UNIVERSE - I :MCQs AND SHORT ANSWERS

*INDEX-TOPIC SEARCH

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

SELECT THE CORRECT ALTERNATIVE:

1. _________ suggested that Sun was at the center of our solar system and all the planets and other stars revolve around it.
   
   
   
   1. Plato
   2. Copernicus
   3. Ptolemy
   4. Galileo
      
   
   
2. Who discovered the laws of planetary motion ?
   
   
   
   1. Newton
   2. Galileo
   3. Kepler
   4. Copernicus
      
   
   
3. The sun is at a distance of _________ light years from the galactic centre.
   
   
   
   1. 25000
   2. 30000
   3. 35000
   4. 40000
      
   
   
4. The sun consists of about _________ % of the mass of solar family.
   
   
   
   1. 85
   2. 89
   3. 94
   4. 99
      
   
   
5. The surface temperature of the Sun is about _________.
   
   
   
   1. 5000°C
   2. 5000 K
   3. 6000°C
   4. 6000 K
      
   
   
6. The mass of a star is equal to 10 solar mass, then its mass is _________ kg.
   
   
   
   1. 1.99 x 10³⁰
   2. 1.99 x 10³¹
   3. 1.99 x 10³²
   4. 1.99 x 10³³
      
   
   
7. _________ is the smallest planet of our solar system.
   
   
   
   1. Venus
   2. Mars
   3. Mercury
   4. Earth
      
   
   
8. The mass of earth is _________ times the mass of mercury.
   
   
   
   1. 10
   2. 14
   3. 18
   4. 22
      
   
   
9. The strength of the gravitational field of mercury is about _________ times that of the earth.
   
   
   
   1. 1/3
   2. 1/2
   3. 3
   4. 2
      
   
   
10. The sun rises in the west on _________.
    
    
    
    1. Mercury
    2. Mars
    3. Pluto
    4. Venus
       
    
    
11. _________ is not a Jovian planet.
    
    
    
    1. Earth
    2. Jupiter
    3. Saturn
    4. Neptune
       
    
    
12. _________ is the largest planet of our solar system.
    
    
    
    1. Earth
    2. Jupiter
    3. Saturn
    4. Neptune
       
    
    
13. There are _________ beautiful rings around Saturn.
    
    
    
    1. 2
    2. 3
    3. 4
    4. 5
       
    
    
14. Saturn is about ________ times bigger in size compared to Uranus.
    
    
    
    1. 11
    2. 13
    3. 20
    4. 25
       
    
    
15. The diameter of earth is d_e. Then the diameter of Uranus is _________ x d_e.
    
    
    
    1. 1.7
    2. 2.7
    3. 3.7
    4. 4.7
       
    
    
16. Neptune has _________ moons.
    
    
    
    1. 5
    2. 6
    3. 7
    4. 8
       
    
    
17. Triton and Nerid are moons of the planet _________.
    
    
    
    1. Neptune
    2. Mars
    3. Herschel
    4. Pluto
       
    
    
18. Orbits of more than _________ asteroids have been determined.
    
    
    
    1. 100000
    2. 30000
    3. 12000
    4. 4000
       
    
    
19. Asteroids revolve around _________.
    
    
    
    1. Earth
    2. Mars
    3. Jupiter
    4. Sun
       
    
    
20. _________ is the largest asteroid.
    
    
    
    1. Ceres
    2. Vesta
    3. Sirius
    4. Viesta
       
    
    
21. During which period are meteors seen in maximum number ?
    
    
    
    1. January to March
    2. April to June
    3. August to November
    4. November to February
       
    
    
22. The tail of a comet is the longest when _________.
    
    
    
    1. It is nearest to the Sun
    2. It is farthest from the sun
    3. It is far from the earth
    4. It is near Saturn
       
    
    
23. Which of the following is a star ?
    
    
    
    1. A tailed star
    2. A shooting star
    3. Sun
    4. Andromeda
       
    
    
24. What is the period of revolution of Halley's comet ?
    
    
    
    1. 72 years
    2. 76 years
    3. 82 years
    4. 86 years
       
    
    
25. The stars appearing _________ have highest temperature.
    
    
    
    1. red
    2. blue
    3. yellow
    4. white
       
    
    
26. The stars appearing _________ have lowest surface temperature.
    
    
    
    1. red
    2. blue
    3. yellow
    4. white
       
    
    
