Deck 11: Mars

Question 1

Which of the following is most likely to have been responsible for the formation of Valles Marineris?

A)Running water
B)Plate tectonics
C)Surface faulting
D)Melting of permafrost

Answer 1

Surface faulting

Question 2

Much of the material in the polar caps of Mars is frozen

A)Methane
B)Quartz
C)Ammonia
D)Carbon dioxide

Answer 2

Carbon dioxide

Question 3

Why is the Martian sky sometimes pink?

A)Light reflected from the Martian surface is red in color
B)There is dust suspended in the Martian atmosphere
C)There are frequent auroral displays on Mars
D)The sunlight reaching Mars is redder than that reaching Earth

Answer 3

There is dust suspended in the Martian atmosphere

Question 4

Some of the Martian channels originate in chaotic (jumbled)terrain.How were the chaotic terrain and the channels emerging from them probably produced?

A)Melting of underground ice followed by the flow of water
B)Small volcanic outbursts followed by the flow of lava
C)Grazing impacts by interplanetary debris
D)Mars-quakes followed by landslides

Question 5

Which of the following is evidence that some of the volcanoes of Mars are relatively young?

A)They have been observed to erupt
B)They have relatively few impact craters on them
C)They are covered by channels
D)Their tops are still covered by snow and ice

Question 6

Which of the following is evidence that liquid water once existed on the surface of Mars?

A)Dry river beds
B)Mid ocean ridges
C)Whale bones
D)High atmospheric humidity at the present time

Question 7

How does the atmosphere of Mars compare with that of Venus?

A)They are alike in both temperature and chemical composition
B)They are alike in chemical composition but differ in temperature
C)They are different in both temperature and chemical composition
D)They are alike in temperature but differ in chemical composition

Question 8

Why is the daily temperature variation on Mars so much larger than we experience on Earth?

A)Mars spins slowly,so its nights are very long
B)Mars is much darker than the Earth,so it absorbs more sunlight
C)Mars's atmosphere is too thin to insulate the surface
D)Mars has smaller internal heat sources than the Earth

Question 9

The temperature on the surface of Mars at Martian noon is closest to

A)27 K
B)270 K
C)2700 K
D)27,000 K

Question 10

How do we know that the volcanoes of Mars are billions of years old?

A)Meteorites from Mars show no evidence of volcanic eruptions
B)There are impact craters on their slopes
C)Volcanic eruptions have never been witnessed
D)Mars has no molten material in its interior

Question 11

We see impact craters on the slopes of large Martian volcanoes.What does that tell us about the volcanoes?

A)They are billions of years old
B)They attract infalling meteoroids
C)There have never been rivers on the volcano slopes
D)They produce lava that is laid down in very thin layers

Question 12

How does the atmosphere of Mars compare to that of the Earth?

A)Mars's atmosphere is colder,drier,and lower in pressure
B)Mars's atmosphere is warmer,drier,and lower in pressure
C)Mars's atmosphere is colder,wetter,and higher in pressure
D)Mars's atmosphere is colder,drier,and higher in pressure

Question 13

In which of the following forms can water NOT exist on Mars today?

A)Lakes
B)Atmospheric ice crystals
C)Underground ice deposits
D)Atmospheric gas

Question 14

The major constituent of the Martian atmosphere is

A)Water
B)Oxygen
C)Argon
D)Carbon dioxide
E)Carbon monoxide

Question 15

Where is most of Mars's water likely to be located?

A)In ice layers beneath the visible surface
B)In the polar caps
C)In the atmosphere in the form of ice crystals
D)In underground lakes of liquid water

Question 16

How many known satellites does Mars have?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)4

Question 17

The images transmitted by one of the Viking landers showed frost near the lander during Martian winter.What was the frost made of?

A)Water
B)Methane
C)Ammonia
D)Carbon dioxide

Question 18

What accounts for the seasonal changes in the coloration of certain regions on Mars?

A)The covering and uncovering of the regions by dust
B)Melting and refreezing of permafrost
C)Changes in cloud cover
D)Migration of large herds of quadrupeds

Question 19

How do we know that the stream beds of Mars are relatively ancient?

A)There are islands in them
B)There are impact craters on their floors
C)The water in them is frozen solid
D)They all begin on the flanks of Martian volcanoes

Question 20

During some seasons the barometric pressure on Mars drops steadily for months at a time.Why?

A)Tides cause the atmosphere to rise and fall
B)The atmospheric gas is solidifying on one of the polar caps
C)Gas is escaping rapidly into space
D)Enormous storms are forming around low pressure regions

Question 21

What was the result of the life-detection experiments that were carried out on the Viking missions to Mars?

A)No clear-cut evidence of life was detected
B)Microbial life was found
C)No life was found,but numerous organic compounds suggest life in the past
D)The life-detection experiments mysteriously disappeared.

Question 22

A major reason for the size of volcanoes on Mars is

A)The lack of tectonic activity
B)The rapid rotation rate (24.5 hours)
C)The large number of subsurface lakes
D)The lack of an intense magnetic dynamo
E)High winds

Question 23

Why did the nutrient used in the Viking life-detection experiments contain the isotope carbon 14?

A)To sterilize the test chamber
B)Most terrestrial organisms are especially fond of carbon 14
C)Its presence can be measured by radiation detectors
D)In order to be able to survive the long trip through space

Question 24

What evidence do we have that plate tectonic activity has occurred on Mars?

A)Parallel strips of magnetized rock
B)Dry river beds
C)Large volcanoes
D)Several continent-sized highland regions separated by lower regions

Question 25

Which of the following observations led astronomers in the late 1800s to suspect that there might be life on Mars?

A)Seasonal variations in dark surface markings
B)The observation that its atmosphere is largely oxygen
C)The detection of liquid water on the surface of Mars
D)Unexplained flashes of light on the night side of the planet

Question 26

Which of the following supports the claim that results of the labeled release experiment do not imply the existence of life on Mars?

A)A soil sample,moistened a second time,did not release additional gas
B)A heated soil sample did not produce gas
C)The nutrient solution contained carbon 14,which is radioactive
D)None of the soil samples produced any nitrogen gas

Question 27

In what way does Mars differ significantly from the Earth?

A)Tilt of its rotational axis
B)Presence of polar ice caps,that grow and shrink with the seasons.
C)A 24 hour day
D)Amount of dynamic surface activity

Question 28

Which of the following kinds of features were not frequently reported by observers of Mars during the late 1800s and early 1900s?

A)Long,linear markings
B)Seasonal changes in coloration
C)Polar caps
D)Volcanic eruptions

Question 29

Why does Mars have less heat available (relative to the Earth)to drive volcanic activity?

A)Mars is smaller than the Earth,and therefore cooled more rapidly
B)Compared to the Earth,Mars has a smaller area to volume ratio,
C)Larger planets cool more rapidly than smaller planets.
D)Mars lost most of its internal heat after colliding with a large,moon sized object.

Question 30

What evidence do we have that there has been liquid water on Mars's surface in the recent past?

A)Small pools of surface water
B)Ice clouds in the atmosphere
C)Very young channels near the rims of craters
D)Observations of large quantities of subsurface ice

Question 31

What evidence of water on ancient Mars was discovered by the Opportunity rover?

A)Fossils of marine organisms
B)Hematite deposits
C)Ancient coral reefs
D)Disturbed terrain caused by tidal waves

Question 32

For which solar system object has the most extensive search for life been made?

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

Question 33

Our view of the surface of Mars is sometimes blocked by

A)Thick ice clouds
B)Dust storms
C)Dust clouds produced by volcanic eruptions
D)Smoke from widespread fires