Astronomy Exam 2 HW Questions

According to the theory of plate tectonics A. the continents are moving but the ocean floor is not, leading to great friction B. slow motions within the mantle of the Earth move large sections of the crust around C. the liquid metal inside the Earth is developing plates of solid metallic material, which contribute to the Earth's magnetic field D. the rubbing of the waters of the Earth across its crust is speeding up its rotation E. earthquakes are caused by huge waves that come up from inside the molten core of the Earth

B

Earthquake producing faults are much more likely to be found A. where the Earth's magnetic field touches the planet's surface B. on the boundaries of continental plates, where they meet other plates C. in smooth continental desert areas D. such faults are equally likely anywhere on the Earth's crust E. in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, where there is more water

B

If you were to take a large sample of the four giant planets, the most common element you would find in them is: A. there are equal amount of ALL the elements in those planets B. hydrogen C. silicon D. iron E. oxygen

B

Callisto, the fourth moon of Jupiter's, takes 17 days to orbit Jupiter. If I stand on the surface of Callisto and see Jupiter high in the sky over my head, and then wait 8.5 Earth days in the same spot, where will I see Jupiter? A. rising in the east B. we need more information to say where Jupiter will be C. you won't see it; it will only be visible from the other side of Callisto D. overhead, where it was before E. setting in the west

D

All the planets (without exception) A. have solid surfaces B. have atmospheres much thicker than Earth's C. revolve around the Sun in the same direction D. have satellites orbiting around them E.rotate on their axes in the same direction that they revolve around the Sun

C

If no one has ever visited the core of the Earth, how do we know that it is made of metals? A. the amount of radioactivity shows metals must be present; only metals are radioactive B. there is NO evidence that the Earth's core has metals C. circulating liquid metals in the core set up a large (measurable) magnetic field D. core material seeps up through volcanoes in the crust E. spectroscopy allows us to tell what the core is made of by analyzing the light we receive

C

In a bad late-night science fiction film, a villain is using a large collection of rare radioactive atoms as energy for a weapon to threaten the good guys. The atoms have a half-life of 1 hour. The villain has 4 kilograms of the radioactive material now, and he needs a minimum of 1 kg. for his weapon to work. After how much time will the weapon no longer be a threat? A. just a little after 4 hours B. just a little after 16 hours C. just a little after 2 hrs D. just a little after 1 hr E. can't be determined from the information given

C

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

D

What is one important way in which both the Moon and Mercury are different from Earth? A. they are both much further from the Sun's heat than Earth is B. they both turn on their axes much faster than the Earth C. they are both significantly larger than the Earth D. they do not have an atmosphere E. they are made mostly of frozen gases, not rock

D

Which of the eight planets has a smaller mass than Mercury? A. Venus B. Neptune C. Jupiter D. You can't fool me, Mercury has the smallest mass of the eight planets E. Earth

D

A planet in our solar system whose composition resembles that of our Sun is: A. Pluto B. Mercury C. the planets are all made of materials quite different from those in the Sun D. Earth E. Jupiter

E

Astronomers believe that Mars formed with a much thicker atmosphere than it has today. Where did this atmosphere go? A. it escaped into space (and some later froze out as Mars got cold) B. it was absorbed by the rocks on Mars, which are much more absorbent than on Earth C. it was drawn into the crust and mantle of Mars through the enormous cracks of the Mariner Valley canyon system D. it is trapped in bubbles inside the rocks on the martian surface E. no one has any good theories about this; it is an unsolved mystery

A

In general, the further planets are from the Sun, the cooler they are. What other factor can have a significant influence on a planet's surface temperature? A. its atmosphere (whether it has one and how thick it is) B. how fast the planet is spinning (the length of its day) C. the number of large moons that are close to the planet D. whether its core has a lot of iron in it E. none of these (only distance from the Sun affects a planet's temperature)

A

In the four terrestrial planets, the densest, heaviest materials are at the center and not evenly distributed throughout the planet. Scientists interpret this observation to mean that: A. the four terrestrial planets must once have been hot enough to be molten (like a liquid) B. the four terrestrial planets must have formed where Jupiter and Saturn now are C.none of these D. the four terrestrial planets must once have been inside the Sun E. the four terrestrial planets must have collided with each other many times

A

Mars appears to have long branching channels that have the appearance of being formed by a flowing liquid. Yet we know that liquids would not stay liquid in the very thin atmosphere we have on the Martian surface? So how can we explain the channels? A. Mars had a thicker atmosphere long ago when the channels formed B. they were formed by volcanic lava from Olympus Mons C. they are made by plate tectonics; by plates in the crust separating D. they were made by wind-blown dust during the great Martian dust storms E. the channels are artificial, made by a race of Martians that died out

A

Our modern understanding of Pluto is that it is a member of A. the Kuiper Belt (of trans-Neptunian objects) B. the giant planets C. the asteroid belt D. the terrestrial planets E. no grouping within our solar system; it is completely one-of-a-kind

A

The element that can act like a metal when it is under tremendous pressure and is probably responsible for Jupiter and Saturn's magnetism is: A. helium B. hydrogen C. gold D. water E. unobtanium

B

The process by which Venus became so much hotter than the Earth is called: A. tectonic displacement B. the runaway greenhouse effect C. the twisted sister effect D. radioactivity E. ozone depletion

