Solar System/Nebular Theory
In essence, the nebular theory holds that...
a. our solar system formed from the collapse of an interstellar cloud of gas and dust.
b. the planets formed as a result of a near-collision between our Sun and another star.
c. nebulae are clouds of gas and dust in space.
d. the planets each formed from the collapse of its own separate nebula.
a. our solar system formed from the collapse of an interstellar cloud of gas and dust.
From center to surface, which of the following correctly lists the interior layers (defined by density) of a terrestrial world?
a. core, mantle, crust
b. core, crust, lithosphere
c. mantle, crust, core
d. mantle, core, crust
a. core, mantle, crust
Which of the jovian planets in our solar system have rings?
a. Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only
b. Saturn only
c. Jupiter and Saturn only
d. Neptune only
e. all four: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
e. all four: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
What is a meteorite?
a. a streak of light caused by a star moving across the sky
b. a streak of light caused by a small particle from space burning up in Earth's atmosphere
c. a comet that burns up in Earth's atmosphere
d. a fragment of rock that has fallen to Earth's surface from space
e. a small moon that orbits one of the jovian planets
d. a fragment of rock that has fallen to Earth's surface from space
Which of the following properties is used to distinguish between the core, mantle, and crust of a planet?
a. temperature
b. rock strength
c. density
d. geological activity
e. color
c. density
About what percentage of the mass of the solar nebula consisted of elements other than hydrogen and helium?
a. 80%
b. 0%
c. 20%
d. 2%
e. 0.1%
d. 2%
In order of size from smallest to largest, the five terrestrial worlds are:
a. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars.
b. Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth.
c. Mercury, Moon, Mars, Earth, Venus.
d. Mercury, Moon, Venus, Earth, Mars.
e. Moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.
b. Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth.
What is Jupiter's Great Red Spot?
a. a giant storm that is about twice as wide as the planet Earth
b. a huge patch of sulfur in Jupiter's atmosphere
c. reflected sunlight that is red for the same reason sunrises and sunsets are red on Earth
d. a giant crater on the surface of Jupiter
e. a portion of strongly heated gas near the surface of Jupiter caused by a collision with a comet
a. a giant storm that is about twice as wide as the planet Earth
What is the major difference between asteroids and comets?
a. Asteroids never have tails and comets always have tails.
b. Asteroids are low in density and comets are high in density.
c. Asteroids are larger than comets.
d. Asteroids are rocky and comets are icy.
e. Asteroids are smaller than comets.
d. Asteroids are rocky and comets are icy.
Which planet experiences the strongest gravitational force from the Sun?
a. Jupiter
b. Mercury
c. Neptune
d. Saturn
e. Earth
b. Mercury
According to the nebular theory, what are the comets and asteroids?
a. chunks of rock or ice that have been expelled from the planets by volcanoes
b. the shattered remains of collisions between moons
c. chunks of rock or ice that condensed long after the planets had formed
d. the shattered remains of collisions between planets
e. leftover planetesimals that never accreted into planets
e. leftover planetesimals that never accreted into planets
The lithosphere of a planet is the layer that consists of...
a. material above the crust.
b. the lava that comes out of volcanoes.
c. the rigid rocky material of the crust and uppermost portion of the mantle.
d. the softer rocky material of the mantle.
e. material between the crust and the mantle.
c. the rigid rocky material of the crust and uppermost portion of the mantle.
Jupiter's "striped" appearance is a result of...
a. changes in the strength of Jupiter's magnetic field with latitude.
b. alternating bands of liquid and gaseous material at different latitudes.
c. alternating bands of rising and falling air at different latitudes.
d. changes in the atmospheric composition with latitude.
c. alternating bands of rising and falling air at different latitudes.
