Sun Earth Connection Test I
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. Granulation is caused by
a. sunspots.
b. rising gas below the photosphere.
c. shock waves in the corona.
d. the solar wind flowing away from the corona.
e. the heating in the chromosphere.
2. Differential rotation of the sun
a. causes the heating in the chromosphere and corona that makes them hotter than the
photosphere.
b. is caused by the magnetic dynamo inside the sun.
c. implies that the equatorial regions of the sun rotate more rapidly than the polar
regions.
d. causes the sunspots to migrate slowly from the equator toward the poles as the sun
rotates.
e. implies that the sun's southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere rotate in
opposite directions.
3. Most of the light we see coming from the sun originates in the
a. chromosphere.
b. photosphere.
c. corona.
d. sunspots.
e. magnetic field.
4. A filtergram is a photograph of the sun's surface made
a. in a band of wavelengths in the infrared.
b. in a band of wavelengths in the ultraviolet.
c. using the Zeeman effect.
d. with only those photons emitted in a specific spectral line.
e. none of the above
5. The corona and chromosphere of the sun are believed to be heated by
a. shock waves rising from below the photosphere.
b. the solar wind.
c. sunspots.
d. high energy particles being accelerated by the sun's magnetic field.
e. differential rotation.
6. The chromosphere of the sun
a. is hotter than the photosphere.
b. appears yellow-white in color during total solar eclipse.
c. is the visible surface of the sun.
d. produces an absorption spectrum.
e. all of the above.
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7. Sunspots are known to be magnetic phenomena because
a. Doppler shifts in spectral lines are observed.
b. the Zeeman effect is observed in sunspots.
c. collisional broadening is observed in spectral lines.
d. infrared observations indicate that the sunspots are cooler than their surroundings.
e. observations during eclipses reveal a very extensive photosphere.
8. The sunspot cycle affects
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II.
III.
IV.
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the latitude at which sunspots are visible at a given time.
the number of sunspots that are visible at a given time.
the rotation rate of the sun's equator at a given time.
the magnetic polarity of the sunspots at a given time.
a. I & II
b. I & IV
c. II & III
d. I, II, & III
e. I, II, & IV
The sun's magnetic field is evident in the looped shapes of
a. solar flares.
b. sunspots.
c. the corona.
d. granules.
e. prominences.
Sunspots are dark because
a. regions of the photosphere are obscured by material in the chromosphere.
b. shock waves move through the photosphere.
c. the sun rotates differentially.
d. the strong magnetic field inhibits the currents of hot gas rising from below.
e. they radiate their energy into space faster than the rest of the photosphere.
The centers of granules
a. are hot material rising to the photosphere from below.
b. are cool material falling from the photosphere to the regions below.
c. are fainter and hotter than their surroundings.
d. are brighter and cooler than their surroundings.
e. show strong Zeeman effects.
Spicules
a. are found in the photosphere.
b. are magnetic disturbances that push large loops of material off the solar surface.
c. are responsible for twisting the solar magnetic field and causing the sunspot cycle.
d. appear in the corona near the north and south poles of the sun during a total solar
eclipse.
e. are visible in filtergrams of the solar chromosphere.
Which of the following is evidence that convection occurs in the layers just below the sun's
photosphere?
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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Sunspots appear to be cooler than their surroundings.
Solar prominences lift large loops of gas into the chromosphere and corona.
The solar wind emits large numbers of charged particles.
The sun rotates differentially.
The centers of granules are hot and moving away from the center of the sun.
Figure 7-1
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14. The diagram in Figure 7-1 above shows a plot of the temperature of the sun as a function of
distance above the bottom of the photosphere. At what distance above the bottom of the
photosphere does the temperature of the sun change the most rapidly with distance?
a. 1,000 km
b. 2,300 km
c. 2,500 km to 4,000 km
d. 400 km
e. a and c
15. The diagram in Figure 7-1 above shows a plot of the temperature of the sun as a function of
distance above the bottom of the photosphere. What is the temperature of the sun at a distance of
2,000 km?
a. 500 K
b. 900 K
c. 5,000 K
d. 9,000 K
e. 100,000 K
16. The diagram in Figure 7-1 above shows a plot of the temperature of the sun as a function of
distance above the bottom of the photosphere. At what distance above the bottom of the
photosphere is the temperature of the sun the smallest?
a. 1000 km
b. 2300 km
c. 2500 km to 4000 km
d. 500 km
e. a and c
17. As the moon covers the solar disk during a solar eclipse, a flash spectrum of the sun's
chromosphere can be recorded. This flash spectrum reveals an emission spectrum and provides
information on the properties of the chromosphere. As the moon moves from the inner
chromosphere to the outer chromosphere, the spectral lines present in the flash spectrum change.
What is going on in the chromosphere that produces the changes in the flash spectrum?
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I.
II.
III.
IV.
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The temperature of the chromosphere decreases as the distance from the
photosphere increases.
The temperature of the chromosphere increases as the distance from the
photosphere increases.
The density of the chromosphere decreases as the distance from the
photosphere increases.
