Exploring the Cosmos - Life and Death of Stars (Part 2)
1. Globular clusters in our galaxy consist of groups of
burnt out stars.
very large stars.
newly born stars.
very old stars.
2. An open cluster consists of stars which are all
the same temperature.
the same mass.
on the main sequence.
around the same age.
3. Which of the following elements makes up a large fraction of a main sequence star?
Helium
Iron
Oxygen
Carbon
4. T Tauri stars are
standard candles.
optically visible in their cocoon.
frequently strong infrared sources.
remnant cores of dead stars.
5. The Sun generates heat by converting
hydrogen to helium through the proton-proton chain.
hydrogen to helium through the triple alpha reaction.
helium to carbon through the triple alpha reaction.
helium to carbon through the CNO cycle.
6. Main sequence stars with higher luminosity than the Sun
are only observed in globular clusters.
have a lower surface temperature than the Sun.
must be red giants.
have a shorter lifetime than the Sun.
7. Globular clusters mainly consist of groups of
newly born stars.
very old stars.
very large stars.
black holes.
8. T Tauri stars are
optically visible in their cocoon.
remnant cores of dead stars.
frequently strong infrared sources.
standard candles.
9. Open clusters
are metal poor.
have a smaller density of stars than globular clusters.
contain the oldest stars in our galaxy.
are only found in distant galaxies.
10. Stars in a single cluster differ widely in
age.
distance.
mass.
chemical composition.
11. Bok globules are
Herbig Haro objects.
small star clusters.
T Tauri stars.
dense dust clouds out of which stars form.
12. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
contains a black hole.
contains a pulsar.
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
13. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
an asterism like the Pleiades.
a constellation such as Orion.
a group of very old stars.
a group of very young stars.
14. Type I and II supernovae
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
can reoccur.
are both standard candles.
15. The main sequence is
OBAFGKMRN.
the succession of stages in the life of a star.
a nuclear reaction in very hot stars.
a line on a graph of luminosity against temperature.
16. An open cluster in our Galaxy is
a group of newly formed stars.
most likely to be found in the galactic halo.
a group like the Pleiades.
a constellation such as Orion.
17. White dwarfs
are very small in number.
are low magnitude stars.
are the remains of stars much less massive than the Sun.
are very hot.
18. Hydrogen burning in stars
produces water vapour in interstellar space.
can occur in the proton-proton chain reaction.
is a nuclear reaction only occurring in the hottest stars.
is a reaction in which hydrogen fuses with oxygen.
19. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
carbon.
gold.
silicon.
helium.
20. Gas clouds contract to form stars because of
electrical attraction.
gravity.
internal pressure.
nuclear forces.
21. Stars in a single cluster differ widely in
mass.
chemical composition.
age.
distance.
22. Which of the following elements is not expected to be common in the core of a white dwarf?
Silicon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Carbon
23. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
occurs in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
produces 'metals'.
occurs in carbon white dwarfs.
causes the helium flash.
24. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
degeneracy.
magnitude.
mass.
chemical composition.
25. T Tauri stars are
frequently strong infrared sources.
remnant cores of dead stars.
optically visible in their cocoon.
standard candles.
26. Given that the radius of the Sun is about 700,000 km
light takes 2 to 3 seconds to travel from the core to the photosphere.
energy from fusion appears almost instantly at the photosphere.
it takes a few hours for light to travel from the core to the photosphere.
energy from fusion takes about 1 million years to travel this distance.
27. Protostars heat up mostly due to
gravitational contraction.
radioactivity.
nuclear fission.
nuclear fusion.
28. If 4 hydrogen nuclei fuse to form a helium nucleus
the mass is conserved.
the mass-energy increases by about 1%.
energy is absorbed.
the mass drops by about 1%.
29. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the radius of a black hole.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
around ten times the solar mass.
30. Type I and II supernovae
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
are both standard candles.
can reoccur.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
31. Type Ia supernovae are
caused by stars collapsing upon themselves.
very bright, newly-formed stars.
are thought to be exploding white dwarfs.
have strong H lines.
32. When the Sun becomes a Red Giant
it will produce iron and heavier elements in its core.
hydrogen fusion in its core will have ceased.
it will eventually become a supernova.
its surface will become hotter than it is now.
33. Which of the following elements is not expected to be common in the core of a white dwarf?
Silicon
Hydrogen
Carbon
Oxygen
34. The triple-alpha reaction is
an intermediate stage in the proton-proton chain reaction.
a nuclear reaction in which helium fuses to form carbon.
responsible for the formation of globular clusters.
an intermediate stage in the Carbon-Oxygen-Nitrogen cycle.
35. The supernova SN1987A
was seen in the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
was at the same position as a previously catalogued star.
is the most distant supernova seen until now.
emitted gravitational radiation which was detected on Earth.
36. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
carbon.
silicon.
gold.
helium.
37. The supernova SN1987A
was at the same position as a previously catalogued star.
was seen in the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
emitted gravitational radiation which was detected on Earth.
is the most distant supernova seen until now.
38. The Chandrasekhar limit is
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
the radius of a black hole.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
39. Black holes
cannot be directly observed.
are caused absorption of light in cold, dense nebulae.
are detected as dark clouds at the centre of galaxies.
are the final stages of stars like the Sun.
40. The Schwarzschild radius gives
the size of a black hole.
the radius of the observable Universe.
the maximum size of a white dwarf.
the size of a neutron star.
41. Type I and II supernovae
are both standard candles.
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
can reoccur.
42. The Pauli Exclusion Principle explains
the solar neutrino problem.
supernovae.
why neutron stars collapse.
why white dwarfs are stable.
43. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
degeneracy.
chemical composition.
mass.
magnitude.
44. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
gold.
silicon.
helium.
carbon.
45. The position of white dwarfs on a HR diagram is
on the upper part of the main sequence.
to the lower left of the main sequence.
to the right of the main sequence.
at random points on the diagram.
46. When the Sun becomes a Red Giant
hydrogen fusion in its core will have ceased.
its surface will become hotter than it is now.
it will eventually become a supernova.
it will produce iron and heavier elements in its core.
47. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
produces 'metals'.
causes the helium flash.
occurs in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
occurs in carbon white dwarfs.
48. Black holes
exert a strong gravitational pull.
are massive neutron stars.
can only exist at the centres of galaxies.
are also called accretion disks.
49. Electron degeneracy
prevents black hole formation in massive stars.
causes pulsars to have a strong magnetic ï¬eld.
prevents the Sun from collapsing within a few years.
prevents neutron star formation in solar-like stars.
50. Globular clusters
are found in elliptical but not spiral galaxies.
are recently formed collections of approximately 10^6 stars.
contain mainly stars of low metallicity.
are probably the largest clusters of stars in the Universe.
51. Black holes
can never be observed.
are often observed by their tidal effect on the Earth.
have never been observed.
are often observed due to their tidal effect on nearby matter.
52. Neutrinos
are too weak to have any effect.
are mainly associated with type Ia supernovae.
cause massive stars to collapse.
carry most of the energy away from a type-II supernova.
53. A main-sequence star 10 times as massive as the Sun
obtains most of its energy by the triple alpha process.
is much denser than the Sun so has roughly the same diameter.
has about 10 times the amount of hydrogen and so burns approximately 10 times longer than the Sun.
has a core temperature that is much higher than that of the Sun.
54. Analysis of the H-R diagram for a cluster is a good means to
estimate the distance to the cluster.
estimate the mass of dust in the cluster.
estimate the age of the cluster.
count the number of stars in the cluster.
55. Neutron stars
can rotate at a rate of more than 100 revolutions per second.
are very dense and so cannot rotate faster than about once an hour.
contain most of the neutrinos in the known Universe.
are about the same density as white dwarfs, but made of nuclear material.
56. Open clusters are
several stars weakly bound by gravity.
an unnamed constellation.
any number of stars in a group.
several galaxies weakly bound by gravity.
57. T Tauri stars, EGGs and Bok globules are associated with
most pulsars.
main sequence stars.
star death.
star birth.
58. Pulsars
have not yet been detected.
are made of neutrons and so have zero electric and magnetic ï¬eld.
are known to be nearly perfect spheres.
pulse uniformly over their whole surface in a perfectly synchronised manner.
59. Open clusters within the Galaxy
usually contain only very old stars which have then spread apart.
often contain metal-rich stars.
are never surrounded by dust clouds.
contain about 1 million stars in a sphere of typically 25 parsecs diameter.
60. White dwarfs are
cold and tiny compared to the Sun.
about as hot as the Sun but typically smaller.
so hot that IR radiation dominates, but smaller than the Sun.
typically hot enough to be strong X-rays emitters and about the size of the Earth.
61. The crab pulsar is seen to pulse brightly
only very rarely.
nearly 30,000 times each second.
about once a day.
about 30 times each second.
62. Protostars are normally visible in which two bands of the electromagnetic spectrum?
IR and x-ray.
UV and gamma.
Radio and visible.
visible and UV.
63. The helium flash occurs
in the few seconds before a supernova explosion in a 10 solar mass star.
when fusion begins in a proto-star of about 1 solar mass.
when a 1 solar mass black hole forms from a white dwarf.
in a star of 1 solar mass near the end of the main sequence stage.
64. Pulsars are
seen in all the main observing bands within the EM spectrum.
too hard to detect to be able to make any clear statements about them.
never observed as gamma-ray objects.
always observed as optical objects.
