Chapter 10

The observation that began the 19th and early 20th century fascination with Mars as a place for life was: a. the discovery of the Martian moons b. Schiaparelli's seeing what seemed to him to be long straight features on the red planet c. Percival Lowell's discovery of an entire network of artificial canals built by martians d. the images sent back by the Viking spacecraft mission e. the landing of Martian spacecraft in New Jersey in 1938

Schiaparelli's seeing what seemed to him to be long straight features on the red planet

Hebes Chasma and Juventae Chasma are two large canyons that are just north of Valles Marineris, and yet are distinct and separate from the Valles Marineris canyon complex.

TRUE

Olympus Mons is clearly the largest volcano of this grouo that consisistes of 4 largest volcanoes

TRUE

One of the most impressive features of the geology of Mars is an uplifted area about the size of North America, with volcanoes on it, which is called the

Tharsis Bulge

Which polar ice cap is larger on Mars? a. The South Polar Ice Cap is larger than the North Polar Ice Cap. b. The two ice caps are approximately the same size. c. A more detailed view is required in order to answer this question. d. The North Polar Ice Cap is larger than the South Polar Ice Cap.

The North Polar Ice Cap is larger than the South Polar Ice Cap.

tectonic

geological features that result from stresses and pressures in the crust of a planet; tectonic forces can lead to earthquakes and motion of the crust

Which of the inner planets has the most eccentric orbit?

mercury

What planet can come closest to the Earth in its orbit and look brightest in our skies? a. Venus b. Mars c. Mercury d. Jupiter e. none of the above

venus

Which planet(s) are found within the Sun's habitable zone? Earth Earth and Venus Venus, Earth and Mars Earth and Mars

venus earth mars

There was a pair of spacecraft whose components both orbited the planet Mars and landed on its surface in 1976. These spacecraft were called:

Viking

Which colors are used to highlight primarily the lower and flatter areas (i.e. lowland plains) of the surface of Mars?

light blue, dark blue

Mars pathfinder landed in a lowland plain area of mars

TRUE

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about the rotation of Venus? a. Venus rotates in roughly the same time period as Earth b. Venus rotates in a retrograde way (east to west) c. the two definitions of a day (how long it takes for a star to return to the same position in the sky and how long it takes the Sun to return to the same position) do not agree on Venus d. the rotation rate of Venus had to be determined from radar measurements e. Venus has the longest rotation period of any planet in the solar system

venus rotates in roughly the same time period as Earth

Most planets in our solar system rotate in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed from above the North pole of the Sun. What is unusual about the rotation of Venus? Venus does not rotate. The spin axis of Venus is almost parallel to the ecliptic plane. Venus rotates in the same direction as the rest of the planets. Venus rotates in the opposite direction to all other planets.

venus rotates in the opposite direction to all other planets

What is one way that we humans are currently making the atmosphere of the Earth more like that of Venus? a. we are adding more oxygen to the atmosphere by growing more plants and trees b. we are adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, which is leading to global warming c. we are setting up a lot of equipment at the north and south poles to cool our planet down d. we have more than doubled the mass of the Earth's atmosphere by making additional air in our factories e. the Earth's atmosphere already resembles the atmosphere of Venus in all ways that are significant

we are adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, which is leading to global warming

What is the length of a Mercury day in Earth days?

176 days

How many parallel canyon systems collectively make up Valles Marineris? 1 2 3 4

3

The number of major plains in the northern hemisphere of Mars is: 6 7 8 9

7

After Olympus Mons, the next three biggest volcanoes, by volume, on Mars in order from largest to smallest are: Arsia Mons, Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons Pavonis Mons, Arsia Mons, Ascraeus Mons Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, Ascraeus Mons

Arsia Mons, Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons

Why are there no smaller craters on the surface of Venus, only bigger ones? a. Because Venus is so close to the Sun, the Sun's gravity pulls all smaller chunks of material into the Sun before they can reach Venus b. The seas and lakes of Venus erode away all the smaller craters when they flood c. In Venus' thick atmosphere all smaller chunks of material burn up before they can reach the surface d. Venus is so hot that smaller craters generally melt in the heat, becoming smooth surface e. This is an unsolved mystery in astronomy; no one knows

