Which of the following is a UNIT of distance commonly used by astronomers within the solar system?
 a. parallax   b. light-years  c. red shift d. astronomical units (AU)  e. they really guess

Which of the following is a UNIT of distance commonly used by astronomers within the universe?
 a. parallax   b. light-years (LY)  c. red shift d. astronomical units (AU)  e. they really guess

The largest known shield volcano in the solar system is:
a. the Hawaiian Islands  b. Krakatoa  c. on Mars  d. in Washington state  e. in Iceland.

Most of the mass in our solar system lies in:
 a. the planets combined     b. the outer planets    c. the inner planets     d. inter-planetary matter   e. the sun.

Name those planets.
It has/is a lovely name, is about the same size as the Earth, but it's hot enough to melt lead on its rocky surface, even though it's cloudy all the time:
 a. Mercury   b. Venus   c. Saturn   d. Mars  e. Neptune

It has/is:  water oceans, volcanos, and craters
 a. Mercury   b. Neptune   c. Saturn   d. Uranus  e. Earth

It has/is small, hot, cratered, no atmosphere, looks like the moon
 a. Mercury   b. Venus   c. Saturn   d. Pluto  e. Jupiter

It has/ is the largest, gaseous, a big hurricane called the red spot first seen by Galileo
 a. Mercury   b. Venus   c. Saturn   d. Uranus  e. Jupiter

The planet most similar to Venus in size, which has at least one known active volcano and has life on it is:
 a. Mercury  b. Earth  c. Mars  d. Jupiter  e. Neptune

The rocky red planet with exactly two moons and the largest volcano ever found in the Solar System is:
 a. Venus  b. Earth  c. Mars  d. Jupiter  e. Saturn

The approximate ratio of the Earth's diameter to that of Saturn is roughly the same as the ratio   between the diameter of Jupiter and that of the sun.
What is that ratio?
  a. x1   b. x5   c. x10   d. x50   e. x100

 The large gaseous planet that has the most spectacular set of rings is:
 a. Venus    b.Saturn     c. Uranus    d. Neptune     e. Jupiter

The hot, rocky, sister planet to the Earth that spins clockwise when viewed  from the North Celestial pole, has  a  poisonous atmosphere,  has no
moon and is about the same size as the earth is:
 a. Venus      b. Saturn      c. Uranus      d. Neptune        e. Jupiter

The cratered airless surface of Mercury most nearly resembles that of:
 a. the earth   b. the sun    c. the moon   d. Jupiter     e. Venus

It's the largest of the nine planets, has rings, a large red spot and four moons first seen by Galileo. It is:
 a. Pluto    b. Neptune      c. Uranus       d. Saturn      e. Jupiter

The nucleus of a comet is mostly composed of:
 a. rocks    b. metals   c. stony  ice   d. ammonia     e. methane

This planet is third to last, has rings and spins nearly lying on its side:
 a. Jupiter     b. Neptune      c. Uranus       d. Saturn      e. Pluto

The most massive object in our solar system, that contains over 99% of the system's total mass is:
 a. an asteroid, such as Ceres       b. Jupiter          c. the sun d. the Earth         e. a comet.

Distances across the entire universe are measured in _____ of light years
 a. units (up to 9)  b. hundreds  c. thousands   d. millions    e. billions

Our solar system is a planetary system because it was (had):
 a. a rapidly rotating nebula  b. a slowly revolving nebula   c.  heavy elements    d. a warm sun      e. none of these

The following numbers in billions of years apply to the question(s) below
  a. 3BY   b. 5BY   c. 15BY   d. 30BY   e. 50BY
What is the approximate age of the moon?
How long ago (approximately) did the earth form?

A reasonable estimate for the age of the universe would  place it at ___ billion years:
 a. 5        b. 15        c. 1       d. 40        e. none of the above, it's really 6000 yrs old
 
A reasonable number of STARS in an average galaxy is:
 a. 100,000   b. 1,000,000   c. 1 billion   d. 100 billion e. there are so many we have no real notion.

