TEST BANK FOR 21ST CENTURY ASTRONOMY
6th Edition by Laura Kay, Stacy Palen, George
Blumenthal A+ Grade
CHAPTER 1
Thinking like an Astronomer
MULTIPLE CHOICES
1. The Sun is a
a. supercluster. d. star.
b. moon. e. planet.
c. galaxy.
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a State our “cosmic address.” MSC: Remembering
2. The number of planets in our Solar System is
a. six. d. twelve.
b. eight. e. twenty.
c. nine.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a State our “cosmic address.” MSC: Remembering
3. Milky Way is the name of
a. our Solar System. d. the supercluster of galaxies we are in.
b. the galaxy in which we live. e. the entire universe.
c. the local group of galaxies we are in.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a State our “cosmic address.” MSC: Understanding
4. Our galaxy and the few dozen nearest galaxies are known as the
A+ Page 1
,Created by: Test Bank
a. Solar System. d. Virgo Supercluster.
b. Milky Way. e. Laniakea Supercluster.
c. Local Group.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a State our “cosmic address.” MSC: Remembering
5. According to the figure below, if you were to specify your address in the universe, listing
your membership from the smallest to largest physical structures, it would be
a. Earth, Local Group, Solar System, Andromeda, the universe.
b. Earth, Solar System, Local Group, Milky Way, the universe.
c. Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Local Group, Laniakea Supercluster, the universe.
d. Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Laniakea Supercluster, the universe.
e. Earth, Laniakea Supercluster, Milky Way, Solar System, the universe. ANS: C DIF:
Difficult REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a State our “cosmic address.” MSC: Understanding
6. The Andromeda Galaxy is also part of the Local Group, so it is also part of
A+ Page 2
,Created by: Test Bank
a. the Solar System. d. the Virgo Supercluster.
b. the Milky Way. e. dark energy.
c. the Moon.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1a State our “cosmic address.” MSC: Understanding
7. According to the figure below, Earth is located approximately
a. at the center of the Milky Way.
b. near the center of the Milky Way.
c. about halfway out from the center of the Milky Way.
d. at the farthest outskirts of the Milky Way.
e. outside the Milky Way, which is why we can see it as a band across the night sky.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Express astronomical distances and distance scales. MSC: Analyzing
8. When a change occurs on the surface of the Sun, how long does it take before
astronomers on Earth can see the change?
a. 8 minutes d. 1 day
b. 11 hours e. It reaches us instantaneously.
c. 1 second
ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Express astronomical distances and distance scales. MSC: Applying
9.
takes approximately to reach Earth.
A+ Page 3
, Created by: Test Bank
a. 8 seconds d. 8 days
b. 8 minutes e. 8 years
c. 8 hours
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Express astronomical distances and distance scales. MSC: Applying
10. One of the nearest stars, Alpha Centauri, is 4.4 light-years from Earth. The time it takes
light to travel from Alpha Centauri to us is
a. 1.25 seconds. d. 600 years.
b. 8.3 minutes. e. 2.2 million years.
c. 4.4 years.
ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Express astronomical distances and distance scales. MSC: Applying
11. The time it takes light to cross Neptune’s orbit is closest to which of the following?
a. instantaneous
b. a second
c. a quick meal
d. a night’s sleep
e. the time between presidential elections
ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Express astronomical distances and distance scales. MSC: Analyzing
12. A light-hour is a measure of
a. time. d. speed.
b. distance. e. acceleration.
c. energy.
ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 1.1
OBJ: 1.1b Express astronomical distances and distance scales. MSC: Understanding
A+ Page 4