ASTRONOMY 301 PRACTICE EXAM 1 15 September 2004
Instructions: Pick the single best answer.
1. Ptolemy introduced the notion of epicycles (circles on top of circles)
to explain the apparent retrograde motions of the planets with respect to the
distant stars, without giving up the idea that the planets revolved around the
earth rather than the sun. In class, we saw that this was not necessary, that
the apparent backward loops are caused by
a. the retrograde motion of the earth.
*b. changing perspective caused by relative motions of the planets.
c. right ascension.
d. precession of the equinoxes e. none of the above.
2. An advantage experimental physicists have over observational astronomers is
that they can
*a. manipulate the objects they study
b. see the objects they study
c. keep accurate records of their data
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
3. The equivalance of the two kinds of mass, gravitationa and intertial
a. was merely a coincidence according to Newton
b. allowed Einstein to advance the first explanation of what causes gravity
c. led to the general theory of relativity
d. leads to the prediction that light should be bent by gravity
*e. all of the above
4. A total solar eclipse can be observed
a. from the side of the earth facing the moon
b. only from points along a narrow path on the earth
c. for a few minutes at any point
*d. all of the above e. none of the above
5. Our claim that astronomy is the oldest profession is based on the
importance of ________________ to early civilizations.
a. dating significant events such as births and deaths
b. predicting times for harvests and plantings
c. navigation *d.all of the above e. none of the above
6. The ________ day is longer than the ________ day, because of the
_________________.
a. sidereal, solar, earths rotation b. solar, sidereal, earths rotation
c. sidereal, solar, the earth's revolution around the sun
*d. solar, sidereal, the earth's rotation around the sun
e. none of the above
7. If the earth revolved around the sun in the opposite direction to the
direction in which it rotates, then
a. the seasons would be reversed b. the ecliptic would be reversed
*c. the sidereal day would be longer than the solar day
d. the solar day would be longer than the sidereal day
e. the solar and sidereal days would have the same length
8. What assumption or assumptions about the cosmos did Ptolemy and his
contemporaries make that Copernicus and Bruno claimed were erroneous?
a. the sun is at the center of the universe b. planets move in circles
*c. the earth is at the center of the universe
d. both a and b e. both b and c
9. A theory can only be regarded as a scientific theory if it _______.
*a. makes predictions that can be tested b. explains or connects many
observed facts c. is plausible d. is clearly wrong e. all of the above
10. Gravity is responsible for
a. the fall of an apple b. the orbits of stars in a cluster
c. the orbits of the planets *d. all of the above e. none of the above
11. The characteristic rotation of large storm systems on the Earth is the
result of
a. the Coriolis force b. the Earth's magnetic field c. winds caused by
air flow into a low pressure regions *d. a and c e. a and b
12. Volcanism produces new material in the
a. asthenosphere *b. lithosphere c. the mantle d. the core e. b and c
13. Evidence that the contintents of the Earth at one time formed a single
mass comes from
a. the outline of the coasts b. an oceanic mountain range between Europe and
North America c. examination of sedimentary rock layers on each continent
*d. all of the above e. none of the above
14. One can define the distance scale in the Universe readily in terms of
light travel time. This means that a telescope is a sort of time machine.
For example, the time for light to travel to us from the nearest large
spiral galaxy (Andromeda) to our own, the Milky Way, is closest to
a. 8 minutes b. several hours c. several years *d. several million years
e. several billion (or Giga) year
15. If we observe an object accelerating, then we can use our knowledge
of Newton's laws to conclude with absolute certainty that
a. it is falling *b. it is acted on by a force c. it experiences
gravitational decceleration d. all of the above e. none of the above
16. Technically, next year the moon will be
a. rotating faster b. nearer the earth *c. farther from the earth
d. rotating slower e. none of the above
17. Significant tidal effects on the earth are created by
a. the moon b. the sun c. Jupiter d. Mars *e. a and b
18. Today, astronomers measure the distance to the moon very accurately
using _________________________.
