Practice multiple choice questions for Exam II: 1. Which of these lists is arranged in order of decreasing energy per photon? A. gamma rays, visible light, radio waves, microwaves B. gamma rays, visible light, microwaves, radio waves C. visible light, microwaves, gamma rays, radio waves D. radio waves, microwaves, visible light, gamma rays E. microwaves, radio waves, visible light, gamma rays 2. Which of the following types of light has the shortest wavelength? A. ultraviolet B. x-ray C. visible D. radio 3. A spectrograph may be used to determine A. the chemical composition of incandescent light bulbs. B. the chemical composition of the sun and the other stars. C. the distance to the sun. D. the positions of the stars. E. future solar eclipse dates, times, and places. 4. Photon a is 5 times more energetic than photon b. This means that for photon a, compared to photon b, A. it travels at a speed which is 5 times faster B. the wavelength is 5 times shorter C. the wavelength is 5 times longer D. it falls in the gamma-ray part of the spectrum E. the frequency is 5 times lower 5. By far, the largest object in the solar system is A. the earth. B. the pacific ocean. C. jupiter. D. the sun. 6. Most of the carbon dioxide in the earth's early atmosphere has A. Been used by plants. B. Been absorbed by animals. C. Escaped into space. D. Formed into rocks. 7. The fusion process that powers main-sequence stars turns A. hydrogen into helium. B. silicon into iron. C. carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen into iron. D. helium into carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. 8. If an electron is completely detached from an atom A. the atom is at absolute zero B. the atom is an isotope C. the atom is in its ground state D. the atom is ionized 9. Our sun is A. not yet a main-sequence star but will be soon (in about 10 million years). B. near the start of its main-sequence lifetime. C. near the end of its main-sequence lifetime. D. about half-way through its main-sequence lifetime. 10. Which of the following types of observations must be done above the Earth's atmosphere? A. All of these can be done on the earth. B. Optical C. Radio D. X-ray E. Visual 11. The convection in the atmosphere which causes star images to be unsteady is called A. Diffraction B. Interfereometry C. Seeing D. Collimation 12. The most important assumption in the bohr model is that A. the electrons are positively charged. B. the electrons move in patterns which are not orbits. C. an electron can have only certain energies. D. most atoms have a net charge. 13. Which of the following main-sequence stars would be the smallest and most red in color? A. G2 B. B3 C. O5 D. K8 14. X-rays have a A. None of the above. B. Shorter wavelength and a lower energy than gamma-rays. C. Longer wavelength and a higher energy than visual light. D. Longer wavelength and a lower energy than radio waves. E. Shorter wavelength and a higher energy than infrared radiation. 15. Interferometry is the process that uses several small telescopes separated by a large distance to A. Increase the magnification to that of a telescope with a size equal to the largest distance between the telescopes. B. Measure the spectra of dim stars and planets. C. Increase the resolution to that of a telescope with a size equal to the largest distance between the telescopes. D. Increase light gathering power to that of a telescope with a size equal to the largest distance between the telescopes. 16. The various wavelengths of radiant energy travel in vacuum at a speed which A. varies inversely as the square of the distance B. is the greater, the shorter the wavelength C. equals approximately 300,000 kilometers per second D. is the smaller, the shorter the wavelength 17. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is more powerful than ground-based telescopes for many astronomical studies because A. it can go close to the stars B. it uses electronic detectors, not photographic film C. it doesn't have to stop observing during the daytime D. its images are not blurred by the earth's atmosphere E. it has a larger mirror than any ground-based telescope 18. Blue light has a A. Shorter wavelength and a lower energy than red light. B. Longer wavelength and a higher energy than red light. C. None of the above. D. Shorter wavelength and a higher energy than red light. E. Longer wavelength and a higher energy than red light. 