Practice Test

Please solve the following questions. This is not a real exam, it will not be graded, and you do not need to submit your solutions to anyone. The questions are simply intended to help you practice for the real exam.

These questions will not appear in the exam itself. Students who don't genuinely attempt to solve the questions on their own, and only memorize the solutions, will have a very hard time in the actual exam!

This sample exam is online, but the real exam will be given in person, at a time and place indicated on the course website.

THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL EXAM!
THIS IS JUST A PRACTICE EXAM!
THE REAL EXAM IS IN PERSON!

If you need any clarifications for these questions, you can ask for them on the course Teams channel.

Question 1

A very important part of the scientific method in astronomy is:

Testing hypotheses by comparing them against observations.
Testing hypotheses by comparing them against important books such as Ptolemy's Almagest.
Testing hypotheses by comparing them against experimental results in the lab.

Question 2

What is the Local Group?

A cluster of galaxies that the Milky Way belongs to.
A cluster of stars that the Sun belongs to.
A cluster of galaxies located near the Milky Way.

Question 3

Astrology is...

A science, which means it uses the scientific method to test the validity of hypotheses.
A science, which means it is based on theories that are proven to be 100% correct and can never be disputed.
A pseudo-science, which means it claims to be a science but does not use the scientific method to test the validity of hypotheses.

Question 4

Which planet's orbits are larger than the Earth's orbit?

Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Mercury and Venus.

Question 5

Orion is...

A galaxy.
An asterism.
A constellation.

Question 6

Which of the following numbers is the smallest?

4 × 10⁵
9 × 10⁴
5 × 10⁶

Question 7

What did Carlson's 1985 astrology experiment prove?

That astrologers cannot correctly predict a person's time and place of birth given the person's personality test results.
That astrologers can correctly predict a person's personality test results given the person's time and place of birth.
That astrologers cannot correctly predict a person's personality test results given the person's time and place of birth.

Question 8

"Last year, when Mars was in retrograde, I broke my arm. Clearly, there must be a connection!" This is an example of...

The appeal to popularity fallacy.
The correlation implies causation fallacy.
The appeal to tradition fallacy.

Question 9

One full rotation of the Earth around the Sun corresponds to...

A month.
A year.
A day.

Question 10

What was the ancient Babylonian text on astrology called?

Almagest.
Enuma Anu Enlil.
The Tetrabiblos.

Question 11

What is the Barnum effect?

The astrological phenomenon that ensures the horoscope actually describes each individual person accurately.
The cognitive bias that makes people think a horoscope describes them individually, while in fact it is intentionally vague enough to describe anyone.
The effect that produces astrological predictions.

Question 12

In science, what is a hypothesis?

An idea that has not yet been tested.
An idea that is 100% correct and will never be replaced.
An idea that has been rigorously tested and is correct to the best of our current knowledge.

Question 13

The orbits of the planets in the solar system are...

Circles.
Epicycles.
Ellipses.

Question 14

A celestial object which cannot produce its own light is...

A planet.
A star.
Either a star or a planet.

Question 15

When a planet is in retrograde...

It is moving backwards in its orbit.
The Earth is passing by it and temporarily moving faster than it.
You should not start any new relationships.

Question 16

What is special about the constellations of the zodiac?

They allow astrologers to produce reliable horoscopes.
They are the constellations that the Sun appear to pass through over the course of a year.
The stars in these constellations are closer to Earth compared to those in other constellations.

Question 17

What is Occam's razor?

The principle that says complex theories have more predictive value than simpler ones, and therefore should be preferred.
The principle that says simpler theories are easier to understand than complex ones, and therefore should be preferred.
The principle that says simpler theories have more predictive value than complex ones, and therefore should be preferred.

Question 18

A scientific theory's predictions were verified by every single experiment for 50 years. However, more recently, several new experiments, which have been peer-reviewed, failed to match the theory's predictions. What is most likely happening?

The theory is inaccurate, and must be replaced with a new one which will be consistent with both the old and new experiments.
The experiments must have been done incorrectly, as the theory has been established beyond reasonable doubt.
The laws of nature have changed over time, and the theory must be modified in light of the new changes.

Question 19

A radio message was sent in 2150 from Earth to the distant planet Epsilon Eridani b, approximately 10 light-years away. When will the message get to the other planet? (Remember: radio waves travel at the speed of light.)

In the year 2158.
In the year 2150.
In the year 2160.

Question 20

Which of the following is a reliable source of information about astronomy?

Any YouTube channel that has "astronomy" in the title.
Social media posts.
The website for the James Webb Space Telescope, a space telescope operated by NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency.

Question 21

Did the Greeks believe that the Earth was at the center of the universe?

Yes, because they observed stellar parallax.
Yes, because they did not observe stellar parallax.
No, because they did not observe stellar parallax.

Question 22

I am in the north pole. What is directly above me?

The south celestial pole.
The north celestial pole.
The celestial equator.

Question 23

Ptolemy's model...

Accurately describes the structure of the solar system.
Does not accurately describe the structure of the solar system.
Accurately described the structure of the solar system in Ptolemy's time, but this structure has changed since then.

Question 24

I am located 20 degrees north of the equator and 40 degrees west of the Prime Meridian. What are my coordinates?

Latitude 20° W, longitude 40° N.
Latitude 20° N, longitude 40° W.
Latitude 40° S, longitude 20° E.

Question 25

When was stellar parallax first measured successfully?

By the Babylonians, around 4,000 years ago.
By the ancient Greeks, around 2,000 years ago.
By Friedrich Bessel, in 1838.