Deck 23: Planets and Their Moons

Question 1

Mercury orbits around the Sun in about __________ Earth days.

A) 22
B) 55
C) 88
D) 222

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Uranus and Neptune are enveloped in atmospheres composed primarily of __________ and __________.

Answer 2

hydrogen, helium

Question 3

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have retained large amounts of hydrogen and helium and are called the __________ __________.

Answer 3

Jovian planets

Question 4

Spacecraft have photographed volcanic eruptions on __________, one of Jupiter's moons.

Question 5

The Venusian atmosphere is __________.

A) hot and dense
B) cold and dense
C) cold and thin
D) hot and thin

Question 6

The Moon's __________ are flat expanses of volcanic rock.

Question 7

Some meteorites contain small, round grains about 1 millimeter in diameter called __________, which contain amino acids or other organic molecules.

Question 8

Jupiter's middle layer, between its core and outer sea of liquid hydrogen, is composed of __________ __________ __________.

Question 9

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are called the __________ planets.

A) dwarf
B) terrestrial
C) Jovian
D) solar

Question 10

Europa is a moon of __________.

Question 11

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are called the __________ planets.

A) dwarf
B) terrestrial
C) Jovian
D) solar

Question 12

The temperature on the sunny side of the planet __________ reaches 427°C, while the shady side is -175°C.

Question 13

A glowing object that appears in the sky, traveling slowly around the Sun in an elongated orbit, is called a/an ____________________.

Question 14

__________ was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

Question 15

The rings of Saturn may be the debris of a __________ that got too close to the planet.

Question 16

Uranus and Neptune are __________ than Jupiter and Saturn because they contain relatively larger, solid cores.

Question 17

Europa is very similar to Earth in that its interior is composed of rock, and much of its surface is covered by water. However, Europa's surface is covered with __________.

Question 18

Geologists think that the eroded surfaces, alluvial fans, and Valles Marineris indicate that the Martian climate was once __________ and that __________ flowed across the surface.

A) colder, liquid metallic hydrogen
B) colder, water
C) warmer, liquid metallic hydrogen
D) warmer, water

Question 19

Venus is much hotter than Earth because of a runaway __________ __________.

Question 20

__________ planets are mostly solid rock with metallic cores.

Question 21

The craters on Mercury are about __________ years old.

A) 4 thousand
B) 4 million
C) 4 billion
D) 4 trillion

Question 22

Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet?

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

Question 23

Which of the following statements is not correct about Mars?

A) Liquid water once flowed across the Martian surface, but now, Mars is dry.
B) The largest volcano in the Solar System is found on Mars.
C) Ice caps on Mars are mainly frozen carbon dioxide.
D) The Martian atmosphere is dense with a high concentration of carbon dioxide.

Question 24

The major reason that the surface of Earth is much cooler than that of Venus is:

A) Venus is still being bombarded by intense meteorite showers.
B) Venus is closer to the Sun than Earth.
C) the atmosphere of Venus has much more carbon dioxide than Earth.
D) blob tectonics transmits huge quantities of heat from the Venusian interior to the surface.

Question 25

Titan is the largest moon of __________.

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

Question 26

The chemical composition of Jupiter is most similar to that of __________.

A) the Sun.
B) the Earth.
C) the Moon.
D) Io.

Question 27

The tens of thousands of small orbiting bodies between Mars and Jupiter are called __________.

A) asteroids
B) meteorites
C) comets
D) meteors

Question 28

Mercury is pockmarked with meteorite craters, while the Earth is not because:

A) the Earth is farther from the Sun than Mercury.
B) tectonic activity and erosion have obliterated the craters on Earth.
C) the Earth's surface was liquid when the great meteorite showers fell.
D) meteorites didn't strike the Earth.

Question 29

The Venusian surface:

A) is separated into upland plateaus and deep basalt basins like the Earth's ocean basins.
B) is entirely covered with meteorite craters.
C) contains numerous volcanoes and basalt flows.
D) is divided into plates by massive features like the Earth's mid-ocean ridge.

