Explorations Introduction to Astronomy 9Th Edition By Thomas - Test Bank

Explorations Introduction to Astronomy 9Th Edition By Thomas – Test Bank

 

Instant Download – Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

 

An Introduction to Astronomy, 9e (Arny)

Chapter 5   Telescopes

 

1) If your pupils have a diameter of about 5 mm, about how many times more light gathering power does a telescope with a diameter of about 20 cm (8 inches) have than your pupils?

1. A) 4 times
2. B) 16 times
3. C) 40 times
4. D) 160 times
5. E) 1,600 times

 

Answer:  E

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  3. Apply

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties

 

2) The two most important properties of any telescope are

1. A) the light-gathering power and the length of the tube.
2. B) the length of the tube and the magnification.
3. C) the magnification and the light-gathering power.
4. D) the resolving power and the magnification.
5. E) the light-gathering power and the resolving power.

 

Answer:  E

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01; 05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties

 

 

3) A pencil inside a water glass appears to be bent because of

1. A) reflection of light.
2. B) refraction of light.
3. C) diffraction of light.
4. D) None of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Reflectors and refractors

 

4) What is a disadvantage of using a single large lens in a telescope?

1. A) Large lenses are expensive to fabricate.
2. B) A lens has to be supported only at its edges, so the lens can sag in the middle.
3. C) Different colors of white light on passing through a lens focus at different points and result in a blurred image.
4. D) Some lens materials completely absorb short wavelengths.
5. E) All of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  E

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Reflectors and refractors

 

5) Carl has a 5-inch refracting telescope, and Jim has a 3-inch reflecting telescope. Whose telescope has a higher light-gathering power?

1. A) Carl’s, because lenses gather more light.
2. B) Jim’s, because mirrors gather more light.
3. C) Carl’s, because the larger the diameter, the more light to be collected.
4. D) Jim’s, because the smaller the diameter, the more light to be collected.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties

 

 

6) If a 3-meter diameter telescope is doubled in size, then its new light collecting power would

1. A) not change.
2. B) double.
3. C) increase by a factor of four.
4. D) reduce by half.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties

 

7) How do astronomers calculate a telescope’s light collecting area (A)? (where r = radius of the telescope’s mirror or lens)

1. A) A = 2πr
2. B) A = πr2
3. C) A = 4πr2
4. D) A = 4/3 πr3

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties

 

8) Telescope A has a mirror twice the diameter of telescope B’s mirror. How does A’s light-gathering power compare to B’s?

1. A) A gathers 1/2 the light that B does.
2. B) A gathers twice the light that B does.
3. C) A gathers 4 times the light that B does.
4. D) A gathers 1/4th as much light as B does.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties

 

 

9) How does the light-gathering power of a telescope affect the ability to see faint objects?

1. A) Faint objects are brighter if the telescope can gather a lot of light.
2. B) Faint objects appear larger when viewed through a large-diameter telescope.
3. C) Faint objects do not twinkle if the telescope can gather a lot of light.
4. D) Faint objects are clearer (better resolved) if the telescope can gather a lot of light.

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties

 

10) What is the difference between a reflecting and a refracting telescope?

1. A) A reflecting telescope uses a lens to focus light; a refracting telescope uses a mirror.
2. B) A reflecting telescope uses a mirror to focus light; a refracting telescope uses a lens.
3. C) Both use a mirror to focus light, but a reflecting telescope uses mirrors elsewhere to bend light.
4. D) There is no difference. “Refracting” is an outmoded way of saying “reflecting.”

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Reflectors and refractors

 

11) Light travels ________ in water than in air.

1. A) faster
2. B) slower
3. C) at the same speed
4. D) perpendicular to

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Reflectors and refractors

 

 

12) Astronomy’s largest optical telescopes are ________.

1. A) reflectors
2. B) refractors
3. C) diffractors
4. D) deflectors

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Reflectors and refractors

 

13) Chromatic aberration creates images fringed with color when using which kind of telescope?

1. A) reflector
2. B) refractor
3. C) radio
4. D) interferometer
5. E) adaptive optic

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Reflectors and refractors

 

14) When light passes through a transparent material, different wavelengths (colors) of light are refracted by differing amounts. This effect is called ________.

1. A) reflection
2. B) diffraction
3. C) dispersion
4. D) aberration
5. E) scintillation

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Reflectors and refractors

 

15) Which of these is a reason for using mirrors rather than lenses in telescopes?

