Exploring the Cosmos - Life and Death of Stars (Part 2)
1. Globular clusters in our galaxy consist of groups of
newly born stars.
very old stars.
very large stars.
burnt out stars.
2. An open cluster consists of stars which are all
on the main sequence.
around the same age.
the same temperature.
the same mass.
3. Which of the following elements makes up a large fraction of a main sequence star?
Iron
Helium
Oxygen
Carbon
4. T Tauri stars are
frequently strong infrared sources.
standard candles.
optically visible in their cocoon.
remnant cores of dead stars.
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 triple alpha reaction.
hydrogen to helium through the proton-proton chain.
6. Main sequence stars with higher luminosity than the Sun
must be red giants.
are only observed in globular clusters.
have a lower surface temperature than the Sun.
have a shorter lifetime than the Sun.
7. Globular clusters mainly consist of groups of
very old stars.
newly born stars.
black holes.
very large stars.
8. T Tauri stars are
standard candles.
optically visible in their cocoon.
frequently strong infrared sources.
remnant cores of dead stars.
9. Open clusters
have a smaller density of stars than globular clusters.
are metal poor.
contain the oldest stars in our galaxy.
are only found in distant galaxies.
10. Stars in a single cluster differ widely in
chemical composition.
distance.
age.
mass.
11. Bok globules are
Herbig Haro objects.
dense dust clouds out of which stars form.
small star clusters.
T Tauri stars.
12. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
contains a pulsar.
contains a black hole.
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
13. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
a group of very old stars.
a group of very young stars.
an asterism like the Pleiades.
a constellation such as Orion.
14. 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.
15. The main sequence is
a nuclear reaction in very hot stars.
a line on a graph of luminosity against temperature.
the succession of stages in the life of a star.
OBAFGKMRN.
16. An open cluster in our Galaxy is
a group like the Pleiades.
most likely to be found in the galactic halo.
a constellation such as Orion.
a group of newly formed stars.
17. White dwarfs
are the remains of stars much less massive than the Sun.
are low magnitude stars.
are very hot.
are very small in number.
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.
helium.
gold.
silicon.
20. Gas clouds contract to form stars because of
internal pressure.
electrical attraction.
gravity.
nuclear forces.
21. Stars in a single cluster differ widely in
mass.
age.
distance.
chemical composition.
22. Which of the following elements is not expected to be common in the core of a white dwarf?
Silicon
Hydrogen
Carbon
Oxygen
23. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
causes the helium flash.
occurs in carbon white dwarfs.
produces 'metals'.
occurs in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
24. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
mass.
chemical composition.
magnitude.
degeneracy.
25. T Tauri stars are
standard candles.
frequently strong infrared sources.
optically visible in their cocoon.
remnant cores of dead stars.
26. Given that the radius of the Sun is about 700,000 km
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.
light takes 2 to 3 seconds to travel from the core to the photosphere.
27. Protostars heat up mostly due to
nuclear fusion.
nuclear fission.
radioactivity.
gravitational contraction.
28. 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%.
29. The Chandrasekhar limit is
the radius of a black hole.
the maximum radius of a red giant.
around ten times the solar mass.
the maximum mass of a white dwarf.
30. Type I and II supernovae
can reoccur.
will occur in stars less massive than the Sun.
will occur in stars more massive than the Sun.
are both standard candles.
31. Type Ia supernovae are
very bright, newly-formed stars.
caused by stars collapsing upon themselves.
are thought to be exploding white dwarfs.
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?
Oxygen
Carbon
Hydrogen
Silicon
34. The triple-alpha reaction is
an intermediate stage in the proton-proton chain reaction.
responsible for the formation of globular clusters.
an intermediate stage in the Carbon-Oxygen-Nitrogen cycle.
a nuclear reaction in which helium fuses to form carbon.
35. The supernova SN1987A
emitted gravitational radiation which was detected on Earth.
was seen in the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
is the most distant supernova seen until now.
was at the same position as a previously catalogued star.
36. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
helium.
silicon.
gold.
carbon.
37. The supernova SN1987A
emitted gravitational radiation which was detected on Earth.
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.
