1. The colour of the star is an indication of its
(a) Distance from the earth
(b) Distance from the sun
(c) Temperature
(d) Luminosity
2. The planet nearest to the sun is
(a) Mercury
(b) Earth
(c) Venus
(d) Pluto
3. The group of stars arranged in a definite pattern is called
(a) Milky way
(b) Constellation
(c) Andromeda
(d) Solar system
4. The Asteroid belt is found between which of the following?
(a) Earth and Mars
(b) Jupiter and Saturn
(c) Mars and Jupiter
(d) Saturn and Uranus
5. Which one of the following is the largest satellite in solar system?
(a) Ganymede
(b) Titan
(c) Europa
(d) Triton
6. Which planet takes the longest time to go around the sun?
(a) Earth
(b) Jupiter
(c) Uranus
(d) Neptune
7. The planet which is called twin sister of the Earth is
(a) Mercury
(b) Venus
(c) Mars
(d) Uranus
8. The distance of Moon from the Earth is
(a) 384 thousand kms.
(b) 300 thousand kms.
(c) 350 thousand kms.
(d) 446 thousand kms.
9. Which planet was named after the Roman God Zeus?
(a) Earth
(b) Mars
(c) Venus
(d) Jupiter
10. Which of the following planets is smaller in size than the Earth?
(a) Venus
(b) Uranus
(c) Saturn
(d) Neptune
11. The largest planet in our solar system is
(a) Earth
(b) Uranus
(c) Jupiter
(d) Saturn
12. Which of the following planets has largest number of satellites or moons?
(a) Jupiter
(b) Neptune
(c) Earth
(d) Saturn
13. Which of the following planets is called “Blue planet”?
(a) Venus
(b) Earth
(c) Uranus
(d) Mercury
14. The approximate diameter of Earth is
(a) 4200 km
(b) 6400 km
(c) 3400 km
(d) 12800 km
15. The Earth rotates around its axis from
(a) North to South
(b) South to North
(c) East to West
(d) West to East
16. What is the time taken by the Earth to complete one rotation on its axis?
(a) 23 hr 52 min 4 sec
(b) 23 hr 56 min 4 sec
(c) 24 hr
(d) 24 hr 12 min 6 sec
17. Which of the following is the nearest star of Earth?
(a) Sirius
(b) Sun
(c) Rigel
(d) Vega
18. Which one of the following planets is the brightest?
(a) Mars
(b) Mercury
(c) Venus
(d) Jupiter
19. The mean radius of the Earth is
(a) 3200 km
(b) 6400 km
(c) 8400 km
(d) 12800 km
20. Which one of the following planets rotates clockwise?
(a) Earth
(b) Mars
(c) Venus
(d) Mercury
21. The nuclear fuel in the Sun is
(a) Helium
(b) Hydrogen
(c) Oxygen
(d) Uranium
22. The outermost layer of the sun is called
(a) Chromosphere
(b) Photosphere
(c) Lithosphere
(d) Corona
23. The surface temperature of sun is nearly
(a) 2000 K
(b) 4000 K
(c) 6000 K
(d) 8000 K
24. What is meant by the term “Midnight Sun”?
(a) Twilight
(b) Rising sun
(c) Very bright moon
(d) Sun shining in the polar circle for long time
25. Which of the following planets is known as “Red Planet”?
(a) Earth
(b) Mars
(c) Jupiter
(d) Saturn
Answer Key:
1. (c) The colour of the star is an indication of its temperature. The glowing is
caused by something called Black-Body radiation, which has to do with the
heat energy trying to radiate away in more and more energetic wavelengths.
Red stars are relatively cool at only a few thousand degrees Celsius, white
stars are hot at about ten thousand degrees, and blue stars are the hottest.
2. (a) The planet nearest to the sun is Mercury. Mercury is the smallest and closest
to the Sun of the eight planets in the Solar System, with an orbital period of
about 88 Earth days.
3. (b) The group of stars arranged in a definite pattern is called constellation. In
modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, which are
patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another
on Earth’s night sky.
4. (c) The Asteroid belt is found between Mars and Jupiter. The large majority of
known asteroids orbit in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter, or are co-orbital with Jupiter.
