when viewed by observers in the southern hemisphere. 
ANSWER: 

The Greek astronomer Hipparchus divided the stars into groups according to their brightness. These groups were structured so that the
A. brightest stars were in class six.
B. brightest stars were referred to as class one.
C. visible stars were class five.
D. invisible stars were class zero.
ANSWER: 

The apparent visual magnitude scale refers to
A. how bright a star appears to be without correcting for its distance.
B. the brightness of stars that are only visible with the naked eye.
C. faint stars that cannot be seen with a telescope.
D. the distance factor in the determination of stellar magnitudes.
ANSWER: 

In comparison to a sixth magnitude star, a fifth magnitude star is about
A. 2.5 times brighter.
B. 2.5 times fainter.
C. 10 times fainter.
D. 10 times brighter.
ANSWER: 

Evidence that Earth rotates on its axis can be seen in the
A. changing direction of a swinging pendulum.
B. motion of the moon in its orbit around the Earth.
C. different altitudes of the sun above the horizon during the course of a year.
D. noncircular orbit of Earth around the sun.
ANSWER: 

Because the Earth rotates on its axis, the
A. sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. 
B. stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west.
C. plane of motion of a pendulum changes.
D. All of the above.
ANSWER: 

Choose the incorrect statement concerning precession.
A. Precession is due to the gravitational influence of the sun and moon.
B. Precession is the slight wobbling of the Earth as it rotates.
C. Precession can be detected by changes in the position of stars.
D. Precession causes the axis of the Earth to migrate (move) through the Earth.
ANSWER: 

A "phase" of the moon is created by the
A. constantly changing shadow of the Earth on the moon.
B. amount of sunlight reflected off the lunar surface that reaches Earth.
C. speed of the moon in orbit around the Earth.
D. rate at which the moon rotates on its axis.
ANSWER: 

The full moon occurs when
A. the moon is between the Earth and the sun.
B. the sun is between the Earth and the moon.
C. the moon is one week away from new.
D. Earth is between the sun and the moon.
ANSWER: 

The "sidereal" period of the moon refers to the
A. position of the Earth relative to the moon.
B. time it takes the moon to orbit the Earth with respect to the sun.
C. position of the moon relative to the sun.
D. time it takes the moon to orbit the Earth relative to a background of stars.
ANSWER: 

The period of time required for the moon to go from new to full and then back to new again is called the
A. synodic period.
B. lunar period.
C. solar month.
D. sidereal month.
ANSWER: 

When the moon orbits the Earth once, the moon rotates on its axis
A. once.
B. twice.
C. 5 times.
D. 30 times.
ANSWER: 

The Earth's seasons are created mainly by the
A. sun's motion around the Earth.
B. wobble of the Earth on its axis .
C. tilt of the Earth's axis.
D. distance the Earth is from the sun.
ANSWER: 

If you were on the lighted lunar surface during a full moon, the Earth's "phase" would be
A. full.
B. a waxing quarter.
C. a waning gibbous.
D. new.
ANSWER: 

Spring tides occur at
A. new moon and first quarter.
B. first quarter and third quarter.
C. new moon and full moon.
D. third quarter and full moon.
ANSWER: 

The highest tides occur
A. when the sun and moon both reinforce the tidal bulges.
B. when the moon and sun pull on Earth's oceans at right angles to each other.
C. when the rapid rotation of Earth pulls the oceans away from the sea floor.
D. only where the shape of the shoreline is such that it channels the water towards the shore. 
ANSWER: 

The friction created when tidal forces move ocean waters over the ocean floors
A. causes the lunar phases.
B. slows the rotation of the Earth.
C. forces the moon to approach the Earth.
D. has no effect on the Earth.
ANSWER: 

A lunar eclipse occurs when
A. a full moon passes through Earth's shadow.
B. a full moon passes through the sun's shadow.
C. Earth passes through the moon's shadow.
D. a new moon passes through Earth's shadow.
ANSWER: 

In the umbra region of Earth's shadow (not the moon's shadow) during a solar eclipse, an observer on Earth would
A. see a small portion of the sun peeking around the edge of Earth.
B. see a small portion of the sun peeking around the edge of the moon.
C. be unable to see the moon.
D. be unable to see any stars.
ANSWER: 

A total eclipse of the moon occurs when the moon passes through the
A. penumbra portion of Earth's shadow.
B. umbra portion of the moon's shadow.
C. umbra portion of Earth's shadow.
D. penumbra portion of the moon's shadow.
ANSWER: 

If the moon crosses in front of the sun while the moon is at apogee,
A. a total eclipse is seen everywhere on Earth.
B. a total eclipse is seen in the umbra portion of the moon's shadow.
C. an annular eclipse occurs.
D. a partial eclipse is seen in the umbra portion of the moon's shadow.
ANSWER: 

