Download PH109 Exploring the Universe, Test #2, Spring 2004

PH109 Exploring the Universe, Test #2, Spring 2004
Please indicate the best answer to the following questions on the answer sheet provided.
1. The greenhouse effect occurs because
a) carbon dioxide is transparent to visible light and opaque to infrared radiation.
b) carbon dioxide is transparent to infrared radiation and opaque to ultraviolet radiation.
c) ozone is transparent to infrared radiation and opaque to ultraviolet radiation.
d) ozone is transparent to visible light and opaque to infrared radiation.
e) the sun emits more infrared radiation than ultraviolet radiation.
2. The gas that is most responsible for the greenhouse effect on Earth is
a) oxygen (O2), b) nitrogen (N2), c) carbon dioxide (CO2), d) ozone (O3), e) ammonia (NH3)
3. The heat that keeps the interior of Io molten is due to
a) tides, b) radioactive materials, c) frequent meteoroid impacts, d) a large greenhouse effect
4. The clouds of Venus are made mostly of
a) water, b) dust, c) CO2, d) Sulfuric acid
5. How do the densities of the terrestrial and Jovian planets compare?
a) They all have similar densities.
b) The Jovian planets generally have higher densities than terrestrial planets.
c) Comparisons are useless because the Jovian planets are so much larger than terrestrial planets.
d) The terrestrial planets have higher densities than the Jovian planets.
6. Mercury's surface resembles that of what other world?
a) Earth., b) The Moon., c) Mars., d) Venus.,
7. Why does Mars have seasons?
a) Its orbit is circular.
b) It rotates only a few times during each orbit around the Sun.
c) Mars' orbit brings it closer to the Sun during summer and farther from the Sun during winter.
d) Its axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane.
8. How often does a location on the Earth experience a "High" tide
a) once per day, b) twice per day, c) once per month, d) twice per month
9. The Roche limit is
a) distance from the Sun where life cannot exist
b) distance from a planet where moons cannot exist
c) the boundary layer between the solar system and the rest of the galaxy
d) the maximum distance a spacecraft can be sent from Earth
10. Which of the following is a consequence of the fact that the rotation and revolution periods of the
moon are the same?
a) the moon keeps the same face turned toward the Earth
b) the moon can never be seen from one hemisphere of the Earth
c) all lunar phases can be seen from the Earth
d) there are about 12 months per year
11. This planet's density is so small it could float in a bathtub if you had one big enough.
a) Venus, b) Earth, c) Jupiter, d) Saturn
12. How do the escape velocities of the Jovian planets compare to the terrestrial planets?
a) The Jovian planets have much higher escape velocities.
b) There is little variation among the planets.
c) The escape velocities vary greatly from planet to planet,
d) There are no differences between Jovian and terrestrial planets.
e) The terrestrial planets have higher escape velocities
13. This planet has multi-colored cloud bands and a storm which has raged for over 300 years.
a) Venus, b) Jupiter, c) Saturn, d) Neptune
14. The lava flooded plains of the Moon are called
a) maria, b) terrae, c) basins, d) umbra
15. Suppose a planet is orbited by a number of satellites. Which of the satellites will feel the strongest
tidal forces due to the planet?