B

The world in the solar system that is most active volcanically is: A. Ganymede B. lo C. Mars D. Earth E. Neptune

B

Which of the jovian planets does NOT have any satellites? A. Neptune B. you can't fool me, all the jovian planets are accompanied by satellites C. Uranus D. Saturn E. Jupiter

B

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

B

What makes astronomers think that impact rates for the Moon must have been higher earlier than 3.8 billion years ago? A. we see many more craters on the Moon that have been eroded by wind and rain B. all the radioactive rocks found on the Moon so far give ages much younger than that, so the Moon must have formed less than 3.8 billion years ago C. there are ten times more craters on the older highlands than the younger maria D. all the large craters on the Moon come in pairs, while all recent craters are single E. the ancient sea basins on the Moon, whose water has since evaporated, show a lot more cratering

C

The average temperature on planet Earth is higher than you would expect just from the heating of sunlight alone. What is the explanation for this? A. carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect B. the heat given off by living things makes our planet warmer C. we have no explanation for this higher temperature and that has scientists worried D. solid material hitting the Earth from space heats it up E. the rubbing of the continental plates warms up the Earth's surface

A

The smaller objects in the solar system made of rick and metal (most of which orbit Jupiter an Mars) are called: A. asteroids B. satellites C. silicates D. comets E. Titius-Bode objects

A

What evidence can you give that shows the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa must be relatively young? A. we see very few craters compared to the surfaces of Callisto and Ganymede B. radioactive rocks from Europa that have been brought back to Earth by our probes show that Europa is a young moon C. Europa was not orbiting Jupiter when Galileo observed its moons, but now it is D. the interior of Europa is made of metals like iron and nickel E. there are thousands of active volcanoes on Europa's surface

A

Which of the following characteristics do all four terrestrial planets have in common? A. they all have solid surfaces with signs of geological activity on them B. they all rotate in 24 hours or less C. they all have liquid water on their surfaces D. they all have one or more moons E. they all have thick atmospheres

A

Which of the following does the composition of a planet like Jupiter resemble: A. the Sun B. the Moon C. the asteroids D. the Earth E. Mars

A

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 noting that all the plains on all the terrestrial planets have the same age B. by seeing how much the continental plates on which the Venus plains are floating have spread apart C. by looking for little brass plates that give the founding date and the name of the governor at the time D. by counting the craters visible on the surface and comparing crater counts to other worlds E. by looking at the radioactive rock samples that have been returned to Earth from Venus

D

At their centers, all the jovian planets have cores made of: A. new elements produced by the high pressure; elements which we do not have on Earth B. methane, ammonia, and sulfur compounds C. hydrogen and helium in the form of gas D. a solid mixture of rocky and icy materials under great pressure E. hydrogen and helium in the form of liquids

D

What is the most important reason that astronomers have learned more about our planetary system in the last 30-40 years than all of history before then. A. astronomers today are a lot smarter than astronomers were earlier B. the Hubble Space Telescope C. the planets (moving in their slow orbits around the Sun) happen to be closer to the Earth in the last 30 years than at any previous time in human history D. we have been able to send spacecraft to gather information about planets and moons up close E. radio telescope arrays allow astronomers to make out details on the planets that they have never been able to see before

D

In its overall composition, the Moon roughly resembles: A. comets B. Jupiter and Saturn C. no other body in the solar system D. the Earth's core E. the Earth's crust and mantle

E

Scientists now understand that the Earth consists of layers, with the densest materials in the core. What allowed the differentiation of the Earth's layers to happen? A. continental drift and plate tectonics made this happen B. this is an unsolved problem; scientists have no good ideas about this at all C. a giant rock from space hit the Earth and made a huge hole almost to the center, through which material could move D. this is one of the things that happened in the last few thousand years because of global warming E. the early Earth must have been so hot it was like a liquid and heavier things sank to the middle

E

The Red Spot of Jupiter is: A. variable in size B. all of these C. long-lived (observed since the 1600's) D. made of a reddish colored material E. a high pressure storm system in the atmosphere

E

The largest volcano on Mars is called: A. Hellas B. Mariner Valley C. the Red Spot D. Mount Maxwell E. Olympus Mons (Mt. Olympus)

E

Which of the following is NOT a terrestrial planet? A.Mercury B. Mars C. venus D. Earth E. Jupiter

E

Which of the following is NOT one of the key reasons that so many spacecraft from Earth have visited Venus and Mars? A. they each have a solid surface on which we can trace their geological history B. they resemble the Earth in a number of significant ways C. they are the two planets closest to the Earth 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. their atmospheres are very similar to the Earth in terms of their chemical make-up

E

Which of the following is a way that the planet Mercury is similar to the Moon? A. you can't fool me, Mercury is not similar to the Moon in any way B. the highest temperature on the two worlds is the same C. the time they take to spin once on their axis is the same D. it has a significant atmosphere E. its surface is heavily cratered

E

Which of the following is evidence for volcanic activity on Venus? A. the existence of large volcanic mountains such as Sif Mons B. the fact that the lava plains are only 500 million or so years old C. the pancake domes of Venus D. the discovery of thousands of small volcanic cones of the surface of Venus E. all of these

E