Question 1

The great astronomer of ancient times who summarized and improved a system of circles upon circles to explain the complicated motions of the planets (and published the system in a book now called The Almagest)  is:

Accepted Answer

A)   Hipparchus
B)   Copernicus
C)   Ptolemy
D)   Pythagoras
E)   Alfonso the WiseF) D) and E)
G) A) and B) C

Question 2

Some Canadian troops are sent (as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force)  to a country located on the Earth's equator. At night, when homesickness makes them gaze sleeplessly at the stars, which of the following will be familiar to them (the same at the equator as in Canada) :

Accepted Answer

A)   the celestial poles are on the north and south points of the horizon
B)   the celestial equator is overhead and passes through the zenith
C)   all stars rise and set (no star remains in the sky all night long) 
D)   all stars are above the horizon exactly half a day
E)   none of the above are the same on the equator as in CanadaF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 3

On the celestial sphere, halfway between the celestial poles lies the

Accepted Answer

A)   horizon
B)   zenith for all observers
C)   celestial equator
D)   path of the Sun on any given day
E)   celestial hungarianF) None of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 4

In what fundamental way did the work of Galileo differ from his predecessors who had thought about the sky?

Accepted Answer

A)   Galileo consulted many authorities before coming to scientific conclusions, instead of working on his own
B)   Galileo translated the works of the ancient Greek astronomers, and relied on their wonderful abilities to think through difficult problems
C)   Galileo used instruments and experiments to show him what nature was doing, instead of relying on pure logic
D)   Galileo relied on the revelations of the Bible to tell him what was happening in the sky
E)   Galileo believed that the Earth was the center of the solar system, and everything revolved around itF) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 5

Based on the scientific and statistical tests of astrological predictions, which of the following statements is the most reasonable?

Accepted Answer

A)   astrology has passed every test with flying colors and scientists now agree that the positions of celestial objects are very important in determining our personalities and future
B)   astrology has not passed any clear scientific or statistical test and, as a result, most scientists are very doubtful that it can predict anything meaningful about our lives
C)   astrology has passed about half of the tests that have been devised for it, and it is very controversial; about half the scientists think it works, and the other half do not
D)   no one has ever tested astrology, so it is not possible to say whether it is a useful predictive tool
E)   because it was Ptolemy who wrote the books on which modern astrology is based, most scientists believe it must be correct, no matter what any tests revealF) C) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 6

The 88 sectors into which astronomers today divide the celestial sphere (the whole sky)  are called:

Accepted Answer

A)   zodiacs
B)   constellations
C)   asterisms
D)   epicycles
E)   celestial statesF) A) and E)
G) C) and E) B

Question 7

From a city in the U.S., where in the sky would you look to see a star that is not turning with the motion of the sky in the course of a night?

Accepted Answer

A)   on your horizon
B)   at your zenith
C)   on the celestial equator
D)   at the north celestial pole
E)   you can't fool me, all stars appear to turn around the sky from locations in the U.S.F) None of the above
G) B) and C)

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a result of the Earth's precession?

Accepted Answer

A)   the Earth wobbles (like a spinning top)  with a period of 26,000 years
B)   where the Earth's axis points in the sky changes over the centuries and millennia
C)   Polaris will no longer be the North Star in several thousand years
D)   the stars twinkle when seen from the surface of planet Earth
E)   the signs of the zodiac most astrologers use are no longer in accord with the constellations in which the Sun is currently found over the course of the yearF) B) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 9

Every celestial object appears to go around the Earth once a day. In addition to this motion, which celestial object has the fastest apparent motion in the sky?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mars
B)   the Sun
C)   Venus
D)   the Moon
E)   the Big DipperF) A) and C)
G) C) and D)

Question 10

Which of the following was NOT done by Galileo Galilei?

Accepted Answer

A)   turning the telescope to the sky and believing what it showed his eyes
B)   discovering four large moons around Jupiter
C)   discovering that Venus goes through phases (like the Moon) 
D)   resolving the Milky Way into many, many stars
E)   explaining retrograde motion with the heliocentric hypothesisF) C) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 11

A graduate student in geology who grew up in Florida (near the southernmost tip of the United States)  gets to accompany her research professor to the North Pole. What will be different at the North Pole from the way she remembers the sky in Florida?

Accepted Answer

A)   the celestial pole is overhead
B)   the celestial equator is on the horizon
C)   the way (and whether)  the stars rise or set
D)   all of the above would be different from the way it is in Florida
E)   all of the above (a - c)  would be the same as in FloridaF) All of the above
G) A) and B)

Question 12

What problem has precession caused for many of the schools of astrology?

