Stellar evolution created nearly all the chemical elements found in our environment, through nuclear reactions. Major exceptions are:
a. hydrogen and most helium.
b. iron, nickel, and copper.
c. silver, gold, and lead.
d. nitrogen, oxygen and carbon.

What compelling evidence links pulsars (an observational name) to neutron stars (a theoretical concept)?
a. Pulsars and neutron stars tend to be found in the same environments.
b. Both pulsars and neutron stars have been recently discovered near the Sun.
c. A small rotating sources of radiation is the only likely thing that wlould emit precisely timed pulses.
d. Neutron stars have been known to evolve into pulsars.

You observe the luminosity of a distant point of light with 100 solar luminosity units to increase within 3 days to around one hundred thousand units; hydrogen and helium completely dominate the light spectrum during brightening, and the spectral lines are blue-shifted compared with the light from the light source before brightening. What did you most likely observe?
a. a nova explosion on a red giant
b. a type-Ia supernova
c. a type-II supernova
d. a contact binary pair which finally merged completely

Iron in the core of a star cannot create sustained nuclear fusion because
a. an iron core only occurs in a degenerate star which is about to collapse.
b. under no conditions will iron ever fuse with other nuclei to produce energy.
c. it takes more energy to fuse iron than is generated by the process.
d. iron is too heavy of an element.

When helium-4 capture occurs with an oxygen-16 nucleus, what results?
a. carbon-12 + neutrino + positron + energy
b. magnesium-12+ energy
c. neon-20 + energy
d. silicon-20 + energy

Most of the iron in your body came from this source:
a. nebulae ejected from the surface of an aging red giant star
b. radioactive decay of strontium-80
c. the core of a very massive star that exploded
d. debris ejected from the surface of rapidly spinning neutron stars

If the core of the Sun quit producing energy, it would collapse into a black hole.
a. True, according to stellar evolution theories.
b. False, according to stellar evolution theories.
c. Unknown but likey, according to stellar evolution theories.
d. Unknown but unlikey, according to stellar evolution theories.

Why do astronomers believe that V404 Cygni is a black hole?
a. V404 Cygni's mass appears to have at least 8 solar masses.
b. V404 Cygni produces intense microwave radiation.
c. Gas appears to be flowing from V404 Cygni onto a small companion star.
d. V404 is not thought to be a black hole.

Which of the following statements about black holes is probably untrue?
a. time intervals for objects near the event horizon grow longer, compared to outside observers.
b. tidal forces would destroy a space ship near a low-mass black hole? event horizon.
c. black holes lose mass by quantum tunnelling of virtual particles.
d. black holes lose mass when neutrinos escape from inside the event horizon.

Which of the following might escape from inside the event horizon of a black hole?
a. high energy electrons
b. high energy gamma-radiation
c. high energy neutrinos
d. none of the above.
e. all of the above

How did Einstein explain the bending of slight that passes near massive objects?
a. The space-time continuum is warped by the mass of objects, and light follows the curves.
b. Solar winds interact with the magnetic part of the lightwave.
c. Gravity is proportional to mass, and inversely proportional to distance squared.
d. All of the above.

Theoretically, at the center of a black hole you would likely find...
a. a singularity, with zero volume and infinite density.
b. a gateway tunnelling to another part of our galaxy.
c. a white hole made of anti-matter.
d. a miniature version of the big bang.

How might astronomers describe the properties of a black hole?
a. Black holes are not observed directly with telescopes.
b. A normal star may orbit a black hole if seems to orbit a mass more than 3 solar masses.
c. A black hole between us and a star would alter the light path from the star.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.

What will happen when the core of the Sun depletes its hydrogen fuel?
a. It will collapse into neutron star.
b. It expand into a blue giant.
c. It will fuse helium into carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.
d. It will fuse helium into carbon in a shell outside the core.

How do we tell the difference between a white-dwarf supernova (type Ia) and a massive-star (type II) supernova?
a. A massive-star supernova is brighter than a white-dwarf supernova.
b. The spectrum of a massive-star supernova shows prominent hydrogen lines, while the other does not.
c. A massive-star supernova happens only once, while a white-dwarf supernova can repeat many times.
d. The light of a white-dwarf supernova fades steadily, while the light of a massive-star supernova brightens for weeks.
e. We can't tell the difference between the two types of supernova.

What is the Theory of General Relativity really about? 
a. Space-time is a four dimensional continuum.
b. Space-time is curved by the presense of any mass
c. Space and time are compressable and stretchable instead of absolute and fixed
d. All of the above.

What did Albert Einstein explain to receive the Nobel Prize in physics?
a. Photo-Electric Effect
b. Quantum Tunnelling
a. Special Relativity
b. General Relativity

Which of the following statements about degeneracy pressure in a highly evolved star is true?
a. Degeneracy pressure does not change when temperature increases in the core.
b. Degeneracy pressure can halt gravitational contraction of a star when no fusion occurs in the core.
c. Degeneracy pressure arises out of the ideas of quantum mechanics.
d. All of the above are true.

What is the likely result of slowly adding iron to a 2.5 solar mass neutron star?
a. The star would expand to a red giant star.
b. The star would explode as a supernova.
c. The star would collapse and become a black hole.
d. None of the above

Which of these best describes an isolated neutron star?
a. A spoonful has a mass comparable to Mt. Baker.
b. Beams of radiation from both magnetic poles sweep in a circle around the sky.
c. Consistant pulsings are observed anywhere from once a second, to hundreds of times per second.
d. The diameter of the star is similar to the size of Bellingham.
e. All the above