Download Planets Which of the following lists the outer planets

Review Questions: Planets
Which of the following lists the outer planets in order of increasing mass?
A. Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
B. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
C. Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune
D. Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter
The surface structure of Saturn's largest satellite, Titan, is completely
unknown because no spacecraft so far could take pictures through Titan's
thick clouds.
A. True, because no probe can pass through Titan's methane and ethane
clouds.
B. True, because Titan's atmosphere blocks all wavelengths of electromagnetic
radiation.
C. False. Recently in 2005, Cassini parachuted a probe into Titan's atmosphere
and took the pictures of its surface.
D. False, but all information related to Titan's surface comes from radar images
taken by the Cassini spacecraft.
Of the outer planets, _________ has the smallest diameter.
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Uranus
D. Neptune
E. Pluto
Which is the smallest of the outer planets?
B. Jupiter
C. Uranus
D. Neptune
Together the Cassini spacecraft and its probe Huygens discovered which of the
following features on Titan?
A. Oceans.
B. Lakes near the polar regions.
C. Dunes of ice crystals.
D. An ice volcano.
E. B, C and D.
What type of dunes exists on Titan?
A. Sand dunes.
B. Dust dunes.
C. Ice crystal dunes.
D. We have not discovered any dunes on Titan.
Which of the out planets has rings?
A. Jupiter.
B. Saturn.
C. Uranus.
D. Neptune.
E. All of the outer planets have a ring system.
What observational evidence suggests that Uranus was struck by a large
planetesimal early in its formation?
A. Astronomers have identified a large impact crater on the surface of Uranus.
B. Uranus orbits the Sun in the opposite direction as the other planets.
C. Uranus' rotational axis is tipped over.
D. Uranus' moon Miranda shows a patchwork surface, suggesting a collision in
its past.
What features are unique to Earth?
A. Canyons.
B. Volcanoes.
C. An atmosphere.
D. Precipitation.
E. None of these features are unique to Earth.
Which planet is about half the size of the Earth?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
List the terrestrial planets in increasing order of their size.
A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
B. Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth
C. Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury
D. Venus, Earth, Mars, Mercury
Which planet has the hottest surface temperature?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
Which of the terrestrial planets does not have any craters?
A. Mercury
C. Earth
B. All of them have craters
The red coloration seen on the Martian surface originates from
A. Past volcanic activity covering the surface of the planet with red lava.
B. When Mars' had flowing water, it also has red algae, which stained the
surface rocks.
C. The atmosphere blocking out blue light, only allowing red light to reflect off
of the surface.
D. The iron minerals in the surface rocks combining with oxygen in the
atmosphere causing the surface to rust.
Which terrestrial planet is about one third the size of the Earth?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
On which planet does plate tectonics take place?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
The Coloris Basin found on Mercury was probably formed by what process?
A. Plate tectonics.
B. An impact from a planetesimal.
C. Volcanic activity.
D. Erosion from solar wind.
Which planet has a greenhouse effect?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
E. Both B and C
Mercury lacks an atmosphere because
A. Its close proximity to the Sun allows the Sun to gravitational pull gases
directly off the surface of Mercury.
B. Impacts from planetesimals caused its original atmosphere to evaporated
away.
C. Its slow rotation allows atmospheric gases to escape the planet.
D. Its smaller size means it has gravitational attraction that is too weak to hold
onto an atmosphere.
Besides the Earth, which terrestrial planet also has seasons?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Mars
D. Seasons are unique to the Earth
List the terrestrial planets in decreasing order of their mass.
A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
B. Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth
C. Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury
D. Venus, Earth, Mars, Mercury
Which terrestrial planet has the most moons?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
Which is the largest planet?
B. Jupiter
C. Uranus
D. Earth
A. Neptune
Which planet has the most extreme seasons?
A. Saturn
B. Jupiter
C. Uranus
D. Venus
E. Mercury
Which planet has the largest satellite in the Solar System?
A. Saturn
B. Jupiter
C. Uranus
D. Mars
E. Mercury
Which planet's rotation axis is closest to its orbital plane?
A. Saturn
B. Jupiter
C. Uranus
D. Earth
E. Venus
Which planet has the lowest density?
A. Saturn
B. Jupiter
C. Uranus
D. Earth
E. Neptune
Which satellite has lakes of liquid methane near its poles?
A. Ganymede
B. Io
C. Miranda
D. Triton
E. Titan
The iron and rocky cores found inside Jupiter and Saturn are most closely in
size to
A. An asteroid.
B. The Moon.
C. The Earth.
D. The size of Jupiter and Saturn themselves.
What is the largest satellite (moon) in the Solar System?
A. Earth's moon
B. Jupiter's moon, Ganymede
C. Saturn's moon, Titan
D. Neptune's moon, Triton
Although Saturn and Jupiter have similar compositions their outer
appearances are different because
A. Saturn's magnetic field is weaker than Jupiter's magnetic field.
B. Saturn's smaller size means it has a weaker gravitational field and thus less
dramatic atmospheric effects.
C. Saturn has more water molecules throughout its atmosphere giving it a
uniform appearance.