1. A) Lenses are more expensive to make than mirrors.
2. B) Most transparent materials focus light of different colors to different spots.
3. C) Lenses can only be supported by their edges, making them sag in the middle (mirrors can be supported from behind).
4. D) All of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Reflectors and refractors

 

16) In a reflecting telescope, the secondary mirror causes a hole in the center of the image.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Reflectors and refractors

 

17) Most of the modern large optical telescopes are refractors.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Reflectors and refractors

 

18) To double the light-gathering power of a telescope, we need to double the diameter.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  3. Apply

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties

 

 

19) The design of radio telescopes is very similar to the design of refracting telescopes.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.01

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Reflectors and refractors

 

20) Using ________, scientists can use a few smaller telescopes to take images with the same resolution as a much larger telescope.

1. A) satellite telescopes
2. B) charge-coupled devices (CCDs)
3. C) interferometry
4. D) adaptive optics

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

21) To double the resolving power of a telescope, you must ________.

1. A) increase the diameter by a factor of two
2. B) increase the collecting area by a factor of two
3. C) decrease the diameter by half
4. D) decrease the collecting area by half

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

 

22) Ignoring the effects of the atmosphere, what is the theoretical resolution of an 8-inch telescope (about 20 cm) if you are looking at visible light with a wavelength of about 500 nm?

1. A) about half an arc second
2. B) about half a degree
3. C) about 1/100 of an arc second
4. D) about 25 arc seconds

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  3. Apply

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

23) The resolving power of a telescope is affected by the property of light called

1. A) refraction.
2. B) diffraction.
3. C) reflection.
4. D) seeing.
5. E) attenuation.

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

24) The ability of a telescope to show two very close objects separately is called its ________.

1. A) light-gathering power
2. B) resolving power
3. C) magnification
4. D) focal length

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

 

25) Tom has a 4-inch refracting telescope, and Steve has a 3-inch reflecting telescope. Whose telescope has a higher resolving power?

1. A) Tom’s, because lenses are more efficient in showing the objects separately.
2. B) Steve’s, because mirrors are more efficient in showing the objects separately.
3. C) Tom’s, because the larger the diameter, the better the resolution.
4. D) Steve’s, because the smaller the diameter, the better the resolution.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  3. Apply

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

26) ________ is the most important quality of an astronomical telescope.

1. A) Magnification
2. B) Resolving power
3. C) Ability to see at night
4. D) Rigidity

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

27) A telescope’s resolving power measures its ability to see

1. A) fainter sources.
2. B) more distant sources.
3. C) finer details in sources.
4. D) larger sources.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

 

28) One way to increase the resolving power of a telescope is to

1. A) make its mirror bigger.
2. B) make its mirror smaller.
3. C) replace its mirror with a lens of the same diameter.
4. D) observe objects using longer wavelengths.

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

29) In a telescope, diffraction creates ________.

1. A) bright and clear images
2. B) images fringed with color
3. C) images with faint ripples
4. D) washed out images

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

30) “Spikes” seen in images of stars are caused by ________.

1. A) diffraction from the telescope support structures
2. B) dispersion from the telescope’s primary lens
3. C) deflection from the inner surfaces of the telescope
4. D) disruption from nearby light sources

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

 

31) What process limits a telescope’s resolving power?

1. A) reflection
2. B) refraction
3. C) diffraction
4. D) distraction

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

32) A telescope with a large-diameter aperture or mirror will ________.

1. A) collect a lot of light and have high resolution
2. B) collect less light, but have higher resolution
3. C) collect a lot of light, but have poor resolution
4. D) collect less light, and have poor resolution

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

33) Why use an interferometer?

1. A) Its two widely spaced mirrors act like one giant telescope with increased collecting area.
2. B) Its two widely spaced mirrors act like one giant telescope with increased resolving power.
3. C) By putting one mirror above the other you can make the instrument much smaller.
4. D) It can detect light at wavelengths not available to single telescopes.

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

 

34) The effect of tripling the size of a telescope’s primary mirror is to triple its resolving power.

 

Answer:  TRUE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

35) An optical telescope is able to resolve blue objects better than red objects.

 

Answer:  TRUE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.02

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Telescope fundamental properties; Resolution

 

36) A warm dust cloud in which stars are forming would be best observed with a(n) ________ telescope.

1. A) radio
2. B) gamma-ray
3. C) infrared
4. D) optical (visible light)

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light

 

 

37) A galaxy with almost no starlight but plenty of cool clouds of hydrogen gas would be best observed with a(n) ________ telescope.