65. Supermassive stars
are too large to form black holes.
are the usual precursors of white dwarfs.
form iron cores in the final stages of their development
live longer than all other types of star, as they have a greater store of fuel.
66. Type II supernovae
are thought to be due to gravitational collapse of a white dwarf.
typically show hydrogen lines in their spectra.
are well-recognised standard candles.
are rare but exceedingly bright night-sky objects lasting many years.
67. Sirius B is
a white dwarf close to Sirius A.
a black hole that is difficult to observe because it is so close to Sirius a which is a very bright star.
the "dog star"
a star slightly heavier than Sirius A that causes Sirius A to wobble.
68. Neutron degeneracy
determines the size of black holes smaller than 3 solar masses.
prevents white dwarfs from collapsing to form neutron stars.
affects how neutrons react within the proton-proton chain.
prevents neutron stars from collapsing to form black holes.
69. Synchrotron radiation is
caused by radioactive decay in a Type-II supernova.
a feature of the heat from a red giant.
a feature of radiation from a neutron star.
a pulsed source of radio interference.
70. Supermassive black holes are
thought to be very rare in the universe.
found at the centre of nearly every galaxy.
usually violent sources of energy that can destroy galaxies.
only found in distant galaxies.
71. The best evidence of black holes comes from
evidence of their extreme magnetic fields.
signs of the effect of strong gravitational fields.
direct observation of black areas in space.
x-ray sources which are always black holes.
72. Pulsars typically spin
about once a year.
about once a day.
many times per second.
many thousands of times per second.
73. Neutron degeneracy
prevents the collapse of a white dwarf in a supernova.
leads to the formation of heavy metals like gold in supernovae.
causes supernova explosions.
stops collapse in a supernova.
74. An emission nebula is
blue as it scatters the light from stars.
internally heated by stars.
red as it scatters the light from stars.
usually dark as it blocks the light from stars.
75. A protostar forms due to
collapse of a low density region containing hydrogen.
changes in the early stage of a main sequence star.
collapse of a high density region of gas.
gravitational attraction due to a nearby star.
76. Main sequence stars
are continuously contracting.
are hydro-dynamically unstable.
stay approximately constant in size.
are continuously cooling.
77. If 4 hydrogen nuclei fuse to form a helium nucleus
the mass is conserved.
the mass drops by about 1 %.
the mass-energy increases by about 1 %.
energy is absorbed.
78. Given that the radius of the Sun is about 700,000 km
energy from fusion appears almost instantly at the photosphere.
light takes 2 to 3 seconds to travel from the core to the photosphere.
energy from fusion takes about 1 million years to travel this distance.
it takes a few hours for light to travel from the core to the photosphere.
79. Which of the following is Betelgeuse?
A constellation
A star
A cluster
A nova
80. The Hertzprung-Russell diagram relates which two properties of a star?
Luminosity and temperature
Luminosity and time
Time and distance
Time and temperature
81. The surface temperature of a type G2 star is about what?
8 200 K
5 800 K
58 000 K
820 K
82. If the core temperature of a main sequence star increases, what happens to it?
The star shrinks and cools.
The star shrinks and heats.
The star expands and heats.
The star expands and cools.
83. Which of the following tends to escape the core of a star?
Protons
Neutrons
Neutrinos
Positrons
84. A planetary nebula is associated with which of the following?
White dwarfs
Supernovae
Red giants
Asteroids
85. The light curve of a type-II supernova has
H-lines and a plateau.
no H-lines and a plateau.
no H-lines and no plateau.
H-lines and no plateau.
86. The Chandrasekhar limit is
caused by electrons being fermions.
the minimum mass of a black hole.
2.8 solar masses
due to boson degeneracy.
87. Neutron stars are approximately as dense as which of the following?
The mass of the Earth squashed into a thimble.
The mass of the Sun squashed into the volume of the Earth.
A mountain squashed into a thimble.
Water
88. Jocelyn Bell-Burnell discovered
supernovae
black holes
pulsars
novae
89. Which one of the following statements is TRUE?
Reflection nebulae emit light from ionising hydrogen.
Bok globules often emit infrared radiation.
Extinction nebulae can only be formed by black holes.
Emission nebulae appear blue.
90. A nebula is a
cloud of gas and dust.
star about to collapse.
cluster of small stars
cluster of galaxies.
91. Hydrogen burning in stars
is a reaction in which hydrogen fuses with oxygen.
can occur via the proton-proton chain reaction.
is a nuclear reaction only occurring in the most massive stars.
produces water vapour in interstellar space.
92. The Sun generates heat by converting
helium to carbon through the CNO cycle.
hydrogen to helium through the proton-proton chain.
hydrogen to helium through the triple alpha reaction.
helium to carbon through the triple alpha reaction.
