Download CH 23: The Solar System Study Guide

Name: ____________________________________ Period: ______ Date: __________
CH 23: The Solar System Study Guide
Vocabulary
terrestrial planet, Jovian planet, nebula, planetesimal, asteroid, comet, coma, meteoroid, meteor, meteorite.
Reviewing Content
Choose the letter that best answers the question or completes the statement.
1.
Which of these planets is not a terrestrial planet?
a. Earth
b. Mercury
c. Venus
d. Pluto
2. What theory describes the formation of the solar system from a huge cloud of dust and gases?
a. protoplanet theory
b. nebular theory
c. planetesimal theory
d. solar theory
3. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Jovian planets?
a. large size
b. composed mostly of gases and ice
c. lack of moons
d. located beyond the orbit of Mars
4. Which two planets are most alike?
a. Jupiter and Pluto
b. Earth and Mercury
c. Mars and Uranus
d. Uranus and Saturn
5. Which of the following is NOT true of Jupiter?
a. It is more massive than all the other planets and moons combined.
b. It has huge rotating storms.
c.
It has a thin ring system.
d. It has a solid surface.
6. Which moon is known to have active volcanism?
a. Io
b. Phobos
c. Europa
d. Titan
7. What bodies in the solar system orbit between Mars and Jupiter?
a. Comets
b. Stars
c. Asteroids
d. Meteorites
8. A comet’s tail always points
a. away from the sun.
b. toward the sun.
c. up.
d. down.
9. Meteoroids that strike Earth are called
a. asteroids.
b. comets.
c. meteors.
d. meteorites.
10. Which is NOT the most obvious difference between the terrestrial and Jovian planets?
a. Mass
b. Color
c. Density
d. chemical makeup
11. Which planet does NOT have a density that is greater than water?
a. Mercury
b. Pluto
c. Venus
d. Saturn
12. Why was Mercury unable to retain an atmosphere during its formation?
a. Mercury has a high surface temperature and has a low mass.
b. Mercury is the largest planet.
c. Mercury is the farthest planet from the sun.
d. Mercury revolves slowly.
13. Which of the following is NOT true of Mars?
a. Mars has moons.
b. Mars has rings.
c. Mars is often called the Red Planet.
d. Mars has volcanoes.
Name: ____________________________________ Period: ______ Date: __________
CH 23: The Solar System Study Guide
Vocabulary
terrestrial planet, Jovian planet, nebula, planetesimal, asteroid, comet, coma, meteoroid, meteor, meteorite.
Understanding Concepts
1.
What objects are found in the solar system? The Sun, Planets, Moons, Asteroids, & Comets
2.
What substances make up most of the solar system? Hot Gases called Plasma Classify them as gas, rock, or ice. Gas
3.
Describe general characteristics and location of the terrestrial planets. Close to the Sun, Solid, small, dense, rock &
metal, few to no moons.
4.
What is Olympus Mons? Where is it found? A dormant volcano on Mars
5.
Why has Mars been the planet most studied by telescopes? Close and can see the surface.
6.
Why is life unlikely to exist on Venus? To hot, high air pressure, sulfuric acid clouds
7.
Which planets have ring systems? Jovian planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
8.
How are Uranus and Neptune similar? Same size, and similar gases
9.
Why isn’t Pluto classified as either a terrestrial planet or a Jovian planet? To small, orbit is different than all other planets.
10. Which minor members of the solar system are thought to have formed beyond the orbit of Pluto? Comets
11. What is the bright glowing head of a comet called? Coma
12. What evidence indicates that our solar system is about 4.5 billion years old? Rocks from meteorites, from moon, and
mars.
Critical Thinking
13. Analyzing Data - What evidence supports the theory that liquid water may have existed on Mars? Drainage patterns
14. Drawing Conclusions - Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus. Venus, however, is hotter. Why? Venus atmosphere is
mainly carbon dioxide, which traps the heat.
15. Making Generalizations - Why is it more difficult for gases to escape from the Jovian planets than from the terrestrial
planets? Bigger gravity and colder
16. Applying Concepts - Why would it be difficult to verify that an impact may have altered Uranus’s axis of rotation? Gas
planet
Analyzing Data
Use the table in the right column to answer Questions 17-19.
17. Identifying - Which two planets have similar atmospheric compositions? Venus and Mars
18. Interpreting Data - What makes these two planets’ atmospheres very different? Venus has a greater atmosphere
pressure
19. Inferring - What gas is present in Earth’s atmosphere, but nearly absent in the atmospheres of Venus and Mars? Oxygen
a.
What do you think explains its presence on Earth? (Hint: What does Earth have that Venus and Mars both lack?)
Life
Use the photograph below to answer Questions 20-21.
20. What features do labels B and D represent? Tails
a.
What forces produce these features? Sun’s energy
21. What are features A and C? A= Coma, C = Nucleus