Molecular Clouds — MCQs August 20, 2025 by u930973931_answers 50 Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. What are molecular clouds primarily composed of? (A) Carbon dioxide (B) Hydrogen molecules (H₂) (C) Oxygen gas (D) Helium 2. Which molecules are commonly used to trace molecular clouds? (A) CO (Carbon monoxide) (B) N₂ (Nitrogen) (C) O₂ (Oxygen) (D) CH₄ (Methane) 3. Molecular clouds are also known as: (A) Dark nebulae (B) Ionized nebulae (C) White dwarfs (D) Supernova remnants 4. Which of the following is the largest molecular cloud in our galaxy? (A) Orion Molecular Cloud (B) Taurus Molecular Cloud (C) Carina Nebula (D) Sagittarius B2 5. The typical temperature of molecular clouds is: (A) 10–30 K (B) 100–200 K (C) 1000–2000 K (D) 10,000 K 6. Which region of the electromagnetic spectrum is best for observing molecular clouds? (A) X-ray (B) Infrared and radio (C) Gamma-ray (D) Ultraviolet 7. Why are molecular clouds important in astronomy? (A) They produce gamma rays (B) They are the birthplaces of stars (C) They are the coldest planets (D) They destroy galaxies 8. Which molecular cloud is closest to Earth? (A) Taurus Molecular Cloud (B) Orion Molecular Cloud (C) Eagle Nebula (D) Carina Nebula 9. What prevents molecular clouds from collapsing under their own gravity? (A) Radiation pressure (B) Thermal pressure, turbulence, and magnetic fields (C) Cosmic rays (D) Rotation of the galaxy 10. Dense regions within molecular clouds where stars form are called: (A) Protostars (B) Molecular cores (C) Accretion disks (D) Star clusters 11. The Orion Nebula is part of which molecular cloud complex? (A) Taurus (B) Orion (C) Sagittarius (D) Cygnus 12. What is the approximate density of molecular hydrogen in molecular clouds? (A) 1–10 atoms/cm³ (B) 100–1000 molecules/cm³ (C) 10⁶ molecules/cm³ (D) 10⁹ molecules/cm³ 13. Which molecule, besides H₂, is the most abundant in molecular clouds? (A) CO (Carbon monoxide) (B) H₂O (Water vapor) (C) NH₃ (Ammonia) (D) CH₄ (Methane) 14. Molecular clouds appear dark in visible light because: (A) They emit no light (B) They absorb and scatter starlight (C) They reflect X-rays (D) They are too hot to see 15. Which telescope is especially useful for studying molecular clouds? (A) Chandra X-ray Observatory (B) Hubble Space Telescope (C) ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) (D) Spitzer Space Telescope 16. Which molecules in molecular clouds can indicate star-forming activity? (A) Water (H₂O) and Ammonia (NH₃) (B) Oxygen and Nitrogen (C) Helium and Argon (D) Neon and Krypton 17. Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs) typically have masses up to: (A) 100 solar masses (B) 10³ solar masses (C) 10⁶ solar masses (D) 10⁹ solar masses 18. The collapse of molecular clouds leads to the formation of: (A) White dwarfs (B) Stars and planetary systems (C) Black holes (D) Galaxies 19. What role do dust grains play in molecular clouds? (A) They block UV radiation, protecting molecules from dissociation (B) They increase cloud temperature (C) They destroy molecules (D) They emit X-rays 20. Molecular hydrogen (H₂) is difficult to detect directly because: (A) It is too rare (B) It lacks a permanent dipole moment (C) It is ionized (D) It emits X-rays only 21. Star formation efficiency in molecular clouds is usually: (A) Very high (80–90%) (B) Low (a few percent) (C) Zero (D) 100% 22. What are Bok globules? (A) Supernova remnants (B) Small, isolated molecular clouds that may form stars (C) Expanding planetary nebulae (D) Collapsed black holes 23. Which process helps trigger molecular cloud collapse? (A) Supernova shock waves (B) Galactic rotation (C) Cosmic microwave background radiation (D) Black hole activity 24. Which molecule is often called the “workhorse” tracer of molecular clouds? (A) H₂ (B) CO (C) NH₃ (D) H₂O 25. Which of the following is NOT usually found in molecular clouds? (A) Hydrogen molecules (B) Dust grains (C) Complex organic molecules (D) Heavy metals like gold 26. Which nebula is an example of a star-forming molecular cloud region? (A) Eagle Nebula (Pillars of Creation) (B) Crab Nebula (C) Helix Nebula (D) Cat’s Eye Nebula 27. How are molecular clouds related to spiral arms in galaxies? (A) They are randomly distributed (B) They are mostly found along spiral arms where star formation occurs (C) They exist only in galactic halos (D) They are absent in spiral galaxies 28. What is the lifetime of a typical giant molecular cloud? (A) 1 million years (B) 10–30 million years (C) 1 billion years (D) Permanent structures 29. Molecular clouds are detected using: (A) Visible light telescopes (B) Radio and millimeter observations (C) Gamma-ray detectors (D) Gravitational waves 30. Which element dominates molecular clouds? (A) Helium (B) Hydrogen (C) Oxygen (D) Nitrogen 31. The dark lanes in the Milky Way visible from Earth are caused by: (A) Supernova explosions (B) Molecular clouds blocking starlight (C) Galactic black holes (D) White dwarfs 32. What is the Jeans criterion used for? (A) To calculate stellar brightness (B) To determine when a molecular cloud will collapse (C) To measure dust grain size (D) To detect exoplanets 33. Which region in the sky is rich in giant molecular clouds? (A) Orion constellation (B) Draco constellation (C) Ursa Major (D) Lyra constellation 34. Why do stars form in molecular clouds instead of atomic clouds? (A) Molecular clouds are hotter (B) Molecular clouds are colder and denser, allowing gravity to dominate (C) Atomic clouds contain no dust (D) Atomic clouds lack hydrogen 35. What fraction of a galaxy’s interstellar medium is in the form of molecular clouds? (A) About 1% (B) About 10–20% (C) About 50% (D) Nearly 100% 36. Which isotope of CO is often used to trace cloud mass more accurately? (A) ¹²CO (B) ¹³CO (C) ¹⁴CO (D) ¹⁵CO 37. Which energy process heats molecular clouds? (A) UV radiation from nearby stars (B) Supernova explosions (C) Cosmic ray interactions (D) All of the above 38. What happens to molecular clouds after massive star formation? (A) They expand forever (B) They are dispersed by stellar winds and radiation (C) They collapse into black holes (D) They form white dwarfs 39. Which large structure contains multiple giant molecular clouds? (A) Galactic bulge (B) Spiral arms (C) Globular clusters (D) Galaxy clusters 40. What is the typical size of a giant molecular cloud? (A) 1 light-year (B) 10 light-years (C) 50–300 light-years (D) 1000 light-years 41. Why is CO a better tracer of molecular clouds than H₂? (A) It is brighter in visible light (B) It has a permanent dipole moment and emits detectable radiation (C) It is more abundant (D) It glows in gamma-rays 42. Which organic molecules have been detected in molecular clouds? (A) Amino acids and alcohols (B) Water and oxygen (C) Carbon and nitrogen (D) Methane only 43. Molecular clouds are critical to galactic evolution because: (A) They fuel ongoing star formation (B) They destroy spiral arms (C) They prevent galaxy rotation (D) They emit X-rays 44. Which of the following best describes the internal structure of molecular clouds? (A) Uniform density (B) Filaments and clumps with varying densities (C) Smooth gas distribution (D) Solid structures 45. What observational signature indicates star formation inside a molecular cloud? (A) X-ray bursts (B) Infrared emission from protostars (C) Gravitational waves (D) Radio silence 46. Which molecules in molecular clouds are considered “coolants” that help collapse? (A) CO and H₂O (B) He and Ar (C) O₂ and N₂ (D) Ne and Kr 47. Which factor primarily determines whether a molecular cloud will collapse? (A) Cloud temperature vs gravitational force (B) Presence of dust (C) Magnetic field only (D) Galactic rotation 48. Which feedback effect from massive stars can disrupt molecular clouds? (A) Supernova explosions (B) Stellar winds (C) Ultraviolet radiation (D) All of the above 49. Which type of star clusters often form inside giant molecular clouds? (A) Globular clusters (B) Open clusters (C) Binary systems only (D) Elliptical clusters 50. Why do astronomers study molecular clouds? (A) To measure galaxy ages (B) To understand star and planet formation (C) To detect black holes (D) To measure cosmic background radiation