1. A) X-ray
2. B) radio
3. C) infrared
4. D) optical (visible-light)

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light

 

38) In a false color image,

1. A) only one color is used.
2. B) color information from optical telescopes is combined with information from a non-visible wavelength telescope to make the image.
3. C) stars appear black and the background appears white.
4. D) colors can represent photon energies or the intensity of electromagnetic radiation.

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light

 

39) Which is the most efficient means of recording light?

1. A) photographic films
2. B) photomultiplier tubes
3. C) charge-coupled device (CCD)
4. D) the human eye

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Light detection with CCDs

 

 

40) Which of the following is an inherent disadvantage of radio telescopes?

1. A) Radio telescopes cannot detect visible light.
2. B) Radio telescopes have low magnification.
3. C) Radio signals are very weak, and their photons do not penetrate the atmosphere easily.
4. D) The long wavelength of radio waves results in lower resolving power, compared to other telescopes of the same size.
5. E) They only work at night.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

41) What does CCD stand for?

1. A) charge-coupled device
2. B) cosmic-ray channel detector
3. C) charge collecting device
4. D) channel-coupled detector

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light

 

42) How is a CCD better than film for astronomical imaging?

1. A) CCDs are much more sensitive to light than film.
2. B) Film images require developing, CCD images do not.
3. C) It is more difficult to enhance the contrast and clarity with film images.
4. D) All of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light

 

 

43) What technique does a radio telescope use to focus incoming light?

1. A) reflection
2. B) refraction
3. C) diffraction
4. D) dispersion

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light

 

44) Which of the following astronomical objects emit radiation mostly at non-visible wavelengths?

1. A) dust clouds in space
2. B) hot gas surrounding black holes
3. C) cold interstellar gas clouds
4. D) All of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

45) An interstellar dust cloud may be very cold. What kind of telescope would we use to observe it at its strongest wavelength?

1. A) a ground-based infrared telescope
2. B) a ground-based X-ray telescope
3. C) a space-based ultraviolet telescope
4. D) a ground-based visible-light telescope
5. E) None of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  E

Difficulty: 3 Hard

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

46) The accretion disk of a black hole is typically very hot. What kind of telescope would we use to observe it at its strongest wavelength?

1. A) a ground-based X-ray telescope
2. B) a space-based X-ray telescope
3. C) a ground-based gamma-ray telescope
4. D) a space-based radio telescope
5. E) None of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 3 Hard

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

47) Radio telescopes allow us to observe objects that are too cold to emit strongly in the visible part of the spectrum. Astronomers still use images of these object for study. What kind of images are these?

1. A) artist’s renditions
2. B) false-color images
3. C) black-and-white images
4. D) holographic images
5. E) Astronomers do not use images to study radio objects.

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 3 Hard

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light

 

48) CCDs are widely used in astronomy because the images are easily manipulated in computers, but photographic film is actually more sensitive to photons.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Light detection with CCDs

 

 

49) Radio telescopes on Earth can only make observations at night.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.03

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

50) The best site for placing an X-ray telescope is ________.

1. A) a mountaintop
2. B) a valley
3. C) near an ocean
4. D) a desert
5. E) above Earth’s atmosphere

 

Answer:  E

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

51) An interstellar gas is emitting 10-centimeter wavelength radiation, and a nearby star is emitting 10-micrometer wavelength radiation. Which of these can you observe through an Earth-based telescope?

1. A) the interstellar gas
2. B) the star
3. C) both interstellar gas and the star
4. D) None of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 3 Hard

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

52) X-rays are blocked by ________ and ________ present in Earth’s atmosphere.

1. A) water molecules; carbon dioxide
2. B) ozone; oxygen
3. C) nitrogen; helium
4. D) electric charges; clouds

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

53) Which space telescope is observing X-rays?

1. A) the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
2. B) the Chandra Observatory
3. C) the Spitzer Space Telescope
4. D) the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE)

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

54) Which of the following telescopes is most suitable for observing cool gas clouds?

1. A) X-ray telescope
2. B) radio telescope
3. C) visible-light telescope
4. D) All of these choices are correct.
5. E) Cool gas clouds cannot be observed by telescopes.

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

55) Do astronomers use ground-based X-ray telescopes?

1. A) Yes, because they can penetrate gas clouds.
2. B) No, because no astronomical objects emit X-rays.
3. C) No, because X-rays cannot get through Earth’s atmosphere.
4. D) No, because astronomers have not yet devised detectors for X-rays.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

56) Why must radio telescopes have very large dishes?

