Origin of the Universe and Our Solar System Answer Key

Topic: Origin of the Universe & Our Solar System 1) Which evidence best supports the theory that the universe was created by an explosion called the Big Bang? (1) impact craters found on Earth (2) red shifted light from distant galaxies (3) the different compositions of terrestrial and Jovian planets (4) the blue shift of light from distant galaxies 2) Which star is more massive than our Sun, but has a lower surface temperature? (1) 40 Eridani B (2) Sirius (3) Aldebaran (4) Barnard’s Star 3) Which color of visible light has the longest wavelength? (1) violet (3) yellow (2) green (4) red 4) Compared to the Jovian planets, terrestrial planets are (1) larger and less dense (2) smaller and more dense (3) closer to the Sun and less rocky (4) farther from the Sun and more rocky 5) Earth, the Sun, and billions of stars are contained within (1) a single constellation (2) the Milky Way galaxy (3) the solar system (4) a giant cloud of gas Use this diagram to answer question #6 The planets are shown in their relative order of distance from the Sun. Letter A indicates one of the planets. 6) The planets are shown in their relative order of distance from the Sun. Letter A indicates one of the planets. State the period of rotation at the equator of planet A. Label your answer with the correct units. (1) 243 d (2) 17 h 14 min (3) 16 h (4) 164.8 y 7) How many billion years ago did the Universe form? 1) 2) 3) 4) 4 billion years ago 10 billion years ago 13.8 billion years ago 15 billion years ago 8) Identify the process that occurs within the Sun that converts mass into large amounts of energy. (1) Redshift (2) Nuclear fusion (3) Gamma radiation (4) Main Sequence Star 9) Which evidence best supports the theory that the universe began with a massive explosion? (1) cosmic background radiation in space (2) parallelism of planetary axes (3) radioactive dating of Earth’s bedrock (4) life cycle of stars Use this diagram to answer question #10 The diagram represents the orbital paths of the four Jovian planets and Halley’s comet around the Sun. Halley’s comet has a revolution period of 76 years. In 1986, Halley’s comet was at perihelion, its closest point to the Sun. Letters A, B, C, and D represent locations of Halley’s comet in its orbit. Location D represents Halley’s comet at aphelion, its farthest point from the Sun. The comet’s tail is shown at perihelion and at locations B and C. 10) Compared to the orbit of the Jovian planets, the orbit of Halley’s comet is (1) less elliptical, with a shorter distance between its foci (2) less elliptical, with a greater distance between its foci (3) more elliptical, with a shorter distance between its foci (4) more elliptical, with a greater distance between its foci 11) Which sequence lists the Jovian planets in order of increasing mass? (1) Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus (2) Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter (3) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (4) Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter Use this diagram to answer questions #12 - 13 12) The flowchart shows the evolution of stars. Identify the force responsible for the contraction of a nebula (a gas cloud of molecules) to form a protostar. (1) Gravity (2) Main sequence star (3) Redshift (4) Radiation 13) Background radiation detected in space is believed to be evidence that (1) the Universe is contracting (2) the Universe began with a primeval explosion (3) all matter in the Universe is stationary (4) galaxies are evenly spaced throughout the Universe 14) Which star is cooler and less luminous than the Sun? (1) Proxima Centauri (2) Pollux (3) Rigel (4) 40 Eridani B 15) Which characteristics best describe the star Betelgeuse? (1) reddish orange with low luminosity and high surface temperature (2) reddish orange with high luminosity and low surface temperature (3) blue white with low luminosity and low surface temperature (4) blue white with high luminosity and high surface temperature 16) Which object in space emits light because it releases energy produced by nuclear fusion? (1) Earth (2) The Moon (3) Venus (4) Polaris 17) A major piece of evidence supporting the Big Bang theory is the observation that wavelengths of light from stars in distant galaxies show a: (1) Blueshift, appearing to be shorter (2) Milky Way (3) Redshift, appearing to be longer (4) Neutron stars 18) Light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation are given off by stars using energy released during (1) nuclear fusion (3) conduction (2) convection (4) radioactive decay 19) The photograph below shows a feature of the universe as seen through a telescope This feature is best identified as: (1) a galaxy (2) an asteroid (3) a comet (4) a star 20) What is the name AND movement of our galaxy? (1) Milky Way; Ellipticals (2) Supernova; Orbits (3) Milky Way; Rotating Spiral (4) Neutron Star; Red-Shift 21) Which planet’s orbital shape would be most similar to Jupiter’s orbital shape? (1) Venus (2) Uranus (3) Mercury (4) Pluto 22) Which star color indicates the hottest star surface temperature? (1) Blue (2) White (3) Yellow (4) Red 23) Which planet has completed less than one orbit of the Sun in the last 100 years? (1) Mars (3) Neptune (2) Mercury (4) Uranus 24) Compared to the size and density of Earth, the Moon has a (1) smaller diameter and lower density (2) smaller diameter and higher density (3) larger diameter and lower density (4) larger diameter and higher density The diagram below represents the elliptical orbit of a planet traveling around a star. The center of the star and the focal point represent the foci of the orbit. Use the diagram to answer questions #25 - #26. 25) The eccentricity of the planet’s orbit is approximately: (1) 0.9 (2) 0.1 (3) 1.6 (4) 0.5 26) As the distance between the foci increase, the amount of time the planet takes to orbit the Sun: (1) Decreases (2) Increases (3) Stays the same (4) changes often 27) Identify two stars from the Characteristics of Stars graph that are at the same life-cycle stage as the Sun. (1) (2) (3) (4) Sirius and Alpha Centauri Procyon B and Sirius 40 Eridani B and Alpha Centauri Polaris and Betelgeuse Topic: Moon Phases & Tides 28) One complete lunar cycle takes approximately... 1) 24 days 2) 27.3 days 3) 29.5 days 4) 24 hours 29) Which arrangement of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth results in the highest high tides, and the lowest low tides on Earth? (Diagrams are not drawn to scale.) (1) (2) (3) (4) 30) The diagrams below represent Earth’s ocean tides at four different positions of the Moon. Which diagram shows the Moon position that will produce the highest high tides and the lowest low tides? (The diagrams are not drawn to scale.) (1) (3) (2) (4) 31) The diagram on the right shows the Moon orbiting Earth, as viewed from space above Earth’s North Pole. The Moon is shown at eight positions in its orbit. Spring ocean tides occur when the difference in height between high tide and low tide is greatest. At which two positions of the Moon will spring tides occur on Earth? 1) 1 and 5 3) 2 and 6 2) 3 and 7 4) 4 and 8 32) The phases of the Moon are caused by the (1) Sun's varying distance from the Moon (3) Moon's rotation and revolution around the Earth (2) Moon's varying distance from the Earth (4) Earth's revolution around the Sun 33) The diagram below represents eight positions of the Moon as it revolves around the Earth When viewed from the Earth, which phase of the Moon will be seen when the Moon is at point E? (1) First Quarter (2) New Moon (3) Third Quarter (4) Full Moon 34) Which two moon phases can occur during Neap Tides? (1) Waxing Gibbous & Waning Gibbous (3) First Quarter & Third quarter (2) Third Quarter & Waxing Crescent (4) Full Moon & New Moon 35) Which two moon phases can occur during Spring Tides? (1) Waxing Gibbous & Waning Gibbous (3) First Quarter & Third quarter (2) Third Quarter & Waxing Crescent (4) Full Moon & New Moon Topic: Earth’s Interior 36) In which diagram do the arrows best represent the motions of Earth's crust at the Peru-Chile Trench? (1) (3) (2 ) (4) 37) The diagram below shows a portion of Earth's interior. Point A is a location on the interface between layers. The arrows shown in the asthenosphere represent the inferred slow circulation of the plastic mantle by a process called: (1) Conduction (2) Radiation (3) Insolation (4) Convection 38) The block diagram to the right shows the bedrock age as measured by radioactive dating and the present location of part of the Hawaiian Island chain. These volcanic islands may have formed as the Pacific Plate moved over a mantle hot spot. This diagram provides evidence that the Pacific Crustal Plate was moving toward the: (1) East (2) Southwest (3) South (4) Northwest 