Deck 22: Touring Our Solar System

Question 1

Which one of the following statements is believed to be true of comets?

A) They have highly elliptical orbits around the Sun.
B) They are composed mostly of dense rock particles.
C) They may gain slightly in mass with each orbit around the Sun.
D) Their bright, glowing appearance in the night sky is due to frictional heating in Earth's atmosphere.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The ________ explains how our solar system probably formed from a giant cloud of gases and dispersed solid particles.

A) protogalactic theory
B) nebular hypothesis
C) extrastellar solar hypothesis
D) planetary compression theory

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following statements concerning ring satellites of the planets is true?

A) They are thin, solid disks revolving around the parent planets in polar orbits.
B) They consist of concentrations of particles generally smaller than 10 meters in diameter.
C) They have orbits that do not coincide with the equatorial planes of the parent planets.
D) They are present around Saturn and Jupiter, but not around Uranus and Neptune.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

________ meteorites are thought to be analogous in composition to Earth's core.

A) Calcareous
B) Iron
C) Stony
D) Ammonical

Question 5

Which one of the following is not found on Mars?

A) polar ice caps
B) H₂O-rich atmosphere
C) sand dunes
D) extinct volcanoes

Question 6

________ is a moon of Mars.

A) Ajo
B) Miranda
C) Callisto
D) Phobos

Question 7

________ refers to the bright head of a comet.

A) Lima
B) Toma
C) Coma
D) Lira

Question 8

How did the lunar maria most likely originate?

A) huge impact basins that were nearly filled with basaltic lava flows
B) huge impact craters filled with frozen carbon dioxide and dark-colored silt and dust
C) massive, basaltic comets melted when they hit the lunar surface
D) the solar wind eroded very wide, shallow basins that filled with lunar dust

Question 9

________ are found both on Mars and Earth.

A) Erosional features related to flowing water
B) Active volcanoes
C) Heavily cratered landscapes preserved from early in the planets' histories
D) Oceans

Question 10

Pluto is now classified as a ________ in our solar system

A) terrestrial planet
B) Jovian planet
C) dwarf planet
D) comet

Question 11

Compared to Earth's atmosphere, the atmosphere of Mars has surface pressures that are ________.

A) 3 times those on Earth; major gases are water vapor and carbon dioxide
B) 0.1 times those on Earth; major gases are water vapor and carbon dioxide
C) one-half those on Earth; main gases are methane and nitrogen
D) 1.5 times those on Earth; main gases are methane and nitrogen

Question 12

________ occurs when an object in the outer reaches of the solar system passes between Earth and a far distant star, temporarily blocking light from the star.

A) Decantation
B) Elliptation
C) Acculturation
D) Occultation

Question 13

Which one of the following is NOT true of Jupiter?

A) largest and most massive planet
B) a rotational speed slower than Mercury
C) dominantly composed of hydrogen
D) a very dense atmosphere

Question 14

Which one of the following is most likely to be associated both with impact craters and with volcanic calderas that originate by collapse?

A) outwardly radiating, fragmental, bright, surface streaks
B) sharp rims that rise well above the surrounding area far away from the edge of the depression
C) sharp, central peaks that rise above the floor of the depression
D) landslides and other mass wasting movements along the walls of the depression

Question 15

A cluster of three large, fresh-looking impact craters shown in radar images of the surface of Venus best supports the conclusion that ________.

A) tectonism is still very active on Venus
B) erosion and weathering are very slow processes on Venus
C) volcanism was very active during the first billion or so years of the planet's history
D) Venus was recently hit by a large, three-unit, cluster asteroid

Question 16

The surface features of ________ are known only through satellite radar mapping.

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

Question 17

Which pair of solar system bodies comes closest to approximating a "double planet," that is, two bodies of roughly equal mass close enough to revolve around each other as they orbit around the Sun?

A) Earth; Venus
B) Pluto; Charon
C) Uranus; Saturn
D) Venus; Mars

Question 18

As the solar system was forming, ________ came closest to undergoing nuclear fusion and becoming a second sun.

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

Question 19

________ has the great, dark spot on its surface.

A) Mars
B) Neptune
C) Venus
D) Uranus

Question 20

________ has atmospheric pressures at its surface that are roughly comparable to those at Earth's surface.

A) Jupiter's moon Io
B) Saturn's moon Titan
C) Neptune's moon Cassini
D) Uranus's moon Miranda

Question 21

Which one of the following statements is NOT true?

A) Pluto is the smallest and most distant planet from the Sun.
B) Jupiter is the largest, densest, and most massive planet.
C) Tectonic movements and erosion have obliterated most evidence for impacts of large objects early in Earth's geologic history.
D) Mercury rotates slower than Earth and Jupiter; it is the closest planet to the Sun.

Question 22

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. Mercury B. Saturn C. Uranus D. Jupiter

Question 23

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. comet B. asteroid C. meteorite D. planet

Question 24

Which one of the terrestrial planets has a surface landscape similar to that of the older areas of the Moon?

A) Mercury
B) Uranus
C) Venus
D) Neptune

Question 25

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. Earth B. Venus C. Mars D. Jupiter

Question 26

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. Phobos B. Pluto C. Titan D. Callisto

Question 27

The high surface temperatures of this planet have been attributed to the greenhouse effect.

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

Question 28

________ has a hot, turbulent atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide.

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

Question 29

Vast, circular to elliptical dark-colored, smooth areas of the Moon are known as ________.

A) Olympian fields
B) Copernican steppes
C) lunar maria
D) lunar lava flats

Question 30

Which one of the following lunar features is the youngest?

