Galaxies
& Stars
& Stars
Earth &
the Moon
the Moon
PLANETS
Asteroids,
Comets &
Misc.
Comets &
Misc.
MISCELLANEOUS
100
Jacob is doing a report on the galaxy in which Earth is found. Which of the following is the galaxy that Jacob should research for his report?
A.Andromeda
B.Milky Way
C.The Sun and its orbiting bodies
D.Orion’s Belt
B. Milky Way
100
For a school project, Connor needs to build a model of the solar system. In his model, Connor uses a very tiny bead to represent Earth and a giant beach ball to represent the sun. Why did Connor pick a tiny bead to represent Earth and a giant beach ball to represent the sun in his model?
A.because Earth is brighter than the Sun
B.because Earth is less solid than the Sun
C.because Earth is smaller in size and mass than the Sun
D.because Earth is a terrestrial planet and the sun is a gas giant
C. because Earth is smaller in size and mass than the sun
100
Our solar system consists of eight planets. What is a planet?
A.many stars, gas, and dust held together
B.a region of irregular shaped rocky bodies that orbit the sun
C.a large spherical object with an atmosphere that revolves around a star
D.a large spherical object in space that is composed of gases and gives off light
C. a large spherical object with an atmosphere that revolves around a star
100
When comets come close to the Sun they develop a tail that glows so we can see it from Earth. Asteroids do not develop tails like this. In what other way are asteroids different from comets?
A.Asteroids orbit planets while comets orbit the Sun.
B.Asteroids are rocky while comets are balls of frozen gases and dust.
C.Asteroids orbit outside of the Solar System while comets do not.
D.Asteroids are smooth and round while comets are lumpy shapes.
B. Asteroids are rocky while comets are balls of frozen gases and dust.
100
Jozlyn observed the moon and noticed that it was a full moon. If Jozlyn wants to research the next time she can expect to see a full moon, where should she obtain this information?
A.ask a friend
B.a model of the moon
C.on the Internet
D.in a thesaurus
C. on the Internet
200
In space, there are many different objects. The picture below shows a galaxy as seen by an astronomer through a telescope.
Which of the following best describes what makes up a galaxy?
A.gas, dust, billions of stars, and star orbiting bodies
B.one star, orbiting bodies, gas, and dust
C.one planet and a moon orbiting the planet
D. a group of several stars that make a shape in the sky
A. gas, dust, and billions of stars, and star orbiting bodies
200
The moon orbits Earth. This orbit causes the moon to look different over the course of about a month. These differences are called phases. One phase is called a full moon.
Look closely at the table above. What can you conclude about a full moon?
A.A full moon always occurs after the first quarter moon.
B.A full moon always occurs on the 5th day of the month.
C.A full moon always occurs before the first quarter moon.
D.A full moon only occurs in the summer months.
A. A full moon always occurs after a first quarter moon.
200
There are eight planets in our solar system. These planets are divided into either the inner terrestrial planets or the outer jovian planets based on their characteristics. Which of the following planets has a relatively large solid core and thin atmosphere?
A.Jupiter
B.Mercury
C.Neptune
D.Saturn
B. Mercury
200
The Hale-Bopp comet was close enough to Earth in 1997 that people could see it. The image below shows the kind of data scientists collected on Hale-Bopp and was used to develop theories about comets.
Why did scientists most likely use this method to study the comet instead of performing experiments?
A. It is very difficult to experiment with actual comets.
B. Observations are more accurate than experiments.
C. It is less expensive to observe than to perform experiments.
D. Conclusions cannot be drawn from completed experiments
A.It is very difficult to experiment with actual comets.
200
The Sun is a star. Scientists have explained that the reason the Sun looks larger than other stars is that the Earth is much closer to the Sun than to other stars. Earth receives light energy from the Sun. Which of these best describes what makes up the Sun?
A. fire
B. melted rock
C. hot, glowing gases
D. cold, glowing gases
C. hot, glowing gases
300
Our Solar System orbits a single star, the Sun, located in the Milky Way Galaxy. How many stars do galaxies, like the Milky Way, contain?
A.A galaxy contains one star.
B.A galaxy contains several stars.
C.A galaxy contains hundreds of stars.
D.A galaxy contains billions of stars.
D. A galaxy contains billions of stars.
300
The different ways the moon looks as it orbits Earth are called phases. One phase is called a new moon. During a new moon, the side of the moon facing Earth is NOT sunlit or visible. How are Earth, the moon, and Sun arranged during a new moon?
A.The Sun is between Earth and the moon.
B.The moon is between Earth and the Sun.
C.Earth is on the side of the moon being lit by the Sun.
D.Earth is located between the Sun and the moon.
