Question 1

The "prime meridian" (where longitude equals zero)  passes through:

Accepted Answer

A)   Paris
B)   New York
C)   the Pacific Ocean, away from all land
D)   Beijing
E)   Greenwich, EnglandF) B) and D)
G) C) and D)

Question 2

Why was the problem of devising a workable yearly calendar so difficult on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   the Earth's rotation period does not divide evenly into the Earth's period of revolution
B)   The day is based on what the Sun does, but the year is based on what the Moon does
C)   The length of the Earth's year varies from year to year
D)   The calendar only works at Greenwich, England, and it gets further and further off as you move eastward in longitude
E)   Various Popes of the Catholic Church disagreed about how long the day should beF) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 3

What phase of the Moon must it be to have a lunar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

A)   full moon
B)   new moon
C)   first quarter
D)   third quarter
E)   it can be any phase as long as the orbits are lined upF) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 4

The terms "a.m." and "p.m." (as in see you at the movies at 8:30 p.m.)  derive from what astronomical idea?

Accepted Answer

A)   the Sun passes through the meridian in roughly the middle of the day
B)   the Moon's phases change on a monthly cycle, getting fuller and then getting smaller
C)   The apparent solar time differs from the mean solar time by a much greater amount in the first half of the day than the second half
D)   The seasons in the northern hemisphere are backward from the seasons in the southern hemisphere
E)   Putting the prime meridian in Greenwich, England required the approval of the prime minister. We think of time measurements as being either before or after that approval.Section 4.4: The CalendarF) A) and E)
G) B) and E)

Question 5

Why is there a 4-minute difference between the solar day and the sidereal day?

Accepted Answer

A)   because the Earth's rotation is variable, due to the pull of the Moon
B)   because the stars slowly change their orientations in the Galaxy
C)   because the Earth is going around the Sun in the course of a year
D)   because the Earth's axis is tilted by about 23 degrees
E)   no one knows the reason; we just have to accept the difference as an unsolved mysteryF) C) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 6

The Earth is closest to the Sun in which month of the year?

Accepted Answer

A)   July
B)   June
C)   January
D)   March
E)   SeptemberF) A) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 7

When England and the American colonies finally adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, what dramatic change had to be made?

Accepted Answer

A)   all the names of the months had to be changed
B)   the time zones had to start in England
C)   12 days had to be dropped to bring the date and the seasons back into accord
D)   the number of hours in the day had to be changed
E)   everyone named Gregory had to spend almost two weeks in jailSection 4.5: Phases and Motions of the MoonF) A) and D)
G) C) and E)

Question 8

A very rich, very shady international banker (with residences all over the globe, including Bayonne, New Jersey)  mysteriously disappears. Someone later mails a wide-angle photo of his body to a London newspaper, taken on June 22, showing the Sun exactly overhead at noon. What can the police deduce from this photograph about where on Earth the body is located?

Accepted Answer

A)   at the North Pole
B)   at the equator
C)   on the Antarctic circle (670 S) 
D)   at the South pole
E)   on the Tropic of Cancer (230 N) F) C) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 9

The latitude of the Earth's equator is

Accepted Answer

A)   180 degrees
B)   90 degrees
C)   0 degrees
D)   12 hours
E)   undefined (by international agreement) Section 4.2: The SeasonsF) B) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 10

When the Sun and Moon are lined up and pull together, the tides they raise are called:

Accepted Answer

A)   neap tides
B)   spring tides
C)   low tides
D)   differential tides
E)   prolate tidesF) A) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 11

If you could somehow return to the Earth in many millions of years, which of the following will be different?

Accepted Answer

A)   the length of the year
B)   the fact that the Moon shows phases
C)   the fact that the Earth has seasons
D)   the length of the month
E)   none of the aboveF) D) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 12

During the period we have daylight savings time, we

Accepted Answer

A)   keep our clocks the same, but adopt shorter hours
B)   add one hour to local standard time
C)   add an additional time zone to the ones in the United States
D)   subtract four minutes from the length of the day
E)   put some of the sunshine into a special bank, so we can use it during the colder monthsF) A) and C)
G) C) and D)

Question 13

The period of the moon's rotation on its axis is

Accepted Answer

A)   much longer than its revolution around the Earth
B)   much shorter than its revolution around the Earth
C)   the same as its revolution around the Earth
D)   longer or shorter depending on what part of the year we are in
E)   zeroF) B) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 14

A "New Age" bride and groom, who are enchanted by the Sun, want to get married on the day when it gets to be highest in the sky. If they live in the United States, around what day of the year will the wedding take place?

Accepted Answer

A)   winter solstice
B)   spring equinox
C)   autumnal equinox
D)   summer solstice
E)   you can't fool me, the Sun's maximum height in the sky is roughly the same throughout the yearF) B) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 15

If you want to locate someone precisely on the surface of the Earth, you specify her exact latitude and longitude. If you want to locate a star precisely on the sky, you need to specify its exact:

Accepted Answer

A)   meridian and great circle
B)   constellation
C)   north and east point
D)   right ascension and declination
E)   solstice and equinoxF) B) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 16

How does the Sun influence the tides that we experience on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Sun also raises tides on Earth, but its effect is smaller than that of the Moon
B)   The Sun is much too far away to any significant tides on our planet
C)   The Sun has a much greater mass than the Moon, so its tides on Earth are much larger than the tides raised by the Moon
D)   The Sun's tides are exactly equal to those of the Moon, but sometimes they add to the Moon's tides, while sometimes they cancel out the Moon's tides, so we see no tides
E)   The Sun's tides depend on what season we are in, and are very different in winter than in summerSection 4.7: Eclipses of the Sun and the MoonF) C) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 17