A total eclipse of the sun can be seen by
A. those within the penumbra of the moon's shadow.
B. everyone within the umbra of the moon's shadow.
C. only those within the umbra when the eclipse occurs at the observer's zenith.
D. everyone on the night side of the Earth.
ANSWER: 

Eclipse seasons occur
A. at every new and full moon.
B. only once a month depending if the moon is near apogee or perigee.
C. when the line of nodes occurs at first or third quarter.
D. twice a year when the line of nodes points toward the sun.
ANSWER: 

Although new and full moons occur each month, eclipses do not occur each month because
A. the moon's orbit is tipped with respect to the plane of the ecliptic.
B. Earth's shadow is not always long enough to reach the moon.
C. the moon's shadow is too short.
D. the moon's orbit is fixed in space.
ANSWER: 

Aristotle believed that Earth was the center of the universe. This view is known as the
A. geocentric system.
B. heliocentric system.
C. Pythagorean universe.
D. Platonic universe.
ANSWER: 

The spectra or patterns of light from stars gives direct information about their
A. size and distance.
B. temperature and composition.
C. composition and distance.
D. temperature and distance.
ANSWER: 

Ptolemy's model of the universe
A. was heliocentric.
B. included elliptical orbits.
C. was geocentric and contained epicycles.
D. easily explained retrograde motion.
ANSWER: 

As observed from Earth, some planets appear to
A. speed up, slow down, stop, and move backward with respect to the background stars.
B. travel around Earth from west to east at constant speed.
C. only move east to west with respect to the background stars
D. not move at all.
ANSWER: 

Retrograde motion describes the
A. backward motion of the stars relative to Earth.
B. uniform circular motion exhibited by the planets.
C. irregular speeds at which the planets travel.
D. backward motion of the planets with respect to the stars.
ANSWER: 

A planet slowly moving east to west against the background stars instead of moving west to east would be
A. moving in its usual direction.
B. in uniform circular motion.
C. in retrograde motion.
D. some other object but not a planet.
ANSWER: 

The heliocentric system of Copernicus placed the
A. sun at the center of the universe.
B. sun at the center of the solar system but Earth at the center of the universe.
C. Earth at the center of the solar system but the sun at the center of the universe.
D. Earth outside the solar system.
ANSWER: 

According to Copernicus, the movement of planet's in their orbits were
A. elliptical motions.
B. uniform circular motions.
C. unpredictable.
D. unlike the Earth's orbit.
ANSWER: 

Tycho Brahe was best known for his
A. model of the solar system in which the planets orbited the sun and the sun orbited Earth.
B. discovery of a new star verifying that Earth was stationary.
C. discovery of comets.
D. accurate instruments and accurate position measurements of the stars, sun, moon, and planets.
ANSWER: 

According to Kepler, the orbits of the planets are
A. ellipses with the sun at the center.
B. ellipses with the sun at one of the foci.
C. circles with the sun at the center.
D. circles with the sun at the equant.
ANSWER: 

In its orbit around the sun, a planet's speed is
A. fastest at aphelion.
B. fastest at perihelion.
C. slowest at perhelion.
D. constant as it moves around the sun.
ANSWER: 

According to Kepler's third law, a planet's orbital period squared is
A. constant.
B. equal to the planet's average distance from the sun.
C. proportional to the planet's average distance from the sun cubed.
D. equal to the planet's average distance from the sun squared.
ANSWER: 

Galileo's telescopic discovery of craters on the moon and spots on the sun suggested that the moon and the sun
A. were the same kind of object.
B. were inhabited.
C. were not perfect.
D. orbited each other.
ANSWER: 

The observation by Galileo that Venus went through a complete set of phases demonstrated that
A. Venus orbited the Earth.
B. Venus orbited the sun.
C. the Earth moved along an epicycle.
D. Venus moved along an epicycle between the Earth and the sun.
ANSWER: 

The cooler a star is, the
A. brighter and redder it will tend to be.
B. brighter and bluer it will tend to be.
C. fainter and redder it will tend to be.
D. fainter and bluer it will tend to be.
ANSWER: 

A glowing object, like the sun, creates
A. a continuous spectrum.
B. an absorption spectrum.
C. an emission or bright-line spectrum.
D. a red Doppler shift only.
ANSWER: 

A nebula (a low-density cloud of gas in space) is heated by nearby stars until it glows. The nebula's light would produce
A. a blue Doppler shift.
B. an absorption spectrum.
C. an emission or bright-line spectrum.
D. a continuous spectrum.
ANSWER: 

A typical star's light produces a
A. perfect black-body spectrum.
B. bright-line spectrum.
C. dark-line or absorption spectrum.
D. an emission spectrum.
ANSWER: 

Of the following spectral classes, the one that represents stars with the hottest temperature is
A. A.
B. B.
C. M.
D. G.
ANSWER: 

Because of the Doppler Effect, the spectral lines of a luminous object moving away from Earth will appear
A. broadened.
B. split into several adjacent lines.
C. shifted slightly toward the blue.
D. shifted slightly toward the red.
ANSWER: 