D. Saturn's cooler temperatures allow for the formation of a hazy layer of
ammonia clouds that surrounds the planet.
How does the mass of Jupiter compare to the rest of the planets in the Solar
System?
A. Jupiter's mass is greater than all the other planet masses combined.
B. Jupiter and Saturn have comparable masses.
C. Jupiter's mass is about equal to the sum of the terrestrial planet masses.
D. Jupiter's mass is about equal to the sum of Uranus and Neptune's masses.
Which planet shows the largest variation of day and night temperatures?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
Which of the terrestrial planets have the most similar atmospheric
compositions?
A. Venus and Mars
B. Earth and Venus
C. Earth and Mercury
D. Mercury and Venus
E. Earth and Mars
Which of the following statements correctly compares the terrestrial planets?
A. Venus has the densest atmosphere and the highest average temperature.
B. Earth is the only planet that has active plate tectonics and surface water.
C. Mercury is the planet with the thinnest atmosphere and the smallest size.
D. All of the above.
Which terrestrial planet is tilted upside down?
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
Which of the other terrestrial planets is closest in size to the Earth?
A. Mars
B. Venus
C. Mercury
The surface of Mercury resembles the Moon's surface in that they are both
______.
A. Eroded by wind
B. Newly resurfaced
C. Heavily cratered
D. Covered with volcanoes
______ is the largest of the terrestrial planets.
A. Jupiter
B. Earth
C. Venus
D. Mars
E. Mercury
The clouds of Venus consist mainly of ______.
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Water vapor
C. Hydrogen and helium
D. Sulfuric acid
E. Carbon monoxide
______ is the smallest of the terrestrial planets.
A. Venus
B. Earth
C. Pluto
D. Mars
E. Mercury
The atmosphere of Venus consists mainly of ______.
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Sulfuric acid
C. Nitrogen and oxygen
D. Carbon monoxide
E. Hydrogen and helium
The surface of Venus is dominated by _____.
A. Impact craters
B. Recent lava flows
C. Scarps
D. Large canyons
The atmosphere of Mars consists mainly of ______.
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Carbon monoxide
C. Nitrogen
D. Oxygen
Mercury's ________ and, therefore, the planet does not have seasons.
A. Axial tilt is zero
B. Orbit is too close to the Sun
C. Atmosphere is almost nonexistent
D. Orbit is a perfect circle
The Valles Marineris is ______ on the surface of Mars.
A. An old riverbed
B. A 4000 km canyon
C. A long scarp
D. A large volcano
Mars' axial tilt and spin are most similar to _____.
A. The Earth's
B. Mercury's
C. Venus'
Mars' axial tilt and spin are most similar to _____.
A. The Earth's
B. Mercury's
C. Venus'
Uranus completes an orbit around the Sun every 84 years and spins once every
17 hours, approximately. Which of the following could be observed from the
planet Uranus?
A. Season cycle of 84 years near the poles.
B. One sunrise every 17 hours on the equator.
C. Days lasting several years near the pole tipped toward the Sun.
D. Nights lasting several years near the pole tipped away from the Sun.
E. All of the above.
What causes the blue appearance of the planet Uranus?
A. Uranus' atmosphere contains methane that strongly absorbs red colors from
the sunlight.
B. The planet is covered by an ocean of water.
C. The planet is very cold.
D. The composition of Uranus' atmosphere is the same as the Earth's
atmosphere that makes the sky blue.
Compared to Uranus, Neptune has a smaller diameter and more mass. What
can we conclude from this comparison?
A. Neptune has higher average density than Uranus.
B. Uranus has higher average density than Neptune.
C. Uranus spins faster and therefore has a larger diameter.
D. The statement of the question is incorrect. Uranus is larger and has more
mass than Neptune.
What prompted astronomers to search for Neptune?
A. Uranus was not following the precise orbit predicted by Newtonian physics.
B. An explosive impact on Neptune from a colliding planetesimal caught the
attention of astronomers.
C. Bode's rule predicted a planet at the location of Neptune.
D. Nothing prompted astronomers to look for Neptune, it was found by
accident.
Which of the following accurately describes the properties of Saturn's rings?
A. The rings are a single, solid object.
B. The rings are very wide but very thin and composed of large planetesimals a
few kilometers in size.
C. The rings are very wide but very thin and composed of small particles
typically a few centimeters or meters in size.
D. The rings are very wide but very thin veil of gas that surrounds the planet.
What chemical compound is responsible for Uranus and Neptune's color?
A. Complex organic compounds of sulfur and phosphorus.
B. Ammonia.
C. Methane.
D. Water.
The appearance of an aurora indicates that
A. The planet is being bombarded by small meteors.
B. There is a lot of lightning discharges in the planet's atmosphere.
C. The planet has a magnetic field.
D. There is intelligent life on the planet producing the aurora from below.
Which of the following is a common characteristic of the Jovian planets?
A. Mostly composed of hydrogen and helium.
B. Thick atmosphere.
C. Lack of solid surface.
D. Ring systems and satellites.
E. All of the above.
Why do astronomers believe that the Jovian planets are composed mainly of
hydrogen and helium?
