What is our place in the universe
Formative assessment 1
Name: ___________________________________ Date: ________________________________
Total marks: ______20 marks______ Marks obtained: ________________ Duration: __40 mins
Part 1: Circle the correct answer- [7 marks]
● What is a space probe?
A. A devices launched into orbit for communication, weather forecasting, etc.
B. Unmanned spacecraft sent to study distant celestial bodies
C. Robotic vehicles designed to explore the surface of planets or moons
● What is the first optical space observatory telescope?
A. Hubble Space Telescope B. Voyager 1 C. James Webb Space Telescope
● What is the name of Earth’s natural satellite?
A. Envisat B. Terra C. Moon
● How long ago did the Sun form?
A. 13.8 million years ago
B. 4.6 billion years ago
C. 4 million years ago
● Milky way is the name of our _____.
A. Solar system B. Galaxy C. Universe
● How long does it take for light to reach the Earth from the Sun?
A. 5 minutes B. 7 hours C. 8 minutes
● This is the hypothesis that states that our solar system formed thanks to a sudden and improbable event such as
the collision of two stars:
A. Solar nebula theory
B. Evolutionary hypothesis
C. Catastrophic hypothesis
Part 2: Answer the following questions:
1. Name two planets that are smaller than the Earth. [2 marks]
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2. Name a planet that is colder than the Earth. [1 mark]
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Why is it colder? [1 mark]
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3. What is a solar nebula? [2 marks]
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4. Explain this illustration. Make sure you use the right key word to
explain it. [hint: it starts with an R] [2 marks]
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Part 3: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
Stars give out radio waves, as well as light and other forms of radiation. Radio telescopes can detect the faintest radio
signals coming from the most distant galaxies and pinpoint where they are coming from. Some galaxies are far too
distant and faint to be seen with telescopes, especially where clouds of gas and dust in space stop the light getting
through.
What will happen to the Universe in the future? Scientists aren’t sure. Until recently, they thought that gravitational
attraction might be slowing down the expansion. Perhaps the galaxies would stop rushing apart and be pulled back
together again. Perhaps time would end in a big crunch! But recently, some scientists have been getting some very
puzzling results. These suggests that the expansion may actually be speeding up, but no one knows why.
1. How can scientists get information about distant galaxies? [2 marks]
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2. What force is slowing down the expansion of the universe? [1 mark]
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3. What new results are scientists finding difficult to explain? [1 mark]
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4. The passage mentions radio waves emitted by stars. What is the exact name of that radio wave? [1 mark]
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