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WorksheetsUnit 1.A Test Astronomy
Total questions: 43
Worksheet time: 12mins
Above all else, science must be _____
expensive
fun
honest
political
How high is our atmosphere?
about 1,000 km
about 100 km
about 10,000 km
What protects us from the onslaught of subatomic particles from the Sun?
a magnetic field
dust
gas
What is the name of our spiral galaxy?
Milky Way
Snickers
sombrero
Early farmers used patterns in the sky to determine
when to plant seeds
when to pay their bills
Which term means that "all the objects in the sky revolve about the Earth"?
geocentrism
heliocentrism
Who promoted the idea that the Sun was the center of the solar system?
Copernicus
Irenaus
Issac Newton
Who invented calculus to help him understand the way objects moved in space?
Copernicus
Irenaus
Issac Newton
What was Galileo's contribution to the telescope?
He improved on the design
He was its inventor
He made the first plastic lense
What is the major advantage of orbiting telescopes?
the atmosphere doesn’t blur the image
easy to fix
cheaper
Hipparchus' system of magnitudes had the brightest stars classified as _____
1st magnitude
2nd magnitude
10th magnitude
What is the brightest star in the night sky?
Sirius
Polaris
the north star
Which stars seem to have color?
the brightest stars
the farthest away
the planets
How many constellations are recognized officially by the International Astronomical Union?
88
8
96
Which prominent constellation was seen as a hunter with arms raised?
Orion
big dipper
Aries
Which pattern of stars makes up the haunches and tail of Ursa Major, the Big Bear?
Orion
big dipper
Aries
Observatories tend to be built in remote areas, in order to avoid _____
light pollution
vandals
the atmosphere
How can you easily identify the planets among the stars in the night sky?
they don’t twinkle
they are smaller
they are brown because of the dirt
Not counting Earth, how many planets are visible to the naked eye?
five
three
two
How long does it take for the celestial sphere to spin in one complete cycle?
one day
28 hrs
a week
Polaris sits very close to _____
the north celestial pole
the equator
Kolob
What is the name of the north star?
Polaris
zodiac
wanderer
What name is given to the constellations through which the sun passes?
Polaris
zodiac
wanderer
The word “planet” is Greek for ___
Polaris
zodiac
wanderer
A star in the east, when viewed a few weeks later will be ___
higher
lower
brighter
How long does it take for the Earth to orbit the Sun?
one year
one week
one day
Stars in the east rise _____ minutes earlier every night
about four
about 8
about 20
What is the name of the path taken by the sun across the sky?
ecliptic
zodiac
seasons
The Sun's apparent movement through the zodiac is a result of _____
the Earth moving
it actually moving
mirrors
What other objects orbit in approximately the same plane as the Earth?
the planets
stars
aliens
The word “planet” is Greek for ___
“wanderer"
"hard rock"
"sharp stick"
The Earth’s axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane by _____
23.5 degrees
28.2 degrees
45 degrees
If it weren’t for the tilt of Earth's axis, _____ wouldn’t occur
seasons
sunrise
sunset
eclipses
What is the shape of Earth's orbit around the sun?
an ellipse
circle
sphere
In which month is the Earth closest to the Sun?
January
June
July
What is the name for the slow movement of the Earth's axis as it spins?
precession
ecliptic
polaris
In 11,000 years, what star will be our north star?
Vega
Polaris
Sigma
Today we answer the question of “What is stuff?” by saying that “stuff” is made of atoms and that those are made of _______________________ .
quarks and leptons
the elements
dark matter
What does “Nullius in Verba” mean?
“On no one’s word”
stable and single
wanderer
The Royal Society was originally started as a place to _____________________________.
Debate ideas about nature and demonstrate experiments
preach doctrine
When did the word “scientist” begin to appear?
1830's
1770's
1920's
What is Occam's razor?
the principle that, of two explanations that account for all the facts, the simpler one is more likely to be correct.
the principle that, of two explanations that account for all the facts, the more complex one is more likely to be correct.
the principle that, of two explanations that account for all the facts, the one you like best is more likely to be correct.
What do we call the form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe that we can't see.
dark matter
chemicals
elements
