01
Choose one
1 point
After a Sun-like star sheds its outer layers, which remnant does it generally leave behind?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
07 Stellar Endings and Cosmic Recycling Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 07 Stellar Endings and Cosmic Recycling, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
True or false
1 point
All material ejected by stellar winds, supernovae, and neutron-star mergers necessarily becomes part of a later star or planet.
- A
True
- B
False
03
Fill in the blank
1 point
Inside a black hole's , nothing—not even light—can escape.
04
Written response
1 point
What is the name of the short-lived glow that radioactive debris from a neutron-star merger can power?
05
Choose one
1 point
Gas from a companion triggers an eruption on a white dwarf, but the white dwarf survives. Which event best describes this outcome?
- A
A nova
- B
A Type Ia supernova
- C
A core-collapse supernova
- D
A kilonova
06
Choose all
1 point
Which two observations can provide evidence for a stellar-mass black hole? Select all correct answers.
- A
The motion of a companion star affected by the black hole's gravity
- B
A visible beam from a rotating neutron star sweeping across Earth
- C
Radiation from hot gas in an accretion disk
- D
The presence of gas and dust between stars, by itself
07
Written response
1 point
According to the material, what is the approximate diameter of a neutron star? Enter the value in kilometres.
08
Choose one
1 point
A neutron star is observed through recurring radiation pulses as it rotates. What best explains the pulses?
- A
A white dwarf releasing gas in a stellar wind
- B
A black hole whose event horizon emits beams of light
- C
A rotating neutron star whose radiation beams sweep across Earth
- D
A Type Ia supernova remnant that continues sustained fusion
09
Fill in the blank
1 point
The approximate upper stable mass boundary for a white dwarf, about 1.4 solar masses, is called the .
10
Choose all
1 point
Which two statements about neutron capture and heavy-element formation are supported? Select all correct answers.
- A
The s-process builds some heavy elements in evolved stars.
- B
The s-process is the name for the explosion that destroys a white dwarf.
- C
The r-process can make very heavy elements, and neutron-star mergers are a confirmed site for it.
- D
The r-process occurs only in ordinary stellar winds.
11
True or false
1 point
Fusion of iron releases energy that supports the core of a massive star against collapse.
- A
True
- B
False
12
Choose one
1 point
A massive star's core collapses, and the star's outer layers are expelled. What type of explosion is this?
- A
A nova
- B
A core-collapse supernova
- C
A Type Ia supernova
- D
A kilonova
13
Open ended
1 point
Explain how at least two distinct observational methods used in astronomy can provide complementary evidence about compact objects or stellar explosions. For each method, state what is observed and what it can reveal.
14
Choose one
1 point
After stellar winds and explosions disperse enriched material, which sequence best describes how some of that material can contribute to future planetary systems?
- A
It is converted entirely into radiation and cannot contribute to later star systems.
- B
It mixes into gas and dust between stars, some of which can later form stars and planets.
- C
It remains permanently inside stellar remnants.
- D
It immediately forms only black holes.
15
True or false
1 point
A nova and a Type Ia supernova both involve a white dwarf in a binary system, but only the Type Ia event destroys the white dwarf.
- A
True
- B
False
16
Written response
1 point
What is the singular term for a rotating neutron star whose beams of radiation sweep across Earth?
17
Choose one
1 point
A massive star develops an iron-rich core that can no longer gain supporting energy by fusing iron. Which outcome best describes a possible core-collapse supernova?
- A
The star's outer layers collapse into a white dwarf while its core disperses.
- B
The core remains supported by energy released from fusing iron, and no remnant forms.
- C
The core collapses, the outer layers are expelled, and the surviving core may become a neutron star or black hole.
- D
A companion star always absorbs the entire core and prevents an explosion.
18
Choose one
1 point
Which event would best explain a large release of iron-group elements from the destruction of a white dwarf?
- A
A white dwarf in a binary system is destroyed in a thermonuclear explosion.
- B
A massive star's iron-rich core collapses, leaving a neutron star or black hole.
- C
A neutron star's beams sweep across Earth as the star rotates.
- D
A white dwarf has a surface eruption that ejects material but leaves the dwarf intact.
19
Written response
1 point
What pressure supports a white dwarf against gravity after sustained fusion has ended?
20
Choose one
1 point
An object emits no light of its own, but a nearby star moves as though orbiting a massive unseen companion, and hot gas nearby emits radiation. Which interpretation is best supported?
- A
They observe light escaping from inside the event horizon.
- B
They measure the black hole's surface temperature with visible-light spectra.
- C
They detect beams from the black hole's rotating solid surface.
- D
They observe a companion star's motion or radiation from hot gas in an accretion disk.