Astronomy current events question: "repeating" supernova iPTF14hls

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!)

Sandy Seale, "Las Cumbres Astronomers Discover a Star That Would Not Die" (November 2, 2017)
lco.global/news/las-cumbres-astronomers-discover-a-star-that-would-not-die/

Researchers proposed that the supernova iPTF14hls has been able to explode several times over the past 50 years by being hot enough to produce __________ in its core.
(A) matter and antimatter.
(B) dark matter.
(C) radioactive isotopes.
(D) spacetime instabilities.
(E) gravitational waves.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186
(A) : 22 students
(B) : 4 students
(C) : 9 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 3 students