Dark Energy — MCQs August 20, 2025 by u930973931_answers 50 Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. What is dark energy? (A) A form of visible matter (B) A mysterious force causing the accelerated expansion of the universe (C) Radiation emitted by black holes (D) Energy inside stars 2. Approximately what percentage of the universe is dark energy? (A) 5% (B) 27% (C) 68% (D) 95% 3. Which discovery in 1998 provided strong evidence for dark energy? (A) Existence of black holes (B) Accelerating expansion of the universe through Type Ia supernovae (C) Detection of cosmic rays (D) Gravitational waves 4. Dark energy is often associated with which cosmological concept? (A) Big Crunch (B) Cosmological constant (Λ) (C) Black hole entropy (D) Nucleosynthesis 5. The cosmological constant was originally proposed by: (A) Isaac Newton (B) Edwin Hubble (C) Albert Einstein (D) Stephen Hawking 6. Why did Einstein introduce the cosmological constant? (A) To explain black holes (B) To allow a static universe (C) To describe the Big Bang (D) To account for cosmic rays 7. The equation of state parameter for dark energy (w) in the cosmological constant model is: (A) 0 (B) -1 (C) +1 (D) -0.5 8. Which observational project mapped cosmic microwave background fluctuations and supported dark energy? (A) LIGO (B) COBE (C) WMAP (D) Chandra 9. Which survey measures baryon acoustic oscillations to study dark energy? (A) Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) (B) Hubble Ultra Deep Field (C) Gaia mission (D) ALMA telescope 10. What does dark energy oppose? (A) Cosmic inflation (B) Gravity’s attractive force (C) Nuclear fusion (D) Electromagnetic radiation 11. Which future space mission is dedicated to probing dark energy? (A) LISA (B) Euclid (C) Chandra (D) Voyager 12. The mysterious property of dark energy is that it has: (A) Positive pressure (B) Negative pressure (C) No pressure (D) Constant density increase 13. If dark energy continues to dominate, the universe may end in: (A) Big Crunch (B) Big Rip (C) Big Bounce (D) Heat death only 14. Which law of physics does dark energy directly influence? (A) Kepler’s Laws (B) General Relativity (C) Thermodynamics (D) Quantum Mechanics 15. Which parameter in the Friedmann equations includes dark energy? (A) ΩΛ (B) Ωm (C) Ωr (D) H₀ 16. Which type of supernova is used as a “standard candle” to measure dark energy? (A) Type II (B) Type Ia (C) Type Ib (D) Type Ic 17. Which Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded in 2011 for discovering dark energy evidence? (A) Discovery of gravitational waves (B) Discovery of accelerating universe through supernovae (C) Discovery of neutrino oscillations (D) Discovery of cosmic rays 18. Which cosmic parameter indicates the contribution of dark energy? (A) Deceleration parameter (q) (B) Curvature parameter (k) (C) Equation of state (w) (D) Both A and C 19. In which era did dark energy become dominant in the universe? (A) Radiation-dominated era (B) Matter-dominated era (C) Dark energy–dominated era (D) Inflationary era 20. Which value of “w” suggests phantom dark energy? (A) w = -1 (B) w < -1 (C) w > -1 (D) w = 0 21. The accelerated expansion due to dark energy was first detected using: (A) Cepheid variables (B) Galaxy clusters (C) Type Ia supernovae (D) Gamma-ray bursts 22. Dark energy density is believed to be: (A) Constant per unit volume (B) Decreasing over time (C) Increasing rapidly (D) Equal to dark matter density 23. Which constant is linked to dark energy in General Relativity? (A) Hubble constant (B) Planck constant (C) Cosmological constant (D) Boltzmann constant 24. Which experiment provides evidence through weak gravitational lensing studies? (A) LSST (Vera Rubin Observatory) (B) Voyager (C) Chandra X-ray (D) Fermi Gamma-ray 25. Which type of energy density is thought to dominate in the far future? (A) Radiation density (B) Matter density (C) Dark energy density (D) Neutrino density 26. Dark energy acts like a: (A) Repulsive gravity (B) Strong magnetic field (C) High-energy radiation (D) Cosmic dust 27. Which model assumes dark energy as a scalar field? (A) Cosmological constant model (B) Quintessence model (C) Steady state model (D) Plasma model 28. What is the approximate current Hubble constant value related to expansion? (A) 10 km/s/Mpc (B) 30 km/s/Mpc (C) 70 km/s/Mpc (D) 150 km/s/Mpc 29. Which effect of dark energy can be measured by galaxy surveys? (A) Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) (B) Cosmic rays (C) Sunspot activity (D) Magnetic fields 30. In the ΛCDM model, Λ represents: (A) Dark matter (B) Dark energy (C) Black holes (D) Stellar mass 31. Which observational data combination strengthens dark energy evidence? (A) CMB + Supernovae + BAO (B) Gamma rays + Neutrinos + Radio waves (C) Solar winds + Pulsars + Meteors (D) Exoplanets + Microlensing + Asteroids 32. What does the term “fine-tuning problem” refer to in dark energy studies? (A) Adjusting star formation rates (B) Extremely small but nonzero value of Λ (C) Measuring black hole masses (D) Supernova explosion timing 33. What is the “coincidence problem” of dark energy? (A) Why dark energy and matter densities are comparable today (B) Why galaxies rotate so fast (C) Why stars form in clusters (D) Why neutrinos change type 34. Which type of universe expansion is linked to dark energy? (A) Linear expansion (B) Decelerating expansion (C) Accelerating expansion (D) Static expansion 35. Which mathematical model best explains current dark energy understanding? (A) ΛCDM model (B) Steady-state model (C) Newtonian mechanics (D) Inflationary model only 36. Which tool will the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope use to study dark energy? (A) Infrared survey (B) Gamma-ray detector (C) X-ray imaging (D) Radio astronomy 37. What is the effect of dark energy on cosmic structure formation? (A) Slows galaxy clustering (B) Increases star birth rates (C) Enhances black hole mergers (D) Creates magnetic fields 38. If dark energy density increases, the universe could face: (A) Big Crunch (B) Big Rip (C) Heat death (D) Eternal inflation 39. Which method is NOT used to probe dark energy? (A) Standard candles (B) Standard rulers (C) Weak lensing (D) Neutrino oscillations 40. In General Relativity, dark energy affects the: (A) Spacetime curvature (B) Particle decay rates (C) Nuclear binding energy (D) Atomic spectra 41. What is the density parameter symbol for dark energy? (A) Ωm (B) ΩΛ (C) Ωr (D) Ωk 42. The universe’s fate is strongly dependent on: (A) Amount of dark energy (B) Size of galaxies (C) Mass of black holes (D) Presence of quasars 43. What type of pressure does dark energy exert? (A) Strong positive (B) Neutral (C) Negative (D) Variable positive 44. What distinguishes dark energy from dark matter? (A) Dark energy repels, dark matter attracts (B) Dark energy is visible, dark matter is not (C) Both are identical phenomena (D) Dark energy emits radiation 45. Which force does dark energy most closely oppose? (A) Electromagnetic force (B) Strong nuclear force (C) Gravity (D) Weak nuclear force 46. What is one leading alternative to dark energy explanations? (A) Modified gravity theories (B) Faster-than-light particles (C) Black hole evaporation (D) Cosmic rays heating space 47. Which particle physics field might explain dark energy? (A) Higgs field (B) Neutrino oscillations (C) Quantum chromodynamics (D) String vibrations 48. Which unit is commonly used to describe the Hubble constant in dark energy studies? (A) km/s/Mpc (B) J/s (C) N·m (D) W/m² 49. The accelerated expansion of the universe due to dark energy implies: (A) Galaxies will eventually stop moving (B) Distant galaxies are moving away faster over time (C) Cosmic structures are shrinking (D) Black holes are evaporating faster 50. Dark energy research is important because it: (A) Explains star formation fully (B) Determines the ultimate fate of the universe (C) Measures black hole mass (D) Predicts solar activity