Dec 2013

Question 1

Which of the following molecules was NOT present in the Hadean atmosphere? A. Carbon Dioxide B. Nitrogen C. Oxygen D. Water

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When the Earth’s crust cooled 4.2 billion years ago, water vapour in the atmosphere precipitated out, dissolving which gas that was then trapped in the Earth’s crust? A. Ammonia B. Carbon Dioxide C. Nitrogen D. Sulphur Dioxide

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The Earth’s Ozone Layer protects us from the harmful effects of which kind of radiation? A. Cosmic radiation B. Gamma radiation C. Infra-red radiation D. Ultra-violet radiation

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Of the elements that make up complex life on Earth, which of the following is primordial? A. Carbon B. Hydrogen C. Nitrogen D. Oxygen

Answer 4

B

Question 5

Compared to Earth’s atmosphere, what is the approximate atmospheric pressure on Mars? A. 85% B. 55% C. 30% D. 0.6%

Answer 5

D

Question 6

Which gas dominates the atmosphere of Mars? A. Oxygen B. Nitrogen C. Carbon Dioxide D. Helium

Answer 6

C

Question 7

Which of Saturn’s moons could potentially see life develop? A. Atlas B. Mimas C. Rhea D. Titan

Answer 7

D

Question 8

There is strong evidence for liquid water under the surface of which of the following? A. Europa B. Jupiter C. Titan D. Venus

Answer 8

A

Question 9

SETI concentrates its search for extra-terrestrial life within the “Cosmic Water Hole”. What is its frequency range in the electromagnetic spectrum? A. 1.4 – 1.7 Hz B. 1.4 – 1.7 kHz C. 1.4 – 1.7 MHz D. 1.4 – 1.7 GHz

Answer 9

D

Question 10

Which of the following factors does not appear in the “Drake Equation”? A. The fraction of those stars about which stable planetary orbits can exist. B. The fraction of planets in habitable zones on which life develops. C. The number of planets which are a source of radio emissions. D. The number of planets on average which can exist for 4 billion years in a star’s habitable zone

Answer 10

C

Question 11

The Right Ascension of the Sun is 18 hours during A. December B. March C. June D. September

Answer 11

A

Question 12

At latitude 55o what is the altitude of the North Celestial Pole above the horizon? A. 27.5o B. 55o C. 35o D. 84.5o

Answer 12

B

Question 13

For which of the following planets did Galileo use a telescope to observe its four moons? A. Neptune B. Saturn C. Uranus D. Jupiter

Answer 13

D

Question 14

The Gregorian calendar A. corrects for errors from the precession of the equinoxes and is good for 3000 years. B. starts 11 days earlier each year. C. is a lunar calendar. D. introduced the “divisible by 1000” rule

Answer 14

A

Question 15

The synodic month A. relates the orbital period of the Sun with that of the Earth and Moon. B. is the period of the Earth’s orbit around the Moon. C. is the period of the Moon’s cycle of phases. D. is the time for the Moon to return to the same point in the sky with respect to the stars

Answer 15

C

Question 16

When does a total eclipse of the Sun occur? A. When the Earth is partially within the Moon’s umbra. B. When the Earth is totally within the Moon’s umbra. C. When the Moon is partially within the Earth’s penumbra. D. When the Moon is totally within the Earth’s penumbra

Answer 16

B

Question 17

Who is attributed with dividing the universe into two parts: the corrupt, changeable Earth and the perfect, immutable heavens? A. Pope Gregory XIII B. Aristotle C. Julias Caeser D. Aristarchus of Samos

Answer 17

B

Question 18

A plane which does not pass through the centre of a sphere cuts the surface of the sphere in a A. great circle. B. straight line. C. conic section. D. small circle

Answer 18

D

Question 19

Sedna and Quaoar are A. parts of the Oort Cloud. B. asteroids. C. Kuiper Belt objects. D. comets.

Answer 19

C

Question 20

In Pogson’s formula, differences in the apparent magnitude of stars depend on what function of their ratio of apparent brightness? A. sinusoidal. B. logarithmic C. linear D. quadratic.

Answer 20

B

Question 21

The diameter of the Earth is roughly A. 10 times smaller than the diameter of the Sun. B. 50 times smaller than the diameter of the Sun. C. 100 times smaller than the diameter of the Sun. D. 500 times smaller than the diameter of the Sun

Answer 21

C

Question 22

Which of the following statements is correct? A. All eight planets rotate in an anti-clockwise direction about their axes when viewed from the north. B. All eight planets orbit the Sun nearly in the same plane. C. All eight planets have an obliquity smaller than thirty degrees. D. All eight planets orbit the Sun in about an Earth year

Answer 22

B

Question 23

If a planet were found with a period of revolution of 6 years, what would be its average distance from the Sun? A. About 1.1 AU. B. About 3.3 AU. C. About 6.6 AU. D. It could be anywhere as long as its orbit follows an elliptical path with the Sun at one of its focii

Answer 23

B

Question 24

As one moves from Earth’s surface to its centre, the interior of the Earth consists of a A. dense crust, a dense mantle, a liquid core, and a solid core. B. low density mantle, a dense crust, a liquid core, and a solid core. C. dense crust, a low density mantle, a liquid core, and a solid core. D. low density crust, a dense mantle, a liquid core, and a solid core.