Recently, the media, always trying to make things sound sensational, have started to call totally eclipsed moon "the blood moon." Why does the Moon look reddish to us when there is a total lunar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

A)   The media have it right. During a total eclipse, it gets so cold on the Moon all the animals that live on the Moon start bleeding
B)   During a total eclipse of the Moon, we see the Sun's faint corona, and because it is red, the Moon looks red too
C)   The red color is an optical illusion. Our eyes, used to seeing the full moon, have a "memory" of all the light, and the red color is the one the lasts the longest
D)   All the total eclipses of the Moon are annular eclipses, where a ring of moonlight still remains around the Moon during the eclipse. This ring is red.
E)   The Earth's atmosphere bends different colors of light to a different degree. During a total lunar eclipse, the red light of the Sun, filtering through the Earth's atmosphere colors the Moon redF) C) and D)
G) A) and E)

Question 18

Some college students decide to form a secret society that would meet each year after graduation at a time when the day and night were the same length. Which of the following would be a time they could meet?

Accepted Answer

A)   January 1
B)   December 22
C)   September 23
D)   June 22
E)   they can meet at any of the above times; day and night are always roughly the same lengthF) C) and D)
G) A) and E)

Question 19

Which of the following statements about eclipses of the Sun is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   An eclipse of the Sun is visible somewhere on Earth each month.
B)   When a total eclipse of the Sun is visible, it can be seen over half the Earth each time
C)   During a total eclipse of the Sun, the Sun moves into the Earth's shadow
D)   The ancient Greeks and Romans could not see eclipses of the Sun, they are a modern sight that's only become visible to us recently
E)   For a total eclipse of the Sun to happen, the Moon must get directly in front of the Sun, as seen from EarthF) All of the above
G) C) and D)

Question 20

A friend of yours (who has not had the benefit of an astronomy course)  tells you about a report he has read in a tabloid newspaper. They claim that on the dark side of the Moon, which is never in sunlight, there is a secret base of aliens who cannot stand light, and who send UFO's to Earth under the cover of darkness. Ignoring the UFO claim for a moment, what is the scientific error in this story?

Accepted Answer

A)   all sides of the Moon are illuminated by sunlight in the course of a month; there is no dark side
B)   sunlight cannot reach any side of the Moon, so every side of it is always looks the same
C)   the dark side of the Moon is the one that faces the Earth and our telescopes would have spotted such a base
D)   since the moon is turning, we see all sides of it from Earth in the course of a month
E)   there are no scientific problems with that storyF) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Exam 4: Earth, Moon, and Sky

How does the Sun influence the tides that we experience on Earth?

Correct Answer
verified

The latitude of the Earth's equator is

Correct Answer
verified

Recently, the media, always trying to make things sound sensational, have started to call totally eclipsed moon "the blood moon." Why does the Moon look reddish to us when there is a total lunar eclipse?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

A "New Age" bride and groom, who are enchanted by the Sun, want to get married on the day when it gets to be highest in the sky. If they live in the United States, around what day of the year will the wedding take place?

Correct Answer
verified

When the Sun and Moon are lined up and pull together, the tides they raise are called:

Correct Answer
verified

If you want to locate someone precisely on the surface of the Earth, you specify her exact latitude and longitude. If you want to locate a star precisely on the sky, you need to specify its exact:

Correct Answer
verified

The period of the moon's rotation on its axis is

Correct Answer
verified

Why is there a 4-minute difference between the solar day and the sidereal day?

Correct Answer
verified

The "prime meridian" (where longitude equals zero) passes through:

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

The terms "a.m." and "p.m." (as in see you at the movies at 8:30 p.m.) derive from what astronomical idea?

Correct Answer
verified

Some college students decide to form a secret society that would meet each year after graduation at a time when the day and night were the same length. Which of the following would be a time they could meet?

Correct Answer
verified

If you could somehow return to the Earth in many millions of years, which of the following will be different?

Correct Answer
verified

Why was the problem of devising a workable yearly calendar so difficult on Earth?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following statements about eclipses of the Sun is true?

Correct Answer
verified

When England and the American colonies finally adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, what dramatic change had to be made?

Correct Answer
verified

The Earth is closest to the Sun in which month of the year?

Correct Answer
verified

What phase of the Moon must it be to have a lunar eclipse?

Correct Answer
verified

During the period we have daylight savings time, we

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 4: Earth, Moon, and Sky

How does the Sun influence the tides that we experience on Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The latitude of the Earth's equator is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Recently, the media, always trying to make things sound sensational, have started to call totally eclipsed moon "the blood moon." Why does the Moon look reddish to us when there is a total lunar eclipse?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A "New Age" bride and groom, who are enchanted by the Sun, want to get married on the day when it gets to be highest in the sky. If they live in the United States, around what day of the year will the wedding take place?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When the Sun and Moon are lined up and pull together, the tides they raise are called:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If you want to locate someone precisely on the surface of the Earth, you specify her exact latitude and longitude. If you want to locate a star precisely on the sky, you need to specify its exact:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The period of the moon's rotation on its axis is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is there a 4-minute difference between the solar day and the sidereal day?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The "prime meridian" (where longitude equals zero) passes through:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The terms "a.m." and "p.m." (as in see you at the movies at 8:30 p.m.) derive from what astronomical idea?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Some college students decide to form a secret society that would meet each year after graduation at a time when the day and night were the same length. Which of the following would be a time they could meet?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If you could somehow return to the Earth in many millions of years, which of the following will be different?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why was the problem of devising a workable yearly calendar so difficult on Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about eclipses of the Sun is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When England and the American colonies finally adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, what dramatic change had to be made?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Earth is closest to the Sun in which month of the year?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What phase of the Moon must it be to have a lunar eclipse?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

During the period we have daylight savings time, we

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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