1. A) A large mirror is necessary to resolve radio-emitting images.
2. B) Radio-emitting objects are very far from Earth, and so are very dim.
3. C) Large radio telescopes are easier to repair than small instruments.
4. D) The large dish is to compensate for atmospheric absorption of radio waves.
5. E) Size is immaterial to quality observations.

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

57) Ground-based observations can be made easily in the ________ part(s) of the spectrum.

1. A) radio and visible
2. B) ultraviolet and visible
3. C) radio and ultraviolet
4. D) infrared

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

58) The Hubble Telescope gets much clearer images of astronomical objects than ground-based telescopes because it has a much larger mirror than ground-based telescopes.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

59) The Hubble Space Telescope only detects visible light.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

60) Gamma-ray telescopes, such as the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope, are launched into space because they are dangerous to operate on Earth.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

61) The Hubble Space Telescope is the largest telescope ever built.

 

Answer:  FALSE

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

62) One of the biggest problems for ground-based astronomy today is

1. A) all the best mountains already have telescopes on them.
2. B) atmospheric pollution has significantly worsened the seeing.
3. C) space-based observatories are making most of the observations.
4. D) light pollution makes it difficult to observe faint objects.

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

63) Why does the Sun look flattened near the horizon?

1. A) The Sun’s light is reflected off the horizon, making the Sun appear compressed.
2. B) Earth’s dense atmosphere compresses the gaseous Sun.
3. C) The larger refraction near the horizon lifts the lower edge of the Sun more than the upper edge and makes the Sun look flattened.
4. D) The Sun is cooler on the horizon, so it looks flattened.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

64) Why does the Moon appear bigger near the horizon?

1. A) due to an optical illusion
2. B) due to refraction
3. C) due to reflection
4. D) due to the compression produced by Earth’s atmosphere

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

65) What is “seeing”?

1. A) the ability of a telescope to show two very close objects separately
2. B) the capacity of a telescope to gather more light
3. C) the ability of a telescope to see in the night
4. D) the distortion of an image due to an atmospheric turbulence

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Resolution; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

66) The best site for placing a ground-based optical telescope is ________.

1. A) a mountaintop
2. B) a valley
3. C) in an urban setting
4. D) in a location that has few sunny days throughout the year

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

67) Why do stars twinkle?

1. A) due to rapid changes occurring on their surfaces
2. B) due to their movement across the sky
3. C) due to the refraction caused by atmospheric irregularities
4. D) due to imperfections in the human eye

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Resolution; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

68) Why does the useful resolving power of a ground-based telescope not match its theoretical value?

1. A) Mirrors can’t be built accurately enough.
2. B) The atmosphere blurs the image, decreasing the resolving power.
3. C) Mirrors cannot collect enough light to reach their theoretical expectations.
4. D) The theoretical value can only be reached when there is a Full Moon.

 

Answer:  B

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Resolution; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

69) On some telescopes, actuators on the mirror change its shape to match distortions in the atmosphere. What is this technique called?

1. A) actuary observing
2. B) interferometry
3. C) refraction
4. D) adaptive optics

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

70) Which of the following is a reason to build an observatory in space?

1. A) They are much less expensive than ground-based observatories.
2. B) They can last forever.
3. C) to avoid atmospheric blurring
4. D) There is no good reason to build a space-based observatory.

 

Answer:  C

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

 

71) What causes the image of a star to “twinkle” or scintillate?

1. A) irregularities in the density of layers of Earth’s atmosphere, rapidly refracting the light
2. B) the flickering fusion process in the stars
3. C) a purely physiological reaction in the eye
4. D) None of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  A

Difficulty: 2 Medium

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

72) Why are remote sites chosen for ground-based telescopes?

1. A) Populated areas produce light pollution that degrades the quality of observations.
2. B) Deserts and mountaintops tend to be cloud-free, making observations convenient.
3. C) Mountaintops allow astronomers to avoid morning hazes.
4. D) Remote areas have less interference from power lines and other sources of noise.
5. E) All of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  E

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.05

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  2. Understand

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation

 

73) The collision of two neutron stars might be detected as what?

1. A) an atmospheric window
2. B) a nebula.
3. C) an emission-line spectrum.
4. D) a gamma-ray burst.
5. E) All of these choices are correct.

 

Answer:  D

Difficulty: 1 Easy

Section:  05.04

Topic:  Telescopes

Bloom’s:  1. Remember

Gradable:  automatic

Subtopic:  Collecting and filtering light; Ground-based vs. space-based observation