Astronomy MCQ Solved Paper for UPSC CDS

1. The date on which the Sun is vertical over the 'Tropic of Cancer' is
A. June-21
B. December-22
C. March-21
D. September-23
Answer : A

2. When does the Vernal Equinox occur?
A. December 25
B. March 21
C. February 28
D. January 14
Answer : B

3. How many planets does our Solar System consist of?
A. 9
B. 6
C. 7
D. 10
Answer : A

4. What is siderial day?
A. Time taken by the earth to complete one rotation with respect to a fixed star at infinity
B. Time taken by the earth to complete one revolution with respect to the Moon
C. Time taken by the earth to complete one rotation with respect to the Moon
D. Time taken by the earth to complete one rotation with respect to the Sun
Answer : A

5. The word 'planet' means ____.
A. wanderer
B. pollution
C. celestial body
D. heavenly body
Answer : A

6. A 'black hole' is a body in space which does not allow any radiation to come out. This property is due to its
A. Very small size
B. Very large size
C. Very high density
D. Very low density
Answer : C

7. Big Bang Theory' explains
A. the formation of universe
B. the origin and evolution of earth's crust
C. formation of Solar System
D. formation of constellation
Answer : A

8. Our Solar System is an orderly community of _____.
A. One star
B. Two stars
C. Three stars
D. Four stars
Answer : A

9. What part of the moon's surface can be visible from the earth?
A. 1.59
B. 1.41
C. 0.5
D. 1/3rd
Answer : A

10. Which of the following is the largest ocean?
A. Indian
B. Pacific
C. Atlantic
D. Arctic
Answer : B

11. A meteor is
A. a rapidly moving star
B. a piece of matter which has entered the earth's atmosphere from outer space
C. part of a constellation
D. a comet without a tail
Answer : B

12. Shoemaker-Levy 9 is a
A. Meteors
B. Pole Stars
C. Comets
D. Stars
Answer : C

13. Orion and Great Bear stand for ______.
A. star
B. planet
C. Solar System
D. Constellation
Answer : D

14. How many degrees north and south are the Tropics?
A. 47 degrees
B. 23.5 degrees
C. 12 degrees
D. 30 degrees
Answer : A

15. Which of the following are the Inner Planets?
1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
A. Only 1
B. 1 and 2
C. 1, 2 and 3
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer : D

16. What is the name given to the widened rivermouth found at the point a river enters the sea?
A. Estuary
B. Bay
C. Gulf
D. Delta
Answer : A

17. Lunar eclipse means
A. Direction or path of the Moon
B. The Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth
C. The Earth comes in between the sun and the Moon and the centres of all the three come on the same straight line
D. The average angle made by a line drawn from the Moon to the Earth
Answer : C

18. Planet nearest to the earth is _____.
A. Venus
B. Mercury
C. Mars
D. Jupiter
Answer : A

19. The rate of rotation of the Earth on its axis is the highest on which of the following date?
A. It never changes
B. January-4
C. January-3
D. January-21
Answer : A

20. How many of the following statements are true?
1. Mean Solar Day is greater than Sidereal Day approximately by 4 minutes.
2. Earth's rotational velocity is decreasing.
3. Planets are arranged according to their increasing distance from the sun as follo
A. 3 and 4
B. 1, 3 and 4
C. 1 and 2
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer : D

21. A swarm of small bodies in between the two Planets of Solar System is called 'asteroids' which are those two Planets?
A. Mars and Jupiter
B. Earth and Venus
C. Neptune and Pluto
D. Jupiter and Saturn
Answer : A

22. A celestial body having its own heat and light is called
A. Planet
B. Moon
C. Star
D. Satellite
Answer : C

23. Which planet has the largest equatorial radius?
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Mars
D. Earth
Answer : A

24. On the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere which of the hollowing latitudes will have the longest night?
A. 45°S
B. 60°S
C. 60°N
D. 45°N
Answer : B

25. Largest planet of our Solar System is _____.
A. Jupiter
B. Mars
C. Saturn
D. Uranus
Answer : A

26. What is the temperature of the sun estimated at approximately?
A. 5000°C
B. 6000°C
C. 7000°C
D. 212°C
Answer : B

27. Which of the following statements are true?
1. Inner Planets are alternatively called Terrestrial Planets.
2. Outer Planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. All four Outer Planets are considered as Great Planets.
3. Pluto is also considered as
A. 1, 2 and 4
B. 1 and 4
C. 1, 3 and 4
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer : A