In venus' thick atmosphere all smaller chucks of material burn up before they can reach the surface

The spacecraft that sent back the most detailed radar images of Venus and showed us features as small as a football field is: a. Viking b. Pioneer c. Venera d. Magellan e. Mariner

Magellan

the first spacecraft to orbit another planet circled Mars in 1971. It was:

Mariner 9

Why is it so much easier to determine the length of the day on Mars than on Venus? a. Mars' atmosphere is generally pretty clear (so the surface is visible) while Venus is always cloudy b. Mars rotates really slowly, so it's easy to follow; Venus rotates so fast, it's hard to track c. Mars is much larger in diameter than Venus is, so it's easier to see d. Mars is always much closer to the Earth than Venus e. Mars is always visible in our nighttime sky, while Venus is only visible in the daytime sky

Mars' atmosphere is generally pretty clear (so the surface is visible) while Venus is always cloudy

The largest volcano on Mars is called:

Olympus Mons (Mt. Olympus)

The names of three other prominent chasma on Mars that are not in the immediate Valles Marineris geographic area are: a. Elysium Chasma, Hyblaeus Chasma, Coprates Chasma b. Pavonis Chasma, Elysium Chasma, Hyblaeus Chasma c. Hyblaeus Chasma, Pavonis Chasma, Eos Chasma d. Melas Chasma, Tithonium Chasma, Candor Chasma

Pavonis Chasma, Elysium Chasma, Hyblaeus Chasma

The person who really publicized the idea of canals on Mars and impressed it on the public mind was: a. Orson Welles b. Asaph Hall c. Percival Lowell d. H. G. Wells e. Frank Drake

Percival Lowell

Why does Mars have an overall reddish color when we see its surface from afar? a. This is an optical illusion caused by the Earth's atmosphere scattering the colors of light differently b. Mars is completely cloudy, and its clouds are made of red materials c. The material of Mars' surface contains a lot of iron oxide, the same chemistry that makes rusting metals look reddish d. the giant volcanoes on Mars are constantly spewing out reddish lava e. The martians are constantly at war, and spilling a lot of red blood

The material of Mars' surface contains a lot of iron oxide, the same chemistry that makes rusting metals look reddish

Which piece of evidence suggests that the inner planets were formed from the same rotating cloud of gas and dust? The atmospheres of these planets are composed mostly of hydrogen. The planets obey Kepler's laws. The planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and in almost the same plane. Asteroids are found outside the orbit of Mars.

The planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and in almost the same plane.

Gusev Crater is believed to be an excellent candidate for an ancient Martian lake because: it has a smooth, flat sandy terrain that physically resembles a dried up lakebed it has an outflow channel named Ma'adim Vallis entering it the Opportunity spacecraft has detected layered sedimentary rock in its walls all of the above

all of the above

The surface of Gusev Crater would best be described as having: a fairly flat terrain some exposed rock outcrops sandy sections all of the above

all of the above

Which of the following is evidence for volcanic activity on Venus? a. the fact that the lava plains are only 500 million or so years old b. the existence of large volcanic mountains such as Sif Mons c. the discovery of thousands of small volcanic cones of the surface of Venus d. the pancake domes of Venus e. all of the above

all of the above

The largest continental (highland) area on Venus is called: a. Stein b. Sapas Mons c. Venera d. Danu e. Aphrodite

aphrodite

Astronomers estimate that the plains of Venus are only about 500 to 600 million years old. How do they estimate dates like this? a. by looking for little brass plates that give the founding date and the name of the governor at the time b. by looking at the radioactive rock samples that have been returned to Earth from Venus c. by noting that all the plains on all the terrestrial planets have the same age d. by seeing how much the continental plates on which the Venus plains are floating have spread apart e. by counting the craters visible on the surface and comparing crater counts to other worlds

by counting the craters visible on the surface and comparing crater counts to other worlds

