Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Chapter Test A Multiple Choice Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left. 1. What is a giant ball of hot gases that undergo nuclear fusion? a. a planet b. a star c. a star cluster d. a solar system 2. Characteristics used to classify stars include a. distance, size, and color. b. size, distance, and brightness. c. color, brightness, and distance. d. size, brightness, and temperature. 3. Which of the following is a major difference between elliptical galaxies and spiral galaxies? a. Elliptical galaxies have almost no gas or dust between the stars. b. Elliptical galaxies vary more in shape than spiral galaxies. c. Spiral galaxies have almost no gas or dust between the stars. d. Spiral galaxies contain only old stars. 4. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram shows that main-sequence stars a. are mostly hot and dim. b. are mostly cool and bright. c. increase in brightness as they increase in temperature. d. decrease in brightness as they increase in temperature. 5. One indication that a planet may exist near a distant star is that a. the star varies in temperature. b. the star has a very slight back and forth motion. c. the star has very strong gravity. d. radio wave activity increases near the star. 1
6. A supernova is the explosion of a dying a. medium-mass star. b. high-mass star. c. protostar. d. low-mass star. 7. A star is born when a. a nebula expands. b. helium and oxygen combine. c. nuclear fusion starts. d. a protostar begins to cool. 8. A light-year is a. 365 days. b. the distance light travels in a year. c. the distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri. d. the amount of light the sun produces in a year. 9. According to Hubble s law, the farther away a galaxy is, a. the faster it is moving toward us. b. the slower it is moving toward us. c. the slower it is moving away from us. d. the faster it is moving away from us. 10. A range of colors formed when white light passes through a prism is called a a. lens. b. photograph. c. spectrum. d. ray. 2
11. Reflecting telescopes differ from refracting telescopes in having a. no eyepiece lens. b. two large objective lenses. c. a mirror instead of an objective lens. d. one large objective lens. Completion Fill in the line to complete each statement. 12. Telescopes work by collecting and focusing different forms of radiation. 13. According to the big bang theory, the universe formed about _ years ago. 14. uses powers of ten to write very large or small numbers in shorter form. 15. The type of light humans can see is called light. 16. An object s apparent change in position when viewed from two different places is called. True or False If the statement is true, write true. If it is false, change the underlined word or words to make the statement true. 17. Stars with less mass will last longer than stars with more mass. 18. The sun is part of a(n) elliptical galaxy. 19. Astronomers typically measure distances to stars in units called kilometers. 20. Radio waves have shorter wavelengths than waves of visible light. 21. A star system has at least three stars. 3
Using Science Skills Use the diagram to answer each question. 22. What determines whether a star will form a black hole when it dies? 23. How does a neutron star form? 4
Essay Write an answer for each of the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. 24. Why is it important to communicate the solution to a technological problem? 25. What is one of the main impacts of technology in the Information Age? 26. Compare and contrast a reflecting telescope and a refracting telescope. Using Science Skills Use the diagram to answer questions 27 and 28. 27. Using the figure, name the star that is very dim and red in color. 5
28. State how Barnard s star and Mira are similar. Essay Write an answer for each of the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. 29. Define parallax and explain how astronomers use it to measure distances to stars. 30. Describe what happens to a low-mass star, a medium-mass star, and a high-mass star when each runs out of fuel. 31. Explain the difference between the apparent brightness and absolute brightness of stars. 6