1. The same side of the moon always faces the Earth because

(A)     Moon and the Earth have gravitational force

(B)      Moon cannot change its position

(C)      the period of rotation of the Moon on its axis and period of revolution around' the Earth is almost the same

(D)     the period of rotation of the Moon is not equal to the period of rotation of the Earth

Ans: (C)

2.  Which of the following planets is known as 'Morning Star'?

(a)       Mercury

(b)      Venus

(c)       Mars

(d)      Jupiter

Ans: (b)

3. Which planet of the solar system spins on its axis at the fastest rate?

(a)       Mercury

(b)      Earth

(c)       Jupiter

(d)      Saturn

Ans: (c)

4. Which planet is known as the 'Watery Planet' ?

(a)       Mercury

(b)      Earth

(c)       Mars

(d)      Jupiter

Ans: (b)

5. Which planet looks reddish in the night sky?

(a)       Mercury

(b)      Mars

(c)       Jupiter

(d)      Saturn

Ans: (b)

6. The correct sequence of planets in the descending order of their equatorial diameter is :

(a)       Mars, Mercury, Uranus, Earth

(b)      Earth, Mars, Mercury, Uranus

(c)       Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Earth

(d)      Uranus, Earth, Mars, Mercury

Ans: (d)

7. Which of the following is the largest of the inner planets?

(a)       Venus

(b)      Mercury

(c)       Mars

(d)      Earth

Ans: (d)

8. In 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered four moons of which planet?

(a)       Saturn

(b)      Jupiter

(c)       Neptune

(d)      None of these

Ans: (b)

9. In order of their distances from the Sun, which of the following planets lie between Mars and Uranus?

(a)       Earth and Jupiter

(b)      Jupiter and Saturn

(c)       Saturn and Earth

(d)      Saturn and Neptune

Ans: (b)

10. The planet Mercury is difficult to be observed most of the time because:

(a)       it gets hidden behind Venus

(b)      it goes too far away from the Earth

(c)       it being too close to the Sun, gets hidden by the glare of the Sun

(d)      it cannot be seen at night as at that time no sunlight falls on it.

Ans: (c)

11. Comets revolve around:

(a)       sun

(b)      earth

(c)       venus

(d)      no single heavenly body

Ans: (a)

12. Which two planets of the solar system have no satellites?

(a)       Mercury and Venus

(b)      Venus and Mars

(c)       Mercury and Mars

(d)      Venus and Neptune

Ans: (a)

13. The planet having thirteen moons is :

(a)       Venus

(b)      Mars

(c)       Uranus

(d)      Neptune

Ans: (d)

14. The length of its day and the tilt of its axis are almost identical to those of the earth'. This is true of:

(a)       Uranus

(b)      Neptune

(c)       Saturn

(d)      Mars

Ans: (d)

15. The hottest planet is :

(a)       Mercury

(b)      Venus

(c)       Jupiter

(d)      Saturn

Ans: (b)

16. Which of the following is the brightest planet?

(a)       Mercury

(b)      Venus

(c)       Mars

(d)      Jupiter

Ans: (b)

17. Which of the planets is nearest to the earth?

(a)       Jupiter

(b)      Venus

(c)       Mercury

(d)      Mars

Ans: (b)

18. Which planet is known as the Earth's Twin?

(a)       Venus

(b)      Mars

(c)       Uranus

(d)      Neptune

Ans: (a)

 

19. Which one of the following planets takes the same number of days for rotation and revolution?

(a)       Mars

(b)      Venus

(c)       Mercury

(d)      Jupiter

Ans: (b)

 

20. On which of the following planets of the solar system does the sun rise in the west and set in the east?

(a)       Venus

(b)      Mars

(c)       Jupiter

(d)      Saturn

Ans: (a)

 

21. Which of the following planets of the solar system has the longest day?

(a)       Mercury

(b)      Jupiter

(c)       Venus

(d)      Earth

Ans: (c)

 

22.      The exact time taken by the earth for single rotation on its own axis is:

(a)       24 hrs

(b)      24 hrs 35 sec

(c)       23 hrs 50 minutes 7.2 sec

(d)      23 hrs 56 minutes 4.09 sec

Ans: (d)

23.      Lunar Sea refers to :

(a)       a small sea on the moon

(b)      a sea on earth which experiences high tides due to gravitational attraction of the moon

(c)       a dark plain on the moon

(d)      a light water body illuminated by the moon-light

Ans: (c)

24.      'Parsec' is the unit of measurement of:

