Question 1

Stars with high masses live longer than stars with lower masses.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Do you think it is possible that a flare star could harbor an advanced civilization? Explain your reasoning.

Accepted Answer

A flare star has violent flare

Question 3

The following questions refer to the sketch below of an H-R diagram for a star cluster.
  
-Based on its main-sequence turnoff point,the age of this cluster is

Accepted Answer

A) less than 1 billion years. 
B) about 1 billion years. 
C) about 2 billion years. 
D) about 10 billion years. 
E) more than 15 billion years. 
A) less than 1 billion years. 
B) about 1 billion years. 
C) about 2 billion years. 
D) about 10 billion years. 
E) more than 15 billion years.

Question 4

Why is iron significant to understanding how a supernova occurs?

Accepted Answer

A) Iron is the heaviest of all atomic nuclei,and thus no heavier elements can be made. 
B) Supernovae often leave behind neutron stars,which are made mostly of iron. 
C) The fusion of iron into uranium is the reaction that drives a supernova explosion. 
D) Iron cannot release energy either by fission or fusion. 
A) Iron is the heaviest of all atomic nuclei,and thus no heavier elements can be made. 
B) Supernovae often leave behind neutron stars,which are made mostly of iron. 
C) The fusion of iron into uranium is the reaction that drives a supernova explosion. 
D) Iron cannot release energy either by fission or fusion.

Question 5

In the context of understanding stellar lives,"high-mass" stars have masses

Accepted Answer

A) more than about 8 times the mass of our Sun. 
B) more than about 3 times the mass of our Sun. 
C) more than twice the mass of our Sun. 
D) more than 20 times the mass of our Sun. 
A) more than about 8 times the mass of our Sun. 
B) more than about 3 times the mass of our Sun. 
C) more than twice the mass of our Sun. 
D) more than 20 times the mass of our Sun.

Question 6

Which of the following stars will certainly end its life in a supernova?

Accepted Answer

A) the Sun 
B) a red giant star 
C) a 10-solar-mass star 
D) a neutron star 
A) the Sun 
B) a red giant star 
C) a 10-solar-mass star 
D) a neutron star

Question 7

In order to predict whether a star will eventually fuse oxygen into a heavier element,what do you need to know about the star?

Accepted Answer

A) its luminosity 
B) its overall abundance of elements heavier than helium 
C) how much oxygen it now has in its core 
D) its mass 
A) its luminosity 
B) its overall abundance of elements heavier than helium 
C) how much oxygen it now has in its core 
D) its mass

Question 8

The following questions refer to the H-R diagram below that shows the life track of a 1-solar-mass star,with various stages labeled with Roman numerals.
  
-During which stage does the star have an inert (nonburning)helium core?

Accepted Answer

A) iii 
B) iv 
C) vi 
D) vii 
E) viii 
A) iii 
B) iv 
C) vi 
D) vii 
E) viii

Question 9

The following questions refer to the sketch below of an H-R diagram for a star cluster.
  
-Which statement about this cluster is not true?

Accepted Answer

A) It is likely to be located in the halo of the galaxy. 
B) It contains some stars that are burning helium in their cores. 
C) It is the type of cluster known as an open cluster of stars. 
D) It probably contains no young stars at all. 
E) It is likely to be spherical in shape. 
A) It is likely to be located in the halo of the galaxy. 
B) It contains some stars that are burning helium in their cores. 
C) It is the type of cluster known as an open cluster of stars. 
D) It probably contains no young stars at all. 
E) It is likely to be spherical in shape.

Question 10

Stars of lower mass have deeper convection zones outside their cores than stars of higher mass.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

What is a planetary nebula?

Accepted Answer

A) gas created from the remains of planets that once orbited a dead star 
B) interstellar gas from which planets are likely to form in the not-too-distant future 
C) the remains of a high-mass star that has exploded 
D) gas ejected from a low-mass star in the final stage of its life 
A) gas created from the remains of planets that once orbited a dead star 
B) interstellar gas from which planets are likely to form in the not-too-distant future 
C) the remains of a high-mass star that has exploded 
D) gas ejected from a low-mass star in the final stage of its life

Question 12

Choose from the list below for the following questions.You may use a choice more than once.
-Which method of energy generation is used by the Sun today?

Accepted Answer

A) H fusion by the proton-proton chain 
B) H fusion by the CNO cycle 
C) helium fusion 
D) matter-antimatter annihilation 
E) gravitational contraction 
A) H fusion by the proton-proton chain 
B) H fusion by the CNO cycle 
C) helium fusion 
D) matter-antimatter annihilation 
E) gravitational contraction

Question 13

Which event marks the beginning of a supernova?

Accepted Answer

A) the sudden collapse of an iron core into a compact ball of neutrons 
B) the onset of helium burning after a helium flash 
C) the beginning of neon burning in an extremely massive star 
D) the sudden initiation of the CNO cycle 
A) the sudden collapse of an iron core into a compact ball of neutrons 
B) the onset of helium burning after a helium flash 
C) the beginning of neon burning in an extremely massive star 
D) the sudden initiation of the CNO cycle

Question 14

You discover a binary star system in which one member is a 15MSᵤn main-sequence star and the other star is a 10MSᵤn giant.Why should you be surprised,at least at first?