a. parallax against the distant stars b. spectroscopes attached to the largest
telescopes *c. lasers fired at reflectors left by the astronauts
d. all of the above e. none of the above
19. If we "divided up" the galaxy so that everyone on the Earth could have
their own star or stars, about how many stars would each person get? Hint:
There are roughly between 4 and 8 billion people on the Earth.
a. 1/10 star per person b. 1 star *c. 25 stars
d. 1000 stars e. 1 million stars
20. Declination is analogous to
a. the celestial sphere *b. latitude c. longitude d. right ascension
e. all of the above
21. The length of the year as measured by the Babylonians has what consequence
today?
a. the number of degrees in a triangle *b. the number of degrees in a circle
c. the number of seconds in a minute d. the height of the zenith
e. none of the above
22. How have we been able to study the Earth's deep interior
a. drilling *b. studying seismic wave propagation c. a and b
d. measuring the Earth's rotation rate e. b and d
23. Which of the following is found on both the Earth and Moon and is
thinner on Earth than on the Moon?
a. atmosphere *b. lithosphere c. tectonic plates d. ozone layer
e. asthenosphere
24. We discussed in class that people in various cultures saw _____
in the features of the Moon.
a. a rabbit b. a man c. a woman *d. all of the above e. none of the above
25. The existence and activities of the asthenosphere account for
*a. plate tectonics b. the lithosphere c. the ozone layer
d. all of the above e. none of the above
26. The largest volcanoes are found on one particular planet. From our
knowledge of the Earth, what would we expect to cause them to grow so large on
this planet?
*a. The lithosphere of the planet is too thick to form movable plates.
b. The athenosphere of the planet is too thick to produce movement of rift
zones.
c. The lithosphere of the planet is too thin to form movable plates.
d. The athenosphere of the planet is too thin to produce movement of rift
zones.
e. There are large magnetic fields present.
27. Which of the following is the best illustration of Newton's third law?
a. a skater moving across the ice b. the spinning of a top
c. an astronaut in free fall d. the swinging of a pendulum
*e. the acceleration of a rocket
28. If we imagine we are out in space, far from any gravitating object such as
a star or planet, and we throw a baseball as hard as we can (90 mph), what
happens to the baseball?
a. it continues in the direction thrown, gradually decelerating and
eventually coming to rest.
b. it moves at right angles to the direction thrown, orbiting us.
*c. it continues indefinitely in the direction thrown, moving at 90 mph.
d. it continues in the direction thrown, gradually decelerating and
momentarily stopping, and then it falls back towards us.
e. it explodes in the vacuum
29. According to Newton's second law, if I apply the same force to two
different masses, one with twice the mass of the other, then the more
massive object would experience ___________ the acceleration.
a. twice b. four times *c. half d. one fourth e. none of the above
30. The giant planets ____________________ .
a. are mostly gaseous b. more massive than the terrestrial planets
c. found in the outer part of the solar system *d. all of the above
e. none of the above
31. Pluto is most like the __________ .
a.gas giants b. outer planets c. terrestrial planets
d. all of the above *e. none of the above
32. The physical law we have referred to as Newton's 4th law
a. is the principal of action and reaction
b. explains what causes the force of gravity
c. explains how objects accelerate
*d. allow us to calculate the gravitational force between masses (objects)
e. all of the above
33. Which of the following is evidence that the Moon is geologically
active?
a. rocks found on the surface with ages of 4 billion years
b. no plate motion detected
c. no global magnetic field
d. all of the above
*e. none of the above
34. Examination of Moon rocks indicate
*a. an early global magnetic field
b. cratering in the solar system peaked before 4 billion years ago
c. recent volcanic activity on the Moon
d. an era of increased solar activity about 4 billion years ago
e. all of the above
35. The terrestrial planets ________________ .
a. are mostly solid b. less massive than the gas giants
c. found in the inner part of the solar system *d. all of the above
e. none of the above
36. The ratio of the cube of the semi-major axis to the square of the orbital
period is the same for
a. all the terrestrial planets b. all the outer (gas) planets
c. all the asteroids *d. all of the above e. none of the above
37. Who first organized the observations of the objects in the solar system
into simple mathematical relationships?