Accepted Answer

A)   Because of precession, the stars making up the constellation figures (like Leo the Lion)  have moved so far apart, they no longer look like their names
B)   Because of precession, Mars no longer shows retrograde motion and so all the horoscopes done using Mars turn out to be wrong
C)   Because of precession, some of the planets that astrologers use to construct horoscopes no longer orbit the Sun
D)   Because of precession, the constellations are no longer lined up with the astrological signs that are named after them; since astrology was set up, the two have slipped one sign apart
E)   You can't fool me, precession has not affected anything about astrology _________________________________________________________________________2) 4 The Birth of Modern AstronomyF) A) and B)
G) None of the above

Question 13

When it comes to our place in the solar system today, which model do we accept?

Accepted Answer

A)   geocentric
B)   heliocentric
C)   Ptolemaic
D)   Aristotelean
E)   self-centered (Trumpian) F) A) and E)
G) B) and C) B

Question 14

The celestial sphere turns once around each day because

Accepted Answer

A)   the planet on which we live is rotating
B)   the Earth is going around the Sun
C)   the phases of the Moon
D)   precession
E)   everything in the universe turns around the EarthF) B) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 15

In the Northern Hemisphere, the altitude (height in degrees above the horizon)  of the North Star is always roughly equal to the

Accepted Answer

A)   longitude of the observer
B)   latitude of the observer
C)   altitude of the Sun
D)   the tilt of the Earth's axis
E)   the temperature at midnightF) All of the above
G) A) and B)

Question 16

The scientist who first devised experimental tests to demonstrate the validity of the heliocentric model of the solar system was

Accepted Answer

A)   Copernicus
B)   Ptolemy
C)   Galileo
D)   Eratosthenes
E)   LippersheyF) C) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 17

The point in the sky directly above your head at any given time is called the

Accepted Answer

A)   nadir
B)   zenith
C)   celestial pole
D)   horizon point
E)   bald spotF) A) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 18

Within a constellation, a smaller, recognizable pattern of stars is often called:

Accepted Answer

A)   a Dipper
B)   a zodiac
C)   an asterism
D)   an ecliptic
E)   a cameo _________________________________________________________________________2) 2 Ancient AstronomyF) B) and C)
G) C) and D)

Question 19

According to the geocentric view, everything in the heavens had to go around the Earth, which was the center of the universe. What objects did Galileo discover with his telescope that clearly didn't go around the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   stars in the Milky Way that just kept going in a straight line
B)   moons around the planet Jupiter
C)   a ring around the Sun
D)   the Earth's Moon
E)   PlutoF) B) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 20

The Renaissance astronomer who wrote the pioneering book that suggested the Earth probably orbits the Sun (instead of the other way around)  was:

Accepted Answer

A)   Newton
B)   Ptolemy
C)   Eratosthenes
D)   Halley
E)   CopernicusF) A) and D)
G) None of the above

Exam 2: Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

The great astronomer of ancient times who summarized and improved a system of circles upon circles to explain the complicated motions of the planets (and published the system in a book now called The Almagest) is:

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Some Canadian troops are sent (as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force) to a country located on the Earth's equator. At night, when homesickness makes them gaze sleeplessly at the stars, which of the following will be familiar to them (the same at the equator as in Canada) :

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

On the celestial sphere, halfway between the celestial poles lies the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In what fundamental way did the work of Galileo differ from his predecessors who had thought about the sky?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Based on the scientific and statistical tests of astrological predictions, which of the following statements is the most reasonable?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The 88 sectors into which astronomers today divide the celestial sphere (the whole sky) are called:

Correct AnswerverifiedB

From a city in the U.S., where in the sky would you look to see a star that is not turning with the motion of the sky in the course of a night?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is NOT a result of the Earth's precession?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Every celestial object appears to go around the Earth once a day. In addition to this motion, which celestial object has the fastest apparent motion in the sky?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following was NOT done by Galileo Galilei?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A graduate student in geology who grew up in Florida (near the southernmost tip of the United States) gets to accompany her research professor to the North Pole. What will be different at the North Pole from the way she remembers the sky in Florida?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What problem has precession caused for many of the schools of astrology?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When it comes to our place in the solar system today, which model do we accept?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

The celestial sphere turns once around each day because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the Northern Hemisphere, the altitude (height in degrees above the horizon) of the North Star is always roughly equal to the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The scientist who first devised experimental tests to demonstrate the validity of the heliocentric model of the solar system was

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The point in the sky directly above your head at any given time is called the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Within a constellation, a smaller, recognizable pattern of stars is often called:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

According to the geocentric view, everything in the heavens had to go around the Earth, which was the center of the universe. What objects did Galileo discover with his telescope that clearly didn't go around the Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Renaissance astronomer who wrote the pioneering book that suggested the Earth probably orbits the Sun (instead of the other way around) was:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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B

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B

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