Free · no sign-up · no time limit
Ready-made multiple-choice practice quizzes, hand-checked. Take any free quiz online — every answer comes with an explanation, and every quiz page has a full answer key to revise from.
Loading quizzes
Free · no sign-up · no time limit
Ready-made multiple-choice practice quizzes, hand-checked. Take any free quiz online — every answer comes with an explanation, and every quiz page has a full answer key to revise from.
Cosmos
Test your knowledge of galaxies, cosmic structure, dark matter, galaxy clusters, the observable universe, and the large-scale cosmic web. Answer each question to see whether you got it right, with an explanation every time.
A free 12-question multiple-choice practice test on Cosmos. Each question has one correct answer and a short explanation, and the full answer key below the player doubles as a study sheet. No account, no time limit — take it as often as you like.
This is a free, 12-question multiple-choice quiz. Answer each question to see whether you got it right, with an explanation for every answer. There is no sign-up and no time limit — take it as many times as you like, and use the answer key above to revise before or after.
Correct answer: AA gravitationally bound system of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter
Galaxies are enormous gravitationally bound systems containing stars and interstellar material, with dark matter contributing much of their total mass.
Correct answer: CBarred spiral galaxy
Observations indicate that the Milky Way has spiral arms extending from a central bar-shaped concentration of stars.
Correct answer: BA collection of galaxies that includes the Milky Way and Andromeda
The Local Group is a gravitationally associated collection of galaxies whose largest members include the Milky Way, Andromeda, and the Triangulum Galaxy.
Correct answer: DGalaxies form a web of filaments, clusters, and large voids
On very large scales, matter forms the cosmic web, with dense filaments and nodes separated by enormous regions containing relatively little matter.
Correct answer: ALarge gravitationally bound collections containing hundreds or thousands of galaxies
Galaxy clusters are among the largest gravitationally bound structures and contain galaxies, hot gas, and substantial amounts of dark matter.
Correct answer: BA large region of space containing relatively few galaxies
Cosmic voids are enormous underdense regions between the filaments and clusters that make up the cosmic web.
Correct answer: CThe region from which information has had enough time to reach us
Because light travels at a finite speed and the universe has a finite age, there is a limit to the regions from which signals could have reached us.
Correct answer: DContribute additional gravity that influences the motion of visible matter
Dark matter does not emit detectable light, but its gravitational effects help explain observed motions of stars and galaxies that visible matter alone cannot account for.
Correct answer: AA supermassive black hole
Observations of stellar and gas motions indicate that most large galaxies contain black holes with masses millions or billions of times that of the Sun.
Correct answer: BLarge elongated structures containing galaxies and matter
Cosmic filaments are vast concentrations of matter that connect denser regions such as galaxy groups and clusters.
Correct answer: COn large scales, distances between gravitationally unbound galaxies increase over time
Cosmic expansion refers to the increase of large-scale distances as space expands, rather than ordinary motion caused by objects traveling through static space.
Correct answer: DStar system, galaxy, galaxy cluster, cosmic web
Star systems are components of galaxies, galaxies can belong to clusters, and clusters and galaxies collectively trace the much larger cosmic web.