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Chapter 24 Studying the Sun Chapter Test Multiple Choice Write the letter that best answers the question or completes the statement on the line provided.
1. What does a prism do? a. combines the many colors of visible light into white light by bending each wavelength at a different angle b. separates sunlight into ultraviolet and infrared radiation c. separates visible light into its many colors by bending each wavelength at a different angle d. changes the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation that passes through it
2. Which of the following types of visible light has the longest wavelength? a. red b. green c. violet d. blue
3. A star’s spectrum can tell astronomers a. how big the star is. b. the star’s chemical composition. c. the age of the star. d. how far away the star is from Earth.
4. Which type of spectrum does the radiation from most stars produce? a. absorption spectrum b. emission spectrum c. discontinuous spectrum d. continuous spectrum
5. What does the use of the Doppler effect tell astronomers about a star? a. a star’s exact velocity as it moves in the galaxy b. the chemical composition of the star c. its diameter compared to that of the sun d. whether a star is moving toward or away from Earth
6. A typical incandescent light bulb produces a(n) a. absorption spectrum. b. emission spectrum. c. discontinuous spectrum. d. continuous spectrum. Earth Science Chapter Tests ■ 139 Name Class Date
7. What does a refracting telescope use to produce an image? a. a mirror b. a spectroscope c. a prism d. a lens
8. Why is chromatic aberration a problem for astronomers? a. It blocks stars from most telescopes. b. It weakens the images of stars. c. It makes stars appear much larger than they are. d. It makes images of stars appear sideways.
9. What does a reflecting telescope use to produce an image? a. a mirror b. a spectroscope c. a prism d. a lens
10. Which of the following statements is NOT true of most large optical telescopes? a. They are refracting telescopes. b. They have greater light-gathering power. c. They have greater resolving power. d. They are reflecting telescopes.
11. What do radio telescopes use to gather and focus radio waves? a. a very large mirror b. a set of glass lenses c. a huge dish d. a tall rotating tower
12. Radio telescopes measure the galaxy’s distribution of a. dust ejected from asteroid impacts on other planets. b. photons from the sun. c. hydrogen from which stars are formed. d. X-rays given off by black holes.
13.What advantage do space telescopes have over Earth-based telescopes? a. They are much cheaper to build. b. They do not have interference from the atmosphere. c. They do not need lenses or mirrors to gather light. d. The weaker gravity around them makes images sharper. Earth Science Chapter Tests ■ 140 Name Class Date
14. The Chandra X-ray Observatory is used to study a. black holes. b. exploding stars. c. the solar system’s outer planets. d. the sun.
15. The visible surface of the sun is its a. corona. b. chromosphere. c. photosphere. d. prominence.
16. Streams of electrons and protons that shoot out from the sun’s corona are the solar a. prominences. b. channels. c. chromosphere. d. wind.
17. Sunspots appear as darker areas on the sun’s surface because they are a. hotter than the rest of the surface. b. holes in the sun’s surface. c. solid areas on the sun’s surface. d. cooler than the rest of the surface.
18. Which of the following is an effect of solar flares on Earth? a. bombards Earth with radio waves b. creates auroras c. makes the climate warmer d. causes the magnetic poles to reverse
19. When the sun produces energy, it consumes hydrogen and produces a. radium. b. helium. c. nitrogen. d. chromium.
20. The sun can continue to exist in its present stable state for about another a. 1 billion years. b. 5.5 billion years. c. 10 billion years. d. 15.5 billion years Earth Science Chapter Tests ■ 141 Name Class Date
Completion Complete each statement on the line provided.
1. Electromagnetic radiation travels at the speed of . 2. Light sometimes acts like a stream of particles called . 3. The study of the properties of light that depend on wavelength is called . 4. is considered the first astronomer to have used telescopes for astronomical observations. 5. Chromatic aberration is an optical defect of telescopes. 6. A telescope’s ability to produce sharper images and finer detail is its power. 7. A network of several radio telescopes wired together is a radio . 8. The Space Telescope was the first telescope in space. 9. The grainy appearance of the sun’s surface is due to moving columns of gases called . Use Figure 1 to answer the following four questions.
Figure 1
10. Using Models The halo-like area around the sun’s disk that is visible on Earth during a total solar eclipse is the . 11. Energy is transmitted inside the sun through the processes of and . 12. The sun’s energy is created in the area in and around its . 13. The sun’s atmosphere consists of the corona and the . Earth Science Chapter Tests ■ 142 Name Class Date
14. The number of sunspots increases and decreases in a cycle of years. Short Answer In complete sentences, write the answers to the questions on the lines provided.
1. Describe the electromagnetic spectrum.
Use Figure 2 to answer the following two questions.
Figure 2
2. Interpreting Graphics How are wavelength and frequency related in electromagnetic radiation?
3. Which type of radiation has a wavelength slightly longer than that of visible light?
4. Comparing and Contrasting Compare and contrast the velocity at which X-rays and radio waves travel.
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5. Describe the way astronomers determine whether stars are moving toward or away from Earth.
6. How does a refracting telescope work?
7. Evaluating List two advantages reflecting telescopes have over refracting telescopes.
8. Describe the process of nuclear fusion.
Essay In complete sentences, write the answer to the question on the lines provided.
1. Earth as a System Why is the process of nuclear fusion important to the interaction between Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere?
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