Eccentricity
Which object is located at one foci of the elliptical orbit of Mars?
A) the Sun
B) Betelgeuse
C) Earth
D) Jupiter
A) the Sun
Compared to the oceanic crust, the continental crust is usually
(1) thicker, with a less dense granitic composition
(2) thicker, with a more dense basaltic composition
(3) thinner, with a less dense granitic composition
(4) thinner, with a more dense basaltic composition
(1) thicker, with a less dense granitic composition
The velocity of a star toward or away from the Earth can be determined by measuring the
A) color of the star
B) shift of its spectral lines
C) brightness of the star
D) its change in apparent size
B) shift of its spectral lines
Which type of tectonic plate boundary is located at mid-ocean ridges?
A) convergent
B) transform
C) divergent
D) complex
C) divergent
Which stars are the youngest?
A) Supergiant
B) White dwarf
C) Blue star
D) Red Dwarfs
C) Blue star
If an observer on Earth views Polaris on the horizon, the observer is located at the
A) equator (0°)
B) North Pole (90° N)
C) Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N)
D) Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S)
A) equator (0°)
Compared to the average density of the terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), the average density of the Jovian planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) is
A) less B) greater C) the same
A) less
The Indian-Australian tectonic plate is moving
A) away from the Philippine Plate
B) away from the Fiji Plate
C) toward the Pacific Plate
D) toward the Antarctic Plate
C) toward the Pacific Plate
The modern heliocentric model of planetary motion states that the planets travel around
A) the Sun in slightly elliptical orbits
B) the Sun in circular orbits
C) Earth in slightly elliptical orbits
D) Earth in circular orbits
A) the Sun in slightly elliptical orbits
Which two features are commonly found at divergent plate boundaries?
(1) mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys
(2) wide valleys and deltas
(3) ocean trenches and subduction zones
(4) hot spots and island arcs
(1) mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys
If we observe a Doppler blue shift from a star, the star must be
A) relatively cool in temperature
B) moving away from us
C) moving toward us
D) a blue star
C) moving toward us
The age of oceanic bedrock on either side of a mid-ocean ridge is supporting evidence that at the ridges, tectonic plates are
A) diverging
B) converging
C) locked in place
D) being subducted
A) diverging
The apparent brightness of an object such as a star does not depend on
A) how fast the star is moving
B) the strength of the light emanating from the star
C) the distance from us to the star
D) the amount and kind of obstacles between us and the star
A) how fast the star is moving
What could be the approximate location of an observer if he measured the altitude of Polaris to be 41 degrees above the horizon?
A) Watertown
B) Massena
C) Buffalo
D) New York City
D) New York City
Compared to the terrestrial planets, the Jovian planets are
A) smaller and have lower densities B) smaller and have greater densities C) larger and have lower densities D) larger and have greater densities
C) larger and have lower densities
Which statement best explains why the direction of some seismic waves changes sharply as the waves travel through the Earth?
A) The Earth is spherical.
B) Seismic waves tend to travel in curved paths.
C) The temperature of the Earth's interior decreases with depth.
D) Different parts of the Earth's interior have different densities
D) Different parts of the Earth's interior have different densities
In what way are the planets Mars, Mercury, and Earth similar?
A) They have the same period of revolution.
B) They are perfect spheres.
C) They exert the same gravitational force on each other.
D) They have elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.
D) They have elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.
Active volcanoes are most abundant along the
A) edges of tectonic plates
B) eastern coastline of continents
C) 23.5° N and 23.5° S parallels of latitude
D) equatorial ocean floor
A) edges of tectonic plates
The major evidence supporting the "Big Bang" theory is
A) observations of supernova explosions.
B) the discovery of black holes.
C) observations that the Doppler red shift becomes greater as we look at more distant galaxies.
D) observations that most galaxies are rotating
C) observations that the Doppler red shift becomes greater as we look at more distant galaxies.
Mid-ocean ridges (rifts) normally form where tectonic plates are
A) converging
B) diverging
C) stationary
D) sliding past each other
B) diverging
Which of the following is the same for all stars along a horizontal line on an H-R diagram?
D) luminosity
A) temperature
B) diameter
C) mass
D) luminosity
Which reference line passes through both the geographic North Pole and the geographic SouthPole?
A) 0° latitude
B) 0° longitude
C) Tropic of Cancer
D) Tropic of Capricorn
B) 0° longitude
In describing a model for the origin of our solar system, which one of the following facts would not be included?
A) The planets' orbits lie pretty much in the same plane.
B) The planets revolve around the sun in the same direction.
C) The Solar system revolves around the center of our galaxy.
D) The planets' orbits are mostly close to being circular.
C) The Solar system revolves around the center of our galaxy.
The obsidian's glassy texture indicates that it formed from a magma that cooled
A) slowly, deep below Earth's surface
B) slowly, on Earth's surface
C) quickly, deep below Earth's surface
D) quickly, on Earth's surface
D) quickly, on Earth's surface
Which change always occurs as the distance between the Earth and the Sun decreases?
A) The gravitational force between the Earth and the Sun decreases.
B) The Sun's apparent diameter decreases.
C) The Sun's rate of rotation increases.
D) The Earth's orbital speed increases.
D) The Earth's orbital speed increases.
In which Earth layer are most convection currents that cause seafloor spreading thought to be located?
