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

I see a very bright star. This could mean:

Either the distance to the star is large or the luminosity of the star is small.
Either the distance to the star is small or the luminosity of the star is large.
Either the distance to the star is large or the luminosity of the star is large.

Question 2

In the proton-proton chain, how many total hydrogen nuclei do we start with? (Remember that steps 1 and 2 happen twice in a full chain!)

1.
2.
4.

Question 3

Object A has mass 1 kg. Object B has mass 3 kg. According to E=mc², how much rest energy does object B have compared to A?

3 times less energy.
3 times more energy.
9 times more energy.

Question 4

A star is located on the top left of the H-R diagram. This star has...

Low luminosity and low temperature.
High luminosity and high temperature.
High luminosity and low temperature.

Question 5

Compared to Cepheid variables, RR Lyrae variables typically have...

Lower luminosity and shorter period.
Higher luminosity and longer period.
Higher luminosity and shorter period.

Question 6

I want to measure the distance to a star that is estimated to be a few million light-years away. Which method should I use?

RR Lyrae variables
Stellar parallax
Cepheid variables

Question 7

In an atom, the protons are located...

Outside the nucleus.
Either inside or outside the nucleus, depending on the type of atom.
Inside the nucleus.

Question 8

I observed an object, larger than Earth but smaller than the Sun, which generates light by deuterium fusion but not hydrogen fusion. What is it?

A star.
A brown dwarf.
A planet.

Question 9

If a particle has charge -1, what would be the charge of its antiparticle?

0.
+1.
-1.

Question 10

What is nuclear fusion?

The process where nuclei are destroyed and converted into pure energy.
The process where heavy nuclei split into lighter nuclei.
The process where light nuclei combine into heavier nuclei.

Question 11

A star was measured to have a parallax of 0.2 arc seconds. How far away is the star?

5 parsecs.
6 parsecs.
4 parsecs.

Question 12

What happens in electron-positron annihilation?

An electron and a positron annihilate each other and produce 1 photon.
An electron and a positron annihilate each other and no photons are produced.
An electron and a positron annihilate each other and produce 2 photons.

Question 13

Which of the following is the shortest?

1 trillion kilometers.
1 parsec.
1 light-year.

Question 14

I found a helium-9 isotope. How many neutrons does it have?

6
8
7

Question 15

Which of the following stars is the brightest in the sky?

A star with apparent magnitude -4.4.
A star with apparent magnitude +3.1.
A star with apparent magnitude +7.0.

Question 16

In the H-R diagram, red dwarfs can be found...

At higher luminosity and higher temperature than the main sequence.
On the main sequence.
At higher luminosity and lower temperature than the main sequence.

Question 17

Which of the following is a main-sequence star?

G2 IV
K6 V
B5 II

Question 18

A proton is made of...

1 up quark and 1 down quark.
1 up quark and 2 down quarks.
2 up quarks and 1 down quark.

Question 19

If the spectral lines of a star shift toward red, this means...

The star is moving away from us.
The star is not moving with respect to us.
The star is moving toward us.

Question 20

Which of the following stars is the coolest?

K3
K9
K5

Question 21

Star A has brighter apparent magnitude than star B. What does that say about the luminosity of the two stars?

There's no way to know unless we also know the distance to each star.
Star B is more luminous.
Star A is more luminous.

Question 22

Which of the following is a blue giant?

M5 V
O4 III
M2 III

Question 23

Photon A has wavelength 2 cm. Photon B has wavelength 1 cm. Which photon has a higher frequency?

Photon A.
Photon B.
Both have the same frequency.

Question 24

What kind of mass is defined as resistance of an object to acceleration?

Gravitational mass.
Neither of the other options is correct.
Inertial mass.

Question 25

A photon has a wavelength of 700 nm. What color is it?

Red.
Green.
Blue.