28. Equatorial circumference of the Earth is
A. 40067 km
B. 50067 km
C. 4067 km
D. 5067 km
Answer : A

29. The date on which the Sun is vertical over the 'Tropic of Capricorn' is
A. December-22
B. March-21
C. June-21
D. September-23
Answer : A

30. Outside Antarctica, which is the deepest part of the earth?
A. The Dead Sea
B. The Aral Sea
C. The Caspian Sea
D. Lake Baikal
Answer : A

31. What is the average radius of the Earth?
A. 6071km
B. 6571km
C. 6371km
D. 6771 km
Answer : C

32. Which of the following conditions la the most relevant for the presence of life on Mars?
A. Atmospheric composition
B. Thermal conditions
C. Occurrence of ice caps and frozen water
D. Occurrence of ozone
Answer : C

33. What is the primary cause of the day and night?
A. Revolution
B. Rotation
C. Inclination of the earth's axis
D. Geoid shape of the earth
Answer : B

34. When the Sun is vertically overhead along the Tropic of Capricorn at mid-day
A. days and nights are of equal lengths in the Northern Hemisphere
B. Nights are longer than days in the Southern Hemisphere
C. Days and nights are of equal lengths at the poles
D. Night is equal to 24 hours at the North Pole
Answer : D

35. Which of the following is 'the cruel planet' in Indian astrology?
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Uranus
D. Neptune
Answer : B

36. Charon' is the satellite of _____.
A. Earth
B. Saturn
C. Pluto
D. Neptune
Answer : C

37. The atmospheric� pressure on the surface of Venus is more than__ times the atmospheric pressure of the Earth.
A. 90
B. 80
C. 50
D. 100
Answer : A

38. One Astronomical Unit is the average distance between
A. Earth and the Sun
B. Earth and the Moon
C. Jupiter and the Sun
D. Pluto and the Sun
Answer : A

39. Which is the second largest satellite in the Solar System?
A. Titan
B. Charon
C. Ganymede
D. Europa
Answer : A

40. How much Is the average distance of the Sun from the Earth?
A. 150 million km
B. 145 million km
C. 155 million km
D. 140 million km
Answer : A

41. What is the name of the planet which takes 88 days to make one revolution of the Sun?
A. Venus
B. Mercury
C. Pluto
D. Neptune
Answer : B

42. An ancient star that has collapsed matter so dense that It creates gravitational force so powerful that even light also does not escape. It Is called
A. QSO
B. Black Hole
C. Neutron Star
D. Black Dwarf
Answer : B

43. Sun revolves around galaxy once in every 250 million years, this length of time is called _____.
A. Cosmic or Galactic Year
B. Mean Solar Year
C. Sidereal Year
D. Leap Year
Answer : A

44. Sunspots are
A. undulations on the solar surface
B. huge magnetic storms on the solar surface
C. places with adequate sunshine
D. places of tourist importance
Answer : B

45. Which of the following is known as 'King of Planets'?
A. Earth
B. Jupiter
C. Mercury
D. Venus
Answer : B

46. Which of the following statements best describes longitudes?
A. An imaginary line on the earth's surface joining the north and south pole
B. The angular distance east or west of the Greenwich Meridian
C. The distance of place east or west of the Greenwich Meridian
D. The position of a place on the Earth surface with reference to the Prime Meridian
Answer : B

47. Brightest planet of our Solar System is _____.
A. Venus
B. Mercury
C. Uranus
D. Saturn
Answer : A

48. How many satellites does the largest planet have?
A. Sixteen
B. Ten
C. Six
D. Nine
Answer : A

49. Polar Auroras are
A. Quasars
B. b) Pulsar
C. Aurora Borealis
D. White Dwarfstar
Answer : C

50. The Sun experiences magnetic storms and this Interferes with the magnetic field oC the Earth and produces light which are called
A. Quasars
B. Polar Auroras
C. Meteorites
D. Pulsar
Answer : B