Space Physics
Each subtopic includes About section, revision page link, 10 preview questions, and practice CTAs.
Earth and the Solar System
SubtopicEarth and the Solar System under Space Physics for Grade 12 IGCSE.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
Which statement about the Sun is correct?
A.The Sun is a planet
B.The Sun is a medium-sized star
C.The Sun is the largest star in the universe
D.The Sun orbits the Earth
- 2.
What is the name of the region beyond Neptune that contains many small icy bodies and dwarf planets like Pluto?
A.The Asteroid Belt
B.The Kuiper Belt
C.The Oort Cloud
D.The Orion Arm
- 3.
What happens during a solar eclipse?
A.The Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon
B.The Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth
C.The Sun passes between the Earth and the Moon
D.The Moon stops rotating
- 4.
Which of these objects has an orbit that is typically much more elongated (eccentric) than a planet's orbit?
A.The Moon
B.A Comet
C.Venus
D.The International Space Station
- 5.
Which of the following describes the shape of the orbits of most planets in the Solar System?
A.Perfectly circular
B.Slightly elliptical
C.Highly elongated ellipses
D.Parabolic
- 6.
The term 'red planet' is commonly used to refer to which planet due to iron oxide on its surface?
A.Venus
B.Mars
C.Jupiter
D.Mercury
- 7.
Which of the following is NOT a requirement for a celestial body to be classified as a planet?
A.It must orbit a star
B.It must be nearly spherical in shape
C.It must have at least one moon
D.It must have cleared its orbit of other objects
- 8.
An astronomer observes a distant solar system where a planet orbits a star, and a moon orbits that same planet. The planet orbits the star at a distance with an orbital period . The moon orbits the planet at a distance with an orbital period . Assuming all orbits are circular and the mass of the moon is negligible, which expression correctly represents the ratio of the star's mass () to the planet's mass ()?
A.B.C.D. - 9.
Which of the following is evidence for the Big Bang theory?
A.Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR)
B.The existence of the asteroid belt
C.The presence of iron in the Earth's core
D.The phases of the Moon
- 10.
During a total solar eclipse, the Moon's angular diameter is almost exactly the same as the Sun's angular diameter as seen from Earth. If the Sun is times further away than the Moon, what can be concluded about their physical diameters?
A.The Sun's diameter is approximately 400 times larger than the Moon's
B.The Sun's diameter is approximately 400 times smaller than the Moon's
C.The Sun's diameter is the same as the Moon's
D.The Sun's diameter is 160,000 times larger than the Moon's
Download the worksheet for Space Physics - Earth and the Solar System to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.
Stars and the Universe
SubtopicStars and the Universe under Space Physics for Grade 12 IGCSE.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
Which of these is a remnant of a supernova explosion?
A.A planet
B.A nebula
C.A neutron star
D.A main sequence star
- 2.
What is the primary source of energy that causes a star to shine?
A.Gravitational contraction
B.Chemical combustion of oxygen
C.Nuclear fusion in the core
D.Friction with interstellar dust
- 3.
When a star like the Sun expands into a Red Giant, what happens to its surface temperature?
A.It increases
B.It decreases
C.It stays the same
D.It becomes infinite
- 4.
What does a 'light-year' measure?
A.The time it takes for light to reach Earth from the Sun
B.The distance light travels in one year
C.The speed of light in a vacuum
D.The brightness of a star over a year
- 5.
How many stars are approximately in a typical galaxy like the Milky Way?
A.Hundreds
B.Millions
C.Billions
D.Trillions
- 6.
What happens to the density of the universe as it expands?
A.It increases
B.It decreases
C.It remains constant
D.It becomes infinite
- 7.
If a star is moving toward Earth, its spectral lines will show a:
A.Redshift (shift to longer wavelengths)
B.Blueshift (shift to shorter wavelengths)
C.No shift at all
D.Shift to higher intensity
- 8.
Which of the following is a direct consequence of the expansion of space itself, rather than galaxies moving through space?
A.Cosmological Redshift
B.The Gravitational Slingshot effect
C.The Doppler effect from binary stars
D.The orbital motion of planets
- 9.
Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum was primarily used by Penzias and Wilson to discover the CMBR?
A.Visible light
B.X-rays
C.Microwaves
D.Radio waves
- 10.
What happens to the temperature of a gas as it undergoes adiabatic expansion in the early universe?
A.It increases because the particles move faster.
B.It stays the same because no heat is added.
C.It decreases because the work done by the gas in expanding comes from its internal energy.
D.It decreases because the gas is losing mass.
Download the worksheet for Space Physics - Stars and the Universe to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.