Download PH109 Exploring the Universe, Test #2 Fall 04

PH109 Exploring the Universe, Test #2 Fall 04
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.
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),
3. The clouds of Venus are made mostly of
a) water, b) dust, c) CO2, d) Sulfuric acid
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. Which of the Jupiter’s satellites is thought to have liquid oceans.
a) Io, b) Europa, c) Ganymede, d) Callisto
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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.
16. 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
17. 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
18. 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.
19. 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
20. Which planet almost had the name “George”
a) Pluto, b) Uranus, c) Neptune, d) Saturn
21. What produces aurora?
a) chemical reactions in the upper atmosphere, b) meteors
c) collisions of high energy particles with atmospheric gas, d) reflection of Sunlight by high clouds
22. If we detect a large asteroid on a collision course with Earth, which is likely to be the final outcome?
a) nuclear bombs will blow it to bits, b) large rocket motors will push it out of the way,
c) we are doomed, d) it will burn up in the atmosphere
23. Why is Mars red?
a) Dust storms on the planet have blasted the planet so fiercely that the rocks have reddened.
b) The planet's surface undergoes a process by which rust forms.
c) Sulfuric acid rain etched a reddish color into surface rocks.
d) The ancient volcanoes poured out vast plains of molten red lava which has now solidified.
24. Why are no impact craters seen on Io?
a) it does not have a solid surface, b) it has extensive volcanic activity
c) it was very recently captured by the solar system, d) its icy surface heals very rapidly
25. The flow patterns found on the surface of Mars suggest
a. that Mars is a water-rich world.
b. that the climate on Mars was different in the past.
c. that volcanism is occurring on Mars.
d. that the polar caps are made of water.
26. 99.9% of the Solar system is made of
a) material created by the Big Bang, b) Hydrogen and Helium
c) Oxygen and CO2, d) rocks and nickel/iron cores
27. 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.
28. 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
29. 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
30. The lunar maria are
a. the lava plains of the lunar lowlands.
b. the smooth plateaus of the lunar highlands.
c. less than one billion years old.
d. moving plates of lunar crust.
31. Jupiter does not have
a. a hot interior.
b. convection occurring in its atmosphere.
c. crustal plates on its surface.
d. a dynamo effect.
32. The greenhouse effect has raised the temperature of this planet several hundred degrees.
a) Venus, b) Earth, c) Jupiter, d) Saturn
33. 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
34. What is the order of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter in increasing distance from the planet?
a) Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa, b) Callisto, Io, Europa, Ganymede
c) Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, d) Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
35. The Moon's atmosphere is composed of:
a) Nitrogen and oxygen., b) Carbon dioxide., c) Hydrogen and helium., d) it has none,
36. 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
37. 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
38. In general, for a planet to have a strong magnetic field it must have
a) a moon, b) rapid rotation with liquid core,
c) clouds and charged particles, d) a moon and rapid rotation
39. The rate of catering on the lunar highlands helps to show that:
a) They are younger than the Maria., b) They are older than the Maria.
c) They are about 1 billion years old., d) They are about 2 billion years old.
40. The asteroid belt was probably formed by;
a) material still being drawn into our solar system
b) the breakup of a small planet
c) the result of two small planets colliding
d) material which didn't get organized enough to make a planet