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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. About how long did the "primordial synthesis" stage of the big bang last?
(a) Two years.
(b) One picosecond.
(c) Four seconds.
(d) Three minutes.

2. Which of the following is true about the background microwave radiation of the universe?
(a) It is almost uniform, about 2.7 degrees Kelvin on average.
(b) It is almost uniform, and no more than 0.2 degrees Kelvin anywhere.
(c) It varies across the universe, and is no more than 12 degrees Kelvin anywhere.
(d) It varies across the universe, and is no more than 2.7 degrees Kelvin anywhere.

3. How many total dimensions are required by string theory?
(a) Five.
(b) Ten.
(c) Eight.
(d) Seven.

4. According to the standard model of the big bang, which of the following is true of the four fundamental forces during the first moments of the universe?
(a) They were not uniform throughout space.
(b) They were "evaporated" in the high temperature, and didn't interact with space-time.
(c) They were all melded together.
(d) They were divided into eight unidentified forces.

5. According to modern physics, which of the following may cease to exist at the center of a black hole?
(a) Space.
(b) Time.
(c) Energy.
(d) Strings.

6. Which of the following is NOT a property that is used to define both black holes and elementary particles?
(a) Mass.
(b) Force charge.
(c) Half-life.
(d) Spin.

7. Which of the following is true regarding the force of gravity in string theory?
(a) String theory predicts gravity.
(b) Gravity is not addressed in string theory.
(c) Gravity in string theory acts over much longer distances.
(d) Gravity in string theory is stronger than what we actually observe.

8. Who posited the existence of M-theory?
(a) Brandenberger.
(b) Greene.
(c) Witten.
(d) Plesser.

9. How many dimensions are necessitated by M-theory?
(a) Eleven.
(b) Nine.
(c) Ten.
(d) Eight.

10. Which of the following is one of the difficulties in observing super particles?
(a) They are massless.
(b) They do not interact with either matter or light.
(c) They are incredibly rare, and pass through most matter.
(d) They are too massive to be observed in a particle accelerator.

11. The discovery of the tearing of space-time came from cooperation between experts in physics and _____.
(a) Astronomy.
(b) Engineering.
(c) Cosmology.
(d) Mathematics.

12. Which of the following is true regarding our current knowledge of the Calabi-Yau space?
(a) Its shape is completely known and defined.
(b) Its shape is totally unknown.
(c) Physicists and mathematicians disagree about its shape.
(d) Its shape is not fully known.

13. What materials were formed during the period of the big bang known as the "primordial nucleosynthesis"?
(a) Up, down, top, and bottom quarks.
(b) Hydrogen and helium nuclei.
(c) Anti-matter particles.
(d) Neutrons.

14. Which of the following best describes the fate of Kaluza-Klein theory?
(a) It became the mathematical basis of general relativity.
(b) It became widespread for a short time, but receives almost no attention now.
(c) It was quickly discarded as meaningless, but rediscovered by string theory.
(d) It was updated through the 1970s, and eventually incorporated into string theory.

15. There are many possible Calabi-Yau spaces, but only shapes with which of the following characteristics are considered real possibilities?
(a) Those that have no time-dimensions.
(b) Those that meet the vibration requirements and have an appropriate number of dimensions.
(c) Those that unify the four forces and have no extended dimensions.
(d) Those that solve the perturbation theory.

Short Answer Questions

1. What problem of cosmology was the inflationary model created to deal with?

2. When the universe is at its smallest possible size, which other property is also at its maximum?

3. Tears in space-time are technically termed _____.

4. Which of the following is true regarding the amount of visible matter in the universe compared to the amount of matter required to cause collapse of the universe?

5. Regarding mirror-symmetry, Greene's work proved that _____.

(see the answer keys)

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