19. Waves or rays of the electromagnetic spectrum arranged according to increasing wavelength include: A. x-rays, ultraviolet, red, orange B. radio, yellow, millimeter C. infrared, radio, gamma rays D. gamma rays, x-rays, radio 20. The size of doppler effect is related to the magnitude of A. color of an object B. motion perpendicular to a line between observer & source C. temperature of an object D. motion directly towards or away from an observer E. brightness of an object 21. The change from one energy level to another higher level by an electron orbiting an atomic nucleus is called A. excitation B. perturbation C. ionization D. neutralization 22. All the processes of fracturing and movement of the earth's crust are called _________. But _________ refers to the effects of a sudden cracking. A. Earthquakes/tectonics B. None of the above C. Tectonics/earthquake D. Motion/earthquake E. Motion/sudden 23. Light can be described A. only as a photon B. both as a wave and as a particle C. only as a particle D. only as a wave E. only as what our eyes can see 24. Light reaches us on earth from galaxies that are billions of light-years away. Some colors of light are missing, these missing colors tell astronomers the A. composition of clouds between us and the galaxies. B. exact distances to galaxies. C. temperature of the space between galaxies. D. sizes of galaxies. 25. The relation between frequency (f), wavelength (w), and the speed of light (c): A. cf = w B. w/f = c C. c = f/w D. cw = f E. c = fw 26. Wien's law states: A. The hotter an object, the bluer the radiation it emits. B. The cooler an object, the bluer the radition it emits. C. The hotter an object, the redder the radiation it emits. D. Force is equal to mass times acceleration. E. Temperature is proportional to energy. 27. Apparent magnitude is a measure of A. The brightness of a star, as seen from the earth. B. The surface temperature of a star. C. The size (diameter) of a star. D. The intrinsic brightness (actual light output) of a star. 28. carbon-14 and carbon-12 are ___ of the element carbon. A. spectral lines B. matter and anti-matter forms C. energy levels D. ions E. isotopes 29. As a hot solid cools, Wien's law says that the apparent color of the radiation it emits should A. grow brighter and redder. B. get steadily redder C. get steadily bluer. D. stay the same color, but grow fainter. 30. Ordinary hydrogen, the simplest of the chemical elements, consists of A. none of the other answers B. a single electron revolving around a single proton C. a single proton revolving around a single electron D. a single electron revolving around a single electron E. a single electron revolving around a single neutron 31. When you double the frequency of a wave, you A. Decrease the wavelength by two. B. Increase the amplitude by two. C. Increase the wavelength by two. D. Decrease the amplitude by two. E. Do not affect the amplitude or frequency of the wave. 32. The radiation from each square centimeter of the surface of a star with half the sun's temperature A. will be 8 times the sun's B. will be 16 times that of the sun C. is 1/4 of the sun's D. is 1/16 of the sun's 33. The neutral subatomic particle which has a mass nearly the same as that of a proton is the A. electron B. neutron C. photon D. isotope E. ion 34. Dark lines on top of a rainbow spectrum are known as _______ lines. A. Emission B. Hot C. Absorption D. Continuous 35. The greenhouse effect occurs because A. Ultraviolet radiation is blocked by the atmosphere. B. Infrared radiation is blocked by the atmosphere. C. Visible radiation is blocked by the atmosphere. D. Ultraviolet radiation is blocked by the ozone layer. 36. Which of the following processes does not affect the earth's surface? A. Precession B. Volcanism C. Impact cratering D. Erosion 37. Different types of electromagnetic radiation (x-rays, infrared, radio, etc.) A. travel at different speeds in a vacuum B. have different amounts of energy for each photon C. have the same wavelength D. do not always obey the inverse square law 38. To get into space from the core, the sun's energy has to pass through A. nebula and chromostatic clouds. B. radiation and convection zones. C. electron and positron layers. D. degenerate neutrino compression. 