27. Each Nakshatra is an angular region of about _________.
    
    
    
    1. 15° 30'
    2. 14° 40'
    3. 13° 20'
    4. 12° 30'
       
    
    
28. The moon undergoes an angular displacement of ________ in 1 day.
    
    
    
    1. 30°
    2. 20° 40'
    3. 15° 45'
    4. 13° 20'
       
    
    
29. The moon stays in one nakshatra for about _________ day/s.
    
    
    
    1. 30
    2. 13.5
    3. 7
    4. 1
       
    
    
30. The sun stays in one nakshatra for about _________ day/s
    
    
    
    1. 1
    2. 13.5
    3. 30
    4. 365
       
    
    
31. Sun rises ______ minutes ______ than the time of its rise the previous day.
    
    
    
    1. 4, earlier
    2. 4, later
    3. 8.5, earlier
    4. 8.5, later
       
    
    
32. What is the diameter of Milky way ?
    
    
    
    1. 1000 light year
    2. 10000 light year
    3. 100000 light year
    4. 100000 km
       
    
    
33. 1 light year = _________ km.
    
    
    
    1. 9.46 x 10¹¹
    2. 9.46 x 10¹²
    3. 4.96 x 10¹¹
    4. 4.96 x 10¹²
       
    
    
34. There are about ______ galaxies in the universe.
    
    
    
    1. 10¹¹
    2. 10¹²
    3. 10²²
    4. 10²³
       
    
    
35. There are about ______ stars in the universe.
    
    
    
    1. 10¹¹
    2. 10¹²
    3. 10²²
    4. 10²³
       
    
    
36. Who showed that the galaxies recede away from one another ?
    
    
    
    1. Plato
    2. Kepler
    3. Edwin Hubble
    4. Albert Einstein
       
    
    
37. What is the approximate age of universe according to Big-bang theory ?
    
    
    
    1. 137 million years
    2. 137 billion years
    3. 13.7 million years
    4. 13.7 billion years
       
    
    
38. A rocket works on the principle of ______.
    
    
    
    1. Newton's first law of motion
    2. Newton's second law of motion
    3. Newton's third law of motion
    4. First law of thermodynamics
       
    
    
39. At what height do booster rockets get detached from the space-shuttle ?
    
    
    
    1. 45 km
    2. 100 km
    3. 300 km
    4. 1000 km
       
    
    
40. ______ was the first satellite launched by India.
    
    
    
    1. Agni
    2. EDUSAT
    3. Rohini
    4. INSAT II
       
    
    
41. The minimum velocity required for a satellite to remain in its orbit is ______.
    
    
    
    1. 8 km/s
    2. 8 km/h
    3. 800 km/h
    4. 800 m/s
       
    
    
42. Remote sensing satellite of India visits any location on the earth at the interval of ______ days.
    
    
    
    1. 18
    2. 19
    3. 20
    4. 21
       
    
    
43. Which is the series of satellites used by India for astronomical observation ?
    
    
    
    1. Agni
    2. Rohini
    3. INSAT
    4. Vijay
       
    
    
44. Which of the following is a star ?
    
    
    
    1. Comet
    2. Asteroid
    3. Sun
    4. Phobos
       
    
    
45. Which of the following is not a member of our solar system ?
    
    
    
    1. Shooting stars
    2. Artificial satellites
    3. Sun
    4. Asteroids
       
    
    
46. Which planet has maximum number of satellites ?
    
    
    
    1. Mercury
    2. Jupiter
    3. Venus
    4. Saturn
       
    
    
47. Which of the following is not an artificial satellite ?
    
    
    
    1. INSAT
    2. Rohini
    3. Phobos
    4. SROSS
       
    
    
48. Which of the following is not a natural satellite ?
    
    
    
    1. Triton
    2. Demos
    3. Aryabhatta
    4. Sheron(Charon)
       
    
    
49. How many satellites does Mercury have ?
    
    
    
    1. 30
    2. 21
    3. 8
    4. 0
       
    
    
50. 
    
    
    
    
    
51. 
    
