Playbook
Astronomy and Space
4 q · 0% HARD across 10 years. Light year, parsec, planets-by-size, black hole = star remnant. Easiest 4 marks in the bank — read once, memorise once, done.
- questions in the bank
- 4
- tagged HARD
- 0%
- subtopic(s)
- 1
- worked examples
- 2
When you’ll see it
A light-year/parsec definition, planets-by-size, black hole / star-collapse statement.
How this chapter is tested
4 q across 10 years. The whole playbook is a 4-fact list: light year ≈ 9.46×10¹⁵ m, parsec ≈ 3.26 light years ≈ 206,265 AU, Jupiter is the largest planet, black hole = collapsed remnant of a massive star. That's it. Don't over-invest.
Memorise the planet order by distance from sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (Pluto demoted to dwarf planet in 2006). By size: Jupiter > Saturn > Uranus > Neptune > Earth > Venus > Mars > Mercury.
The sub-skills
The rules and habits that decide whether you get a question right.
Astronomical distance recall
1 AU ≈ 1.5 × 10¹¹ m (Earth–Sun). 1 light year ≈ 9.46 × 10¹⁵ m. 1 parsec ≈ 3.26 light years ≈ 206,265 AU. All units of distance, not time.
Planet trivia
Jupiter = largest, Mercury = smallest (post-Pluto-demotion). Venus = hottest. Mars = red. Saturn = rings. Uranus = tilted axis.
2 worked examples from the bank
Real past-year questions illustrating the playbook. Click to reveal options + solution.
[Q53 · Sep · 2025]
[Q116 · Apr · 2019]
Traps to expect
Distractor shapes specific to this chapter. The page-wide Traps section covers the bank-level patterns.
Light year as a time unit
Light year is a unit of DISTANCE (the distance light travels in 1 year), not time. Standard wrong option: 'measurement of time.'
Drill every astronomy and space question
4 questions from the bank, scoped to the named subtopic.
Related playbooks
Often paired with this one — drill these next if you found the worked examples above tractable.