Download Section 2 Practice Test

Section 2 Practice Test
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____
1. To which of the two main groups of planets does Earth belong?
a. the outer planets
c. the terrestrial planets
b. the gas giants
d. the interior planets
____
2. What tool made possible the discovery of additional planets?
a. the microscope
c. the gyroscope
b. the telescope
d. the spectroscope
____
3. How do the inner planets differ from the outer planets?
a. They are made of lighter elements.
b. They do not have any moons.
c. They are extremely large.
d. They are spaced more closely together.
____
4. Which is the next planet moving outward from the sun after Saturn?
a. Neptune
c. Jupiter
b. Uranus
d. Pluto
____
5. What causes a high surface temperature on Venus?
a. the acid content of its atmosphere
b. the planet’s fast period of rotation
c. the planet’s retrograde spin on its axis
d. the greenhouse effect of its atmosphere
____
6. What evidence suggests that Mars once had a warmer climate?
a. water in its icecaps
c. features like dry riverbeds
b. thin atmospheric pressure
d. an extinct shield volcano
____
7. Why is Venus sometimes called Earth’s twin?
a. Venus rotates in the same direction.
c. Venus is of similar size and density.
b. Venus’s air has the same gases.
d. Venus was born at the same time.
____
8. Which of the following is the largest planet in our solar system?
a. Earth
c. Saturn
b. Jupiter
d. Uranus
____
9. What evidence supports the current theory about our moon’s origin?
a. The lunar maria was formed from old lava flows.
b. Lunar rocks are similar to Earth’s mantle.
c. The moon is covered with impact craters.
d. We have identified the impacting body.
____ 10. Why do planets or moons with atmospheres have fewer impacts?
a. The air slows and burns up small objects.
b. Fewer objects orbit near these planets.
c. Most impacts occur in remote areas.
d. Erosion erases the features of most craters.
____ 11. What is the main difference between an asteroid and a meteoroid?
a. the shape of their orbits
c. the size of the body
b. their density
d. their effect on Earth
____ 12. Why are the inner planets called terrestrial planets?
a. because they are very hot
c. because most are gas giants
b. because they resemble Earth
d. because they can support life
____ 13. What is one way that gas giants differ from the terrestrial planets?
a. They are much smaller.
c. Their atmospheres are massive.
b. They are made of rocks and ice.
d. Their surfaces are hard.
____ 14. What is the current theory about the origin of the moon?
a. The moon was a large asteroid captured by Earth’s gravity.
b. The moon resulted when a large body struck Earth.
c. The moon formed at the same time from the same materials.
d. The moon spun off from a rapidly spinning Earth.
____ 15. What is the evidence that Mars once had liquid water?
a. the composition of Martian icecaps
b. fossils of sea life recovered in missions
c. the dark color of the Martian sand
d. features that resemble dry riverbeds
____ 16. Why is it important to study smaller bodies such as comets or asteroids?
a. They help us learn the history of our solar system.
b. Many are located beyond where space missions travel.
c. They are leftover solar system material.
d. Many of them are rich in organic materials.
____ 17. Which of these gases traps the most heat in Venus’ atmosphere?
a. carbon dioxide
c. nitrogen
b. oxygen
d. argon
____ 18. Which of the following best describes the inner planets?
a. hot, dry, and dense
c. large, light, and gaseous
b. small, dense, and rocky
d. small, light, and solid
____ 19. Why do planets with atmospheres have fewer impact craters?
a. The air slows and burns smaller objects.
b. Fewer objects orbit near these planets.
c. Most impacts occur in remote areas.
d. Many objects land in the oceans.
____ 20. How do gas giants differ from terrestrial planets?
a. They are much smaller.
c. They are made mostly of gases.
b. They are rocky and icy.
d. They have hard surfaces.
Completion
Complete each sentence or statement.
21. _______________________ are meteoroids that fall to Earth.
22. _______________________ are small bodies of ice and cosmic dust.
23. Most asteroids in our solar system are found between _______________________ and
_______________________.
24. The counterclockwise spin of a planet or moon as seen from above the planet’s North Pole is
_______________________.
Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
asteroids
gas giant
meteorite
retrograde
terrestrial planets
comets
meteor
prograde
satellites
25. Unlike most planets, Venus has a(n) _______________________ rotation, which means that it appears to spin
in a clockwise direction.
26. A meteoroid is called a(n) _______________________ only after it has struck Earth’s surface.
27. Natural or artificial bodies that orbit larger celestial bodies such as planets are called
_______________________.
28. The inner planets of our solar system are called _______________________.
29. Some scientists refer to _______________________ as “dirty snowballs” because they are composed of ice,
rock, and cosmic dust.
Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
period of rotation
lunar eclipse
solar eclipse
period of revolution
phases
30. The amount of time an object takes to orbit around another body once is its _______________________.
31. The amount of time an object takes to rotate once is its _______________________.
Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
asteroids
comets
meteors
32. Frozen bodies made of ice, rock, and dust are called _______________________.
33. Small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun are called _______________________.
34. Bright streaks of light that result when rocky bodies burn up are called _______________________.
Short Answer
35. Which planets are part of the inner solar system?
36. In what three ways do the inner planets differ from the outer planets?
Matching
Match each item with the correct statement below.
a. asteroid belt
d. asteroids
b. comets
e. meteorite
c. meteoroids
f. meteor
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____
____
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37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
a bright streak of light caused by small bodies burning up
a rocky body that strikes the surface of a planet
a region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
“dirty snowballs” made of ice, rock, and dust
small, rocky bodies that revolve around the sun
small pieces of an asteroid that travel through space
Section 2 Practice Test
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
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C
B
D
B
D
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C
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B
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C
COMPLETION
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Meteorites
comets
Mars, Jupiter
prograde rotation
retrograde
meteorite
satellites
terrestrial planets
comets
period of revolution
period of rotation
comets
asteroids
meteors
SHORT ANSWER
35. ANS:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
36. ANS:
They are smaller, denser, and orbit closer together. Most of the outer planets have massive atmospheres, no
solid surfaces, and orbit much further out.
MATCHING
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42.
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F
E
A
B
D
C