93. When the Sun becomes a Red Giant
its surface will become hotter than it is now.
hydrogen fusion in its core will have ceased.
it will eventually become a supernova.
it will produce iron and heavier elements in its core.
94. Type I and II supernovae
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
are both standard candles.
can reoccur.
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
95. White dwarfs are
very hot.
very small in number.
the remains of stars much less massive than the Sun.
low magnitude stars.
96. Neutrinos are
dangerous to human health.
derived from Neutrons.
particles of about the same mass as protons.
produced in the centre of stars.
97. Black holes
are also called accretion disks.
are massive neutron stars.
can only exist at the centres of galaxies.
exert a strong gravitational pull.
98. The Schwarzschild radius gives the
radius of the observable Universe.
size of a black hole.
size of a neutron star.
maximum size of a white dwarf.
99. Stars in the same cluster differ widely in
chemical composition
distance
mass
age
100. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
a group of very young stars.
a constellation such as Orion.
an asterism like the Pleiades.
a group of very old stars.
101. Stars of ten times the solar mass
burn out more quickly than the Sun.
are only found in globular clusters.
are more common than stars like the Sun.
shine for longer than the Sun.
102. Interstellar gas is
all at a temperature close to absolute zero.
mostly carbon monoxide.
mostly hydrogen.
of little importance astronomically.
103. The Chandrasekhar limit is
around ten times the solar mass.
the radius of a black hole.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
104. A red giant
is hotter than a white dwarf.
fuses hydrogen in its core.
is a stage in the life of our Sun.
looks very large through a telescope.
105. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
occurs mainly in carbon white dwarfs.
occurs mainly in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
causes the helium flash.
produces 'metals'.
106. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
contains a black hole.
contains a pulsar.
107. Pulsars are
stars that periodically expand and contract.
very large stars.
rotating white dwarfs.
rotating neutron stars.
108. The final state of a star depends on its
magnitude
chemical composition
degeneracy
mass
109. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
a group of very young stars.
an asterism like the Pleiades.
a constellation such as Orion.
a group of very old stars.
110. T Tauri stars are
frequently strong infrared sources.
remnant cores of dead stars.
standard candles.
optically visible in their cocoon.
111. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the radius of a black hole.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
112. Protostars
are most easily observed by the IR radiation emitted.
usually emit pulses observable in radio waves.
are Population I stars.
are stars with abnormally high proton content.
113. Stars on the lower left part of the main sequence on a HR diagram are
red dwarfs.
red giants.
blue giants.
white dwarfs.
114. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
contains a black hole.
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
contains a pulsar.
115. Red giants
look very large through a telescope.
are a stage in the life of our Sun.
have nuclear reactions in their interior.
are very hot.
116. The Pauli exclusion principle explains
why white dwarfs are stable.
supernovae.
the solar neutrino problem.
why neutron stars collapse.
117. Type I and II supernovae
can reoccur.
are both standard candles.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
118. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
degeneracy.
magnitude.
mass.
chemical composition.
119. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Emission nebulae appear blue.
Extinction nebulae can only be formed by black holes.
Reflection nebulae emit light from ionising hydrogen.
Bok globules often emit infrared radiation.
120. Stars in an open cluster are assumed to be
moving away from each other.
of the same surface temperature.
of the same mass.
of the same spectral type.
121. Hydrogen burning in stars
is a reaction in which hydrogen fuses with oxygen.
is a nuclear reaction only occurring in the most massive stars.
produces water vapour in interstellar space.
can occur via the proton-proton chain reaction.
122. Protostars heat up mostly due to
nuclear fusion.
gravitational contraction.
nuclear fission.
radioactivity.
123. Main sequence stars with higher luminosity than the Sun
have a shorter lifetime than the Sun.
have a lower surface temperature than the Sun.
are only observed in globular clusters.
must be red giants.
124. The triple alpha reaction is a nuclear reaction which
will occur in red giants.
produces helium nuclei.
only occurs in stars more massive than the Sun.
produces hydrogen nuclei.
125. SN1987A
is a faint white dwarf companion of the star SN1987.
is a binary star found in 1987 which emitted X-rays.
was a nova which occurred in 1987.
was a star which exploded in 1987.
126. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the maximum radius of a red giant.
the radius of a black hole.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
127. Neutron stars
are generally thought to have a strong magnetic field.
emit a steady beam of neutrinos.
are prevented from collapse by electron degeneracy pressure.
are detected by the neutrons they emit.
128. Black holes
are detected as dark clouds at the centre of galaxies.
are caused absorption of light in cold, dense nebulae.
are the final stages of stars like the Sun.
cannot be directly observed.
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