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Exploring the Cosmos 1X > Dec 2012 > Flashcards

Dec 2012 Flashcards

1
Q

The theory that the surface of the Earth consists of a series of moving sections is called

A. Nemesis Theory. B. Plate Tectonics. C. Punctuated Equilibrium. D. The Impact Hypothesis

A

B

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2
Q

When did the Cambrian Explosion occur?

A. 5,400,000 million years ago B. 540,000 million years ago C. 540 million years ago D. 540,000 years ago

A

C

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3
Q

An enhanced level of Iridium 77 content is most likely to be found in

A. meteorites. B. gamma-ray Bursters. C. Deep Sea Smokers. D. fuel cells of Mars Rovers

A

A

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4
Q

Which NASA Rover landed in Gale Crater on Mars during August 2012?

A. Spirit B. Opportunity C. Curiosity D. Mars Pathfinder

A

C

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5
Q

Saturn’s moon Titan has lakes which are thought to consist of liquid

A. ammonia. B. methane. C. nitrogen D. water.

A

B

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6
Q

The Doppler Effect can be used to

A. search for extra-solar planets. B. infer the presence of liquid water on distant planet’s surface. C. reproduce identical copies of cells. D. create amino acids in the Miller-Urey experiment.

A

A

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7
Q

What does the Fermi Paradox refer to?

A. The ability to create amino acids in the laboratory. B. The periodicity of mass extinctions on Earth. C. The ability of life forms to exist under extreme conditions on Earth D. The lack of evidence of aliens in our universe

A

D

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8
Q

Using current ion-drive propulsion technology, how long will it take to travel to the nearest stars?

A. 800 years B. 8,000 years C. 80,000 years D. 800,000 years

A

C

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9
Q

O’Neill colonies are

A. large space settlements launched from the Moon. B. ecosystems based on anaerobic chemistry. C. bacterial and algal colonies that live in, and around, the world’s highest lake. D. groups of species that survive mass extinction events

A

A

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10
Q

In the hypothetical process of terraforming Mars, which gas is required to be released into the planet’s atmosphere in order to increase its surface temperature?

A. Carbon Dioxide B. Hydrogen C. Nitrogen D. Oxygen

A

A

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11
Q

A full moon

A. rises at noon and sets at midnight. B. rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. C. rises at midnight and sets at noon. D. rises at sunrise and sets at sunset

A

B

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12
Q

The Kuiper belt

A. lies between Mercury and Venus. B. lies between Earth and Mars. C. lies between Mars and Jupiter. D. lies beyond Neptune.

A

D

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13
Q

A point of light is observed to move steadily and quickly across the sky for some minutes. It is likely to be identified as

A. a comet. B. a planet. C. an artificial satellite. D. a meteor.

A

C

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14
Q

To measure the distance to an object using parallax

A. the length of a baseline and the angle between the two points on the baseline is needed. B. the object must be very far away. C. the object must be moving rapidly. D. the measurement must be conducted over a period of months.

A

A

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15
Q

At the north pole on earth

A. stars rise in the east and set in the west. B. stars never rise or set but go in circles. C. the zenith is on the horizon. D. the sun never sets

A

B

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16
Q

Kepler’s third law is explained by Newtonian physics as

A. the conservation of energy. B. the conservation of angular momentum. C. the conservation of mass. D. the conservation of charge.

A

C

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17
Q

The equation of time

A. takes into account the effects of the eccentricity of the earth’s orbit and the obliquity of the ecliptic on variations in the solar day B. takes into account the precession of the earth and tidal effects from the moon on the sidereal month C. relates the Synodic and Sidereal month. D. provides a link between Einstein’s general theory of relativity and Newtons’s Universal Law of Gravitation

A

A

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18
Q

The Julian calendar

A. corrects for errors from the precession of the equinoxes and is good for 3000 years. B. is a solar calendar. C. is a lunar calendar. D. introduced the “divisible by 400” rule

A

B

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19
Q

Eclipses repeat on a cycle known as

A. the Sidereal. B. the Saros. C. the Equinox. D. the Brahe

A

B

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20
Q

Neptune was discovered by

A. Brahe and Galileo. B. Hippocratus and Plato. C. Adams and Leverrier. D. Kepler and Newton

A

C

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21
Q

Why, according to the International Astronomical Union, is Pluto not a planet?

A. It is too small to form a sphere under its own gravity. B. Its moon is too big. C. Its orbit crosses Neptune’s orbit. D. It doesn’t have a dense enough core

A

C

22
Q

Kepler’s first law states that

A. Planets orbit the Sun in an ellipse with the Sun at the centre. B. Non-circular planetary orbits are unstable. C. Planets orbit the Sun in an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. D. Planets move faster at aphelion than at perihelion

A

C

23
Q

Why do the terrestrial and Jovian planets have different compositions?

A. They were formed by two separate events. B. Materials with low condensation temperatures were cleared from the inner solar system before it was cool enough for them to condense. C. The solar system formed from a nonuniform cloud of gas and dust. D. Centrifugal forces separated heavy and light material as the solar system formed

A

B

24
Q

Which of the following is required for a planet to have a large scale magnetic field?

A. An electrically insulating solid core. B. An electrically conducting solid core. C. An electrically insulating liquid core. D. An electrically conducting liquid core

A

D

25
Q

What does the Earth’s magnetic field mean for the Earth’s atmosphere?

A. It prevents light gases from escaping the Earth’s gravity. B. It prevents the solar wind from reaching the atmosphere. C. It creates the ozone layer which blocks ultraviolet light. D. It creates auroras which destroy carbon dioxide (CO2).