A. Because hydrogen and helium are the main constituents of the solar system.
B. Because the Jovian planets are very large.
C. Because the Jovian planets have low densities.
D. The Voyager missions measured the chemical compositions of the interiors
of the Jovian planets.
Which of the following statements comparing Uranus and Neptune is correct?
A. Uranus has larger diameter and Neptune has more mass.
B. Uranus has larger diameter and more mass.
C. Neptune has larger diameter and smaller mass.
D. Neptune has larger diameter and more mass.
Why do astronomers believe that the Jovian planets must contain rocky
material in their cores?
A. Because silicates and irons were part of the overall composition of the solar
nebula.
B. Because the Jovian planets have large magnetic fields.
C. Because the Jovian planets have large gravity.
D. The statement of the question is incorrect. Astronomers believe that the
Jovian planets consist exclusively of hydrogen and helium.
Of all the Jovian planets ______ shows signs of tectonic plate motion.
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Uranus
D. Neptune
E. None of the above
The colors of Jupiter's clouds suggest the presence of ______.
A. Organic molecules
B. Hydrogen and helium
C. Carbon dioxide
D. Red-shifted colors due to the fast motion
E. Iron oxides
The powerful _____ Jupiter is a result of the ______ and ______ in the interior of
the planet.
A. Magnetic field of; Coriolis effect; heat generated
B. Wind on; rotation; excess hydrogen
C. Magnetic field; rapid rotation; heat generated
D. Wind on; Coriolis effect; heat generated
The average density of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter _____ with increasing
distance from the planet.
A. Increases
B. Decreases
C. Does not change
The energy that stirs the circulation in Jupiter's atmosphere comes from _____.
A. The Sun
B. The planet's interior
C. The tidal force of the Galilean moons
D. The planet's magnetic field
________ is the largest of the Galilean moons.
A. Callisto
B. Europa
C. Ganymede
D. Io
The rings of Jupiter consist primarily of ______.
A. Small particles
B. Boulder-size rocks
C. Solid rings
D. Hydrogen and helium
______ has the lowest density of all the planets in the solar system.
A. Pluto
B. Saturn
C. Mercury D. Uranus E. Jupiter
The Roche limit refers to a _____.
A. Distance
B. Force
C. Speed
The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is _____.
A. A large rising cloud of gas
B. A giant vortex that has persisted for over 300 years
C. A planetesimal impact site
D. A largo tornado sweeping the planet from north to south
The rings of Saturn consist primarily of _____.
A. Hydrogen and helium
B. Silicate rocks
C. Water ice
Compared the Galilean satellites, the larger satellites of Saturn have ____
average density.
A. Lower
B. Higher
C. About the same (as the Galilean satellites)
Spectral analysis of Titan's atmosphere indicates that it consists mainly of
_____.
A. Carbon dioxide
B. Nitrogen
C. Hydrogen and helium
D. Oxygen
Astronomers believe that the interior of Saturn's satellites is mostly ____.
A. Ice
B. Rock
C. Hydrogen and helium
Venus‘ extremely high surface temperatures are due to
A. The composition of its atmosphere.
B. Volcanic activity.
C. Its relative close proximity to the Sun.
D. A recent impact that heated the planet.
Of all the terrestrial planets, ______ has the highest surface barometric
pressure.
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
Mercury's average density is about as high as the Earth's. This is most likely
because
A. It contains a significantly higher fraction of iron than the Earth.
B. it is highly compressed by its own gravity.
C. It is composed of material blasted off the Earth in a collision.
D. Unlike the Earth, it does not have a (light) atmosphere that lowers its
average density.
Of all the terrestrial planets, ______ has the largest daily temperature variation.
A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Mars
Which reason best explains why both Venus' and Mars' atmospheres are
primarily carbon dioxide, but the Earth's is much less than 1% carbon dioxide?
A. Earth's rocks had much less carbon and oxygen in them.
B. Venus and Mars, being smaller than Earth, can't retain the same mixture of
gases as Earth.
C. Each planet has a significantly different surface temperature.
D. Plant life has existed on Earth for an extended amount of time.
Evidence that there is a considerable amount of water frozen under the surface
of Mars is provided by all of the following except
A. Squishy-looking flow patterns around crater impact sites.
B. Features resembling channels cut by flowing water.
C. Periodic eruptions of geysers when subsurface ice is melted by volcanic
activity.
D. Discovery by the Mars rovers of chemicals in surface rocks formed in the
presence of large amounts of water.
E. Satellite measurements of water in the polar caps.
Mercury features long, steep cliffs in its crust called "scarps" which probably
formed
A. After impacts from planetesimal or asteroid.
B. From floods of running water left to evaporate after comet impacts.
C. As plates of crust shifted as a result of massive earthquakes at a fault.
D. Like giant wrinkles as the crust cooled and shrank.
E. by erosion from high solar winds.
Maps of Venus have been made by
A. Landing spacecraft on the surface to take pictures.
B. Bouncing radio waves off the planet from satellites and the Earth.
C. Optical telescopic observations from Earth when the clouds part.
D. Measuring seismic waves from earthquakes.