Accepted Answer

A) It doesn't make sense to find a giant in a binary star system. 
B) The odds of ever finding two such massive stars in the same binary system are so small as to make it inconceivable that such a system could be discovered. 
C) The two stars in a binary system should both be at the same point in stellar evolution;that is,they should either both be main-sequence stars or both be giants. 
D) The two stars should be the same age,so the more massive one should have become a giant first. 
E) A star with a mass of 15MSᵤn is too big to be a main-sequence star. 
A) It doesn't make sense to find a giant in a binary star system. 
B) The odds of ever finding two such massive stars in the same binary system are so small as to make it inconceivable that such a system could be discovered. 
C) The two stars in a binary system should both be at the same point in stellar evolution;that is,they should either both be main-sequence stars or both be giants. 
D) The two stars should be the same age,so the more massive one should have become a giant first. 
E) A star with a mass of 15MSᵤn is too big to be a main-sequence star.

Question 15

Do you think it is possible that a carbon star could harbor an advanced civilization? Explain your reasoning.

Accepted Answer

A carbon star is a very old low-mass sta

Question 16

The following questions refer to the H-R diagram below that shows the life track of a 1-solar-mass star,with various stages labeled with Roman numerals.
  
-What will happen to the star after stage viii?

Accepted Answer

A) It will explode in a supernova. 
B) It will begin burning carbon in its core. 
C) It will eject a planetary nebula. 
D) It will collapse to make a neutron star. 
E) It will gain mass until it collapses under its own weight. 
A) It will explode in a supernova. 
B) It will begin burning carbon in its core. 
C) It will eject a planetary nebula. 
D) It will collapse to make a neutron star. 
E) It will gain mass until it collapses under its own weight.

Question 17

This diagram represents the life track of a 1-solar-mass star.Refer to the life stages labeled with Roman numerals.
  
-Which stage lasts the longest?

Accepted Answer

A) I 
B) VI 
C) III 
D) VIII 
A) I 
B) VI 
C) III 
D) VIII

Question 18

Process of Science: Based on what you learned in this chapter,would you expect life to be able to evolve around first-generation stars in our universe? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Most would say no,as the first-generatio

Question 19

Do you think it is possible that a red supergiant could harbor an advanced civilization? Explain your reasoning.

Accepted Answer

A red supergiant is a late-stage high-ma

Question 20

What is a planetary nebula?

Accepted Answer

A) a disk of gas surrounding a protostar that may form into planets 
B) what is left of the planets around a star after a low-mass star has ended its life 
C) the expanding shell of gas that is no longer gravitationally held to the remnant of a low-mass star 
D) the molecular cloud from which protostars form 
E) the expanding shell of gas that is left when a white dwarf explodes as a supernova 
A) a disk of gas surrounding a protostar that may form into planets 
B) what is left of the planets around a star after a low-mass star has ended its life 
C) the expanding shell of gas that is no longer gravitationally held to the remnant of a low-mass star 
D) the molecular cloud from which protostars form 
E) the expanding shell of gas that is left when a white dwarf explodes as a supernova

Exam 17: Star Stuff

Stars with high masses live longer than stars with lower masses.

Do you think it is possible that a flare star could harbor an advanced civilization? Explain your reasoning.

The following questions refer to the sketch below of an H-R diagram for a star cluster. -Based on its main-sequence turnoff point,the age of this cluster is

Why is iron significant to understanding how a supernova occurs?

In the context of understanding stellar lives,"high-mass" stars have masses

Which of the following stars will certainly end its life in a supernova?

In order to predict whether a star will eventually fuse oxygen into a heavier element,what do you need to know about the star?

The following questions refer to the H-R diagram below that shows the life track of a 1-solar-mass star,with various stages labeled with Roman numerals. -During which stage does the star have an inert (nonburning)helium core?

The following questions refer to the sketch below of an H-R diagram for a star cluster. -Which statement about this cluster is not true?

Stars of lower mass have deeper convection zones outside their cores than stars of higher mass.

What is a planetary nebula?

Choose from the list below for the following questions.You may use a choice more than once. -Which method of energy generation is used by the Sun today?

Which event marks the beginning of a supernova?

You discover a binary star system in which one member is a 15MSᵤn main-sequence star and the other star is a 10MSᵤn giant.Why should you be surprised,at least at first?

Do you think it is possible that a carbon star could harbor an advanced civilization? Explain your reasoning.

The following questions refer to the H-R diagram below that shows the life track of a 1-solar-mass star,with various stages labeled with Roman numerals. -What will happen to the star after stage viii?

This diagram represents the life track of a 1-solar-mass star.Refer to the life stages labeled with Roman numerals. -Which stage lasts the longest?

Process of Science: Based on what you learned in this chapter,would you expect life to be able to evolve around first-generation stars in our universe? Why or why not?

Do you think it is possible that a red supergiant could harbor an advanced civilization? Explain your reasoning.

What is a planetary nebula?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters