Astronomy current events question: pitch-black exoplanet WASP-12b

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2017
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Taylor Bell, Nikolay Nikolov, and Lauren Fuge, "Hubble Observes Pitch Black Planet" (September 14, 2017)
spacetelescope.org/news/heic1714/

The Hubble Space Telescope determined that exoplanet WASP-12b appears pitch black, by analyzing:
(A) dark matter ripples.
(B) polar aurora light.
(C) reflected light.
(D) how much heat it emits.
(E) warped spacetime.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186
(A) : 3 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 23 students
(D) : 9 students
(E) : 0 students