Deck 17: The Solar System

Question 1

Planets shine because they

A) emit light.
B) reflect sunlight.
C) reflect moonlight.
D) reflect starlight.

Answer 1

reflect sunlight.

Question 2

The tail of a comet

A) is constant in size.
B) always points away from its direction of motion.
C) always points toward the sun.
D) always points away from the sun.

Answer 2

always points away from the sun.

Question 3

Meteorites never contain

A) iron.
B) nickel.
C) silicate minerals.
D) limestone fragments.

Answer 3

limestone fragments.

Question 4

Of the following planets, the one with the most satellites is

A) Venus.
B) Mars.
C) Jupiter.
D) Neptune.

Question 5

The solar wind

A) blows over the sun's surface.
B) consists of photons streaming from the sun.
C) consists of ions streaming from the sun.
D) consists of hydrogen atoms streaming from the sun.

Question 6

Comets consist largely of

A) hydrogen.
B) iron.
C) ice and dust.
D) rocks.

Question 7

The planet with the longest day is

A) Mercury.
B) Venus
C) Earth.
D) Mars.

Question 8

A planet with no known satellites is

A) Venus.
B) Jupiter.
C) Saturn.
D) Uranus.

Question 9

Most of the mass in the solar system is located in

A) the asteroids.
B) the sun.
C) Jupiter and Saturn.
D) Uranus and Neptune.

Question 10

The number of comets that have thus far been observed is about

A) 40
B) 4 thousands
C) 4 million
D) 4 billion

Question 11

The planet having a period of rotation nearest the earth's is

A) Mercury.
B) Venus.
C) Mars.
D) Saturn.

Question 12

Meteors appear in the night sky

A) only during the spring and fall.
B) only during specific shower periods.
C) in approximately the same numbers every night.
D) every night, but more often during shower periods.

Question 13

The largest known meteorite has a mass of

A) 5.5 kg.
B) 55 kg.
C) 550 kg.
D) 55,000 kg.

Question 14

The planet with the shortest year is

A) Mercury.
B) Jupiter.
C) Saturn.
D) Neptune.

Question 15

Which of the following is not one of the inner planets?

A) Mars
B) Earth
C) Jupiter
D) Venus

Question 16

Compared to the inner planets, the outer planets

A) are denser.
B) rotate more rapidly on their axes.
C) have lower escape speeds.
D) contain relatively less matter in gaseous form.

Question 17

Meteoroids

A) follow orbits around the earth.
B) follow orbits around the sun.
C) move randomly through the solar system.
D) come from outside the solar system.

Question 18

On an average clear night, the number of meteors that can be seen per hour is

A) 1 or 2.
B) 5 to 10.
C) 100 to 200.
D) 1000 to 2000.

Question 19

The least dense of the following planets is

A) Mercury.
B) Venus.
C) Mars.
D) Saturn.

Question 20

The Oort Cloud, which lies outside the orbit of Neptune, consists mainly of

A) comets.
B) meteoroids.
C) asteroids.
D) various gases.

Question 21

The Great Red Spot is an atmospheric disturbance occurring on the planet

A) Mars.
B) Neptune.
C) Saturn.
D) Jupiter.

Question 22

Of the following planets, the one with the thinnest atmosphere is

A) Mercury.
B) Venus.
C) Mars.
D) Uranus.

Question 23

Planetary rings

A) are thin sheets of rock.
B) are gas clouds.
C) consist of small chunks of rock and ice.
D) are more than 100 km thick.

Question 24

Venus

A) rotates counterclockwise looking downward on its north pole), as the other planets do.
B) shows signs of volcanic activity in the past.
C) has a crust that consists of huge shifting plates, as the earth does.
D) has a thin atmosphere mainly of oxygen.

Question 25

Most asteroids lie in a belt between

A) Mercury and the sun.
B) Earth and Mars.
C) Earth and moon.
D) Mars and Jupiter.

Question 26

The surface of Jupiter's satellite Europa may be covered by

A) vegetation.
B) metallic hydrogen.
C) the highest volcanoes in the solar system.
D) a layer of water ice floating on liquid water.

Question 27

The asteroids are probably similar in composition to

A) stony meteorites.
B) iron meteorites.
C) comets.
D) Jupiter.

