Filters
Question type
Study Flashcards

Astronomers infer that the universe is expanding because distant galaxies all appear to ________.


A) be growing in size
B) be moving away from us, with more distant ones moving faster
C) be made mostly of dark matter
D) rotate rapidly

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

If we imagine the history of the universe compressed into one year, dinosaurs became extinct ________.


A) about 6 months ago
B) about 3 weeks ago
C) yesterday morning
D) about an hour ago

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

Where is our solar system located within the Milky Way Galaxy?


A) Very near the center of the galaxy
B) At the far edge of the galaxy's visible disk
C) Roughly halfway between the center and the edge of the visible disk of the galaxy
D) In the halo of the galaxy

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

C

How are galaxies important to our existence?


A) Without galaxies, there could not have been a Big Bang.
B) Without galaxies, the universe could not be expanding.
C) Deep in their centers, galaxies created the elements from which we are made.
D) Galaxies recycle material from one generation of stars to the next, and without this recycling we could not exist.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

D

A typical supercluster contains no more than about 10,000 stars.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

On the scale of the cosmic calendar, in which the history of the universe is compressed to 1 year, how long has human civilization (i.e., since ancient Egypt) existed?


A) about half the year
B) about a month
C) a few hours
D) a few seconds
E) less than a millionth of a second

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

Which of the following is not a general difference between a planet and a star?


A) Planets are smaller than stars.
B) Planets are dimmer than stars.
C) All planets are made of rock and all stars are made of gas.
D) Planets orbit stars, while stars orbit the center of the galaxy.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

C

Which of the following correctly describes the concept of galactic recycling?


A) Stars near the center of the Milky Way are continually recycled to the outskirts of the disk by their orbital motion.
B) Life is continuously being spread from star to star in the Milky Way.
C) New stars are continuously being formed in the Milky Way out of gas that has been ejected from a previous generation of stars.
D) New galaxies are continuously being formed out of gas ejected from a previous generation of galaxies.
E) In the formation of a star, no matter is wasted as all excess material ends up recycled into planets.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

On a cosmic calendar, in which the history of the universe is compressed into 1 year, when did Kepler and Galileo first discover that we live on a planet in a solar system?


A) 1 second ago
B) 1 day ago
C) 1 week ago
D) December 25
E) December 30

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

Which of the following is largest?


A) size of a typical galaxy
B) size of Pluto's orbit
C) distance to the nearest star (other than our Sun)
D) 1 light-year

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

The speed of light is 300,000 km/s. How far is a light-year? Be sure to show all work clearly on your calculation.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

1 light-year
= (spee...

View Answer

You have taken a picture of a galaxy 1 billion light years away. That picture shows:


A) a galaxy that is 1 billion years old.
B) a galaxy that is 13 billion years old.
C) a galaxy as it was 1 billion years ago.
D) a galaxy that is 1 billion light years old.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

The distribution of the mass of the Milky Way Galaxy is determined by


A) counting the number of stars.
B) determining the amount of gas and dust.
C) studying how stars are distributed in the Milky Way.
D) studying the rotation of the galaxy.
E) weighing various parts of the Milky Way.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

What is the ecliptic plane?


A) The plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun
B) The plane of Earth's equator
C) The plane of the Sun's equator
D) The plane of the Milky Way Galaxy

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

Suppose we look at a photograph of many galaxies. Assuming that all galaxies formed at the same time after the Big Bang, which galaxy appears to us as the youngest?


A) The galaxy that is furthest from us.
B) The galaxy that is closest to us.
C) The galaxy that appears largest to us.
D) The galaxy that appears bluest to us.
E) All galaxies would appear to have the same age.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

Starting from the Big Bang, briefly explain how our solar system came to contain the chemical elements necessary to make Earth and living organisms.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

The Big Bang produced hydrogen and heliu...

View Answer

A Life Calendar: Make a "life calendar" for hypothetical person. Assume that this person lived 80 years and represent the 80 year period as a single calendar year in which he or she was born on January 1st and died on December 31st. Estimate the calendar dates on which this person reached various life milestones. For example, when did he or she take their first step? Speak their first word? Start elementary school? Finish high school? When did he or she retire? Does your life calendar for this particular person give any insight into human lives in general?

Correct Answer

Answered by ExamLex AI

Answered by ExamLex AI

Life Calendar for Hypothetical Person:

...

View Answer

If we use 1 millimeter to represent 1 light-year, how large in diameter is the Milky Way Galaxy?


A) 100 millimeters
B) 100 meters
C) 1 kilometer
D) 100 kilometers
E) 1 million millimeters

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

Consider the following statement, and explain whether or not it is sensible: Someday we may build spaceships capable of traveling at a speed of 1 light-second per hour.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

This statement is fine. A ligh...

View Answer

Suppose we imagine the Sun to be about the size of a grapefruit. Which of the following describes the size and distance of Earth on the same scale?


A) Earth is the size of a point about 1 meter away from the Sun.
B) Earth is the size of a golf ball about 1 meter away from the Sun.
C) Earth is the size of a point about 15 meters away from the Sun.
D) Earth is the size of a golf ball about 15 meters away from the Sun.
E) Earth is the size of a marble about 25 miles away from the Sun.

Correct Answer

verifed

verified

Showing 1 - 20 of 102

Related Exams

Exam 2

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

135 Questions

Exam 3

The Science of Astronomy

97 Questions

Exam 4

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

103 Questions

Exam 5

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

139 Questions

Exam 6

Formation of Planetary Systems: Our Solar System and Beyond

174 Questions

Exam 7

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

180 Questions

Exam 8

Jovian Planet Systems

85 Questions

Exam 9

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

118 Questions

Exam 10

Our Star

101 Questions

Exam 11

Surveying the Stars

129 Questions

Exam 12

Star Stuff

137 Questions

Exam 13

Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

110 Questions

Exam 14

Our Galaxy

112 Questions

Exam 15

Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

152 Questions

Exam 16

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

97 Questions

Exam 17

The Beginning of Time

105 Questions

Exam 18

Life in the Universe

82 Questions

Show Answer