Practice Exam 1

This is an actual exam I used for a Kirkwood ICN class a number of years ago:

1. An arcsecond is a measure of

  1. length along a circumference of a circle.
  2. the time between oscillations of an atomic clock.
  3. the time between successive orbital positions.
  4. the apparent size of an object in the sky.

2. The astronomical unit is

  1. a unit of time equal to 1 billion years.
  2. the average distance between the Sun and Earth.
  3. a unit of mass equal to the mass of the Sun.
  4. a unit of time defined by one oscillation of a cesium atom.

3. The phenomenon of precession of Earth’s rotation axis is caused by

  1. the tidal ebb and flow of ocean water upon Earth.
  2. variations in the spin rate of Earth during the year.
  3. varying intensity of Sunlight throughout the year.
  4. the gravitational tug of the moon and Sun upon Earth.

4. The path of the Sun across the background stars during the course of year is called

  1. the zodiac.
  2. precession.
  3. the autumnal equinox.
  4. the ecliptic.

5. At what time will the New Moon rise, approximately?

  1. Sunrise
  2. noon
  3. Sunset
  4. midnight

6. The correct order of appearance of the following players on the stage of scientific discovery is:

  1. Ptolemy, Newton, Copernicus, Galileo, Aristotle
  2. Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton
  3. Copernicus, Newton, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Galileo
  4. Aristotle, Copernicus, Ptolemy, Newton, Galileo

7. A planet is closest to the Sun at

  1. the celestial equator
  2. perihelion
  3. aphelion
  4. precession

8. The synodic period is the time between successive

  1. passages of a planet across the celestial equator.
  2. passages of a planet through the observer’s meridian.
  3. alignments of the Sun, planet, and a point on the celestial sphere.
  4. alignments of the Sun, planet, and Earth.

9. Which of the following objects cannot transit (pass in front of) the Sun when viewed from Earth?

  1. Mars
  2. Venus
  3. Mercury
  4. the Moon

10. A superior planet is closest to Earth when it is at

  1. conjunction
  2. opposition
  3. greatest elongation
  4. quadrature

11. Which of the following describes an acceptable path of a body orbiting the Sun?

  1. a circular path with the Sun at the center of the circle
  2. an elliptical path with the Sun at one point on the major axis
  3. a parabolic path passing through the center of the Sun
  4. a elliptical path with the Sun at the center of the ellipse

12. Newton stated that if a force were applied to an object in space, the resulting acceleration would depend upon the

  1. mass of the object.
  2. weight of the object.
  3. initial velocity of the object.
  4. size of the object.

13. The early Copernican model of planetary motion required planets moving in

  1. elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus of the ellipse.
  2. perfect circles with the Sun at the center.
  3. epicycles centered on deferents around Earth.
  4. perfect circles on crystalline spheres around Earth.

14. Eclipses of the Moon can only occur at which lunar phase

  1. New Moon
  2. first-quarter
  3. Full Moon
  4. waning gibbous

15. Kepler’s second law states that a planet moves slowest when it

  1. crosses the minor axis
  2. is closest to the Sun
  3. reaches superior conjunction
  4. is farthest from the Sun

16. According to Newton’s laws, a force must be acting whenever

  1. an object’s position changes.
  2. the direction of an object’s motion changes.
  3. an object moves with a constant speed.
  4. an interval of time elapses.

17. The Vernal equinox is that time of year when

  1. Earth is at its closest point to the Sun.
  2. Earth crosses the ecliptic plane.
  3. the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward.
  4. the Sun reaches its most southerly point in the sky.

18. One required condition for the seasons to occur on a planet is that the

  1. planet’s distance from the Sun must vary throughout its orbit.
  2. planet have a thick atmosphere to retain heat from the Sun.
  3. planet must have its spin axis tilted to its orbital plane.
  4. planet’s north pole must be perpendicular to its orbital plane.

19. Which planet is often poetically referred to as the “morning star?”

  1. Venus
  2. Earth
  3. Mars
  4. Jupiter

20. Pythagoras and his followers believed Earth was a sphere because

  1. the Sun’s path around the sky was known to be a circle.
  2. Greek sailors had circumnavigated the globe by that time.
  3. of the curved shadow cast on the moon during a lunar eclipse.
  4. the sphere was thought to be the most complex of all geometric solids.

21. Tycho Brahe’s principle contribution to astronomy was

  1. his observations of the features on the moon’s surface.
  2. his theory of planetary motion around a stationary Earth.
  3. the discovery of four “starlets” orbiting around Jupiter.
  4. his detailed observations of the apparent motions of the planets.

22. The periodic comet Tuttle 1 has an orbital period of 13.6 years. Hence, by Kepler’s third law, its average distance from the Sun is

  1. 2.4 AU.
  2. 5.7 AU.
  3. 184 AU.
  4. 2,515 AU.

23. One of the most compelling features of Copernicus’ model of the universe was its ability to

  1. completely eliminate the use of epicycles.
  2. use geometry to determine the relative distances to planets.
  3. demonstrate that Earth was a sphere.
  4. explain why planets move faster when closest to the Sun.

24. The length of time required for the moon to complete one cycle of phases is

  1. one week.
  2. one month.
  3. one year.
  4. 18.4 years.

25. If you were located at Earth’s north pole on June 21 (the summer solstice), you would

  1. experience 24 hours of total darkness.
  2. notice that the Sun was above the horizon exactly 12 hours.
  3. see the Sun circle the sky at a constant altitude of 23 1/2°.
  4. notice that the star Alpha Centauri is circumpolar.

Solutions to Practice Exam 1