5. (a) Ganymede is the largest satellite in solar system. Ganymede is a satellite of
Jupiter and the largest moon in the Solar System. It is the seventh moon and
third Galilean satellite outward from Jupiter. Completing an orbit in roughly
seven days, Ganymede participates in a 1:2:4 orbital resonance with the
moons Europa and Io, respectively. It has a diameter of 5,268 km (3,273 mi),
8% larger than that of the planet Mercury, but has only 45% of the latter’s
mass.
6. (d) Neptune takes the longest time to go around the sun. Neptune orbits the Sun
at an average distance of 4.5 billion km. Like all the planets in the Solar
System, Neptune follows an elliptical path around the Sun, varying its distance
to the Sun at different points along its orbit.
7. (b) The planet which is called twin sister of earth is Venus. Venus is known as the
Earth’s twin because of its similar size, chemical composition and density.
However, due to its toxic atmosphere, Venus is not habitable.
8. (a) The distance of moon from the Earth is 384 thousands kms. The Moon is the
only natural satellite of the Earth and the fifth largest moon in the Solar
System. It is the largest natural satellite of a planet in the Solar System relative
to the size of its primary, having 27% the diameter and 60% the density of
Earth, resulting in ¹⁄ its mass.
9. (d) Jupiter was named on the Roman God Zeus. Zeus is the “Father of Gods and
men” who rules the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father rules the family
according to the ancient Greek religion. He is the God of sky and thunder in
Greek mythology. Zeus is etymologically cognate with and, under Hellenic
influence, became particularly closely identified with Roman Jupiter.
10. (a) Venus is smaller in size than the Earth. Diameter of earth is12,742 km while
that of Venus is 12,100 km
11. (c) The largest planet in our solar system is Jupiter. Jupiter is the fifth planet from
the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass
one-thousandth of that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all
the other planets in the Solar System combined.
12. (a) Jupiter has largest number of satellites or moons. The planet Jupiter has 67
confirmed moons. This gives it the largest retinue of moons with “reasonably
secure” orbits of any planet in the Solar System.
13. (b) Earth is called the ‘Blue Planet’ due to the abundant water on its surface. This
is because liquid water covers most of the surface of the planet. The Earth has
the right mass, chemical composition, and location can support liquid water.
14. (d) The approximately diameter of Earth is 12800 km. The rotation of the planet
has slightly flattened it out, so it has a larger diameter at the equator than at
the poles. The equatorial diameter of Earth is 12,756 km, its polar diameter is 12,713 km, and its average diameter, which is referred to in common usage, is
12,742 km or 7,926 miles.
15. (d) The Earth rotates around its axis from west to east. Earth’s rotation is the
rotation of the solid Earth around its own axis. The Earth rotates from the west
towards the east. As viewed from the North Star or polestar Polaris, the Earth
turns counter-clockwise.
16. (b) The time taken by the Earth to complete one rotation on its axis is 23 hr-56
min 4 sec.
17. (b) The distance from sun to Earth is called an astronomical unit (AV) one of the
Nearest star sirius is more than thousands of AV distance from Earth.
18. (c) Venus is the brightest planet. It is third brightest object in sky after the sun and
moon.
19. (b) The mean radius of Earth is 6371 km or approximately a 6400 km
20. (c) The planet Venus rotates clock wise. On Venus, the rotation is backwards, or
clockwise, which is called retrograde. Standing on the surface of Venus, one
would be able to see the sun rising from the west.
21. (b) The nuclear fuel in the sun is Hydrogen. Actually the sun isn’t “burning,” but
instead its heat and light comes from its core where the element hydrogen is
continuously being converted into the element helium. This known as nuclear
fusion and is basically the same thing a hydrogen bomb does.
22. (d) The outermost layer of the sun is called corona. A corona is a type of plasma
that surrounds the Sun and other celestial bodies. The Sun’s corona extends
millions of kilometers into space and is most easily seen during a total solar
eclipse, but it is also observable with a coronagraph.
23. (c) The surface temperature of Sun is 5778 K or approximately 6000 K.
24. (c) Midnight Sun Occurs in Polar region in Summer months where sun remains
visible at local midnight.
25. (b) Mars is known as Red planet. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the
second smallest planet in the Solar System. Named after the Roman God of
war, it is often described as the “Red Planet” because the iron oxide prevalent
on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a
thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact
craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of
Earth.
