8-Science-The Solar System Chapter Test

The dwarf planet right next to Pluto is called ___. A) Charon. B) Ceres. C) Eris. D) Io

A) Charon

The closest moon to Jupiter, ___, is volcanically active. A) Io. B) Callisto. C) Ganymede. D) Europa.

A) Io

Scientists theorize that the asteroid belt did not form planet because ___. A) Jupiter's gravity kept it from forming. B) some of the particles were to large. C) it was too rocky. D) some of the particles moved too slowly

A) Jupiter's gravity kept it from forming

The largest known volcano in the solar system is an extinct volcano known as Olympus Mons found on the planet ___. A) Mars. B) Jupiter. C) Mercury. D) Venus

A) Mars

Its ___ makes Sirius the brightest star in the night sky. A) apparent magnitude. B) Uranus's magnitude. C) temperature. D) absolute magnitude.

A) apparent magnitude

A cloud of gases around the solid portion of a comet is known as the ___. A) coma. B) core. C) heart. D) nucleus

A) coma

A large group of stars, gas, and dust held together by gravity is a ___. A) galaxy. B) constellation. C) Local Group. D) elliptical galaxy

A) galaxy

Our sun is all of the following except ___. A) part of a binary system. B) a main sequence star. C) a yellow star. D) of average absolute magnitude.

A) part of a binary system

Dark, cooler areas on the Sun's surface are called ___. A) sunspots. B) solar flares. C) coronas. D) prominences.

A) sunspots

The positions of the constellations appear to change throughout the year because ___. A) Earth rotates on its axis. B) Earth revolves around the Sun. C) the constellations revolve around Earth. D) the Sun revolves around the galaxy.

B) Earth revolves around the Sun

___ is the largest dwarf planet and the largest object in the Kuiper Belt. A) Ceres. B) Eris. C) Pluto. D) Charon.

B) Eris

___ is the largest moon in the solar system. A) Callisto. B) Ganymede. C) Earth's moon. D) Io

B) Ganymede

Two of the inner planets are ___. A) Mars and Jupiter. B) Mercury and Mars. C) Earth and Saturn. D) Uranus and Neptune

B) Mercury and Mars

___'s axis of rotation is nearly parallel to its plane of orbit. A) Mars. B) Uranus. C) Mercury. D) Earth

B) Uranus

Methane gives ___ their blue-green color. A) Mars and Earth. B) Uranus and Neptune. C) Saturn and Jupiter. D) Neptune and Venus

B) Uranus and Neptune

A planet that is very hot and has sulfuric acid in its clouds is ___. A) Mars. B) Venus. C) Mercury. D) Earth

B) Venus

The Sun produces energy by fusing hydrogen into ___ in its core. A) carbon. B) helium. C) iron. D) oxygen

B) helium

All of the following are true of the Milky Way except that it ___. A) is a spiral galaxy. B) has more than 800 billion stars. C) is a member of the Local Group. D) is about 100,000 light years across.

B) it has more than 800 billion stars

When small pieces of rock moving through space enter Earth's atmosphere and completely burn up, they are called ___. A) comets. B) meteors. C) meteorites. D) asteroids

B) meteors

The coolest stars in the sky are ___ in color. A) yellow. B) red. C) blue. D) green

B) red

The Big Bang Theory of the formation and expansion of the universe is supported by the observed ___. A) blue-violet shift in light beyond the Local Group. B) red shift in light beyond the Local Group. C) gravity of matter. D) shorter light wavelengths.

B) red shift in light beyond Local Group

The Great Red Spot, a continuous storm, is located on the planet ___. A) Saturn. B) Uranus. C) Jupiter. D) Neptune

C) Jupiter

Most asteriods are located in an area between the orbits of ___. A) Earth and Mars. B) Jupiter and Saturn. C) Mars and Jupiter. D) Mercury and Venus

C) Mars and Jupiter

The smallest planet and the one closest to the Sun is ___. A) Mars. B) Venus. C) Mercury. D) Jupiter.

C) Mercury

A large collection of comets that lie in a cloud that completely surrounds the solar system is called the ____. A) Great Red Spot. B) Asteriod Belt. C) Oort Cloud. D) Kuiper Belt

C) Oort Cloud

The largest of ___'s moons, Titan, is larger than the planet Mercury. A) Neptune. B) Uranus. C) Saturn. D) Jupiter.

C) Saturn

The planet with the lowest density and hundreds of thin rings is ___. A) Jupiter. B) Uranus. C) Saturn. D) Neptune

C) Saturn

A ___ is an object so dense than nothing can escape its gravity field. A) supernova. B) neutron star. C) black hole. D) supergiant.

C) black hole

The hottest stars in space are ___ in color. A) yellow. B) red. C) blue. D) green.

C) blue

A galaxy that has a shape similar to a football is a ___ galaxy. A) normal spiral. B) barred spiral. C) elliptical. D) irregular.

C) elliptical

Johannes Kepler discovered that the orbits of planets are ___. A) parabolic. B) circular. C) elliptical. D) spherical

C) elliptical

About 90% of all stars are ___ stars. A) nebula. B) giant. C) main sequence. D) white dwarf.

C) main sequence

___ are small pieces of rock moving through space. A) comets B) meteors. C) meteoroids. D) meteorites

C) meteoroids

The planet that averages 150 million km, or 1 AU from the Sun is___. A) Mars. B) Jupiter. C) Mercury. D) Earth

D) Earth

A planet that appears reddish-yellow due to iron oxide in its rocks is ___. A) Mercury. B) Jupiter. C) Uranus. D) Mars

D) Mars

Two planets with similar mass and size are ___. A) Mercury and Jupiter. B) Saturn and Uranus. C) Earth and Pluto. D) Venus and Earth.

D) Venus and Earth

Although it has a greater ___ than Sirius, Rigel does not look as bright in the night sky. A) apparent magniude. B) parallax. C) distance from Earth. D) absolue magnitude

D) absolute magnitude

A main sequence star becomes a ___ after it uses up the hydrogen in its core. A) nebula. B) supernova. C) black hole. D) giant

D) giant

Pieces of rock that actually stike Earth's surface are called ___. A) meteoroids. B) comets. C) meteors. D) meteorites.

D) meteorites

The solid portion of a comet is called the ___. A) coma. B) core. C) heart. D) nucleus.

D) nucleus

The distances to nearby stars can by measured by using ___. A) absolute magnitude. B) temperature. C) apparent magnitude. D) parallax

D) parallax

The intense magnetic field associated with sunspots may cause huge arching columns of gas called ____. A) solar flares. B) coronas. C) photospheres. D) prominences.

D) prominences