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