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