Solar Energy & Phenomena
Light, Color & Spectroscopy
Solar Composition & Elemental Analysis
Key Vocabulary & Scientific Concepts
100

What is the primary process responsible for generating energy in the core of the Sun?

  1. Chemical burning of oxygen

  2. Nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium

  3. Gravitational collapse without radiation

  4. Radioactive decay of heavy elements

Nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium

100

 What type of spectrum is produced when light from a continuous source passes uninterrupted through a prism?

  1. Absorption spectrum

  2. Continuous spectrum

  3. Emission line spectrum only

  4. Blank spectrum

Continuous spectrum

100

Based on spectral line matching, what are the two primary elements that make up the Sun?

  1. Nitrogen and Oxygen

  2. Carbon and Iron

  3. Hydrogen and Helium

  4. Sodium and Chlorine

Hydrogen and Helium

100

Which term describes the process where gas atoms take in specific wavelengths of light energy?

  1. Reflection

  2. Absorption

  3. Refraction

  4. Diffraction

Absorption

200

3. Which of the following is NOT one of the energy sources listed in the student word bank?

  1. Nuclear Reactions

  2. Burning Gas

  3. Geothermal Venting

  4. Gravitational Pull

Geothermal Venting

200

What feature distinguishes an absorption spectrum from a continuous spectrum?

  1. Bright isolated colored lines on a black background

  2. Dark lines cutting across a continuous rainbow spectrum

  3. A completely uniform white light band

  4. Total absence of light

Dark lines cutting across a continuous rainbow spectrum

200

If a laboratory spectrum of Helium shows dark lines at specific wavelengths, where should matching lines appear in the Sun's absorption spectrum if Helium is present?

  1. At completely different wavelengths

  2. At the exact same wavelengths

  3. Only in the infrared region

  4. No lines will appear

At the exact same wavelengths

200

What is spectroscopy?

  1. The study of rock layers and fossils

  2. The study of the interaction between light and matter

  3. The measurement of ocean depths

  4. The tracking of earthquake epicenters

The study of the interaction between light and matter

300

4. What happens to the amount of Hydrogen in the Sun's core over time as nuclear fusion continues?

  1. It decreases because it fuses into Helium.

  2. It increases as Hydrogen is continuously created.

  3. It stays completely constant.

  4. It turns directly into Oxygen.

It decreases because it fuses into Helium.

300

. Why do dark absorption lines appear in the solar spectrum?

  1. The Sun does not produce those wavelengths of light.

  2. Gases in the Sun's outer atmosphere absorb specific wavelengths of light.

  3. Dust in Earth's atmosphere blocks red light.

  4. The core of the Sun is cold and dark.

Gases in the Sun's outer atmosphere absorb specific wavelengths of light.

300

Why were Nitrogen and Oxygen ruled out as primary components of the Sun during spectral comparison?

  1. Their laboratory spectral lines did not align with the major solar absorption lines.

  2. They are liquid at room temperature.

  3. They do not absorb light.

  4. Their lines only appear in black holes.

Their laboratory spectral lines did not align with the major solar absorption lines.

300

What is a wavelength?

  1. The distance between consecutive crests or troughs of a light wave

  2. The weight of a gas particle

  3. The speed of sound in a vacuum

  4. The thickness of a solar flare

The distance between consecutive crests or troughs of a light wave

400

5. What happens to the amount of Helium in the Sun's core over time?

  1. It decreases as it turns back into Hydrogen.

  2. It increases as a product of Hydrogen fusion.

  3. It disappears into space.

  4. It remains at zero percent.

It increases as a product of Hydrogen fusion.

400

Why are spectral lines often referred to as elemental "fingerprints"?

  1. Every element has a unique set of spectral lines that identifies it.

  2. All elements share the exact same spectral lines.

  3. Spectral lines can only be felt by hand.

  4. Elements change their spectral lines constantly.

Every element has a unique set of spectral lines that identifies it.

400

In the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) task, what serves as the Claim?

  1. The dark absorption lines in the Sun's spectrum line up with Hydrogen and Helium.

  2. The Sun is composed primarily of Hydrogen and Helium.

  3. Gases absorb specific wavelengths of light as light travels outward.

  4. The Sun will run out of energy in 45 minutes.

The Sun is composed primarily of Hydrogen and Helium.

400

What force holds the gas of the Sun together against the outward pressure of thermal energy?

  1. Magnetic levitation

  2. Gravitational pull

  3. Electrostatic repulsion

  4. Friction

Gravitational pull

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