Download Test#2

PH109 Exploring the Universe Test#2, Fall 2011
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. 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.
6. 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
7. How often does a location on our Moon experience a "High" tide
a) once per day, b) twice per day, c) once per month, d) twice per month
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. Which of the Jupiter’s satellites has volcanoes of sulfur
a) Io, b) Europa, c) Ganymede, d) Callisto
16. 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
17. 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
18. The presence of Earth’s magnetic field is a good indication that:
a) A large amount of magnetic material, probably brought to Earth during a meteorite fall, is buried
somewhere near the North Pole.
b) A quantity of liquid metal is swirling around in the Earth's core.
c) The Earth is composed mostly of iron.
d) The Earth is completely solid.
19. Which planet can be seen in the eastern sky at sunset during this semester.
a) Venus, b) Mars, c) Jupiter, d) none
20. 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
21. 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.
22. 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
23. 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
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. 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
27. The rate of cratering 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.
28. 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
29. 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
30. 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, mostly 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.
31. Which planet almost had the name “George”
a) Pluto, b) Uranus, c) Neptune, d) Saturn
32. The orbital planes of the planets in the solar system are
a) randomly orientated, b) each inclined by 10 degrees more than the previous one
c) basically lie in the same plane, d) constantly change
33. 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
34. What causes the bright flash of light as a meteor plunges through the atmosphere?
a) The meteor glows white hot., b) Lightning sparked by the meteor's passage.
c) Air molecules ionized by the friction of the meteor's passage.
d) chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
35. 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
36. What is the most abundant constitute in the Earth's atmosphere
a) Oxygen, b) CO2, c) Hydrogen, d) Nitrogen
37. About how much warmer is the Earth because of the greenhouse effect?
a) 1 degree, b) 10 degrees, c) 30 degrees, d) 40 degrees
38. Most of the craters on the Moon were caused by
a) volcanoes, b) impacts, c) plate tectonics, d) uneven cooling
39. About how much do the continents drift around in one year?
a) 2 cm, b) 1 km, c) 1 mm, d) 1 mile
40. When charged particles are channeled by the Earth's magnetic fields so they penetrate the atmosphere we witness:
a) meteors, b) comets, c) aurora, d) eclipse