Grade 9 Academic Science – Unit 3 Space
PRACTICE TEST
Part A - Multiple Choice
1. Which planet is the largest planet?
a. Mercury
b. Saturn
c. Jupiter
d. Pluto
2. Our moon is a satellite. What is a SATELLITE?
a. Celestial object that travels around a planet in a closed path
b. A large, round celestial object that travels around a star
c. A massive collection of gases held together by its own gravity
d. A large rotating collection of gas, dust and other objects
e. None of the above
3. What is “…a celestial object that orbits the Sun and has a spherical shape but does not
dominate its orbit?
a. Asteroid
b. Comet
c. Dwarf Planet
d. Meteor
4. What is a solar prominence?
a. Gases and charged particles expelled above an active area
b. Dark spots appearing on the Sun’s surface that are cooler than the surrounding
area
c. Low-energy gas eruptions from the Sun’s surface that extend thousands of
kilometers into space
d. A display of shifting colours in the sky caused by solar particles colliding with
matter in the upper atmosphere
e. None of the above
5. Stars can be different colours, temperatures and luminosities. These different characteristics
can be represented in a Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram. Where is our Sun located in a
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram?
a. Between the Red Giants and Red Super Giants
b. Near the centre of the Main Sequence
c. Next to Betelgeuse
d. Surrounded by Sirius B and other White Dwarfs
6. What two components describe a Red Giant star compared to other types of stars?
a. Big and hot
b. Small and hot
c. Big and cold
d. Small and cold
7. What does 9.46 X 1012 km represent?
a. 1 Astronomical Unit
b. 1 Light Year
c. The diameter of the Sun
d. The distance to the Moon
8. What type of star is our Sun?
a. Red Giant
b. Protostar
c. White Dwarf
d. Main Sequence Star
9. Where are stars born?
a. Nebula
b. Black Hole
c. Supernova
d. Neutron Star
10. What is “…a darkening of a celestial object due to the position of another celestial object?”
a. A sunspot
b. An eclipse
c. A meteorite
d. Celestial sphere
11. What is the best way to describe the Big Bang Theory?
a. Explosion
b. Balloon expanding
c. A ugly uranus
d. Dripping candle
12. What gas is our Sun burning?
a. Hydrogen
b. Helium
c. Oxygen
d. Nitrogen
13. What is the distance from the Sun to Earth?
a. 1 Astronomical Unit (AU)
b. 1 Light Year (LY)
c. 8 minutes
d. 9.46 X 1012 km
14. The direction that light shifts towards in the visible spectrum when a galaxy moves away
Earth?
a. Blue Shift
b. Green Shift
c. Red Shift
d. Yellow Shift
15. This forms when the core of the star is “swallowed” by its own gravity.
a. Black Hole
b. Red Giant
c. Nebula
d. Neutron Star
16. What is “…a huge and rotating collection of gas and dust with billions of stars, planets and
other celestial objects?”
a. Galaxy
b. Nebula
c. Solar System
d. Universe
17. Which of the following is evidence for the Big Bang Theory?
a. There are remnants of hydrogen and helium throughout the Universe from the
initial Big Bang event
b. Galaxies are moving away from Earth in all directions at a constant rate
c. Remnant heat from the original very hot expansion has been measured
d. All of the above
18. What type of star forms after a Supernova explosion? In this star, the centre collapses so that
protons and electrons combine to form neutrons. The star is so very, very dense that one
teaspoon on Earth would weigh 1 billion tons.
a. Red Super Giant
b. Red Giant
c. Nebula
d. Neutron Star
19. What is “…the total amount of energy produced by a star per second?
a. Gravitational Force
b. Luminosity
c. Absolute Magnitude
d. Apparent Magnitude
20. You look up and see a blue-coloured star. Which temperature best represents the
temperature of the star you are seeing?
a. 3,000OC
b. 7,000OC
c. 10,000OC
d. 25,000OC
21. Which statement best explains why people on Earth always see the same side of the Moon?
a. A day is the same length on both the Moon and the Earth
b. The Earth revolves around the Sun more slowly than the Moon revolves around
the Earth
c. The Moon rotates on its axis and revolves around the Earth in the same amount
of time
d. It takes 365.26 days for the Moon to complete one revolution of the Earth
22. It is the brightness of stars in the night sky as they appear from Earth
a. Luminosity
b. Apparent Magnitude
c. Solar Mass
d. Absolute Magnitude
23. It is the gleaming, white halo that surrounds a sun and extends millions of kilometres into
space
a. Photosphere
b. Corona
c. Solar Flare
d. Convective Zone
24. The star Proxima Centauri is 4.01 X 1013 km from Earth. If 1 Light Year is 9.46 X 1012 km,
what is the distance to Proxima Centauri in Light Years
a. 4.24 Light Years
b. 30.64 Light Years
c. 49.56 Light Years
d. 13.47 Light Years
25. What is “…the apparent looping motion of a planet in the night sky so the planet appears to
move east to west rather than its normal west to east motion?”