The density of the chromosphere increases as the distance from the
photosphere increases.
a. I & III
b. I & IV
c. II & III
d. II & IV
e. I
A recent sunspot maximum occurred in 2001, what is the year of the sunspot maximum that
immediately follows the 2001 maximum if the solar cycle continues?
a. 2006 or 2007
b. 2012
c. 2018
d. 2023
e. the last cycle started a Maunder minimum and the next maximum cannot be
predicted.
__________ is (are) produced by atomic transitions in the presence of a strong magnetic field.
a. Differential rotation
b. Granules
c. The Zeeman effect
d. Spicules
e. The coronal hole
A __________ is believed to occur when energy, stored in a twist in the solar magnetic field above
a sunspot, is suddenly released.
a. solar flare
b. supergranule
c. spicule
d. coronal hole
e. none of the above
Sunspots
a. are cooler than their surroundings.
b. are regions where material is rising from below the photosphere.
c. are the result of convection.
d. produce spicules.
e. are generally found near the poles of the sun during sunspot maximum.
The __________ is (are) the hot gases that are the moving extension of the sun's corona.
a. spicules
b. prominences
c. flares
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d. supergranules
e. solar wind
The corona of the sun can be observed
a. during a lunar eclipse.
b. with a coronagraph.
c. using filtergrams.
d. a and b above
e. with none of the above
The proton-proton chain needs high temperature because
a. of the ground state energy of the hydrogen atom.
b. of the presence of helium atoms.
c. the protons must overcome the Coulomb barrier.
d. of the need for low density.
e. the neutrinos carry more energy away than the reaction produces.
Which of the following is suggested as the best explanation of the missing solar neutrinos?
a. The sun is fusing helium but not hydrogen.
b. Nuclear reactions do not produce neutrinos as fast as theory predicts.
c. The sun may contain matter we haven't yet identified.
d. Neutrinos may oscillate between three different flavors.
e. None of the above
In the proton-proton chain
a. no neutrinos are produced.
b. energy is released because a helium nucleus has a greater mass than a hydrogen
nucleus.
c. no photons are produced.
d. carbon serves as a catalyst for the nuclear reaction.
e. energy is produced in the form of gamma rays and the velocity of the created
nuclei.
The capture of too few solar neutrinos by Davis in the solar neutrino experiment
a. has been disproved by the results of later experiments.
b. can be explained if the sun is not undergoing thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen in
its core.
c. indicates that the sun's core is much hotter than expected.
d. indicates that the sun's core is convective.
e. none of the above
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The Un
1024 J of energy. How many years could we run the United States on the energy released by this
solar flare if all of the released energy could be used?
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a.
years
b. 200,000 years
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c.
years
d. about 12 years
e. 500 years
If a sunspot has a temperature of 4,500 K and the surrounding solar surface has a temperature of
5,800 K, how many times brighter is the surface compared to the sunspot?
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a. 0.28
b. 0.36
c. 2.8
d. 3.6
e. 36
30. The intensity of a sunspot is found to be 3 times smaller than the intensity emitted by the solar
surface. What is the approximate temperature of this sunspot if the temperature of the solar surface
is 5800 K?
a. 4400 K
b. 470,000 K
c. 1900 K
d. 7600 K
e. 1400 K
31. If the spectrum of a sunspot shows that it has a maximum intensity at 650 nm, what is the
temperature of the sunspot?
a. 650 K
b. 5000 K
c. 1950 K
d. 4600 K
e. 10,000 K
Completion
Complete each sentence or statement.
32. Most of the light we see coming from the sun originates in the __________.
33. The __________ of the sun is composed of ionized gas and produces a continuous spectrum with a
superimposed emission spectrum.
34. The __________ shows that sunspots are associated with magnetic activity.
35. The study of the oscillations of the surface and interior of the sun is known as __________.
36. The dynamo effect is believed to produce the __________ of the sun.
37. A(n) __________ is a subatomic particle produced in nuclear fusion that can travel through the sun
and escape to space without interacting with any particles in the sun.
True/False
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false.
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38. Most of the visible light from the sun originates in the photosphere.
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39. In the sun, rising currents of hot gas below the photosphere cause granulation.
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40. Helioseismology is the study of the differential rotation and magnetic field of the sun.
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41. A filtergram is used to study layers below the photosphere.
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42. The chromosphere of the sun has a higher temperature than the photosphere.
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43. The Zeeman effect shows that sunspots contain magnetic fields.
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44. Sunspots are hotter than the photosphere.
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45. The Babcock model employs differential rotation of the solar surface and a magnetic dynamo to
describe the formation of sunspots.
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46. Solar flares have no known effect on Earth.
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47. Solar prominences have twisted and looped shapes because of the solar magnetic field.
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48. The solar neutrino experiments detect about twice as many neutrinos as theory predicts should be
detected.
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Sun Earth Connection Test I
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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30.
31.
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B
C
B
D
D
A
B
E
E
D
A
E
E
B
D
D
C
B
C
A
A
E
B
C
D
E
E
B
C
A
D
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COMPLETION
32. ANS: photosphere
33. ANS: corona
34. ANS: Zeeman effect
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35. ANS: helioseismology
36. ANS: magnetic field
37. ANS: neutrino
TRUE/FALSE
38.
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42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
ANS:
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T
T
F
F
T
T
F
T
F
T
F
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