39) The map below shows the continents of Africa and South America, the ocean between them, and the ocean ridge and transform faults. Locations A and D are on the continents. Locations B and C are on the ocean floor. Which graph best shows the relative age of the ocean-floor bedrock from location B to location C? (1) (2) 40) The map below shows California and a section of the San Andreas Fault. What is the primary geologic process occurring along the San Andreas Fault? (1) transform movement (2) spreading movement (3) subduction (4) convergence 41) The cross section represents the distance and age of ocean-floor bedrock found on both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. According to the cross section, every 1 million years, the ocean floor bedrock moves approximately: (1) 20 km toward the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (2) 20 km away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (3) 40 km toward the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (4) 40 km away from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Questions 42 and 43 refer to the following: Diagram 1 below is a map showing the location and bedrock age of some of the Hawaiian Islands. Diagram 2 is a cross section of an area of the Earth illustrating a stationary magma source and the process that could have formed the islands. 42) Which of the Hawaiian Islands has the greatest probability of having a volcanic eruption? (1) Oahu (2) Kauai (3) Hawaii (4) Maui 43) Volcanic activity like that which produced the Hawaiian Islands is usually closely correlated with (1) frequent earthquake activity (3) nearness to the center of the ocean (2) sudden reversals in the Earth's magnetic field (4) frequent major changes in climate Questions 44 and 45 refer to the following: An earthquake originated in New York State. The P-wave travel time for this earthquake was recorded in the data table below for four widely separated seismic stations, A, B, C, and D. 44) If the first P-wave arrived at seismic station A at 10hrs:22min:30sec, what was the origin time for the earthquake? (Refer to page 11 on your ESRT) (1) 02hrs:02min:30sec (2) 10hrs:30min:50sec (3) 10hrs:14min:10sec (4) 10hrs:22min:30sec 45) Which of the four seismic stations is located farthest from the epicenter? (1) A (2) B (3) C (4) D 46) According to the Earth Science Reference Tables, at 4,500 kilometers below the surface of the Earth, the pressure is estimated to be (Refer to page 10 on your ESRT) 47) According to Page 10 of the Earth Science Reference Table, the rate of temperature increase below the Earth's surface is greatest between depths of 48) Using the Earth Science Reference Tables, list the zones of the Earth's interior in order of increasing average density 49) It is suggested that the outer core of the Earth is liquid. Which is the strongest evidence for this? Topic: Surface Processes 50) Explain what happens to the stream’s ability to carry sediment as the gradient of a stream increases. 51) State an example of physical weathering involving temperatures below freezing. 52) The diagram on the right represents a sedimentary rock outcrop Which rock layer is the most resistant to weathering? Why? Questions 53 and 54 refer to the following: The diagram below represents two branches of a valley glacier. Points A, B, G, and H are located on the surface of the glacier. Point X is located at the interface between the ice and the bedrock. The arrows indicate the general direction of ice movement. 53) Which type of weathering is most likely dominant in the area represented by the diagram? 54) Which force is primarily responsible for the movement of the glacier? 55) During the past 100 years, which erosional agent has been the most dominant in changing the landscape of New York State? 56) According to the Earth Science Reference Tables, which sedimentary rock would be formed by the compaction and cementation of particles 1.5 centimeters in diameter? 57) Where is metamorphic rock frequently found? 58) According to the Earth Science Reference Tables, which characteristic determines whether a rock is classified as a shale, a siltstone, a sandstone, or a conglomerate? 59) The recrystallization of unmelted material under high temperature and pressure results in 60) Which rock was formed by the compression and cementation of sediments with particle sizes ranging from 0.08 to 0.1 centimeter?