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 the final stages of stars like the Sun.
cannot be directly observed.
are caused absorption of light in cold, dense nebulae.
40. The Schwarzschild radius gives
the maximum size of a white dwarf.
the size of a black hole.
the radius of the observable Universe.
the size of a neutron star.
41. 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.
42. The Pauli Exclusion Principle explains
the solar neutrino problem.
why white dwarfs are stable.
supernovae.
why neutron stars collapse.
43. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
degeneracy.
magnitude.
mass.
chemical composition.
44. One element not expected to be produced in the core of stars is
gold.
helium.
carbon.
silicon.
45. The position of white dwarfs on a HR diagram is
at random points on the diagram.
to the right of the main sequence.
to the lower left of the main sequence.
on the upper part of the main sequence.
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
causes the helium flash.
produces 'metals'.
occurs in carbon white dwarfs.
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.
exert a strong gravitational pull.
are massive neutron stars.
49. Electron degeneracy
prevents black hole formation in massive stars.
causes pulsars to have a strong magnetic ï¬eld.
prevents neutron star formation in solar-like stars.
prevents the Sun from collapsing within a few years.
50. Globular clusters
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.
are found in elliptical but not spiral galaxies.
51. Black holes
can never be observed.
are often observed due to their tidal effect on nearby matter.
have never been observed.
are often observed by their tidal effect on the Earth.
52. Neutrinos
cause massive stars to collapse.
are too weak to have any effect.
are mainly associated with type Ia supernovae.
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 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.
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.
estimate the mass of dust in 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
several galaxies weakly bound by gravity.
several stars weakly bound by gravity.
any number of stars in a group.
an unnamed constellation.
57. T Tauri stars, EGGs and Bok globules are associated with
star death.
most pulsars.
star birth.
main sequence stars.
58. Pulsars
are known to be nearly perfect spheres.
pulse uniformly over their whole surface in a perfectly synchronised manner.
have not yet been detected.
are made of neutrons and so have zero electric and magnetic ï¬eld.
59. Open clusters within the Galaxy
contain about 1 million stars in a sphere of typically 25 parsecs diameter.
often contain metal-rich stars.
are never surrounded by dust clouds.
usually contain only very old stars which have then spread apart.
60. White dwarfs are
so hot that IR radiation dominates, but smaller than the Sun.
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.
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?
visible and UV.
IR and x-ray.
UV and gamma.
Radio and visible.
63. The helium flash occurs
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.
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
always observed as optical objects.
too hard to detect to be able to make any clear statements about them.
seen in all the main observing bands within the EM spectrum.
never observed as gamma-ray objects.
65. Supermassive stars
form iron cores in the final stages of their development
are too large to form black holes.
are the usual precursors of white dwarfs.
live longer than all other types of star, as they have a greater store of fuel.
66. Type II supernovae
are well-recognised standard candles.
are thought to be due to gravitational collapse of a white dwarf.
are rare but exceedingly bright night-sky objects lasting many years.
typically show hydrogen lines in their spectra.
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 neutron stars from collapsing to form black holes.
prevents white dwarfs from collapsing to form neutron stars.
affects how neutrons react within the proton-proton chain.
69. Synchrotron radiation is
caused by radioactive decay in a Type-II supernova.
a pulsed source of radio interference.
a feature of the heat from a red giant.
a feature of radiation from a neutron star.
70. Supermassive black holes are
only found in distant galaxies.
usually violent sources of energy that can destroy galaxies.
found at the centre of nearly every galaxy.
thought to be very rare in the universe.
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.
direct observation of black areas in space.
evidence of their extreme magnetic fields.
72. Pulsars typically spin
about once a year.
many times per second.
many thousands of times per second.
about once a day.
73. Neutron degeneracy
stops collapse in a supernova.
causes supernova explosions.
prevents the collapse of a white dwarf in a supernova.
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.
red as it scatters the light from stars.
internally heated by 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.
changes in the early stage of a main sequence star.
collapse of a high density region of gas.
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 drops by about 1 %.
energy is absorbed.
the mass-energy increases by about 1 %.
the mass is conserved.
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.
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.