(a)       density of star

(b)      astronomical distance

(c)       brightness of heavenly bodies

(d)      orbital velocity of giant stars

Ans: (b)

25.      The sunspots cause:

(a)       aurora borealis and aurora australis

(b)      magnetic storms on the surface of the sun

(c)       polar auroras

(d)      all of these

Ans: (d)

26.      The light cming from stars gives the idea of their:

(a)       size

(b)      rotational speed

(c)       mass

(d)      temperature

Ans: (d)

27.      The Milky way extends through a distance:

(a)       1 light year

(b)      8 light years

(c)       105 light years

(d)      1010 light years

Ans: (c)

28.      The period of one revolution of sun around the centre of galaxy is called:

(a)       Parsec

(b)      Astronomical year

(c)       Cosmic year

(d)      Light year

Ans: (c)

29.      Super Nova is :

(a)       an asteroid

(b)      a black hole

(c)       a comet

(d)      a dying star

Ans: (d)

30.      The altitudes of heavenly bodies appear to be greater than they actually are. This is

due to:

(a)       vertical motion of these heavenly bodies

(b)      motions of the earth

(c)       atmospheric refraction

(d)      these are visible because of light of the sun reflected from their surface

Ans: (c)

31.      The same side of the moon always faces the Earth because:

(a)       Moon and the Earth have gravitational force

(b)      Moon cannot change its position

(c)       the period of rotation of the Moon on its axis and period of revolution around' the Earth is almost the same

(d)      the period of rotation of the Moon is not equal to the period of rotation of the Earth

Ans: (c)

32.      Who of the following discovered the laws of planetary orbits?

(a)       Galileo Galilei

(b)      Nicholas Copernicus

(c)       Johanries Kepler

(d)      Isaac Newton

Ans: (c)

33.      Twelve constellations referred to as zodiac are:

(a)       signs of Roman gods

(b)      imaginary region that encompass the path of the planets

(c)       a group of stars

(d)      none of these

Ans: (c)

34.      The term 'meteor' is applied to an interplanetary body:

(a)       after it enters the atmosphere of the earth

(b)      after it enters the earth's atmosphere and explodes in mid air as a ball of fire

(c)       after it enters the earth's atmosphere and lands on the surface of the earth without exploding in mid-air

(d)      before it enters the earth's atmosphere

Ans: (b)

35.      Which one of the following statements regarding Shooting Stars is incorrect ?

(a)       They are meteors

(b)      They are the debris which got separated from a come

(c)       They emit light due to extremely high temperature caused by friction while they are passing through earth's atmosphere

(d)      They are a kind of a star

Ans: (d)

36.      The planets are kept in motion in their respective orbits by :

(a)       their great size and spherical shape

(b)      the rotation and density

(c)       gravitation and centrifugal force

(d)      rotation of the sun on its axis

Ans: (c)

37.      The distance of the nearest star besides the sun from the earth is :

(a)       4.9 x 1111m

(b)      95 x1015 m

(c)       4.3 light years

(d)      4.2 light years

Ans: (d)

38.      The time required by moonlight to reach the earth is :

(a)       1 sec

(b)      1.3 sec

(c)       2 sec

(d)      2.3 sec

Ans: (b)

39.      The strongest evidence that comets are members of our solar system comes from:

(a)       their composition

(b)      their effect on the lives of man

(c)       the shape of their orbits

(d)      the shape and length of their tails

Ans: (a)

40.The constellations of stars appear at different positions in the sky at different times during night mainly:

(a)       because earth rotates about its axis

(b)      because earth revolves round the sun

(c)       because of optical illusion

(d)      because celestial bodies are changing their positions all the time

Ans: (a)

41.      If there is no Sun, the colour of the sky would be:

(a)       orange

(b)      blue

(c)       yellow

(d)      black

Ans: (d)

42.      The Saturn rings were discovered by:

(a)       Copernicus

(b)      Newton

(c)       Galileo

(d)      none of these

Ans: (c)

43.      The 'Solar Corona' mainly consists of:

(a)       cosmic rays

(b)      molten lava

(c)       gases

(d)      ice

Ans: (b)

44.      Comets are celestial bodies moving about the solar system in

(a)       elliptical or hyperbolic orbits, usually accompanied by a shining tail

(b)      elliptical orbits usually accompanied by a long shining tail

(c)       hyperbolic orbit always accompanied by a shining head

(d)      hyperbolic orbit without projecting any tail or heat

Ans: (b)

45.      Foucault experiment is proof of which one of the following?

(a)       Revolution of Earth

(b)      Rotation of Earth

(c)       Rotation of Moon

(d)      Revolution of Moon

Ans: (b)

46.      The radiant energy of the sun is transmitted in the form of:

(a)       short waves

(b)      long waves

(c)       particles

(d)      none of these

Ans: (a)

47.      While Venus is seen only for one to two hours either after sunset or before sunrise,

Jupiter is seen for the whole night whenever it is visible in the sky. The reason for this is that:

(a)       Venus is much smaller than Jupiter

(b)      Venus is much closer to the earth than Jupiter

(c)       the orbit of Venus is inside the earth's orbit whereas the orbit of Jupiter lies outside the orbit of the earth

(d)      Venus reflects lesser amount of sunlight than Jupiter

Ans: (c)

48.      Among the following which planet takes maximum time for one revolution around the Sun?

(a)       Earth

(b)      Jupiter

(c)       Mars

(d)      Venus

Ans: (b)

49.      Which one of the following statements is correct with reference to our solar system?

(a)       The Earth is the densest of all the planets in our solar system

(b)      The predominant element in the composition of Earth is silicon

(c)       The Sun contains 75 percent of the mass of the solar system

(d)      The diameter of the Sun is 190 times that of the Earth

Ans: (a)

50.      The Srnith-tuttle comet will crash with Earth in:

(a)       2106 AD

(b)      2116 AD

(c)       2126 AD

(d)      2136 AD

Ans: (b)

51.      The correct sequence of the following planets in terms of gravity, in the descending order is :

(a)       Saturn, Earth, Neptune, Uranus

(b)      Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Earth

(c)       Uranus, Earth, Saturn, Neptune

(d)      Earth, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn

Ans: (d)

52.      Which of the following gases is most predominant in the Sun?

(a)       Helium

(b)      Hydrogen

(c)       Nitrogen

(d)      Ozone

Ans: (b)

53.      NASA's Deep Impact space mission was employed to take detailed pictures of which comet nucleus?

(a)       Halley's Comet

(b)      Hale-Bopp

(c)       Hyakutake

(d)      Tempel 1

Ans: (d)

54.      A blackhole is a :

(a)       contracted star with intense gravitational pull

(b)      star with very low surface temperature

(c)       star with no atmosphere

(d)      pulsating star

Ans: (a)

55.      Which one of the following is correct? Great Bear is a :

(a)       galaxy

(b)      planet

(c)       star

(d)      constellation

Ans: (d)

56.      Asteroids have their orbits between the planets:

(a)       Mercury and Venus

(b)      Earth and Mars

(c)       Mars and Jupiter

(d)      Jupiter and Saturn

Ans: (c)

57 .Halley's comet appears once in a period of:

(a)       24 years

(b)      32 years

(c)       76 years

(d)      84 years

Ans: (c)

58.      The orbits of planets around the Sun, or of satellites around the Earth, can be :

(a)       circular and elliptic

(b)      circular and hyperbolic

(c)       elliptic and parabolic

(d)      parabolic and hyperbolic

Ans: (a)

59.      To a space traveller on moon, the lunar sky during day time appears:

(a)       white

(b)      blue

(c)       black

(d)      red

Ans: (c)

60.      The distance between the Earth and the Sun (in million kms.) is :

(a)       111

(b)      149

(c)       168

(d)      193

Ans: (b)

61.      Stars which appear single to the naked eye but are double stars when observed by a telescope, are known as :

(a)       cosmic stars

(b)      quasars

(c)       binaries

(d)      novae and supernovae

Ans: (c)

62.      What are Sun spots?

(a)       Regions on earth without winter climate

(b)      Desert areas on the sun

(c)       Dark patches on the surface of the sun which are cooler areas

(d)      Dark patches on the surface of the Sun resulting from a localised fall in the temperature to about 4000 K

Ans: (d)

63.      The brightest star in the sky is:

(a)       Alfa Centauri

(b)      Proxima Centauri

(c)       Sirius

(d)      Sun

Ans: (d)

64.      Pole Star is always seen at one point in the sky whereas other stars are not; this is because:

(a)       Pole star rotates with the same period as the earth

(b)      Pole star is a star of our own galaxy

(c)       Sun and Pole star are in two opposite directions relative to earth

(d)      Pole star lies in the axis of spin of the earth

Ans: (d)

65.      The outermost layer of Sun is called:

(a)       convection zone

(b)      photosphere

(c)       chromosphere

(d)      corona

Ans: (d)