a) a large satellite in a close orbit, b) a large satellite in a distant orbit
c) a small satellite in a close orbit, d) a small satellite in a distant orbit
16. Images of the surface of Venus show a surface which is
a) littered with angular boulders
b) sand covered
c) covered with small pebbles
d) covered with a tar-like substance
17. Which of the Jupiter’s satellites has volcanoes of sulfur
a) Io, b) Europa, c) Ganymede, d) Callisto
18. We thought this was our sister planet with clouds and such, but we didn't realize it rains sulfuric acid there.
a) Venus, b) Mars, c) Jupiter, d) Neptune
19. Which causes the greatest tidal forces on the Earth
a) alignment of the Planets, b) the Moon, c) the Sun, d) tidal waves in the ocean
20. The many ringlets which compose planetary ring systems are caused by
a) gravitational resonances, b) differences in chemical composition
c) differences in mass density, d) different rotation rates
21. The Cobb family wants to go to the beach during the highest of tides. When should they go?
a) during the first of the month, b) during new Moon phase,
c) during quarter Moon phase, d) anytime is the same
22. Which planet can be seen in the southwestern sky at sunset during this semester.
a) Venus, b) Mars, c) Jupiter, d) none
23. If you wanted to mine for rare metals like gold, and platinum where should you go?
a) asteroids, b) comets, c) Mercury, d) Mars, e) Earth
24. This planet's density is so small it could float in a bathtub if you had one big enough.
a) Venus, b) Earth, c) Jupiter, d) Saturn
25. One of the following factors, along with temperature, determines whether a body will retain an
atmosphere of a given composition.
a) size, b) distance from the sun, c) escape speed, d) rate of rotation
26. What theory of the Moon's origin is favored by most astronomers today?
a) The Moon formed as a separate object near Earth and at about the same time.
b) The Moon formed far from Earth and was captured by its gravity.
c) The Moon originated as material torn from the young molten Earth by centrifugal or tidal forces.
d) The Moon originated as material torn from Earth by the collision of a large Mars-sized body.
27. What causes a meteor shower?
a) Earth crosses the orbit of a comet
b) Earth intercepts a stray swarm of asteroids.
c) Earth encounters the asteroid belt.
d) A small constellation of dying stars disintegrates.
28. What factor caused different planets to form out of different types of material?
a) The angular momentum of the forming planet.
b) The quantity of dust particles in the solar nebula.
c) The variation in temperature throughout the solar nebula.
d) The age of the Sun when the planets formed
29. Cassini's division is
a) a new form of math
b) imaginary line which divides a planet into Eastern and Western hemispheres
c) a gap in Saturn's rings
d) the space between Mars and Jupiter where there is no planet
30. In which part of Saturn's rings do the ring particles move the fastest?
a) the innermost part of the rings, b) the outermost part of the rings
c) in Casssini's division, d) they all move at the same speed
31. The heat that keeps the interior of Io molten is due to
a) tides, b) radioactive materials, c) frequent meteoroid impacts, d) a large greenhouse effect
32. The rings of Uranus were discovered
a. during an occultation of a star.
b. during an eclipse of one of the moons by the rings.
c. during an eclipse of Uranus by the rings.
d. as Uranus and the rings passed behind Jupiter.
33. The gas tail of a comet always
a. trails behind the head along the orbital path.
b. extends ahead of the head along the orbital path.
c. points toward the sun.
d. points away from the sun.
34. 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
35. The Oort Cloud is thought to be:
a) The cloud of gas and dust from which our solar system formed.
b) A cloud of debris that occasionally encounters the Earth, causing a meteor shower.
c) A cloud of comets surrounding the solar system.
d) A cloud of asteroids moving between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
36. The impact of a large comet with Earth has been suggested to have caused the extinction of the
dinosaurs. The impact site of this comet is in or near
a. Iowa, b. Hudson Bay, c. Crater Lake, Oregon , d. Chicxulub Mexico
37. The light given off by a comet:
a) is reflected sunlight,
b) is caused by chemical reactions set in place by the intense sunlight
c) due to nuclear energy from the comet's nucleus
d) due to frictional forces in the Earth's atmosphere
38. How do we know the Earth has a liquid core?
a) it sloshes around when the Earth rotates,
b) only compression waves make it through,
c) we have drilled down and sampled some,
d) we can see it at the bottom of some oceans
39. Which of the following planets was discovered due to its gravitational effect on other planets?
a) Jupiter, b) Saturn, c) Uranus, d) Neptune
40. Which planet almost had the name “George”
a) Pluto, b) Uranus, c) Neptune, d) Saturn