Astronomy current events question: supernova G299.2-2.9 remnant asymmetry

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2015
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!)

Janet Anderson and Megan Watzke, "Exploded Star Blooms Like a Cosmic Flower," (February 11, 2015)
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/exploded-star-blooms-like-flower.html

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory detected asymmetrical features in the remnants of supernova G299.2-2.9, which was the explosion of:
(A) unstable radioactive elements.
(B) matter and antimatter colliding.
(C) a white dwarf with a companion star.
(D) an aging supergiant.
(E) spacetime ripples.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 7 students
(C) : 29 students
(D) : 7 students
(E) : 0 students