Question 28

If Jupiter had more than about 80 times its present mass, it would

A) split up into a number of smaller planets.
B) have rings like those of Saturn.
C) have an orbit closer to the sun.
D) be a star.

Question 29

Asteroids

A) are fragments of a planet that broke up.
B) are all approximately spherical.
C) may be solid, liquid, or gaseous.
D) sometimes have satellites.

Question 30

The planet with the most mass is

A) Earth.
B) Jupiter.
C) Saturn.
D) Neptune.

Question 31

Traces of life are being sought on a satellite of which of the following planets?

A) Mars
B) Jupiter
C) Saturn
D) Uranus

Question 32

The surface of Mars does not contain

A) active volcanoes.
B) meteor craters.
C) deserts of sand.
D) signs of surface water in the past.

Question 33

A planet with two satellites is

A) Venus.
B) Mars.
C) Jupiter.
D) Saturn.

Question 34

The planet with the largest satellite is

A) Earth.
B) Mars.
C) Jupiter.
D) Neptune.

Question 35

Surface temperatures are lowest on

A) Venus.
B) Earth.
C) Mars.
D) Saturn.

Question 36

A planet that has no rings around it is

A) Mars.
B) Jupiter.
C) Saturn.
D) Uranus.

Question 37

On Mars,

A) the durations of day and night are similar to those on the earth.
B) the duration of the year is about half that of the earth.
C) the atmosphere is very dense.
D) there are no deposits of water ice.

Question 38

Venus is very unlikely to support life because

A) it has no atmosphere.
B) its escape speed is too low.
C) its surface is too cold.
D) its surface is too hot.

Question 39

The planet that appears brightest in the sky is

A) Venus.
B) Mars.
C) Jupiter.
D) Saturn.

Question 40

The spacecraft that landed on Mars found

A) unambiguous signs of life.
B) liquid water on the surface.
C) a strong magnetic field.
D) lava flows.

Question 41

If the moon were smaller than it is, total eclipses of the sun would

A) never occur.
B) occur less often than now.
C) occur as often as now.
D) occur more often than now.

Question 42

At new moon, the moon is

A) not in line with the earth and the sun.
B) between the earth and the sun.
C) on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
D) on the opposite side of the sun from the earth.

Question 43

The interior of the moon

A) is uniform in structure.
B) has a liquid core.
C) is relatively cool.
D) is active geologically, giving rise to severe moonquakes.

Question 44

Relative to the oldest rocks that have been found on the earth, the oldest lunar rocks are

A) very much younger.
B) somewhat younger.
C) about the same age.
D) older.

Question 45

If the moon were smaller than it is, total eclipses of the moon would

A) never occur.
B) occur less often than now.
C) occur as often as now.
D) occur more often than now.

Question 46

A planet that consists largely of compressed gases is

A) Mercury.
B) Venus.
C) Mars.
D) Neptune.

Question 47

At full moon, the moon is

A) between the earth and the sun.
B) on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
C) on the opposite side of the sun from the earth.
D) not in line with the earth and the sun.

Question 48

The maria of the moon are covered with

A) water.
B) hard, smooth rock.
C) dark, loose soil.
D) frozen carbon dioxide.

Question 49

The maria of the moon

A) are found only on the hemisphere that faces the earth.
B) are found only on the hemisphere that faces away from the earth.
C) are found everywhere on the moon's surface.
D) regularly change size and shape.

Question 50

The moon has an abundance of

A) atmospheric gases.
B) water.
C) ice.
D) craters.

Question 51

In the past 3 billion years the main influence on the lunar landscape has been

A) volcanoes.
B) moonquakes.
C) meteoroid impacts.
D) running water.

Question 52

A planet that has phases like those of the moon is

A) Venus.
B) Mars.
C) Jupiter.
D) Saturn.

Question 53

An eclipse of the sun can occur

A) only when the moon passes directly between the earth and the sun.
B) only when the sun passes directly between the earth and the moon.
C) only when the earth passes directly between the sun and the moon.
D) at any time.

Question 54

All known dwarf planets

A) are farther than Pluto from the sun
B) have no satellites
C) are larger than the moon
D) are approximately spherical in shape

Question 55

A full moon is visible

A) only during the day.
B) only until midnight.
C) only after midnight.
D) all night.