GCSE Space (topic 8) Quiz

What is the life cycle of a star?

• The process by which a star ages and eventually becomes a black hole.

• The sequence of stages a star goes through from formation to the end of its existence.

• The path a star travels through space over time.

• The cycle of a star's brightness fluctuating over periods of time.

What is a protostar?

• A mature star that has begun fusing helium into heavier elements.

• A star that has collapsed into a black hole.

• The stage in a star's life when it has begun to contract under its own gravity but is not yet hot enough to start nuclear fusion.

• A small, dim star that has exhausted most of its nuclear fuel.

What is a main sequence star?

• A star that is in the final stages of its life and about to explode as a supernova.

• A star that is in the process of forming from a nebula.

• A star that is stable and producing energy through fusion of hydrogen in its core.

• A star that is stable and producing energy through fusion of hydrogen in a shell outside the core.

What happens when a star runs out of fuel?

• It contracts into a yellow dwarf.

• It becomes a main sequence star.

• It expands into a red giant or goes supernova.

• It remains unchanged and continues to burn as usual.

What is a red giant?

• A very hot star with a surface temperature much higher than the Sun's.

• A stage in the life cycle of a star when it has run out of fuel in its core and has expanded to many times its original size.

• A newly formed star that is just starting to fuse hydrogen into helium.

• A dense star composed mostly of neutrons.

What is a white dwarf?

• A small, very dense star that is no longer producing light or heat as a result of fusion

• A large, bright star that is just beginning its lifecycle

• A medium-sized star that is halfway through its lifecycle

• A neutron star that has just formed from a supernova

What is a supernova?

• A tremendous explosion that marks the end of a large star's life cycle

• The process by which a star turns into a white dwarf

• A collision between two stars

• The initial stage in the formation of a star

What can sometimes be left behind after a supernova?

• A white dwarf

• A neutron star or a black hole

• A new galaxy

• A planetary nebula

What does the observed red-shift in light from distant galaxies suggest?

• That the universe is contracting

• That galaxies are stationary

• That space itself is expanding and supports the Big Bang theory

• That the universe is in a steady state without beginning or end

Since 1998, what have observations of supernovae suggested about distant galaxies?

• That they are moving closer to each other

• That they are not affected by gravity

• That they are receding ever faster

• That they are all moving at a constant speed