39. In the Bohr model of the atom, energy is emitted or absorbed in the various optical spectrum lines when A. a proton changes its energy. B. an electron falls into the nucleus. C. an electron changes its energy. D. a neutron changes its energy. 40. The small bodies that combined together to form planets are called A. planetesimals. B. interstellar grains. C. kuiper belt objects. D. terrestrial planets. 41. The difference between a reflecting and a refracting telescope is A. A refractor can be built much larger than a reflector. B. There is no difference between the two types of telescopes. C. A refractor uses an objective lens and a reflector uses an objective mirror. D. A refractor has a greater light gathering power than a reflector. E. A refractor is a radio telescope and a reflector is an optical telescope. 42. The "runaway greenhouse effect" occurred on which planet? A. Mercury B. Mars C. Earth D. Venus 43. The process of combining the information from two or more telescopes to increase resolution is called A. Absorption B. Digitizing C. False color process D. Interfereometry 44. Which of these is the correct mathematical statement of the law of gravity? A. M + m = a^3/P^2 B. g = GM/r^2 C. F = GMm/r^2 D. v = square root(2GM/r^2) 45. The approximate temperature of the sun's "surface" is A. 5800 k B. 1.99 x 10^30 k C. 8-10 million k D. 1-2 million k 46. Why do the spectral lines of an element act as a "cosmic fingerprint"? A. each element emits only one line B. only h and he emit spectral lines C. each element has a unique pattern of lines D. each element has the same pattern of lines 47. Which of the following is the best way for professional astronomers to obtain optical astronomical images? A. CCD detectors B. The human eye C. Photographic plates D. Visual 48. "The rate at which an object emits radiation increases rapidly as the temperature of the object increases" is a statement of A. the inverse-square law. B. the Hertzsprung-Russell law. C. Newton's version of kepler's third law. D. the Stefan-Boltzmann law. 49. Atoms are composed of A. amorphous carbon-like particles B. nuclei with the same number of protons and neutrons C. a nucleus of protons and neutrons orbited by electrons D. debris mostly left over from atomic explosions 50. The wavelength of red light is A. longer than the wavelength of blue light B. of a lower frequency than radio waves C. of a higher frequency than that of blue light D. shorter than the wavelength of blue light E. stronger than white light 51. Earthquakes occur A. In the hydrosphere. B. In the magnetosphere. C. In the lithosphere. D. In the atmosphere. E. Deep in the core of the earth. 52. Which one of the following statements is false? A. The core of the earth is partly liquid. B. The earth's core is hotter than the average temperature at the surface. C. The density of the core of the earth is greater than the average density at the surface. D. The motion of the earth's core causes tides. E. The earth's core is made mainly of iron and nickel. 53. Why is the sky blue? A. It reflects the color of the oceans. B. The color of outer space is blue. C. Blue is the color of nitrogen gas. D. Red light is scattered more easily than blue light by dust particles. E. Blue light is more readily scattered than red light by nitrogen. 54. After a star's core runs out of fuel, the temperature will go up. Why does the temperature rise? Because of A. gravitational contraction. B. electron degeneracy. C. leftover radioactive elements. D. chemical reactions between elements. 55. The two main reasons we use large telescopes for observations in astronomy are: A. Magnification and clarity. B. Magnification and resolution. C. Magnfication and optical quality. D. Light gathering power and resolution. E. None of the above. SOLUTIONS: 1. B. 2. B. 3. B. 4. B. 5. D. 6. D. 7. A. 8. D. 9. D. 10. D. 11. C. 12. C. 13. D. 14. E. 15. C. 16. C. 17. D. 18. D. 19. D. 20. D. 21. A. 22. C. 23. B. 24. A. 25. E. 26. A. 27. A. 28. E. 29. B. 30. B. 31. A. 32. D. 33. B. 34. C. 35. B. 36. A. 37. B. 38. B. 39. C. 40. A. 41. C. 42. D. 43. D. 44. C. 45. A. 46. C. 47. A. 48. D. 49. C. 50. A. 51. C. 52. D. 53. E. 54. A. 55. D.