Deck 7: The Moon

Question 1

Which of the following is not a kind of geological feature found on the Moon?

A) scarp
B) crater
C) maria
D) rille

Answer 1

scarp

Question 2

Basalt, a dense congealed lava rock rich in iron, is the primary material in the Moon's

A) highlands.
B) crust.
C) maria.
D) far side's regolith.

Answer 2

maria.

Question 3

The large dark areas on the Moon that form the face of the "Man in the Moon" are called what?

A) craters and rays
B) rilles
C) maria
D) All of these choices are correct.

Answer 3

maria

Question 4

The majority of lunar craters formed when _________.

A) lunar volcanoes erupted
B) solid bodies such as asteroids impacted the Moon's surface
C) pieces of the Moon fell off, leaving holes in its surface
D) tidal forces from Earth cracked the Moon's surface

Question 5

The central peak of a crater is formed by __________________.

A) the upward rebounding of compressed rock
B) molten rock being thrown upward and then solidifying
C) ejected material falling back into the crater
D) regolith drifting toward the center of the crater
E) None of these choices are correct.

Question 6

The lunar highlands are composed primarily of ____.

A) anorthosite
B) basalt
C) olivine
D) silicon dioxide

Question 7

Heavily cratered, lower-density regions of the lunar surface are called ____.

A) highlands
B) maria
C) rilles
D) regolith
E) Tycho

Question 8

The lunar maria are primarily composed of ____.

A) anorthosite
B) basalt
C) olivine
D) silicon dioxide

Question 9

Why do the lunar maria have a darker color than the highland regions?

A) The maria are composed of different materials than the highlands.
B) The maria are younger and experienced fewer impacts to weather the surface.
C) The maria have less regolith than the highlands.
D) The maria are sitting in the shadows of surrounding mountains.

Question 10

What are rays?

A) canyons, caused by lava flows or crustal cracking
B) long, light streaks of pulverized rock radiating outward from craters
C) mountainous regions
D) areas with no craters at all

Question 11

The lunar highlands have more craters than the maria because __________.

A) the surface of the maria is liquid and craters quickly disappear there
B) the material composing the highlands is very soft and easily cratered
C) the maria are much younger than the highlands
D) the maria are much older than the highlands

Question 12

How were the maria formed?

A) Maria were formed by ancient oceans on the Moon's surface.
B) Maria formed from ash falls from long dead volcanoes.
C) Successive volcanic eruptions flooded huge basins formed by large impacts.
D) They were formed by the huge tidal interaction between Earth and Moon.

Question 13

What is the source for the lava that covers the maria?

A) molten rock from impacts
B) rock melted by radioactive heating
C) volcanic eruptions due to subducting lunar crust
D) the original molten surface of the Moon

Question 14

Long canyons on the lunar surface are called ____.

A) rilles
B) rays
C) maria
D) rifts

Question 15

Rilles on the lunar surface were formed by __________________.

A) the flow of ancient rivers
B) ancient lava flows
C) the impact of small asteroids
D) ancient volcano chains

Question 16

Why is the Moon's surface cratered but Earth's is not?

A) The Moon's stronger magnetic field attracted more iron asteroids.
B) Meteors bounce off Earth's atmosphere.
C) Earth's impact craters have been mostly obliterated by erosion and plate tectonics.
D) When the dinosaurs died, their remains filled all Earth's craters.

Question 17

One result of bombardment of the Moon's surface is a layer of broken, pulverized, and powdered rock called

A) maria.
B) regolith.
C) basalt.
D) lunar rays.

Question 18

The primary reason the Moon lacks an atmosphere is because

A) the Moon is made up of the wrong kinds of rocks to release atmospheric gases.
B) Earth's gravity pulls away any atmosphere the Moon collects.
C) the Moon lacks sufficient gravity to retain an atmosphere.
D) there is no life on the Moon.

Question 19

What we call the Moon's surface layer?

A) regolith
B) rilles
C) maria
D) craters

Question 20

What is the composition of the lunar regolith?

A) anorthosite and basalt
B) basalt and olivine
C) olivine and silicon dioxide
D) silicon dioxide and anorthosite

Question 21

Why is the regolith light-colored in the highlands, while darker in the maria?