    
    
    
    

ANSWERS TO MCQs

(1) B (2) C (3) B (4) D (5) D (6) A (7) C (8) C (9) A (10) D (11) A (12) B (13) B (14) B (15) C (16) D (17) A (18) D (19) D (20) A (21) C (22) A (23) C (24) B (25) B (26) A (27) C (28) D (29) D (30) B (31) A (32) C (33) B (34) A (35) C (36) C (37) D (38) C (39) A (40) C (41) A (42) D (43) B (44) C (45) B (46) B (47) C (48) C (49) D

SHORT QUESTIONS

ANSWER IN SHORT:

1. Invention of what has made the advanced study of universe possible ?
   
        ANS :Invention of radio telescope has made the advanced study of universe possible.


2. In whose memory has the observatory in space been named Chandra X-Ray Observatory ?
   
        ANS :Chandra X-Ray Observatory has been named in the memory of Dr. S. Chandrasekhara.


3. How do radio telescopes provide accurate information about space ?
   
        ANS :Radio telescopes provide accurate information about space by receiving ultraviolet rays, X-rays, microwaves, etc. from space.


4. What did Ptolemy believe about Universe ?
   
        ANS :Ptolemy believed that the earth was the centre of the universe and the sun, the moon, the planets and other stars revolved around it.


5. Sun is the centre of the universe. True or false ?
   
        ANS :This is a false statement.


6. Sun is the centre of our galaxy. True or false ?
   
        ANS :This is a false statement.


7. Sun is the centre of the solar system. True or false ?
   
        ANS :This is a true statement.


8. What is the name of our galaxy ?
   
        ANS :The name of our galaxy is Milky Way.


9. What does our solar system consist of /
   
        ANS :Our solar system consists of the Sun, nine planets revolving around the Sun, ninety one satellites revolving around different planets, more than one lakh asteroids, meteors, comets, etc.


10. Which force keeps the planets in their orbits ?
    
         ANS :The centripetal (gravitational) force between the Sun and the planets keeps the planets in their orbits.


11. What is photosphere ?
    
         ANS :Photosphere is the 400 km thick, bright layer around the Sun.


12. What is 'Corona'?
    
         ANS :A thin layer of gases around the photosphere of the Sun which becomes visible at the time of solar eclipse is called 'Corona'.


13. What is the temperature in the core region of Sun ?
    
         ANS :The temperature in the core region of Sun is about 1.5 crore K.


14. What happens during the thermonuclear fusion taking place in Sun ?
    
         ANS :During thermonuclear fusion taking place in sun, four hydrogen nuclei fuse to form a helium nucleus.


15. Mention Einstein's mass-energy relation.
    
         ANS :Einstein's mass-energy relation is : E = Δmc², where Δm is the change in mass and c is the velocity of light in vacuum.


16. What is the mass of sun ?
    
         ANS :The mass of sun is about 1.99 x 10³⁰ kg.


17. Which two elements are chiefly the constituents of sun ?
    
         ANS :Hydrogen and helium are chiefly the constituent elements of sun.


18. Mention the names of terrestrial planets.
    
         ANS :Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are the terrestrial planets.


19. Mention the day and night temperatures of Mercury.
    
         ANS :The day temperature of mercury is about 427°C and its night temperature is about(-173)°C.


20. What does the atmosphere of Venus contain ?
    
         ANS :The atmosphere of Venus contains carbon dioxide gas.


21. Why does the sun rise in the west on Venus ?
    
         ANS :The sun rises in the west on Venus because unlike other planets Venus spins in the opposite direction (i.e. from east to west).


22. Name the two planets which do not have natural satellites.
    
         ANS :Mercury and Venus do not have natural satellites.


23. Which layer of the atmosphere protects us from ultraviolet rays of sun ?
    
         ANS :Ozone layer of the atmosphere protects us from ultraviolet rays of sun.


24. What does the core region of earth contain ?
    
         ANS :The core region of earth contains molten mass consisting of iron, magnesium, silica, etc.


25. What does the atmosphere of mars mainly consist of ?
    
         ANS :The atmosphere of mars mainly consists of carbon dioxide.


26. Which mission of 1997 indicated the existenceof flowing water in the past(frozen now) on mars ?
    
         ANS :Path Finder mission of 1997 indicated the existence of flowing water in the past on mars.


27. Give the names of the moons of mars.
    
         ANS :Phobos and Demos are the moons of mars.


28. What do we mean by Jovian planets ?
    
         ANS :Those planets of our solar system which are beyond the orbit of mars are called Jovian planets as their composition is similar to Jupiter.


