Astronomy current events question: exoplanet TrES-2b

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2011
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!)

Alasdair Wilkins, "Strange Alien Planet is Impossibly Black," August 11, 2011
http://io9.com/5830089/strange-alien-planet-is-impossibly-black

Exoplanet TrES-2b, an extremely dark planet, was discovered using observations of __________ detected by NASA's Kepler spacecraft.
(A) minute amounts of gamma radiation.
(B) fluctuations in light as it orbited its star.
(C) dark matter emissions.
(D) its orbiting moons.
(E) wobbles in the star it orbits.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186, 70200
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 14 students
(C) : 6 students
(D) : 1 student
(E) : 2 students