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