Science Chapter 12/13 Questions

Whether the universe will continue to expand or will collapse back into another big bang seems to depend on what property of the universe? a. the density of matter in the universe b. the age of galaxies compared to the age of their stars c. the availability of gases and dust between the galaxies d. the number of black holes

a. the density of matter in the universe

Which of the following stars would have the longer life spans? a. the less massive b. between the more massive and the less massive c. the more massive d. All have the same life span.

a. the less massive

A bright blue star on the main sequence is probably a. very massive b. less massive c. between the more massive and the less massive d. None of the above is correct.

a. very massive

Stars that are faint, very dense, white-hot, and close to the end of their lifetime are a. red giant stars. b. novas. c. white dwarf stars. d. Cepheid variable stars.

c. white dwarf stars.

An example of a dwarf planet of the solar system is a. Ceres. b. Pluto. c. Eris. d. All of the choices are correct.

d. All of the choices are correct.

Strong evidence about widespread water has been found on a. Mars. b. Moon c. Mercury d. All of the choices are correct.

d. All of the choices are correct.

Which of the following about Jupiter is not true? a. Jupiter is mostly made of light elements like hydrogen and helium. b. Much of the planet is composed of hydrogen compressed so greatly that it is liquid. c. The colored bands in Jupiter's atmosphere are believed to result from atmospheric convection. d. Because Jupiter is mostly hydrogen, it is only slightly more massive than Earth.

d. Because Jupiter is mostly hydrogen, it is only slightly more massive than Earth.

One of the following planets is denser than the others: a. Saturn b. Jupiter c. Uranus d. Earth

d. Earth

Which of the following planets probably still has its original atmosphere? a. Mercury. b. Venus. c. Mars d. Jupiter.

d. Jupiter.

Which of the following statements about the length of a planet's day is true? a. The closer the planet is to the Sun, the shorter is its day. b. The more massive the planet, the longer its day. c. The four gas giants barely rotate at all. d. None of the choices are correct.

d. None of the choices are correct.

The brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon is a. Saturn. b. Jupiter. c. Mars. d. Venus.

d. Venus.

Earth, other planets, and the rest of the solar system formed a. at the same time as the rest of the stars in the galaxy. b. millions of years ago from elements that have always existed. c. from a giant nebula millions of years ago. d. billions of years ago from elements created in previously existing stars.

d. billions of years ago from elements created in previously existing stars.

Venus appears the brightest when it is in the a. full phase. b. half phase c. quarter phase. d. crescent phase.

d. crescent phase.

Earth, other planets, and the rest of the solar system a. have always existed. b. formed thousands of years ago from elements that have always existed. c. formed millions of years ago, when the elements and each body were created at the same time. d. formed billions of years ago from elements that were created in many previously existing stars.

d. formed billions of years ago from elements that were created in many previously existing stars.

The basic unit of the universe is a a. star. b. solar system. c. galactic cluster. d. galaxy.

d. galaxy.

The basic property of a main sequence star that determines most of its other properties, including its location on the H-R diagram, is a. brightness. b. color. c. temperature. d. mass.

d. mass.

A small body from space that falls on the surface of Earth is a a. meteoroid. b. meteor c. meteor shower. d. meteorite.

d. meteorite.

Which of the following elements form only in a supernova explosion of a dying star? a. hydrogen b. carbon c. nitrogen d. nickel

d. nickel

A day on which planet is longer than a year on that planet? a. Mercury b. Neptune c. Venus d. Jupiter

c. Venus

All of the elements that are more massive than the element iron were formed in a a. nova. b. white dwarf. c. supernova. d. black hole.

c. supernova.

The small body with a composition and structure closest to the materials that condensed from the accretion disk is a(n) a. asteroid. b. meteorite. c. comet. d. None of the above is correct.

c. comet.

Stars twinkle and planets do not twinkle because a. planets shine by reflected light, and stars produce their own light. b. all stars are pulsing light sources. c. stars appear as point sources of light, and planets are disk sources. d. All of the above are correct.

c. stars appear as point sources of light, and planets are disk sources.