A) The highland regions receive more sunlight than the maria.
B) The regolith in the maria has a different mineral composition.
C) The highland regolith is younger, and therefore lighter in color.
D) Lunar regolith is the same color everywhere, but the maria reflect less light.

Question 22

What does the Moon's lack of a magnetic field suggest about its internal structure?

A) The Moon's core is smaller and cooler than Earth's.
B) The Moon's interior has not differentiated.
C) The Moon's mantle is too cold to form convection cells.
D) The Moon's crust is very thick and poor in iron.

Question 23

What does the Moon's low density suggest about its internal structure?

A) The Moon's iron core is smaller relative to Earth's.
B) The lunar interior has not differentiated.
C) The lunar mantle extends to the center of the Moon.
D) The Moon's crust is very thick and poor in iron.

Question 24

How is the Moon's mantle different from Earth's?

A) The lunar mantle is too cold to form convection cells.
B) The lunar mantle has a different composition than Earth's.
C) The Moon's mantle has a higher density than Earth's.
D) The lunar mantle extends to the center of the Moon.

Question 25

How is the Moon's crust similar to Earth's?

A) The lunar crust is mostly silicate rock.
B) The lunar crust is thicker on one side than the other.
C) Volcanic activity produced most of the craters on the Moon.
D) New lunar crust is forming at plate boundaries.
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 26

Comparing the near and far sides of the Moon, we find that the far side __________________.

A) is more heavily cratered than the near side
B) has as many maria as the near side
C) has regolith composed mostly of basalt
D) has a much lower temperature than the near side
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 27

One difference between the near and far sides of the moon is that ______________________.

A) the far side has no maria
B) the far side is more heavily cratered
C) the far side is almost all rough terrain
D) the far side's crust is mostly anorthosite
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 28

Why doesn't the Moon have an atmosphere?

A) It had very few volcanoes and the gravity is too weak to hold a substantial atmosphere.
B) The blasts that formed the craters blew it away.
C) The Moon's atmosphere was drawn away from it by Earth's stronger gravitational force.
D) The solar wind evaporated the Moon's atmosphere.

Question 29

Scientists recently confirmed the presence of water ice at the poles of the Moon. Where did this water come from?

A) The ice is all that remains of the Moon's polar ice caps, present in the Moon's early history.
B) Water was deposited on the Moon by cometary impacts, and it condensed in deep polar craters.
C) Early lunar oceans evaporated quickly, and the water vapor condensed in deep polar craters.
D) The water is released as polar region crust stretches due to tidal forces from Earth.
E) None of these choices are correct.

Question 30

The lunar escape velocity is ____ Earth's.

A) higher than
B) lower than
C) the same as
D) We have not measured the Moon's escape velocity.

Question 31

The distance between Earth and the Moon

A) remains constant as the Moon orbits about Earth.
B) varies as the Moon orbits about Earth.

Question 32

Which statement about the Moon's orbit is true?

A) The Moon is in synchronous rotation as it orbits Earth.
B) The Moon is in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth.
C) The Moon's orbit is aligned with Earth's orbit.
D) The Moon rotates in the opposite direction than it orbits Earth.

Question 33

How many times does the Moon rotate on its axis in one orbital period?

A) only once
B) twice
C) several times
D) The Moon does not rotate.

Question 34

From the observation that the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, one can conclude that

A) the Moon does not rotate.
B) the Moon completes one rotation each time Earth rotates.
C) the Moon completes one rotation each time it completes an orbit around Earth.
D) the Moon completes two rotations each time it completes an orbit around Earth.

Question 35

The Moon is about one-quarter the diameter of Earth. How does its mass compare?

A) The Moon is 1/4as massive as Earth.
B) The Moon is 1/6as massive as Earth.
C) The Moon is 1/32as massive as Earth.
D) The Moon is 1/81as massive as Earth.

Question 36

The Moon's angular size ____.

A) is largest at the full moon phase and smallest at the new moon phase
B) does not change as it orbits Earth
C) is larger during eclipses than at other times
D) is higher when the Moon is closer to Earth
E) None of these choices are correct.

Question 37

How do we most accurately measure the distance to the Moon?