79. Which of the following is Betelgeuse?
A constellation
A nova
A cluster
A star
80. The Hertzprung-Russell diagram relates which two properties of a star?
Time and temperature
Luminosity and time
Luminosity and temperature
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 heats.
The star shrinks and cools.
The star expands and cools.
The star expands and heats.
83. Which of the following tends to escape the core of a star?
Positrons
Protons
Neutrinos
Neutrons
84. A planetary nebula is associated with which of the following?
Red giants
Asteroids
Supernovae
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
the minimum mass of a black hole.
caused by electrons being fermions.
due to boson degeneracy.
2.8 solar masses
87. Neutron stars are approximately as dense as which of the following?
Water
A mountain squashed into a thimble.
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
novae
supernovae
pulsars
black holes
89. Which one of the following statements is TRUE?
Bok globules often emit infrared radiation.
Emission nebulae appear blue.
Extinction nebulae can only be formed by black holes.
Reflection nebulae emit light from ionising hydrogen.
90. A nebula is a
cluster of small stars
star about to collapse.
cluster of galaxies.
cloud of gas and dust.
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
hydrogen to helium through the triple alpha reaction.
hydrogen to helium through the proton-proton chain.
helium to carbon through the CNO cycle.
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.
it will produce iron and heavier elements in its core.
hydrogen fusion in its core will have ceased.
it will eventually become a supernova.
94. 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.
95. White dwarfs are
low magnitude stars.
the remains of stars much less massive than the Sun.
very small in number.
very hot.
96. Neutrinos are
particles of about the same mass as protons.
produced in the centre of stars.
dangerous to human health.
derived from Neutrons.
97. Black holes
are massive neutron stars.
are also called accretion disks.
can only exist at the centres of galaxies.
exert a strong gravitational pull.
98. The Schwarzschild radius gives the
size of a neutron star.
size of a black hole.
maximum size of a white dwarf.
radius of the observable Universe.
99. Stars in the same cluster differ widely in
mass
age
chemical composition
distance
100. 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.
101. Stars of ten times the solar mass
burn out more quickly than the Sun.
are more common than stars like the Sun.
shine for longer than the Sun.
are only found in globular clusters.
102. Interstellar gas is
mostly carbon monoxide.
of little importance astronomically.
all at a temperature close to absolute zero.
mostly hydrogen.
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
is a stage in the life of our Sun.
is hotter than a white dwarf.
looks very large through a telescope.
fuses hydrogen in its core.
105. The CNO cycle is a nuclear reaction which
occurs mainly in carbon white dwarfs.
produces 'metals'.
causes the helium flash.
occurs mainly in stars with cores hotter than the Sun.
106. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
contains a pulsar.
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
contains a black hole.
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
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
magnitude
mass
degeneracy
chemical composition
109. A globular cluster in our Galaxy is
an asterism like the Pleiades.
a group of very young stars.
a group of very old stars.
a constellation such as Orion.
110. T Tauri stars are
optically visible in their cocoon.
standard candles.
frequently strong infrared sources.
remnant cores of dead stars.
111. 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.
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
blue giants.
red dwarfs.
red giants.
white dwarfs.
114. The Crab Nebula is of interest because it
contains a pulsar.
is in the centre of the constellation Cancer.
contains a black hole.
surrounds the supernova SN1987A.
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
the solar neutrino problem.
why white dwarfs are stable.
why neutron stars collapse.
supernovae.
117. 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.
118. The final state of a star depends mainly on its
mass.
magnitude.
chemical composition.
degeneracy.
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
of the same mass.
of the same spectral type.
moving away from each other.
of the same surface temperature.
121. Hydrogen burning in stars
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.
is a reaction in which hydrogen fuses with oxygen.
122. Protostars heat up mostly due to
gravitational contraction.
radioactivity.
nuclear fission.
nuclear fusion.
123. 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.
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 helium nuclei.
produces hydrogen 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
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.
127. Neutron stars
emit a steady beam of neutrinos.
are detected by the neutrons they emit.
are generally thought to have a strong magnetic field.
are prevented from collapse by electron degeneracy pressure.
128. Black holes
are detected as dark clouds at the centre of galaxies.
cannot be directly observed.
are the final stages of stars like the Sun.
are caused absorption of light in cold, dense nebulae.
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