29. How many times is the volume of Jupiter as compared to earth ?
    
         ANS :The volume of Jupiter is 1400 times that of the earth.


30. How many times is Saturn bigger than the earth by volume ?
    
         ANS :Saturn is 850 times bigger than earth by volume.


31. Who discovered Urqanus ? When ?
    
         ANS :William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781 AD.


32. How many moons does Uranus have ?
    
         ANS :Uranus has 21 moons.


33. How many rings does Neptune have ?
    
         ANS :Neptune has two rings.


34. What does the upper crust of Neptune contain ?
    
         ANS :The upper crust of Neptune consists of rocks having methane, ammonia and water in ice form (frozen state).


35. Which planet has highly elliptical orbit ?
    
         ANS :Pluto has highly elliptical orbit.


36. Which is the gas mainly present in the atmosphere of Pluto ?
    
         ANS :Methane gas is mainly present in the atmosphere of Pluto.


37. How many moons does Pluto have ?
    
         ANS :Pluto has one moon.


38. What are asteroids ?
    
         ANS :Asteroids are rocks revolving around the Sun, which failed to (form planets) assemble into planets during the formation of the solar system.


39. Approximately how many asteroids are there between the orbits of mars and jupiter ?
    
         ANS :About 10⁵ (1 lakh) asteroids are there between the orbits of mars and jupiter.


40. On what basis is the size of an asteroid estimated ?
    
         ANS :The size of an asteroid is estimated on the basis of luminosity.


41. What is the diameter of asteroid Ceres ?
    
         ANS :The diameter of asteroid Ceres is about 1000 km.


42. What is the diameter of asteroid Vesta ?
    
         ANS :The diameter of asteroid Vesta is about 400 km.


43. What are meteors ?
    
         ANS :Any substance of any size entering the earth's atmosphere from space is known as a meteor.


44. What are meteorites ?
    
         ANS :A meteor of very large size which does not get burnt completely in earth's atmosphere and strikes the surface of the earth is called a meteorite.


45. Which are the elements found in asteroids ?
    
         ANS :The elements found mainly in asteroids are silicon, nickel, chromium, calcium and probably gold and platinum.


46. Why are meteors called 'shooting stars' ?
    
         ANS :Meteors are called 'shooting stars' because when they enter earth's atmosphere with tremendous speed, they burn due to friction and a streak of light is seen.


47. What is 'Cloud of Urt'?
    
         ANS :The 'Cloud of Urt' is a group of about a million of celestial objects which are beyond the orbit of Pluto.


48. What are comets ?
    
         ANS :Comets are celestial objects found beyond the orbit of Pluto, which are made of dust and icy rocks and which revolve around Sun in a highly elliptical orbit.


49. Approximately how many comets are known ?
    
         ANS :About 750 comets are known.


50. When was Halley's comet last seen ? When will it be seen next ?
    
         ANS :Halley's comet was last seen in 1986 AD and it will be seen next in 2062 AD.


51. Which comet was seen in 1997 AD ?
    
         ANS :Heilbob was the comet seen in 1997 AD.


52. What is the composition of comets ?
    
         ANS :A comet basically consists of water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, other frozen gases and dust particles.


53. Which molecules are believed to have come to earth from the tails of comets ?
    
         ANS :Molecules like CO and HCN are believed to have come to earth from the tails of comets.


54. What did the ancient people believe to happen when comets arrived ?
    
         ANS :Ancient people believed that the arrival of a comet was responsible for war, epidemic or a natural calamity like flood.


55. What are stars ?
    
         ANS :The self-luminous celestial objects which produce energy in the form of radiation due to the thermonuclear fusion process taking place within them are called stars.


56. Mention the two main elements present in stars.
    
         ANS :Hydrogen and helium are two main elements present in stars.


57. What is celestial sphere ?
    
         ANS :An imaginary sphere covering the sky with the earth as its centre is known as the celestial sphere.


58. How many Nakshatras are there ?
    
         ANS :There are 27 Nakshatras.


59. On what basis are Nakshatras given their name ?
    
         ANS :The Nakshatras are given their names on the basis of the imaginary figures formed by luminous stars.


60. How much time does earth take to complete one rotation about its own axis ?
    
         ANS :Earth takes 23 hours and 56 minutes to complete one rotation about its axis.


61. What is the angular displacement of a star in celestial sphere in one day ?
    
         ANS :The angular displacement of a star in celestial sphere in one day is about 1°.