Which of the following chemical elements is usually found in the greatest abundance in most stars?
A. hydrogen.
B. helium.
C. oxygen.
D. gas.
ANSWER: 

The Doppler effect can help us learn something about the
A. speed, direction of motion and composition of a star.
B. speed, size and composition of a star.
C. speed, direction of motion and rotation of some stars.
D. direction of motion, size and rotation of some stars.
ANSWER: 

Two glowing objects are moving relative to the Earth. Object A has its spectral lines shifted slightly towards the blue end of the spectrum. Object B has its spectral lines shifted a greater amount towards the blue end of the spectrum. Choose the correct statement concerning the motion of these objects.
A. Object A is moving away from us and faster than B.
B. Object A is moving toward us and faster than B.
C. Object B is moving away from us and slower than A.
D. Object B is moving towards us and faster than A.
ANSWER: 

The diameter of the sun's visible surface is about (note that the Earth's diameter is 8000 miles)
A. the same as that of Earth.
B. ten times greater than that of Earth.
C. 100 times greater than that of Earth.
D. 1000 times greater than that of Earth.
ANSWER: 

The sun's photosphere is
A. less dense and cooler than the chromosphere.
B. more dense and hotter than the chromosphere.
C. more dense and hotter than the corona.
D. the bright disk that we see with our naked eye.
ANSWER: 

The solar wind originates in the
A. outer corona.
B. chromosphere.
C. photosphere.
D. radiative zone.
ANSWER: 

The sun's rotation is
A. slowest at the poles.
B. slowest at mid-latitudes.
C. slowest at the equator.
D. equally fast at all latitudes.
ANSWER: 

A single sunspot cycle, from one sunspot maximum to the next, lasts about
A. 1 month.
B. 11 years.
C. 22 years.
D. one solar rotation.
ANSWER: 

A sunspot is a
A. hotter region of the photosphere with an unusually strong magnetic field.
B. hotter region of the photosphere with an unusually weak magnetic field.
C. cooler region of the photosphere with an unusually strong magnetic field.
D. cooler region of the photosphere with an unusually weak magnetic field.
ANSWER: 

Display of auroras are least frequent
A. at sunspot minimum.
B. at sunspot maximum.
C. at random times unrelated to the sunspot cycle.
D. during occasional prolonged peaks of solar activity.
ANSWER: 

Particles ejected during solar flares are known to interact with and disturb the Earth's
A. gravitational field.
B. neutrino field.
C. magnetic field.
D. Babcock Field.
ANSWER: 

Of the following forms of energy released during a solar flare, the one that takes longest to reach Earth is
A. X rays.
B. ultraviolet radiation.
C. high-energy particles such as protons and electrons.
D. visible light.
ANSWER: 

The prolonged period of reduced sunspot activity during the latter half of the seventeenth century is thought to have
A. been a major factor in causing the Earth's climate to become warmer than usual during that time.
B. been a major factor in causing the Earth's climate to become cooler than usual during that time.
C. caused increased auroral activity.
D. reversed the Earth's magnetic field.
ANSWER: 

If you moved twice as far from a star, the star would appear to be
A. the same brightness.
B. eight times fainter.
C. four times fainter.
D. one half as bright.
ANSWER: 

Two stars are the same distance from Earth, but star "X" has an apparent magnitude of 7 and star "Y" has an apparent magnitude of 6. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Star "X" is over 2 times brighter than star "Y".
B. Star "X" is over 10 times brighter than star "Y".
C. Star "Y" is over 2 times brighter than star "X".
D. Star "Y" is over 10 times brighter than star "X".
ANSWER: 

The stellar properties often given on the axis or boundaries of a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram are
A. mass and diameter.
B. distance and luminosity.
C. magnitudes and temperature (spectral class).
D. temperature and diameter.
ANSWER: 

Of the following main sequence stars, the coolest and dimmest are classified as spectral class
A. O.
B. M.
C. A.
D. K.
ANSWER: 

In studying a binary star system with any given orbital size, astronomers have found
A. the more massive the stars, the shorter the orbital period.
B. the more massive the stars, the longer the orbital period.
C. no relationship between orbital period and mass.
D. the hotter the stars, the shorter the period. 
ANSWER: 

Eclipsing binaries can be used to determine
A. both the mass and diameter of stars.
B. only the masses of stars.
C. only the diameters of stars.
D. the luminosity of stars.
ANSWER: 

Stars with the largest diameters are typically what color?
A. blue
B. red
C. yellow
D. blue-white
ANSWER: 

The least massive, smallest main-sequence stars are spectral class
A. B stars.
B. M stars.
C. K stars.
D. F stars.
ANSWER: 

The most massive main-sequence stars are
A. blue.
B. yellow.
C. orange.
D. red.
ANSWER: 

The most common stars in space are thought to be
A. G type stars.
B. O type stars.
C. M type stars.
D. B type stars.
ANSWER: 