A) We measure the lunar period and use Kepler's Third Law.
B) We bounce a pulse of light off the lunar surface and measure how long the trip takes.
C) We know how long it took Apollo astronauts to get there, and how fast the rocket traveled.
D) We measure its angular size and compare it to its actual diameter, which gives us its distance.
E) All of these choices provide equally accurate measurements.

Question 38

What is synchronous rotation?

A) a body's rotation rate that does not change with time
B) a body's rotation rate that is equal to its orbital period
C) a body's rotation rate that is equal to its parent planet's rotation rate
D) a body's rotation rate that changes with orbital distance

Question 39

How is the Moon's orbit around Earth different from most major satellite orbits around other planets?

A) The Moon orbits much faster than other satellites.
B) The Moon's orbital plane is tipped relative to Earth's equator.
C) The Moon follows an elliptical orbit around Earth.
D) The same side of the Moon faces Earth throughout its orbit.

Question 40

Which of the following hypotheses for the origins of the Moon is generally accepted by astronomers?

A) The Moon formed alongside Earth (the twin theory).
B) The Moon is the result of a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized object in the early days of the solar system (the collision theory).
C) The Moon was originally a bulge on Earth that was flung off by the rapidly spinning Earth (fission theory).
D) The Moon formed somewhere else and was later captured by Earth (capture theory).

Question 41

If the Moon was originally a small planet orbiting the Sun, which was then captured by Earth's gravity, what can we predict about the composition of moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts?

A) Moon rocks should have the same composition as rocks found on Earth.
B) Moon rocks should have a completely different composition than rocks found on Earth.
C) Moon rocks should have a composition that is the same as Earth's crust.
D) Moon rocks should have some similar, and some different compositional characteristics.

Question 42

If the Moon formed out of the same cloud of material from which Earth formed, what can we predict about the composition of moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts?

A) Moon rocks should have the same composition as rocks found on Earth.
B) Moon rocks should have a completely different composition than rocks found on and inside Earth.
C) Moon rocks should have a composition that is the same as Earth's crust.
D) Moon rocks should have some similar and some different compositional characteristics.

Question 43

If the material that formed the Moon was ejected by Earth due to a rapid rotation rate, what can we predict about the composition of moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts?

A) Moon rocks should have the same composition as rocks found on and inside Earth.
B) Moon rocks should have a completely different composition than rocks found on Earth.
C) Moon rocks should have a composition that is the same as Earth's crust.
D) Moon rocks should have some similar and some different compositional characteristics.

Question 44

If the material that formed the Moon was debris from a collision between the early Earth and another body, what can we predict about the composition of moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts?

A) Moon rocks should have the same composition as rocks found on and inside Earth.
B) Moon rocks should have a completely different composition than rocks found on Earth.
C) Moon rocks should have a composition that is the same as Earth's crust.
D) Moon rocks should have some similar and some different compositional characteristics.

Question 45

If high tide is at noon, the next high tide will be at

A) midnight.
B) 6 pm
C) 6 am
D) noon tomorrow.

Question 46

If the Moon were farther from Earth, compared to now, the tides would be

A) about the same as now.
B) neap tides would be shallower, and spring tides would be taller than now.
C) less tall all the time.
D) higher all the time.

Question 47

Why do we always see only one side of the Moon?

A) The Moon does not rotate.
B) The Moon is tidally locked with Earth.
C) The far (opposite) side only faces Earth during the daytime when the Sun's light outshines the Moon.
D) From time to time we see all the sides of the Moon from Earth.

Question 48

When our Earth becomes tidally locked with the Moon, which of the following statements will be true?

A) The Moon will only be visible during the day.
B) There will be no eclipses.
C) The Moon will not go through phases.
D) An astronaut on the Moon would see only one side of Earth.

Question 49

The differential gravitational force of the Moon on Earth is the cause of ____.

A) tides
B) precession
C) phases
D) the Coriolis force
E) seasons

Question 50

Why is there a tidal bulge on the opposite side of Earth from the Moon?

A) Centrifugal force makes the far side of Earth push outward.
B) The far side of Earth receives a weaker pull from the Moon, and accelerates less than the near side.
C) The gravitational force from the Moon is stronger on the near side, but the pull of Earth on the water is stronger on the far side.
D) The Sun creates a tidal bulge as well as the Moon.

