TOEFL iTP | Reading | Vocabulary Questions | Supernova

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A supernova occurs when all of the hydrogen in the core of a huge star is transformed to iron and explodes. All stars die after their nuclear fuel has been exhausted. Stars with little mass die gradually, but those with relatively large mass die in a sudden explosion, a supernova. The sudden flash of light can then be followed by several weeks of extremely bright light, perhaps as much light as twenty million stars.

            Supernovas are not very common; they occur about once every hundred years in any galaxy, and in 1987 a supernova that could be seen by the naked eye occurred in the Magellan Cloud, a galaxy close to the Milky Way. Scientists periodically detect supernovae in other galaxies; however, no supernovae have occurred in the Milky Way (the galaxy that includes the Earth) since 1604. One very impressive supernova occurred in the Milky Way on July 4, 1054. There was a great explosion followed by three months of lighted skies, and historical chronicles of the time were full of accounts and unusual explanations for the misunderstood phenomenon – many people believed that it meant that the world was coming to an end.

1. A “supernova” in line 1 is which of the following?

1. The iron component of a star
2. The core of a star
3. The hydrogen in a star
4. Th explosion of a star

• According to the passage, which of the following best describes the “Magellan Cloud” in line 7?

1. A galaxy inside the Milky Way
2. A cloud composed of Hydrogen
3. A galaxy near the Earth’s galaxy
4. A cloud in the sky above the Earth

• The Milky Way in line 9 is

1. Part of the earth
2. A galaxy close to the earth
3. The galaxy that is home to the earth
4. A creamy-colored cloud in the sky

• Which of the following is closest in meaning to “phenomenon” in line 12?

1. Everyday occurrence
2. Misunderstood event
3. Common belief
4. Unusual occurrence