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Other Sciences
6th -
8thgrade
STAAR Category 3: Earth and Space Part 1
24 questions
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- 1. Multiple ChoiceThe Milky Way galaxy is described as a disk of stars orbiting a central point on the disk. Which of these best explains why people on Earth cannot see the entire shape of the Milky Way?Earth is a part of this galaxy.Many more stars exist outside the galaxy.The stars in the center of the galaxy are extremely small.The center of the galaxy consists of a dense cluster of stars.
- 2. Multiple ChoiceThe diagram below shows four phases of the moon as it revolves around Earth. A student builds a model based on this diagram. The student uses foam balls to represent the moon and Earth and a flashlight to represent the sun. The student should shine the flashlight on the model of Earth from Position ____.1234
- 3. Multiple ChoiceAn object will continue moving in a straight line unless it is acted on by an unbalanced force. Which of the following best explains Earth's motion?There is no unbalanced force acting on Earth because space is empty and nothing touches Earth.The gravitational force pulling Earth towards the sun is equal and opposite to the force pulling the sun towards Earth, so there is no unbalanced force acting on Earth.The sun moves in an elliptical orbit around Earth, and the sun's gravity pulls Earth along.Earth moves in an elliptical orbit around the sun because the gravitational force of the sun attracts Earth.
- 4. Multiple ChoiceA student keeps a record of the phases of the moon for one month. On the first night of the student's observations, the full moon is visible in the sky. After the full moon, which of these phases will the student observe next?Waxing crescent moonWaxing gibbous moonWaning crescent moonWaning gibbous moon
- 5. Multiple ChoiceThe Hertzsprung-Russell diagram below shows how the brightness, surface temperature, and color of stars are related. Which of these observations of Bernard's Star is most likely accurate?Barnard's Star is less bright than the sun, has a surface temperature below 3,800 K, and is red.Barnard's Star is less bright than the sun, has a surface temperature above 3,000 k, and is red.Barnard's Star is brighter than the sun, has a surface temperature below 5,300 K, and is yellowBarnard's Star is brighter than the sun, has a surface temperature above 5,300 K, and is yellow.
- 6. Multiple ChoiceWhy does Earth get more energy from the sun than from all other stars in the universe combined?The sun is much larger than the other stars.The sun is much hotter than the other stars.The sun is much more dense than the other stars.The sun is much closer than the other stars.
- 7. Multiple ChoiceThe diagram below models Mercury and Venus orbiting the sun. What force causes Venus to travel along a curved path instead of moving in a straight line as indicated by the dashed line in the diagram?Electromagnetic attraction between the sun and VenusGravitational attraction between the sun and VenusElectromagnetic attraction between Mercury and VenusGravitational attraction between Mercury and Venus
- 8. Multiple ChoiceA Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is shown below. Based on this diagram, which type of stars would belong to spectral class M and have the highest luminosity?Main-sequence starsGiantsWhite dwarfsSupergiants
- 9. Multiple ChoiceSome students used records from the U.S. Naval Observatory to make the table below of the percent of the moon that was visible on each night in January 2011. Based on these data, what part of the lunar cycle occurred between January 5 and January 7?Waxing crescent moonWaning crescent moonFull moonNew moon
- 10. Multiple ChoiceThe moon reflects different amounts of sunlight onto Earth at different times. This reflected sunlight is commonly called moonlight. The graph below shows the intensity of moonlight at different times in a lunar cycle. Which moon phase most likely occurs at the time in the cycle represented by an X on the graph?ABCD
- 11. Multiple ChoiceFour students are asked to describe a nebula and a star. Their responses are shown in the table below. Which student described these two celestial bodies correctly?Student 1Student 2Student 3Student 4
- 12. Multiple ChoiceThe table below shows the distances of three stars from the sun. Students were asked to make a model of the three stars and to include the sun and Earth in the model. They chose to use a scale of 1 meter: 1 light-year.ABCD
- 13. Multiple ChoiceA phase of the moon is shown below.ABCD
- 14. Multiple ChoiceTwo stars are identified on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram below. Based on this diagram, how do the characteristics of Star 1 and Star 2 compare?Star 1 is cooler and less bright than Star 2Star 1 is hotter and brighter than Star 2Star 1 is cooler and brighter than Star 2Star 1 is hotter and less bright than Star 2
- 15. Multiple ChoiceQuasars are extremely distant celestial bodies. Investigators using a special telescope determined that a certain quasar was emitting waves with a frequency of 1.41X109Hz. An electromagnetic spectrum is shown.The investigators were most likely using a telescope that detects ____.microwavesvisible lightx-raysgamma rays
- 16. Multiple ChoiceOn July 4, 1776, the American colonies declared their independence. The table shows the lunar phases for June 1776. What lunar phase occurred on July, 1776?Waning gibbousWaxing gibbousWaning crescentWaxing crescent
- 17. Multiple ChoiceWhich of these correctly compares the masses of different objects in the universe?A moon has less mass than a star and more mass than the planet it orbits.A planet has less mass than a galaxy and more mass than the star it orbits.A galaxy has less mass than a moon and more mass than a planet.A star has less mass than a galaxy and more mass than a planet.
- 18. Multiple ChoiceWith the use of the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists recently discovered a giant runaway star. It is 90 times larger than the sun and is very hot and blue-white in color. Why does the sun appear to be brighter than this runaway star when viewed from Earth?The sun is a different color than the runaway star.The sun is older than the runaway star.The sun is closer to Earth than the runaway star.The sun is made of different elements than the runaway star.
- 19. Multiple ChoiceIn July 1994 the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with the planet Jupiter, as scientists had predicted. To be able to accurately predict when a comet will collide with a planet, it is essential to understand _____.the composition of a planet's atmospherethe gravitational attraction that exists between all bodiesthe attraction of opposite poles of a magnet to each other.the formation of comets
- 20. Multiple ChoiceThe Hertzsprung-Russell diagram shows how the sun is classified among the stars. A star that is several thousand times brighter than the sun with a temperature lower than 4,000 K would be classified as _______.a main-sequence star in spectral class Ba supergiant in spectral class Ka main-sequence star in spectral class K or Ma white dwarf in spectral class B
- 21. Multiple ChoiceA student must complete the column of the table that lists the dates of the full moons. What are the most likely dates of the full moons?February 5, March 7, April 5, May 4February 15, March 17, April 15, May 14February 25, March 27, April 25, May 24February 29, March 31, April 29, May 28
- 22. Multiple ChoiceA student uses paper and fasteners to create a model of Earth, the sun, and the moon. The sun and Earth are attached to the paper background, while the moon is free to revolve around Earth.ABCD
- 23. Multiple ChoiceThe universe has many different components. Which list places four components of the univers in the most likely order from smallest to largest?Planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae.Nebulae, stars, planets, galaxies.Galaxies, stars, planets, nebulae.Planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies
- 24. Multiple ChoiceThe model shows the star Wolf 359, the sun, and Star X. It takes 7.8 years for light produced on Wolf 359 to reach the sun. If Star X is 50 times as far from the sun as Wolf 359 is, how far is Star X from the sun, to the nearest light-year?50 light-years359 light-years390 light-years17,950 light-years
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