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