Question 51

Why do we have two high tides per day?

A) There are two tidal bulges, and the rotation of Earth carries us through both of them every day.
B) The rotation of Earth and the motion of the Moon around Earth drag both tidal bulges over us.
C) The Moon and the Sun create separate tidal bulges, resulting in two high tides per day.
D) About half of Earth's water must flow past more geological barriers, slowing it down.

Question 52

Why do today's high tides arrive about an hour later than yesterday's tides?

A) Friction between the surface of Earth and the water slow the water's motion.
B) The Moon rises and sets about an hour later every day, and the tides follow the Moon.
C) The gravitational pull of the Sun on the tidal bulges slows their flow around Earth.
D) The tidal bulges include dry land as well as water, and dry land responds to the tidal forces more slowly.

Question 53

If there is a high tide at noon, about when can you expect the next low tide?

A) at about 3 PM
B) at about 6 PM
C) around 9 PM
D) at about midnight

Question 54

How will high tides differ from their average values when the Moon is in its new phase?

A) They will be higher than average.
B) They will be lower than average.
C) They will not differ from average values significantly.
D) There are no high tides when the Moon is new.

Question 55

How will high tides differ from their average values when the Moon and the Sun are on the same side of Earth?

A) They will be higher than average.
B) They will be lower than average.
C) They will not differ from average values significantly.
D) There are no high tides when the Moon is near the Sun in the sky.

Question 56

How will high tides differ from their average values when the Moon is in its full phase?

A) They will be higher than average.
B) They will be lower than average.
C) They will not differ from average values significantly.
D) There are no high tides when the Moon is full.

Question 57

How will high tides differ from their average values when the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of Earth?

A) They will be higher than average.
B) They will be lower than average.
C) They will not differ from average values significantly.
D) There are no high tides when the Moon and Sun pull in opposite directions.

Question 58

How will high tides differ from their average values when the Moon is in its first- or third-quarter phase?

A) They will be higher than average.
B) They will be lower than average.
C) They will not differ from average values significantly.
D) There are no high tides when the Moon is full.

Question 59

How will high tides differ from their average values when the Moon and the Sun are 90 degrees from each other in the sky?

A) They will be higher than average.
B) They will be lower than average.
C) They will not differ from average values significantly.
D) There are no high tides when the Moon and the Sun are 90 degrees from each other in the sky.

Question 60

When our Earth becomes tidally locked with the Moon, which of the following statements will be true?

A) The Moon will only be visible from one side of Earth.
B) There will be no eclipses.
C) The Moon will not go through phases.
D) An astronaut on the Moon will always see the day side of Earth.

Question 61

How do the tides slow the rotation of Earth?

A) Tidal bulges move mass away from the center of Earth, slowing its rotation like a figure skater.
B) Tidal bulges generate drag forces between Earth and its water, slowing its rotation.
C) Alternating high and low tides create a wobble in Earth's rotation.
D) The tip in the Moon's orbital plane makes moving the tidal bulges away from the equator more difficult.

Question 62

If the Moon orbited Earth backward, how would tidal interactions change?

A) The tides would arrive about an hour earlier every day.
B) The Moon would not be tidally locked with Earth.
C) The length of the day on Earth would increase.
D) The distance between Earth and the Moon would increase.

Question 63

Until we sent missions to the Moon, no one on Earth had seen the far side of the Moon.

Question 64

Like the near side of the Moon, the far side has the same general features, a mix of maria and highlands.

Question 65

The Moon contains small amounts of frozen water that is mixed in with its rocks.

Question 66

There is a permanent dark side of the Moon.

Question 67

Planetary scientists believe that the Moon was most likely a nearby small planet gravitationally captured by Earth.

Question 68

Earth's rotation is being gradually slowed by the Moon's gravity.

Question 69

The Sun causes tides on the Earth in addition to the Moon.

Question 70

Solar tides are not as strong as lunar tides mostly because the Sun is much farther away than the Moon.

Question 71

We can think of the high tide on the side of Earth opposite the Moon as a result of the Moon pulling Earth away from the water.

Question 72

The spring tides occur in spring seasons and the neap tides in autumn.

Question 73

Because of its distance, the Sun does not have any effect on Earth's ocean tides.