B. The moon is between Earth and the Sun.
300
All the planets in the solar system orbit the sun. What is the main difference between the orbits of the inner and outer planets?
A.The inner planets travel a greater distance than the outer planets do.
B.The inner planets have almost round orbits, and the outer planets do not.
C.The outer planets rotate as they orbit the sun, and the inner planets do not.
D.The outer planets’ orbits are longer than the inner planets’ orbits.
D. The outer planets’ orbits are longer than the inner planets’ orbits.
300
Roxanne was doing a project on the characteristics of objects in the solar system. She described one of her objects as a small irregular-shaped, rocky body that orbited the Sun. What best describes her object?
A. an asteroid
B. a moon
C. an inner planet
D. an outer planet
A. an asteroid
300
Ann and Cheryl are trying to write a general description of a planet that could apply to any planet in our Solar System.
So far, their list looks like this:
1.orbits the Sun
2.spins on its axis
What else can they add to their list?
A.has at least one moon
B.has water on its surface
C.is always the same distance from the Sun
D.is nearly round
D. is nearly round
400
Brandon has learned that many stars are actually larger than the Sun. If this is true, why do these stars appear like points of light in the sky?
A.These stars are hotter than the Sun.
B.These stars have less mass than the Sun.
C.These stars are farther away from Earth than the Sun is from Earth.
D.These stars are made of different chemicals than the Sun.
C. These stars are farther away from Earth than the Sun is.
400
Earth moves through space by spinning on its axis and by orbiting the sun. What will happen between January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2022?
A.Earth will complete 1 rotation.
B.Earth will complete 12 rotations.
C.Earth will complete 1 revolution.
D.Earth will complete 365 revolutions.
C. Earth will complete 1 revolution.
400
Cecilia’s class is studying parts of the solar system. Cecilia’s assignment was to gather information and create a poster about the outer planets. Which statement would Cecilia say is NOT true of the outer planets?
A.They have rings.
B.They have extremely low temperatures.
C.They have extremely thin atmospheres.
D.They have many moons.
C. They have extremely thin atmospheres.
400
Gerard is recording the amount of daylight his town receives throughout the month of September. He records the data each Monday of the month. His results are shown in the table below.
Which of the following predictions is supported by the data Gerard collected?
A.The weather in Jerry's town will be hotter the next month.
B.The Sun will not rise until 8:00 A.M. the next week.
C.The amount of daylight will increase the next month.
The length of the nighttime will increase the next week
D. The length of the nighttime will increase the next week.
400
In class, Malik learned that the Sun is very large, but it looks small because it is very far from Earth. Malik designed a test to study the effect of distance on the apparent size of an object. First, Malik had his friend Sally hold a ball above her head. He then took 5 steps away from Sally and held a ruler up in front of him to measure how big the ball appeared. Malik took more measurements at 10 and 15 steps away. After Malik finished taking the three measurements, he repeated all the measurements two more times. Why did Malik take three sets of measurements at each distance?
A.He wanted to measure using three different rulers.
B.Measurements can only be made in groups of three.
C.He had to measure using three different balls.
D.It helps people trust his data more.
D. It helps people trust his data more
500
In space, there are many different objects. An astronomer is studying a picture that shows billions of stars, gas, and dust. What is the correct term for this grouping of stars, gas, and dust?
A.planet
B.galaxy
C.universe
D.solar system
B. galaxy
500
Stars form patterns known as constellations. People on Earth have given the constellations names. The table below lists the constellations that can be seen throughout the year in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
What can you conclude from this table?
A.The constellations that appear depend on the time of night.
B.The constellations that appear depend on Earth’s location in its revolution around the Sun.
C.The visible constellations are the same every night.
D.The constellations that appear depend on Earth’s rotation around the Sun.
B. The constellations that appear depend on Earth’s location in its revolution around the Sun.
500
Ming was doing a project on planets in other solar systems. She learned about a planet called Planet Z. Planet Z is a very large planet with a thick atmosphere, low density, and extremely low temperatures. Which of these planets in our solar system is Planet Z most similar to?
A.Earth
B.Mars
C.Mercury
D.Saturn
D. Saturn
500
Wanda is very interested in learning about outer space. She often looks through her telescope at the details of different bodies in our solar system. What is Wanda doing when she looks at objects using her telescope?
A. observing
B. concluding
C. experimenting
D. hypothesizing
A.Observing
500
Stars of different colors have different temperatures, as shown in this table.
Which of the following is a conclusion based on the data from this table?
A.Blue stars are much hotter than the other four types of stars.
B.The star at the center of our solar system is a yellow star.
C.White stars and yellow stars are the same size.
D.Orange stars are easier to see than red stars.
A. Blue stars are much hotter than the other four types of stars.