A) crust
B) asthenosphere
C) outer core
D) inner core
B) asthenosphere
In a Doppler red shift, the observed wavelengths of light from distant celestial objects appear closer to the red end of the spectrum than light from similar nearby celestial objects. The explanation for the red shift is that the universe is presently
A) contracting, only
B) expanding, only
C) remaining constant in size
D) alternating between contracting and expanding
B) expanding, only
The occurrence of high-heat floors at the ridge center provides evidence of the
A) destruction of oceanic crust
C) destruction of continental crust
C) existence of ancestral mountains
D) existence of rising mantle convection currents
D) existence of rising mantle convection currents
Which factor does not affect a star's absolute magnitude (Luminosity)?
A) The star's temperature.
B) The star's size.
C) The star's distance.
D) The star's shape.
C) The star's distance.
Which New York State city is located at 42°39' N 73°45' W?
A. Buffalo
b. Ithaca
C. Plattsburgh
D. Albany
D.Albany
Which statement correctly compares the size, composition, and density of Neptune to Earth?
A) Neptune is smaller more gaseous, and less dense.
B) Neptune is larger, more gaseous, and less dense,
C) Neptune is smaller, more solid, and more dense.
D) Neptune is larger, more solid, and more dense.
B) Neptune is larger, more gaseous, and less dense,
Which temperature is inferred to exist in Earth’s plastic mantle?
A) 2000°C
B) 3000°C
C) 5000°C
D) 6000°C
A) 2000°C
If the Earth's distance from the Sun were doubled, the gravitational attraction between the Sun and Earth would be
A) one-ninth as great
B) nine times as great
C) one-fourth as great
D) four times as great
C) one-fourth as great
The border between the South American plate and the African plate is best described as
A) converging and located at an oceanic ridge
B) converging and located at an oceanic trench
C) diverging and located at an oceanic ridge
D) diverging and located at an oceanic trench
C) diverging and located at an oceanic ridge
What does a red shift in light from distant celestial objects indicate to a scientist on Earth?
A) The gravitational force on Earth changes.
B) The universe appears to be expanding.
C) The Jovian planets are aligned with the Sun.
D) Galaxies are becoming more numerous.
B) The universe appears to be expanding.
Which mantle hot spot is located directly below a mid-ocean ridge plate boundary?
(1) Yellowstone (3) Canary Islands
(2) Iceland (4) Hawaii
(2) Iceland
Which star has the greatest luminosity?
A) Barnard's star
B) Procyon
C) Alpha Centauri
D) Rigel
D) Rigel
From Utica, New York, Polaris is observed at an altitude of approximately
A) 43° B) 47° C) 75° D) 90°
A) 43°
Which statement best explains why Earth and the other planets of our solar system became layered as they were being formed?
A) Gravity caused less-dense material to move toward the center of each planet.
B) Gravity caused more-dense material to move toward the center of each planet.
C) Materials that cooled quickly stayed at the surface of each planet.
D) Materials that cooled slowly stayed at the surface of each planet
B) Gravity caused more-dense material to move toward the center of each planet.
In which area of Earth's interior is the pressure most likely to be 2.5 million atmospheres?
A) asthenosphere
B) stiffer mantle
C) inner core
D) outer core
D) outer core
The elliptical shape of the Moon's orbit around the Earth causes
A) changes in the gravitational attraction between the Moon and the Earth
B) the Earth to have an equatorial bulge
C) the Moon's period of rotation to equal its period of revolution
D) the 23 ° tilt of the Earth's axis of rotation
A) changes in the gravitational attraction between the Moon and the Earth
Which tectonic feature is associated with a complex or uncertain plate boundary?
(1) Southwest Indian Ridge
(2) East African Rift
(3) Mariana Trench
(4) Galapagos Hot Spot
(2) East African Rift
The Doppler effect predicts that light from a source moving away from Earth will be
A) shifted to shorter wavelengths.
B) shifted to longer wavelengths.
C) appear blue.
D) appear red.
B) shifted to longer wavelengths
Which statement best supports the theory of continental drift?
A) Basaltic rock is found to be progressively younger at increasing distances from a mid-ocean ridge.
B) Marine fossils are often found in deep-well drill cores.
C) The present continents appear to fit together as pieces of a larger landmass.
D) Areas of shallow-water seas tend to accumulate sediment, which gradually sinks.
C) The present continents appear to fit together as pieces of a larger landmass.
What are the two most abundant elements in a main sequence star?
A) carbon and hydrogen
B) hydrogen and helium
C) helium and carbon
D) carbon and heavy metals
B) hydrogen and helium
Approximately what are the coordinates of the Hawaii Hot Spot?
A) 50° N, 120° W
B) 25° N, 158° E
C) 25° N, 158° W
D) 25° S, 158° E
C) 25° N, 158° W
Why do the planets in our solar system have a layered internal structure?
A) All planets cooled rapidly after they formed.
B) The Sun exerts a gravitational force on the planets.
C) Each planet is composed of materials of different densities.
D) Cosmic dust settled in layers on the planets’ surfaces.
C) Each planet is composed of materials of different densities.
In which group are the zones of the Earth's interior correctly arranged in order of increasing average density?
A) crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
B) crust, mantle, inner core, outer core
C) inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
D) outer core, inner core, mantle, crust
A) crust, mantle, outer core, inner core