62. What is a galaxy ?
    
         ANS :Galaxy is a big cluster of stars in space.


63. What is the name of our galaxy ?
    
         ANS :The name of our galaxy is Milky Way.


64. What is the shape of our galaxy ?
    
         ANS :The shape of our galaxy is spiral.


65. What is the thickness of the middle part of our galaxy ?
    
         ANS :The thickness of the middle part of our galaxy(Milky Way) is about 15 to 20 thousand light years.


66. Define : Light year.
    
         ANS :Light year is the distance travelled by light in one year.


67. Mention some Nakshatras.
    
         ANS :Ashwini, Swati, Vishakha, Pushya, Jyeshtha, etc. are some of the Nakshatras.


68. What is the distance of Sun from the galactic center ?
    
         ANS :The distance of Sun from the galactic center is about 30000 light years.


69. What is the speed of revolution of Sun ?
    
         ANS :The speed of revolution of Sun is about 250 km/s.


70. How much time does sun take to complete one revolution around the galactic center ?
    
         ANS :Sun takes about 22.5 crore (225 million) years to complete one revolution around the galactic center.


71. Mention two main shapes of galaxies.
    
         ANS :The two main shapes of galaxies are : Spiral and Elliptical.


72. What is the colour of most of the stars in elliptical galaxies ?
    
         ANS :The colour of most stars in elliptical galaxies is red.


73. What is the colour of most of the stars in spiral galaxies ?
    
         ANS :The colour of most of the stars in spiral galaxies is blue.


74. Elliptical galaxies are older than spiral galaxies. True or false ?
    
         ANS :This is a true statement.


75. Stars in spiral galaxies are young. True or false ?
    
         ANS :This is a true statement.


76. The number of elliptical galaxies is more than that of spiral galaxies. True or false ?
    
         ANS :This is a false statement.


77. On what does the rate of receding away of galaxies from one another depend ?
    
         ANS :The rate of receding away of galaxies from one another is directly proportional to the relative (intergalactic) distance between them.


78. How many years ago did Big Bang take place ?
    
         ANS :The Big Bang took place about 13.7 billion years ago.


79. What is the basic concept (belief) of Steady-state theory ?
    
         ANS :The Steady-state theory believes that the Universe appears the same at all times and remains unchanged.


80. What is used as liquid fuel in rockets ?
    
         ANS :A mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen is used as liquid fuel in rockets.


81. Give an example of a solid fuel used in a rocket.
    
         ANS :A powdered mixture of aluminium and ammonium perchlorate (or ammonium nitrate) is used as solid fuel in a rocket.


82. What is 'pay-load' ?
    
         ANS :'Pay-load' includes all scientific equipment, satellite, etc. that is carried by a rocket (or a spacecraft) to the space.


83. What type of rocket is required to carry heavy payloads ?
    
         ANS :A multistage rocket is required to carry heavy payloads.


84. What is the full form of PSLV ?
    
         ANS :The full form of PSLV is Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.


85. What is the full form of GSLV ?
    
         ANS :The full form of GSLV is Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.


86. What can a PSLV do ?
    
         ANS :A PSLV can project a satellite of 1000 kgmass in a polar orbit at 900 km height.


87. What can a GSLV do ?
    
         ANS :A GSLV can project a satellite of 2500 kg mass in a geostationary orbit at 35786 km height.


88. From where and when the EDUSAT launched ?
    
         ANS :EDUSAT was launched on September 20, 2004 from Dr. Satish Dhavan Satellite Launching Station, Shriharikota, in Andhrapradesh.


89. What is the purpose of EDUSAT ?
    
         ANS :The purpose of EDUSAT is educational activity through satellite.


90. How many rockets are there in a space shuttle ?
    
         ANS :A space shuttle has in all five rockets (engines).


91. What is remote sensing ?
    
         ANS:Remote sensing is a method by which information about a substance, matter or a phenomenon can be obtained using scientific instruments without direct contact with them.


92. Which type of information can be obtained by remote sensing satellites ?
    
         ANS:Informations like geological survey of metallic ores in the earth's crust, environmental changes, water resources, agricultural resources, diseases spread in crops, oceanic phenomena, etc can be obtained by remote sensing satellites.


93. How is energy produced in stars ?
    
         ANS:Energy is produced by thermonuclear fusion process in stars.