The same gas makes up most of the atmosphere of Mars and Venus. This gas is: a. water vapor b. nitrogen c. ozone d. ammonia gas e. carbon dioxide

carbon dioxide

The Magellan spacecraft revealed a wide variety of volcanic features on Venus, including some that looked like ticks and spiders. What instrument aboard Magellan was used for these investigations? a. spectrograph b. ultraviolet telescope c. imaging radar d. a magnetometer e. a net

imaging radar

A very rich and eccentric tourist in the future hires you to fly him to a region of Venus' atmosphere where the temperatures and pressures are the most Earth-like. Where would you take him? a. just above the surface b. high above most of the atmosphere and clouds, in the mesosphere c. to the top of Mount Maxwell on the Ishtar continent d. in the cloud layers about 50 km above the surface e. you can't fool me; there is NO place in the Venus atmosphere where the temperature and pressure are anything at all like Earth

in the cloud layers about 50 km above the surface

Which of the following statements about the planet Venus is true? a. its thick nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere acts like a greenhouse, keeping it hot b. it rotates on its axis in the same direction as the Earth does c. it has a thick layer of clouds containing sulfuric acid droplets d. the atmospheric pressure near the surface is about the same as Earth's e. the "face of Miss Piggy" feature indicates that Venus is inhabited

it has a thick layer of clouds containing sulfuric acid droplets

Korolev Crater, just below the North Polar Ice Cap, is unique because: a. it appears to be perfectly circular b. craters are unusual on Mars c. it is completely filled with frozen water ice d. it is completely filled with frozen carbon dioxide

it is completely filled with frozen water ice

The highest mountain on Venus is also the only feature to be named after a man; its namesake is the Scottish scientist who laid the foundations for our understanding of electro-magnetic waves. This is Mount: a. Tyson b. Olympus c. Lowell d. Maxwell e. Faraday

maxwell

Valles Marineris is a wide, deep network of chasms stretching for some 2500 miles on the surface of Mars. How do we believe such a big set of canyons formed originally? a. it was caused by tectonic pressures from deep within the planet b. it was produced suddenly by flooding water some four billion years ago c. it was scoured out of the Martian sands by the action of the regular dust storms d. it was made by hundreds of impacts from space billions of years ago e. the canyons were places the ancient Martians used for drag racing

it was caused by tectonic pressures from deep within the planet

Which of the following statements about Valles Marineris, the great "grand canyon system" on Mars is true? a. it is much shorter than the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but much much wider b. it was discovered by Giovanni Schiaparelli in the 19th century c. it was hard to photograph because it is always covered by wind-blown dust d. landslides have helped broaden the canyons since they were first formed e. although the canyons are long and wide, they are very shallow, only a few feet deep

landslides have helped broaden the canyons since they were first formed

The large circular coronae on Venus are: a. rings of mountains created by continental plates grinding against each other b. large regions where hot magma rising from the interior of Venus puts pressure on the surface material c. the outer rings of material thrown up by giant impacts long ago d. impact basins flooded with lava, just like the maria on the Moon e. tracks for racing dune buggies on the surface of the sandy planet

large regions where hot magma rising from the interior of Venus puts pressure on the surface material

About 75% of the surface of Venus consists of a. high volcanic plateaus, many of which are currently erupting lava b. lowland lava plains c. wall-to-wall impact craters d. vast criss-crossing channels carrying liquid lava e. lush jungles growing very effectively because it is so warm and humid there

lowland lava plains

A crucial difference that helps explain why Venus is so hot and the Earth isn't is that: a. on Venus, there was eventually no ocean to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere b. on Venus, the rocks have enormous amounts of radioactivity, heating up the environment (and also making life impossible) c. on Venus, the life forms give off more heat than they absorb d. on Earth, there is additional argon, which exerts a tremendous cooling effect e. there are no volcanoes on Venus, but many on Earth, producing extra heat

on Venus, there was eventually no ocean to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