In what region of the solar system is Pluto found?
a. the Oort cloud
b. the asteroid belt
c. the terrestrial planet region
d. the Kuiper belt
d. the Kuiper belt
Which planet is most similar in size and mass to Earth?
a. Mercury
b. Venus
c. Mars
d. Neptune
e. Jupiter
b. Venus
Which of the following is most important in causing a cloud of gas to collapse to form a star and planets?
a. Pressure from light from nearby stars pushes the gas inward.
b. Pressure from other gas clouds pushes the gas inward.
c. Opposite charges in the gas attract.
d. Gravity pulls all the gas inward.
e. Some gas is sent outward, causing the rest to move inward to conserve momentum.
d. Gravity pulls all the gas inward.
What is surprising about Earth's Moon?
a. It has a surprisingly large number of craters.
b. It is surprisingly large in comparison to the size of its planet.
c. The fact that it lacks a significant atmosphere.
d. It orbits surprisingly far away from Earth.
b. It is surprisingly large in comparison to the size of its planet.
Why do the jovian planets in our solar system bulge around their equators?
a. Their internal heat sources exert more pressure at the equator.
b. Their rapid rotation flings the mass near the equator outward.
c. They are much more massive than the terrestrial planets.
d. Their large systems of moons and rings gravitationally attract the mass around the equator more.
b. Their rapid rotation flings the mass near the equator outward.
A comets tails (especially its plasma tail) generally point...
a. toward the Sun.
b. toward the location where the comet's inward trajectory first began.
c. away from the Sun.
d. directly ahead of the comet along its orbit.
e. directly behind the comet along its orbit.
c. away from the Sun.
What is the difference in meaning between the terms weather and climate?
a. Weather refers to small storms, and climate refers to large storms.
b. Weather refers to short-term variations in conditions, and climate refers to the average of weather over many years.
c. Weather refers to wind and rain, and climate refers to processes like convection.
d. Weather refers to local conditions, and climate refers to global conditions.
e. Weather refers to day-by-day changes in conditions, and climate refers to seasonal changes in weather.
b. Weather refers to short-term variations in conditions, and climate refers to the average of weather over many years.
Why did terrestrial planets form in the inner solar system and jovian planets in the outer solar system?
a. Denser, heavier materials, such as rocks and metals, settled to the center of the nebula, and therefore, planets that formed there were more likely to be made primarily from rock and metal.
b. In the inner part of the nebula, only metals and rocks were able to condense because of the high temperatures, whereas hydrogen compounds, although more abundant, were only able to condense in the cooler outer regions.
c. As the solar nebula shrank, it settled into a spinning disk and separated into individual planets.
b. In the inner part of the nebula, only metals and rocks were able to condense because of the high temperatures, whereas hydrogen compounds, although more abundant, were only able to condense in the cooler outer regions.
What is the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon?
a. The Moon formed just like Earth, from accretion in the solar nebula.
b. The Moon formed from material blasted out of Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars-size object.
c. The Moon originally was about the same size as Earth, but a giant impact blasted most of it away so that it ended up much smaller than Earth.
d. The Moon formed when two gigantic asteroids collided with one another.
b. The Moon formed from material blasted out of Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars-size object.
Why do Uranus and Neptune appear blue?
a. The nitrogen gas in their atmospheres absorbs red light.
b. Small dust grains preferentially scatter blue light.
c. The methane gas in their atmospheres absorbs red light.
d. Oceans that are visible through their atmospheres are blue.
c. The methane gas in their atmospheres absorbs red light.
The frost line of the solar system was located approximately between...
a. the Sun and the present-day orbit of Mercury.
b. the present-day orbits of Uranus and Neptune.
c. the present-day orbits of Mercury and Venus.
d. the present-day orbits of Venus and Earth.
e. the present-day orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
e. the present-day orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
When scientists speak of a "sample return mission" to Mars, what do they mean?
a. a mission that provides an example of how other missions might work in the future
b. a mission that reuses a spacecraft that has already been to Mars once
c. a mission that scoops up rock on Mars and brings it to Earth
d. a mission that lands humans on Mars
c. a mission that scoops up rock on Mars and brings it to Earth