Answer 24

D

Question 25

Mountain building on Earth occurs when A. an oceanic plate is subducted under another. B. an oceanic plate is subducted under a continental plate. C. a continental plate is subducted under an oceanic plate. D. a continental plate collides with another continental plate

Answer 25

D

Question 26

The Earth's atmosphere is made up of about A. 75% oxygen and 25% nitrogen. B. 75% oxygen and 25% carbon dioxide. C. 25% oxygen and 75% nitrogen. D. 25% oxygen and 75% carbon dioxide

Answer 26

C

Question 27

The rotation of the Moon is locked to its orbit because of A. tidal resonances between the Earth and the Moon. B. the strength of the solar wind which slows down the rotation of the Moon. C. the Earth's magnetosphere which interacts with the magnetic field of the Moon. D. the bombardment of the Moon by meteorites which modified its rotation rate

Answer 27

A

Question 28

Earth-like auroras are not observed on Mercury because A. Mercury does not have a magnetic field. B. Mercury does not have an atmosphere. C. the solar wind does not reach the orbit of Mercury. D. we do not have the required telescopes to observe them

Answer 28

B

Question 29

Earth-like auroras are not observed on Venus because A. Venus does not have a magnetic field. B. Venus does not have an atmosphere. C. the solar wind does not reach the orbit of Venus. D. we do not have the required telescopes to observe them

Answer 29

A

Question 30

Shield volcanoes on Mars are higher than on Earth because A. there is no atmosphere on Mars, hence no weathering of the volcanoes. B. the lava flows are much denser on Mars. C. gravity is weaker on Mars. D. there is no tectonic plate movement on Mars

Answer 30

D

Question 31

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter A. has lasted centuries. B. was first seen with Voyager 1. C. is evidence of volcanic activity on another planet. D. is due to a collision with the comet Shoemaker-Levy

Answer 31

A

Question 32

The metallic hydrogen at the centre of Jupiter A. provides material for nuclear fusion inside Jupiter. B. forms a clear boundary that defines the surface of Jupiter. C. is essential to generation of the large Jovian magnetic field. D. is no longer considered possible because this state of hydrogen has been excluded under laboratory conditions.

Answer 32

C

Question 33

Why was the Galileo spacecraft sent crashing into Jupiter? A. There was a serious error made by one of the scientists. B. It was feared there would be contamination of possible life on Europa from Earth’s organisms. C. It was the only way one could measure the composition of the atmosphere of Jupiter. D. It was the best way to measure the gravity of Jupiter

Answer 33

B

Question 34

What is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System? A. Earth B. Jupiter C. Sedna D. Io

Answer 34

D

Question 35

The interaction of Io with Jupiter’s rotating magnetic field and the ion currents inside Jupiter’s magnetosphere cause strong emission of A. gravity waves. B. blue light. C. radio waves. D. neutrinos.

Answer 35

C

Question 36

Heat is generated inside Saturn by A. helium precipitation. B. radioactivity. C. the flow of metallic lithium. D. “Black Smokers”.

Answer 36

A

Question 37

The Huygens probe showed photographs of river beds from liquid methane and ethane on A. Io. B. Titan. C. Mimas. D. Rhea

Answer 37

B

Question 38

Titania is a moon of A. Jupiter B. Saturn C. Uranus D. Neptune

Answer 38

C

Question 39

Trojans are A. bodies in the Kuiper Belt. B. bodies in the Oort Cloud. C. found in the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune. D. hypothesized but not yet discovered asteroids

Answer 39

C

Question 40

A comet can be used to study the structure of A. the Asteroid Belt. B. the solar wind. C. any planet that it passes. D. magnetic fields in interstellar space

Answer 40

B

Question 41

The angular diameter of the Sun is approximately A. 30 arc seconds B. 30 arc minutes C. a quarter of a degree D. two degrees

Answer 41

B

Question 42

The frequency of an electromagnetic wave in a vacuum A. is a universal constant of nature B. increases with the wavelength of the wave C. decreases with the wavelength of the wave D. increases with the amplitude of the wave

Answer 42

C

Question 43

The total radiated power (per square metre) from a black body is proportional to A. the first power of the temperature B. the second power of the temperature C. the third power of the temperature D. the fourth power of the temperature

Answer 43

D

Question 44

The spectral lines of hydrogen in the Sun’s visible spectrum belong to A. the Lyman series B. the Balmer series C. the Paschen series D. none of the above

Answer 44

B

Question 45

The colour of H-alpha photons is A. blue B. green C. yellow D. red

Answer 45

D

Question 46

Right at the centre of the Sun most of the mass will be in the form of A. hydrogen atoms B. hydrogen nuclei C. helium atoms D. helium nuclei

Answer 46

D

Question 47

A depth of half a solar radius corresponds to what region of the Sun A. the core B. the radiation zone C. the convection zone D. the corona

Answer 47

B

Question 48

. The hottest part of the solar atmosphere is A. the corona B. the chromosphere C. the photosphere D. the core

Answer 48

A

Question 49

Which of the following statements is not true? A. Sunspots are evidence of strong magnetic fields on the solar surface. B. Sunspot numbers follow an approximate eleven year cycle. C. Sunspots are regions of higher photospheric temperature. D. Sunspots provide evidence of solar rotation

Answer 49

C

Question 50

A solar flare is a sudden localised brightening on the Sun observable A. only in the Balmer lines B. only at radio wavelengths C. only in X-rays D. across the electromagnetic spectrum

Answer 50

D