A) maria
B) brightly rayed craters
C) rugged highlands
D) plagioclase-rich crustal rocks

Question 31

Most of the Moon's craters were produced by ________.

A) the impact of debris (meteoroids)
B) volcanic eruptions
C) faulting
D) radial implosions

Question 32

Which of these lunar features is the oldest?

A) maria basins
B) lunar highlands
C) rayed craters like Copernicus
D) lunar soil

Question 33

This planet has ice caps which change in size with the seasons.

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

Question 34

________, a moon orbiting Jupiter, has an unusually smooth, uncratered, ice-covered surface.

A) Phobos
B) Titan
C) Miranda
D) Europa

Question 35

________ is the principal gas in the Venusian atmosphere and also a minor component of the atmospheres of Earth and Mars.

A) Ozone
B) Nitrogen
C) Carbon dioxide
D) Methane

Question 36

________ are small, extraterrestrial particles that glow brightly and burn up as they travel through Earth's atmosphere.

A) Asteroids
B) Microcomets
C) Mesocoronas
D) Meteoroids

Question 37

Compared to the density of liquid water (1 gram/cc), the appropriate range in average densities of the terrestrial planets is ________.

A) l to 2 grams/cc
B) 0.4 to 0.7 grams/cc
C) 4 to 6 grams/cc
D) 2 to 3 grams/cc

Question 38

The belt (orbit) of the asteroids is located between ________.

A) Saturn and Uranus
B) Earth and Mars
C) Venus and Mercury
D) Jupiter and Mars

Question 39

The smallest planet in the solar system is ________.

A) Venus
B) Pluto
C) Mars
D) Mercury

Question 40

The largest known volcano in the solar system is ________.

A) Mauna Loa, Hawaii, on Earth
B) Vulcan on Venus
C) Solfatara on Jupiter
D) Mons Olympus on Mars

Question 41

Word Analysis. Examine the words and/or phrases for each question below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option which does not fit the pattern.
A. maria B. craters C. highlands D. coma

Question 42

Rayed craters on the Moon, such as Copernicus, formed during an intense, early period of bombardment prior to the formation of the lunar maria.

Question 43

The Jovian planets are more massive but less dense than the terrestrial planets.

Question 44

Of the terrestrial planets, Mercury exhibits the greatest lateral variations in surface temperatures.

Question 45

Rays in the rings of Saturn are bright, radial streaks that converge inward toward the planet's surface.

Question 46

The lunar highlands exhibit rugged, topographic relief and a high density of impact craters.

Question 47

Lunar regolith breccia contains crystalline rock fragments and glassy fragments.

Question 48

The four largest moons of Jupiter are known as the Galilean moons.

Question 49

Comets are thought to be composed of dust and tiny, icy particles encased in small, solidified, metallic fragments.

Question 50

The Martian polar caps are thought to be mainly frozen methane and ammonia.

Question 51

Eruptive plumes and lava flows rich in sulfur have been photographed on Jupiter's moon, Io.

Question 52

The very large, lava-covered areas of the Moon are called maria.

Question 53

The Cassini gap refers to the planetless belt of asteroids between Mars and Earth.

Question 54

Meteorites disintegrate and burn up as shooting stars; meteoroids survive an impact event and a trip through Earth's atmosphere.

Question 55

The dark tail of a comet is called a coma.

Question 56

The Moon has highland areas which approach the height of mountains on Earth.

Question 57

Jupiter is the largest and most massive planet in the solar system.

Question 58

Large impact craters and large, domal features (probably representing viscous lava flows) have been imaged on the surface of Venus.

Question 59

Carbon dioxide is the major gas in the atmosphere of Venus.

Question 60

An extreme example of the greenhouse effect is thought to be associated with an abundance of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere.

Question 61

The largest shield volcano yet observed in the solar system is located on ________.

Question 62

Label the planets on the diagram below.

Question 63

________ refers to the glowing head of a comet.

Question 64

Relatively small bodies which generally orbit between Mars and Jupiter are called ________.

Question 65

How is Earth unique as compared to other planets in our solar system? How is it similar? And finally, what geologic information might we obtain by visiting Mars or Venus that would further link Earth to these planets?

Question 66

The proposal that contends that Earth is in the center of the universe is called the ________ view.

Question 67

The atmosphere of Mars is less dense than Earth's, but dust storms and sand dunes indicate wind action occurs on Mars.

Question 68

The Cassini gap is associated with the planet ________.

Question 69

The spectacular bodies that have been compared to large, dirty snowballs are called ________.

Question 70

What is the general relationship between the number of natural satellites or moons that orbit a given planet and the mass of that planet? Also, how is our own Moon different from the natural satellites of other terrestrial planets?

Question 71

The relatively smooth, large, circular to elliptical areas on the lunar surface are known as ________.

Question 72

Which planet, in addition to Earth, shows clear evidence of water erosion?

Question 73

Why are meteorites a possible source of information regarding the origin and composition of Earth? Also, what other "clues" might be present in meteorites?

Question 74

________ is the major gas in the atmosphere of Venus.

Question 75

The large volcano known in the solar system, Mons Olympus, is located on the planet ________.

Question 76

The only planet in the solar system whose axis of rotation lies close to its equatorial plane is ________.

Question 77

Saturn's rings are clusters of relatively small, individual particles; the rings observed on Jupiter are violent storm clouds swirling above the polar regions of the planet.

Question 78

Of the eight planets now recognized in our solar system, the smallest planet is ________.

Question 79

Which planet has a densely cratered surface similar to that of the Moon?

Question 80

The two most abundant gases in Earth's atmosphere are ________ and ________.