a. Galileo *b. Kepler c. Tycho d. Copernicus e. Newton
38. The two lightest elements were formed, for the most part,
a. in the interiors of low-mass stars b. at the core of the galaxy
*c. within 5 minutes of the big bang d. in supernovae explosions
e. in the interiors of high-mass stars
39. The elements heavier than carbon and oxygen were probably formed
a. in the interiors of low-mass stars b. at the core of the galaxy
c. within 5 minutes of the big bang *d. in supernovae explosions
e. in the interiors of solar-mass stars
40. Early Greeks were able to conclude some surprising things for their
time. This included the idea that ____________.
a. the Earth is round b. the Moon is round c. The Sun is much farther
away than the Moon *d. all of the above e. none of the above
41. Which of these scientists first proposed that the Earth orbited
the Sun?
a. Ptolemy *b. Copernicus c. Galileo d. Newton e. Tycho
42. You have been captured by aliens. You wake up in a makeshift prison
aboard their spacecraft - it is a physics laboratory with no windows,
and only one entrance, an opaque air-lock. On the airlock is a clock
indicating that it will open in 1 hour. You must decide whether or not
to try and escape when it opens, if it is parked on the surface of the
earth you could escape, if it is flying through space, accelerating at
32 ft/s/s (one "gee"), and you jump out you will be sucking vacuum ( a
terminal situation). According to Einstein's General theory of relativity
what can you do to determine whether or not you should jump?
a. compare the rate of time on the air-lock clock with your watch,
if the air-lock clock is running slower, jump!
b. shine a flashlight across the laboratory, and see if it deflects.
c. toss up a ball, and determine how fast it falls.
d. compare the rate of time on the air-lock clock with your watch,
if its running faster jump!
*e. guess, there is no way to tell.
43. Astrology is an example of
a. pseudo-science b. science c. ancient astronomy
d. confusion of cause and effect *e. a and d
44. If we build a scale-model of the sun and the nearby stars, and we use
an orange to represent the sun, we would place the orange representing the
next nearest star at about the distance of
a. The capitol dome b. the back of the room c. Main building
*d. Chicago e. San Antonio
45. Meteors are the result of the Earth's atmosphere sweeping up small debris
in space. Most of this debris resulted from
*a. the destruction of asteroids and comets b. Man-made satellites
c. pollution d. extra-terrestrial flotsam and jetsom
e. Spaced 301 course notes ejected from capsules manned by UT graduates who
failed Astronomy 301
46. Kepler's "equal area, equal time" law implies that
a. planets move slowest when they are closest to the Sun
b. the ratio of the cube of the semi-major axis to the square of the period is
a constant
*c. planets move fastest when they are closest to the Sun
d. planets move in ellipses
e. none of the above
47. Our studies of the earth suggest that its interior is heated by
radioactive decay; this causes us to expect that
a. larger planets have more of their original atmosphere
b. larger planets have geologically older features
*c. larger planets have geologically younger features
d. Cooler planets retain more of their atmospheres
e. all terrestrial planets have large magnetic fields
48. Which theory of lunar formation is viewed by most astronomers as likely to
be correct, based on current evidence?
*a. Giant impact (impact trigger) b. fission (child) c. coaccretion
(sibling) d. capture (hitch-hiker) e. none of the above
49. Uranus and Neptune are most similar to which of the following planets?
a. Earth b. Pluto c. Mars *d. Saturn e. Callisto
50. What Solar System objects are best described as "dirty snowballs?"
*a. comets b. planets c. asteroids d. satellites e. none of the above