Astronomy current events question: BICEP2 evidence of cosmic inflation

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2014
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!)

Cynthia Eller, "BICEP2 Discovers First Direct Evidence of Inflation and Primordial Gravitational Waves," March 17, 2014
http://www.caltech.edu/content/bicep2-discovers-first-direct-evidence-inflation-and-primordial-gravitational-waves

Jon Kaufman and Jorge Cham, "PHD Comics: Cosmic Inflation Explained," March 19, 2014
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1691

The BICEP2 (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization) telescope in Antarctica observed fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background caused by:
(A) inflation just after the Big Bang.
(B) wormholes.
(C) matter-antimatter annihilation.
(D) the first generation of stars.
(E) galaxies moving away from each other.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 31 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 7 students