Question 30

Scientists deduce that Jovian weather is driven by:

A) solar heat.
B) heat deep within Jupiter.
C) Jupiter's magnetic field.
D) solar flares.

Question 31

The tectonic activity on Venus has been described as __________ tectonics.

A) pop
B) bob
C) blob
D) hop

Question 32

The Moon formed __________.

A) shortly before the Earth.
B) about 4.5 billion years ago.
C) about 4.5 million years ago.
D) about 40 billion years ago.

Question 33

A __________ is composed of ice mixed with bits of silicate rock, metals, and frozen crystals of methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and other compounds.

A) meteoroid
B) comet
C) chondrule
D) meteor
Multiple Choice

Question 34

Why has the Earth remained geologically active compared to the Moon?

A) The Earth is so much larger that it took longer to cool.
B) The Earth is so much smaller that it soon cooled.
C) The Moon has no atmosphere.
D) The lunar crust retained pools of magma.

Question 35

Io is a moon of __________.

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

Question 36

__________ is the outermost of the four moons of Jupiter detected by Galileo.

A) Io
B) Europa
C) Ganymede
D) Callisto

Question 37

The Solar System formed from a:

A) hot, dense cloud of fusing hydrogen and helium.
B) cold, diffuse cloud of fusing hydrogen and helium.
C) hot, dense cloud of dust and gas.
D) cold, diffuse cloud of dust and gas.

Question 38

The presence of igneous rocks on the Moon tells us that:

A) the Moon has never had meteorite impacts.
B) portions of the Moon were once hot and liquid.
C) the Moon formed when a giant object struck the Earth.
D) the Moon's surface was reshaped by numerous meteorite impacts.

Question 39

The surface of Jupiter consists mainly of:

A) cold liquid metallic hydrogen and atomic helium.
B) hot liquid hydrogen.
C) oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, and water.
D) hydrogen, helium, ammonia, methane, water, and hydrogen sulfide.

Question 40

__________ is the most active volcanic body in the Solar System.

A) Venus
B) Io
C) Europa
D) Titan

Question 41

Comets are composed mainly of:

A) rock and ice.
B) gaseous volatiles.
C) liquid water.
D) helium.

Question 42

Organic molecules have been detected in some meteorites.

Question 43

Io is the most active volcanic body in the Solar System.

Question 44

At the present time, the Moon's maria are filled with liquid water.

Question 45

Both Uranus and Neptune:

A) can be seen with the naked eye.
B) have interiors composed of liquid metallic hydrogen.
C) have atmospheres composed primarily of helium and hydrogen.
D) are less dense than Saturn.

Question 46

The craters found on Callisto are very similar to those on the Moon and Ganymede.

Question 47

Io has a smooth, nearly crater-free surface because:

A) it has not been bombarded by meteorites.
B) the gravitational effects on Io are slight.
C) it is not tectonically active.
D) of frequent lava flows.

Question 48

The Sun never rises or sets on the poles of Mercury.

Question 49

Venus has mountains higher than Mount Everest.

Question 50

Asteroids may change their orbits frequently and erratically.

Question 51

The rings of Saturn are believed to be:

A) an auroral display of ionized gases.
B) small particles of dust, rock, and ice.
C) the remains of a hurricane-like storm that was first recorded by Galileo.
D) particles of pure ice.

Question 52

The Earth's atmosphere is thinner than that on Mars.

Question 53

The atmosphere of Venus is 90 times denser than the Earth's atmosphere.

Question 54

Neptune has never been visited by spacecraft.

Question 55

The Jovian planets-Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune-have retained most of their hydrogen, helium, and other light elements.

Question 56

Titan's large size and low temperature allow it to have an atmosphere.

Question 57

Saturn would float on water if there were a basin large enough to hold it.

Question 58

Which of the following orders of sizes is correct?

A) Uranus > Earth > Mercury
B) Jupiter > the Moon > Earth
C) Pluto > Saturn > the Moon
D) Saturn > Mars > Earth
True/False

Question 59

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have relatively small rocky or metallic cores surrounded by swirling liquid and gaseous atmospheres.

Question 60

Solar wind blew away most of the hydrogen, helium, and other light elements from the inner planets.