A comet's tail always trails behind it throughout its journey around the Sun. (True/False)

False

All objects orbiting our Sun are called planets. (True/False)

False

It is impossible to theorize about the formation of the solar system because no other planetary systems can be observed. (True/False)

False

Venus, the sister planet to Earth, has an atmosphere whose composition is similar to that of Earth. (True/False)

False

Which of the following planets would be mostly composed of hydrogen, helium, and methane and have a density of less than 2 g/cm³? a. Uranus b. Mercury c. Mars d. Venus

a. Uranus

The atmosphere of Venus is predominantly a. carbon dioxide. b. nitrogen. c. methane. d. water vapor.

a. carbon dioxide.

Distances to stars are generally measured by how long it takes their starlight to reach Earth. (True/False)

True

Photographs of the surface of Mars provide evidence that liquid water once flowed on its surface. (True/False)

True

The Sun has hundreds of times more mass than all the rest of material making up our solar system combined. (True/False)

True

The asteroids forming a belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter were prevented from forming a planet by the strong gravitational field of Jupiter. (True/False)

True

The core of a star is plasma with the density of solid lead. (True/False)

True

The density of the planet Saturn is so low that this planet could float in water. (True/False)

True

The elements heavier than iron found on Earth were formed by the supernova explosions of other stars. (True/False)

True

The most massive stars tend to use up their supply of hydrogen more rapidly than smaller stars. (True/False)

True

The temperature on the surface of Venus is hot enough to melt lead. (True/False)

True

Which type of star has the shortest life span? a. large, very massive b. small, not very massive c. one on the main sequence d. a star about the size of our Sun

a. large, very massive

The Milky Way galaxy is most likely a. spiral. b. elliptical. c. globular. d. spherical.

a. spiral.

The smallest planet in the solar system is a. Mercury. b. Mars. c. Uranus. d. Venus.

a. Mercury.

The planet with a size most similar to Neptune is a. Uranus b. Jupiter c. Saturn d. Venus

a. Uranus

The largest planet is a. Saturn. b. Jupiter. c. Uranus. d. Neptune.

b. Jupiter.

The belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter is probably a. the remains of a planet that exploded. b. clumps of matter that condensed from the accretion disk but never got together as a planet. c. the remains of two planets that collided. d. the remains of a planet that collided with an asteroid or comet.

b. clumps of matter that condensed from the accretion disk but never got together as a planet.

Remnants of asteroids or comets that survive the trip through Earth's atmosphere to strike the surface are called a. meteors. b. meteorites. c. meteoroids. d. shooting stars.

b. meteorites.

If the core remaining after a supernova has a mass between 1.5 and 3 solar masses, it collapses to form a a. white dwarf. b. neutron star. c. red giant. d. black hole.

b. neutron star.

The polar ice caps of Mars are believed to consist mostly of a. water ice. b. solid carbon dioxide. c. frozen ammonia. d. frozen methane.

b. solid carbon dioxide.

Stars twinkle because a. they are rapidly changing temperature. b. starlight must pass through Earth's turbulent atmosphere. c. they are on fire. d. they are changing their distance from Earth.

b. starlight must pass through Earth's turbulent atmosphere.

Dark energy calculations and the age of cooling white dwarfs indicate that the universe is about how old? a. 6,000 years b. 4.5 billion years c. 13.7 billion years d. 100,000 billion years

c. 13.7 billion years

The greater the distance to a galaxy, the greater a redshift in its spectral lines. This is known as a. Doppler's law. b. Cepheid's law. c. Hubble's law. d. Kepler's law.

c. Hubble's law.

The day on which planet is about the same time period as a day on Earth? a. Mercury b. Venus c. Mars d. Jupiter

c. Mars

Which planets have no moons? a. Earth and Neptune b. Mars and Saturn c. Mercury and Venus d. All of the planets have at least one moon.

c. Mercury and Venus

Which of the following statements about comets is NOT true? a. Comets are thought to be dirty snowballs. b. The birthplace of comets is a cloud of icy, dusty aggregates beyond the solar system. c. Most comets have elliptical orbits with periods around 76 years. d. The tail of a comet consists of dust and evaporated ices.

c. Most comets have elliptical orbits with periods around 76 years.