A

B

26
Q

What does the word “lithosphere” refer to?

A. A planet’s crust. B. The crust and brittle upper part of the mantle that form tectonic plates. C. The part of the mantle that is plastic and can convect slowly. D. A solid core at the centre of a planet that is composed mostly of iron and nickel

A

B

27
Q

The properties of the Moon are explained if it

A. Was formed by a Mars-size object colliding with the early Earth. B. Formed elsewhere in the solar system and was captured by Earth’s gravity. C. Was spun off from a rapidly rotating Earth. D. Was formed by accretion at the same time as the Earth

A

A

28
Q

Erosion on Mercury is mostly due to

A. The solar wind. B. Earthquakes caused by the Sun’s gravity. C. Fast winds in its thin atmosphere. D. Impact of small meteoroids

A

D

29
Q

The surface temperature of Venus is much higher than that of Earth because

A. Its atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. B. It has no ozone layer to block ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. C. Volcanoes keep its surface hot. D. It is much closer to the Sun than Earth is.

A

A

30
Q

Which of the following suggests Mars once had large quantities of liquid water on its surface? A. Existence of polar caps. B. Layered sedimentary rocks. C. The Valles Marinaris valley. D. Signatures of water in porous rocks under the planet’s surface

A

B

31
Q

What are the two largest components of the atmosphere of Saturn?

A. Nitrogen and oxygen. B. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen. C. Hydrogen and helium. D. Helium and oxygen

A

C

32
Q

What is the Oort cloud?

A. One of the cloud belts of Jupiter. B. A very large almost spherical region round the Solar System that contains many small icy bodies C. A region in the plane of the Solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune that contains many minor planets and other smaller bodies D. A cloud on the surface of Uranus that resembles the Great Red Spot of Jupiter

A

B

33
Q

Which planets are known to have ring structures?

A. All of the Jovian planets. B. Only Saturn. C. Jupiter and Saturn. D. Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

A

A

34
Q

Which of the moons of the Jovian planets has the thickest atmosphere?

A. Titan. B. Titania. C. Umbrial. D. Iapetus

A

A

35
Q
  1. Which of the moons of the planets is the most volcanically active in the Solar System?

A. Callisto. B. Ganymede. C. Europa. D. Io.

A

D

36
Q

Where is the main asteroid belt

A. Between the orbit of Neptune and the Kuiper belt. B. Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. C. Between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. D. Beyond the orbit of Pluto

A

B

37
Q

What is the Roche limit?

A. The outermost limit of the Solar System. B. The closest a moon can come to a planet without breaking up. C. The farthest a moon can be from a planet without escaping from its gravity. D. The mass of the largest possible planet

A

B

38
Q

Approximately, what is the mass of Jupiter compared to that of the Sun?

A. One tenth. B. One hundredth. C. One thousandth. D. One millionth

A

C

39
Q

What are the Apollo asteroids

A. Asteroids whose orbits come inside Earth’s orbit and are a severe threat to Earth. B. A cluster of unusually large minor planets in the Kuiper belt that appear to be about to coalesce. C. Bodies that have gathered at the Lagrange points in the orbit of Jupiter. D. Asteroids whose orbits are far from the plane of the Solar System

A

A

40
Q

What is unusual about the rotation of Uranus

A. Its axis varies irregularly and unpredictably due to the gravitational effect of the planet’s moons B. Its axis is almost normal to the plane of the Solar System but its rotation is retrograde C. Its axis lies close to the plane of the Solar System D. Its direction reverses with an interval of 765.3 rears.

A

C

41
Q

The time taken for light from the sun to reach the earth is approximately

A. 5 seconds. B. 50 seconds. C. 500 seconds. D. 5000 seconds

A

C

42
Q

The velocity of propagation of an electromagnetic wave is equal to

A. its wavelength times its frequency. B. its wavelength divided by its frequency. C. its frequency divided by its wavelength. D. its wavelength squared divided by its frequency

A

A

43
Q

In black body radiation the wavelength of maximum intensity is

A. directly proportional to the temperature. B. inversely proportional to the temperature. C. directly proportional to the temperature squared. D. Inversely proportional to the temperature squared

A

B

44
Q

A star the same size as the sun but at twice its surface temperature is expected to radiate approximately

A. twice as much energy. B. four times as much energy. C. eight times as much energy. D. sixteen times as much energy

A

D

45
Q

The energy contained in an H-beta photon

A. is the same as the energy in an H-alpha photon. B. is greater than that in an H-alpha photon. C. is less than that in an H-alpha photon. D. bears no connection to that in an H-alpha photon

A

B

46
Q

In which region of the spectrum are the lines of the Lyman series of hydrogen located?

A. Radio B. Infrared C. Optical D. Ultraviolet

A

D

47
Q

In the proton-proton cycle what percentage of the hydrogen mass is converted into energy?

A. All of it B. 70% C. 7% D. 0.7%

A

D

48
Q

Which of these statements is false?

A. Sunspot numbers follow an eleven-year cycle. B. Sunspots are cooler regions of the solar photosphere. C. An individual sunspot often lasts for a whole year. D. Sunspots occur in regions of high magnetic field

A

C

49
Q

Which region of the sun is the hottest?

A. The photosphere B. The convection zone C. The core D. The corona

A

C

50
Q

Due to solar rotation, which part of the sun will be blue shifted?

A. The top B. The left C. The bottom D. The right

A

B

Exploring the Cosmos 1X (9 decks)

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