The canals that late 19th and early 20th observers thought they saw on Mars turned out to be:

optical illusions

The heavily cratered highland areas of Mars are located: primarily in the south with some significant sections in the north primarily in the south primarily in the north primarily in the north with some significant sections in the south

primarily in the south with some significant sections in the north

I want to examine the surface of a planet which is completely covered by a thick layer of clouds all the time. What wavelength of electromagnetic radiation would I be smartest to use: a. visible light b. x-rays c. radio waves (like radar) d. any of the above would work e. none would work

radio waves (like radar)

The surrounding terrain in Chryse Planitia, the landing area for Mars Pathfinder, is best described as: fairly hilly and smooth relatively flat and rocky fairly hilly and rocky relatively flat and smooth.

relatively flat and rocky

The troposphere (the lowest layer in the atmosphere) of Venus a. is quite cold and thin b. is a layer with quite a bit of water vapor, held down by the pressure of the layers above c. has roughly the same air pressure as the troposphere of the Earth d. resembles being about a kilometer or so under the Earth's ocean -- a huge mass of air keeps temperatures pretty much the same all over the planet e. resembles the ozone layer of the Earth's atmosphere in many ways

resembles being about a kilometer or so under the Earth's ocean -- a huge mass of air keeps temperatures pretty much the same all over the planet

The process by which Venus became so much hotter than the Earth is called: a. radioactivity b. ozone depletion c. the runaway greenhouse effect d. tectonic displacement e. the twisted sister effect

runaway greenhouse effect

The total surface area of planet Mars is roughly equal to the

surface area of earths continents

Which of the following would NOT be one of the problems faced by an unprotected Earthling stranded on Mars? (Unprotected meaning no space suit.) a. the composition of the atmosphere b. the lack of liquid water today on the surface c. the low atmospheric pressure d. the lack of any ozone layer shielding e. the extreme (high) heat at most latitudes

the extreme (high) heat at most latitudes

One way in which Mars closely resembles the Earth is:

the length of its day (period of rotation)

The lowland plains on Mars are located primarily in

the northern hemisphere

runaway greenhouse effect

the process by which the greenhouse effect, rather than remaining stable or being lessened through intervention, continues to grow at an increasing rate

Which of the following is NOT a way that Venus resembles the Earth? a. its size (diameter) b. its overall density c. the surface gravity (which tells us how much we would weigh there) d. the thickness and pressure of its atmosphere e. you can't fool me; Venus resembles Earth in all of the above ways

the thickness and pressure of its atmosphere

Which of the following is NOT one of the key reasons that so many spacecraft from Earth have visited Venus and Mars? a. they are the two planets closest to the Earth b. they resemble the Earth in a number of significant ways c. their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up d. both have tantalized us when seen through a telescope -- one because it is perpetually covered by clouds, the other because it shows seasonal changes e. they each have a solid surface on which we can trace their geological history

their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up

The existence of large numbers of craters in the highland areas implies that the highlands, geologically speaking, are much older than the lowland plains.

true

There are significantly more craters in the highland areas than in the lowland plains.

true

Hellas Planitia includes the word "planitia" which is the Latin word for "plain" in its name. The name would seem to indicate that Hellas Planitia is a low lying plain, yet it is clearly a crater, and a very large one at that. The most probable reason for this discrepancy in its name is because: it is a simple naming error that for some reason has so far escaped correction. there is still disagreement among astronomers about the true nature of Hellas Planitia. its true nature was not apparent over 100 years ago when it was observed using ground based telescopes astronomers really know its true nature and misconceptions among the public are not of great concern to them.

ts true nature was not apparent over 100 years ago when it was observed using ground based telescopes

The spacecraft that soft-landed successfully on the surface of Venus (and briefly sent back pictures while sitting in that destructive environment) were called a. Magellan b. Venera c. Pioneer d. Voyager e. Bayonne

venera

The planet that most resembles the Earth in size and internal composition is a. Mars b. Venus c. Mercury d. Jupiter e. the Moon

venus