Astronomy 1: Midterm 1 Practice Exam
True/False (+2 pts each)
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false. Mark A on your scantron for true and B for false.
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1. Your mass on the Moon will equal to your mass on Earth.
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2. If the Earth was not tilted, we would always have equal days and equal nights.
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3. Astronomy is one example of a pseudoscience.
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4. A solar eclipse is when the Moon is in between the Earth and the Sun.
Multiple Choice (+2 pts each)
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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5. A lunar eclipse does not occur every month because
a. most of the time the moon’s angular size is not the same as the Sun due to its elliptical
orbit.
b. the ecliptic plane is tilted 23.5 degrees from the celestial equator.
c. the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation prevents us from directly aligning with
the moon.
d. the Moon’s orbit is tilted 5 degrees from the ecliptic plane.
6. Who conducted the pendulum experiment to prove that the Earth rotates?
a. Jean Leon Foucault
b. Johannes Kepler
c. Aristotle
d. Sir Isaac Newton
e. Nicolaus Copernicus
7. Which of the following do the 12 signs of the zodiac line up with?
a. ecliptic
b. galactic center
c. horizon
d. equator
e. azimuth
8. The fixed coordinates of an object on a celestial sphere (lines of longitude and latitude) are called
a. altitude and declination.
b. right ascension and azimuth.
c. right ascension and declination.
d. altitude and azimuth.
e. althitude and meridian.
9. An Astronomical Unit is defined as the:
a. the average distance from the Earth to the Sun.
b. the age of our Universe.
c. size of our solar-system.
d. the distance to Proxima Centauri.
____ 10. During the equinox, how many hours of daylight would we have?
a. 15 hours.
b. 24 hours.
c. 9 hours.
d. 12 hours.
____ 11. Circumpolar star are stars that
a. do not appear to move.
b. rise in the East and set in the West.
c. move perpendicular to the horizon.
d. never rise or set.
____ 12. Approximately how long does it take for the Moon to complete a full cycle of phases?
a. 1 month
b. 1 year
c. 1 day
d. 1 week
____ 13. Which of the following is correctly ordered from smallest in size to largest in size?
a. star, planet, solar system, galaxy, universe
b. planet, star, galaxy, solar system, universe
c. star, planet, solar system, universe, galaxy
d. planet, star, solar system, galaxy, universe
____ 14. How far away from us is our Moon?
a. 8.3 light minutes away
b. 1.3 light seconds away
c. 5 billion light years away
d. 4.2 light years away
e. 120 light years away
____ 15. The angular distance of an object from North is called
a. the azimuth
b. declination
c. the meridian
d. the altitude
e. right ascension
____ 16. Who possessed the best observations of the orbits of the planets and had a gold nose?
a. Ptolemy
b. Kepler
c. Copernicus
d. Aristotle
e. Brahe
____ 17. According to Newton, the gravity of an object depends upon its
a. size and distance.
b. mass and distance.
c. weight and mass.
d. size and mass.
e. weight and size.
____ 18. The plane of the Earth’s orbit projected onto the celestial sphere or the apparent path of the Sun in the sky is
called the:
a. azimuth
b. equator
c. ecliptic
d. horizon
____ 19. The imaginary line that runs through North, South, and the zenith that divides the sky into an Eastern half and
a Western half is called
a. the celestial equator
b. declination
c. the ecliptic
d. the meridian
e. right ascension
Short Answer (+2-3pts)
Record the answers to these questions directly on the exam and NOT on the scantron.
20. a) One of the main components of the scientific method that we talked about in class is the testing component.
What are the three other components of the scientific method as discussed in class? (To earn full credit, you
must use the same terms we used in the classroom) (+1.5pts)
b) What three methods (that we discussed in class), can astronomers use as a reliable test? (+1.5pts)
21. What is an annular eclipse? To earn full points, please include as much detail as possible. Include in your
answer whether it is a type of solar or a type of lunar eclipse. (+3pts)
22. Describe two of Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion. (+2pts)
Short Answer (+4pts)
Record the answers to these questions directly on the exam and NOT on the scantron.
23. Ptolemy’s theory and Copernicus’ theory both explained the retrograde motion of planets. Explain a) what is
retrograde motion b) the differences between the two theories and how they explained why retrograde motion
occurred in each of these theories.
Phases of the Moon (+9pts total)
The following is a diagram of the Earth and Moon as it orbits the Earth in 8 different positions (A-H). Assume that the
Sun’s rays hit the Moon from the right. a) Draw with an arrow on the dashed circle, the direction of the Moon’s orbit
around the Earth. (+1pt) b) For each position, label the name of the correct phase (+4pts). c) In the circles provided, draw
what the side of the moon facing the Earth would look like as seen from Earth (+4pts). In your drawing, shade (darken)
the part of the moon that is dark and leave white the part that is lit.
24.