A galaxy like ours contains some____________stars:
 a. 1000      b. 1 million      c. 100 million      d. 1 billion     e. 100 billion

There are about as many stars in a galaxy as there are galaxies in the universe, about:
 a. 100 million   b. 1 billion   c. 10 billion   d. 100 billion   e. there are so many we can't even begin to  guess

 A reasonable number of GALAXIES in the universe is:
 a. 100,000   b. 1,000,000   c. 1 billion   d. 100 billion e. there are so many we have no real notion.
 
Which of the following is the largest object?
 a. asteroid   b. moon  c. star  d. galaxy  e. planet

What is the size of  our galaxy, in light years?
 a. 100   b. 1000    c. 10,000     d. 100,000   e. 1,000,000.

Our own galaxy, the Milky way is a(n) ________galaxy
 a. spiral   b. elliptical    c. irregular   d. edible   e. none of these

The most abundant element of the universe is:
  a. iron         b. helium        c. elements beyond iron        d. hydrogen    e. carbon

The shape of the Milky Way galaxy most closely resembles :
  a. a sphere      b. a circle       c. a pinwheel       d. a football          e. a cube

The most common star system in our galaxy is of which type?
 a. single     b. planetary   c. multiple   d. variable    e. we don't know

Given the following numbers in billions of years
  a. 3BY   b. 5BY   c. 15BY   d. 30BY   e. 50BY
 How long ago (approximately) did the Big Bang happen?

Which of the following is the force that holds the universe together?
 a. gravitational b. centrifugal  c. frictional  d. nuclear    e. electromagnetic

The fusion process:
a. needs extremely high temperatures to begin  b. converts mass to energy  c. is the main source of energy in red giants  d. forms elements heavier than iron in supernova explosions  e. all the above apply.

 The evidence that the sun is at least a second generation star comes from:
 a. its abnormal consumption of hydrogen and helium    b. the presence of iron in the sun and the  solar system    c. the high rate at which fusion takes place at its surface.   d. its abnormally large  core    e. all the above.

A heavy element such as gold #79, could only have been created in:
 a. variable Cepheids  b. supernovas   c. the giant stage    d. protostars  e. main sequence stars

The MOST abundant element in the universe, and from which virtually all the other elements are made is:
 a. iron    b. helium     c. carbon     d. oxygen     e. none of the above.

Which of the following would not be a correct stage that our sun HAS gone, or WILL go through?
a. white dwarf    b. red giant    c. neutron star    d. black  dwarf     e. protostar

 In which stage will a star spend most of its life?
 a. protostar  b. giant  c. main sequence   d. T Tauri   e. this is silly; stars are not alive.

Which of the following are balanced in a main sequence star?
 a. gravity and mass  b. gravity and fission pressure     c. gravity and temperature
 d. gravity and fusion pressure     e. fun and games

The MAIN characteristic that determines how a sun will die is:
 a. mass  b. color   c. temperature  d. size   e. being sick of it all

Stars are different from planets in that:
 a. they formed from different material  b. fusion occurs in stars and they release energy
 c. they occur in space   d. they are less common   e. all of the above are correct

In what part of our sun is hydrogen being converted to Helium?
 a. corona  b. chromosphere  c. photosphere  d. convective zone    e. core

The closest place where you can find fusion going on continually is:
 a. in a research reactor in Berkely, California   b. in the sun  c. in the center of the earth
 d. nowhere yet, though we are working on it    e. in jazz
 Which of the stars below has the hottest surface?
a. a yellow star  b. a red star  c. a red giant
d. a blue star  e. an orange star.

Many of the nuclei of the atoms in a newborn baby were MADE in:
 a. the mother's body  b. the food the mother ate   c. ancient stars  d. the earth's core  e. none of these

The nine planets of our solar system:
 a. have the same origin as the sun  b. began some 5 billion years ago  c. all formed from the same  materials    d. formed from a rapidly rotating nebula   e. all the above are correct

Which of the following are commonly associated with inner planets?
 a. craters   b. volcanos   c. uplands   d. lowlands     e. they all are

The reason the inner planets are smaller and denser than the outer planets is:
 a. they formed from a different nebula  b. they formed later   c. their nebula had a different   composition    d. temperatures were different     e. they are not that different from the outer planets