GRE - Astronomy 1000+ MCQ [Solved] PDF Download

1. The term 'syzygy' is referred to when the
A. Earth is at prihelion and Moon at perigee
B. Earth is at aphelion and Moon at apogee
C. Moon and Sun are at right angles with reference to the Earth
D. Moon, Sun and Earth lie along a straight line
Answer : C

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

3. Average density of the Earth is ( relative to water) __.
A. 5.5
B. 4.5
C. 9.5
D. 6.5
Answer : A

4. When a year divisible by 4 and not divisible by 400 is called
A. Siderial Year
B. Solar Year
C. Cosmic Year
D. Leap Year
Answer : D

5. A family or system of millions and millions of stars are called ____.
A. Universe
B. Solar System
C. Galaxy
D. Asteroids
Answer : A

6. Polar circumference of the Earth is
A. 40000 km
B. 4000 km
C. 50000 km
D. 5000 km
Answer : A

7. Planet with maximum satellites is _____.
A. Earth
B. Saturn
C. Jupiter
D. Pluto
Answer : B

8. 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

9. Which of the following planets is called 'blue planet'?
A. Venus
B. Earth
C. Mars
D. Uranus
Answer : B

10. The word 'satellite' means _____.
A. wanderer
B. settlement
C. light
D. a smaller companion to anything
Answer : D

11. When dees the Summer Solstice occur?
A. July 23
B. June 21
C. May 20
D. April 31
Answer : B

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. Which planet does take the least time in completing one revolution around the Sun?
A. Earth
B. Venus
C. Mercury
D. Mars
Answer : C

16. 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

17. Which of the following is not an astronomical object?
A. Pulsar
B. Brittle Star
C. Black hole
D. Quasar
Answer : B

18. Who was the first person to describe the earth as a sphere?
A. Columbus
B. Varahmihir
C. Aryabhat
D. Copernicus
Answer : D

19. Among the following which planet takes maximum time for one revolution around the Sun?
A. Earth
B. Jupiter
C. Mars
D. Venus
Answer : B

20. The time period elapsing between one New Moon and the next is approximately
A. 8.19 Days
B. 30 days
C. 29.5 Days
D. 61 Days
Answer : C

21. How much time does earth take in making one rotation on its axis with respect to a fixed star at infinite distance?
A. 23 hours 56 minutes
B. 24 hours
C. 23 hours 46 minutes
D. 24 hours 4 minutes
Answer : A

22. 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

23. 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

24. Which of the following is known as the Cold Planet?
A. Mars
B. Uranus
C. Jupiter
D. Venus
Answer : C

25. What do you call a narrow neck oC land that connects two larger landmasses?
A. Peninsula
B. Isthmus
C. Cape
D. Strait
Answer : B

26. What proportion of the mass of the earth does the mass of the Moon equal?
A. 1/81
B. 1/18
C. 1/27
D. 1/72
Answer : A

27. The visible surface of the sun is known as
A. Chromosphere
B. Sunspots
C. Sun surface
D. Photosphere
Answer : D

28. 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

29. In which of the following planets, the Great Red Spot has been the special feature?
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Mars
D. Venus
Answer : A

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

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

32. Which planet does take the longest time in completing one revolution around the Sun?
A. Uranus
B. Saturn
C. Pluto
D. Neptune
Answer : C

33. Arrange the Outer Planets in increasing order of their sizes.
1. Jupiter
2. Uranus
3. Saturn
4. Neptune
A. 4, 2, 3, 1
B. 4, 2, 1, 3
C. 2, 4, 3, 1
D. 4, 2, 3, 1
Answer : A

34. 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

35. Largest satellite in Solar System is ____.
A. Moon
B. Ganymede
C. Europa
D. Cheron
Answer : B

36. What happens during the equinoxes?
A. The countries along the Equator are in darkness
B. The countries along the Equator are at their hottest
C. The countries along the Equator are at their wettest
D. The Sun shines vertically over the Equator
Answer : D

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

38. The axis of Mars la inclined at an angle of
A. 25°
B. 30°
C. 35°
D. 15°
Answer : A

39. Which of the following statements prove(s) that the earth Is spherical?
The Sun rises and sets at different lines in different places.
The shadow cast by the earth on the moon during the lunar eclipse is always circular.
Pictures taken from high alti
A. Only 1
B. 2 and 3
C. I, 2 and 3
D. Only 2
Answer : C

40. Which of the following are the Outer Planets?
1. Jupiter
2. Saturn
3. Uranus
4. Neptune
A. 1 and 2
B. 1, 2and 3
C. 1, 2, 3 and 4
D. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Answer : C

41. The tail of a comet is directed away from the Sun because
A. as the comet rotates around the Sun, the light mass of the comet is pushed away due to the centrifugal force alone
B. as the comet rotates, the lighter mass of the comet is attracted by some star situated in the direction of its tail
C. the radiation emitted by the Sun exerts a radial pressure on the comet throwing its tail away from the Sun
D. the tail of the comet always exists in the same orientation
Answer : A

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. Nearest star to the earth is _____.
A. Alfa Centaury
B. Sun
C. Proxima Centaury
D. Dog Star
Answer : B

44. 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

45. Speed of the revolution of the earth is___'
A. 100000 km per hour
B. 10000 km per hour
C. 1000 km per hour
D. 100 km per hour
Answer : A

46. Consider the following statements regarding asteroids:
1. Asteroids are rocky debris of varying sizes orbiting the Sun.
2. Most of the asteroids are small but some have diameter as large as 1000 km.
3. The orbit of asteroids lies between the orbits of
A. 1, 2 and 3 are correct
B. 2 and 3 are correct
C. 1 and 2 are correct
D. 1 and 3 are correct
Answer : C

47. The group of small pieces of rock revolving round the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter are called
A. meteors
B. comets
C. meteorites
D. asteroids
Answer : D

48. Rapidly rotating stars emitting intense radio waves are called ___.
A. Pulsars
B. Quasuars
C. Neutron stars
D. All of the above
Answer : A

49. Earth revolves round the Sun In an orbit once In every __.
A. 24 hours
B. 20 hours
C. 365 % days
D. 366 days
Answer : C

50. Sun-rays reaches earth in (approximately)
A. 8 seconds
B. 8 minutes
C. 4.3 seconds
D. 1 light year
Answer : B