a. Gravitational Force
b. Celestial Sphere
c. Retrograde Motion
d. Azimuth and Altitude
26. During the lifetime of a star, why does a star become very large and red?
a. It is running out of hydrogen fuel
b. Its core is expanding
c. It is experiencing uncontrolled nuclear reactions in its core
d. It is reaching 25,000OC on its edge
27. What model describes the planets orbiting around the Sun?
a. Geocentric Model
b. Socrates Model
c. Heliocentric Model
d. Gravitational Model
28. What type of reaction produces the energy in a sun?
a. Nuclear Fission
b. Nuclear Fusion
c. Friction
d. Thermal Convection
29. Which planet is the FOURTH largest planet in our Solar System?
a. Earth
b. Neptune
c. Uranus
d. Mars
30. What happens to the oceans of Earth when experiencing the Moon’s gravitational pull?
a. The pull causes massive evaporation of the oceans
b. Nothing occurs; the oceans only respond to the Sun’s gravitational force.
c. A tsunami will occur chasing the Moon’s pull
d. “Bulges” of water form where the pull is strongest
Part B – Short Answer
31. Using BOTH a diagram and written text, explain how the Northern Lights form
32. Why did early astronomers (ancient Greeks) believe the Earth was the centre of the
universe?
33. Draw AND label (1) a Solar Eclipse and (2) a Lunar Eclipse
34. What is the difference between Apparent Magnitude and Absolute Magnitude?
35. How does the Earth remain in its orbit around the Earth? In other words, why does the Sun’s
gravity not pull the Earth into the Sun? Provide TWO reasons.
36. What is the new theory about Black Holes?
37. You cannot see Dark Matter since it is non-emitting. How would you know that Dark Matter is
present?
38. Draw a CROSS SECTION of the Sun AND label the following sun parts








Chromosphere
Convective Zone
Core
Corona
Photosphere
Radiative Zone
Sun Spot
Solar Prominence
39. You are looking at a FULL MOON in the night sky. You know the Moon is a reflection of the
Sun’s light; yet, you do not see the Sun. How is it possible to see the Moon if you cannot
see the source of light? Moreover in a Full Moon, the Moon is on the opposite side of the
Earth than the Sun. How is that possible? Explain using both a diagram AND a short piece
of written text.
40. The Sun is a ball of gas; yet, it stay together in a shape of a solid. How?
41. Why is it important to know that all the grains of sand on Earth would be required to represent
all the stars in the entire Universe? Provide one idea for your answer
42. Betelgeuse is 600 Light Years from Earth. If 1 Light Year is 9.46 X 1012 km, what is the
distance from Earth to Betelgeuse in kilometers?
43. Polaris is 4.07 X 1015 km from Earth. Calculate the distance in Light Years.
44. You are looking at the Spectral Pattern of a distant star. You notice that the colours in the
Spectral Pattern shift slightly. You also notice that the shift appears to move across the face
of the star in a set orbit and pattern of time. You note you are looking at a Gas Giant planet.
How did you reach that conclusion?
45. You are in Paris look into the distance at the Eiffel Tower. You want to determine how far
away the tower is from your present location. Using the graph paper below, make a scale
diagram AND determine the distance to the object. The scale is 1” = 2 km. The baseline
length is 4”. Angle #1 is 55O from the baseline and Angle #2 is 60O. Draw the triangle and
determine the distance from your baseline to the object. Show your calculations
MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS
Question
Answer
Question
Answer
Question
Answer
1
c
11
b
21
c
2
a
12
a
22
b
3
c
13
a
23
b
4
c
14
c
24
a
5
b
15
a
25
c
6
c
16
a
26
a
7
b
17
d
27
c
8
d
18
d
28
b
9
a
19
b
29
a
10
b
20
d
30
d
42. 5.7 X 1015 km
43. 430 Light Years