What
Planet are
you from?
Planet are
you from?
Abby reads that light travels almost 900,000 times faster than sound. She also knows that it takes light from the Sun about 8 minutes to reach Earth. Why does it take light from the Sun so long to reach us on Earth when it is traveling so fast?
A. Light slows down as it travels through space.
B. It is difficult for light to pass through Earth's atmosphere.
C. Light from the Sun travels a vast distance before it reaches Earth.
D. Most of light from the Sun is absorbed by different objects in space
C. Light from the Sun travels a vast distance before it reaches Earth
Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is a collection of small objects that orbit the Sun. What is this collection of objects called?
A. Asteroids
B. Comets
C. Nebulas
D. Meteorites
A. Asteroids
Which of the following statements describes how long it takes for wind to wear away the solid rock of a mountain?
A. Whenever wind moves against the solid rock of a mountain, a little bit of the rock is worn away, even if you cannot see it.
B. Wind can wear away the solid rock of a mountain, but it would take about a hundred years or more to cause any change to the mountain, no matter how small.
C. Wind can wear away the solid rock of a mountain, but it would take millions of years or more to cause any change to the mountain, no matter how small.
D. Wind cannot wear away solid rock.
A. Whenever wind moves against the solid rock of a mountain, a little bit of the rock is worn away, even if you cannot see it.
When energy from the Sun hits the air above land, the air warms and rises. Along the coast, cooler air above the ocean flows toward the land to replace to rising warm air. Which of the following best describes processes?
A. Conduction and convection
B. Radiation and convection
C. Conduction and absorption
D. Radiation and conduction
D. Radiation and conduction
Visitors to Florida sometimes complain about the high humidity. What does humidity indicate?
A. The air temperature
B. The air pressure
C. The amount of pollen in the air
D. The amount of water vapor in the air
D. The amount of water vapor in the air
The inner terrestrial planets are composed of hard rocky material with metallic cores. In contrast, the outer planets are called gas giants because of their deep massive atmospheres that are composed of gas. Despite this major difference, what is one thing all of these planets have in common?
A. They all have moons.
B. They travel in elliptical orbits.
C. They are all larger than Earth.
D. They are all known to contain water.
B. They travel in elliptical orbits
Space exploration has advanced our knowledge of the Universe but has limitations due to the vast distances. Which space journey would take the longest?
A. From Earth to the Sun
B. From Earth to the Moon
C. From Earth to the constellation Centaurus
D. From Earth to Neptune
C. From Earth to the constellation Centaurus
Earth’s core is composed of two separate layers. What is the difference between these two layers?
A. One is made of iron and one is made of zinc
B. One is a liquid and one is a gas
C. One is solid and one is liquid
D. One is made of rock and one is made of water
C. One is solid and one is liquid
The movement of thermal energy from a warmer object to a cooler object is called
A heat.
B temperature.
C motion.
D momentum.
A. heat
Eliana measures the outdoor temperature each day for a week at exactly 3:00pm. The temperatures she records are all between 25oC and 30oC. Eliana concludes that the climate of her area is tropical. What is the most important thing missing from her study which would help verify that her conclusion is accurate?
A. She would need to check the temperature more often during the day.
B. She would need to record the precipitation as well as temperature.
C. She would need to study the temperatures over a longer period of time.
D. She would need to calculate the humidity, air pressure, and wind conditions as well.
C. She would need to study the temperatures over a longer period of time.
Neptune is the farthest planet in our solar system and it has thirteen identified satellites. Pluto is considered a dwarf planet and has only three satellites. Why is Pluto classified as a dwarf planet and not a regular planet like Neptune?
A. Pluto is much smaller than Neptune.
B. Pluto has less gravity than Neptune.
C. There are other objects in Pluto's orbit.
D. Pluto has too few moons to be a planet
C. There are other objects in Pluto's orbit
A galaxy is a large collection of stars, gas, and dust. What is responsible for holding galaxies together?
A. Heat
B. Light
C. Gravity
D. Friction
C. Gravity
Tectonic plates move because of convection currents that occur in the mantle. What is the best way to describe these convection currents?
A. Energy is transferred through materials in direct contact
B. Energy is transferred due to the movement of matter
C. Energy is transferred as electromagnetic waves D. Energy is transferred from a region of lower temperature to a region of higher temperature Tectonic plates move because of c
B. Energy is transferred due to the movement of matter
The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves is called
A conduction.
B convection.
C radiation.
D conservation.
C.radiation
One of the main factors used to determine climate is temperature. What is the other main factor used to determine climate?
A. Humidity
B. Air pressure
C. Precipitation
D. Wind conditions
C.Precipitation
Within a specific zone in the Sun, hot gases rise up, cool, and then sink back down in order to transfer energy. Which type of energy transfer takes place in this zone?
A. Radiation
B. Conduction
C. Convection
D. Absorption
C. Convection
An astronomer using a telescope observes a star that is a similar color as our Sun. She infers therefore, that the star and our Sun have similar sizes and surface temperatures. What else can the astronomer conclude about the star?
A. The star is a white dwarf
B. The star is a relatively cool star
C. The star is hotter than most other stars in our galaxy
D. The star is more distant than most other stars in our galaxy
B. The star is a relatively cool star
A scientist measured the thickness of one of earth’s plates. Which of the following could be the scientist’s measurement if she measured the thickness near the middle of the plate?
A. Six inches B. Six feet C. Sixty feet D. Sixty miles
D. Sixty miles
Heat transfer occurs
A in many directions.
B both from warm objects to colder ones and from cold objects to warmer ones.
C only from warm objects to colder ones.
D only from cold objects to warmer ones.
C. only from warm objects to colder ones.
The jet stream usually stays too far north to affect Florida’s weather. What is the jet stream?
A. The spinning of the air in the same direction as Earth’s rotation
B. The spinning of the air in the opposite direction as Earth’s rotation
C. The movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
D. A narrow band of strong winds that blows above the troposphere
D. A narrow band of strong winds that blows above the troposphere
The diameter of Saturn is nearly 10 times the diameter of Earth however the density of Saturn is much less than the density of Earth. What is the reason for this?
A. Earth is farther from the Sun than Saturn is
B. Saturn has a ring system around its equator
C. Earth is hotter than Saturn is
D. Saturn is a gaseous planet
D. Saturn is a gaseous planet
The Hubble Space telescope is used to photograph objects in space far too distant for regular telescopes to see. One such Hubble photograph is shown here: Which term describes What this image shows?
A. Planet
B. Galaxy
C. Universe
D. Solar system
B. Galaxy
Based on the diagram below, which letter indicates a place where new plate material is forming?
A. At the boundary of the continent and ocean basin
B. In the middle of the ocean basin
C. At the boundary where the two plates are pulling apart
D. No new plate material is forming anywhere shown in the diagram.
C. At the boundary where the two plates are pulling apart
The Sun’s energy influences climate in different ways on Earth. How does the Sun’s energy most directly influence the amount of precipitation in a climate?
A. It drives the water cycle, which determines precipitation
B. It creates wind patterns that brings precipitation to different areas
C. It creates ocean currents that regulate precipitation
D. It controls the formation of clouds that generate precipitation
A. It drives the water cycle, which determines precipitation
The Sun’s energy influences climate in different ways on Earth. How does the Sun’s energy most directly influence the amount of precipitation in a climate?
A. It drives the water cycle, which determines precipitation
B. It creates wind patterns that brings precipitation to different areas
C. It creates ocean currents that regulate precipitation
D. It controls the formation of clouds that generate precipitation
A. It drives the water cycle, which determines precipitation