Term
1 The Moon rotates on its axis relative to the distant stars
a. once every sideareal day.
b. not at all.
c. once a year.
d. once every sideareal month. |
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Definition
| d. once every sideareal month |
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Term
2 The number of moons of Mars is
a. 2.
b. 0.
c. 1.
d. at least 62.
e. 4. |
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Definition
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Term
According to our current (very tentative) estimates, a spaceship travelling from our Sun to one of the nearest stars such as Alpha Centauri A would probably be traveling through the Oort cloud of our Sun and that of Alpha Centauri A for a distance that is
a. the whole trip.
b. half of the whole trip.
c. less than one tenth of the whole trip. |
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Definition
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Term
Which of these planets has a solar day that is very close to an Earth day in length?
a. Venus
b. Jupiter
c. Saturn
d. Mercury
e. Mars |
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Definition
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Term
5 Which of the following temperatures would be most likely at noon on the hottest day of the year in the warmest
part of Mars?
a. -200F.
b. -150F.
c. 50F.
d. 100F. |
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Definition
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Term
Which of these planets has a rotation axis that is almost in the plane of its orbit so that its ring system can sometimes be seen as near-circles.
a. Uranus
b. Jupiter
c. Saturn
d. Neptune |
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Definition
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Term
Which of the following spacecraft is the only one to have flown past Neptune?
a. Cassini-Huygens
b. Voyager 1
c. Galileo
d. Voyager 2
e. Pioneer 11 |
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Definition
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Term
Comets that originate in the Outer Oort Cloud have orbits that are
a. mostly close to the plane of the solar system.
b. mostly perpendicular to the plane of the solar system.
c. at all angles to the plane of the solar system. |
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Definition
| c. at all angles to the plame of the solar system |
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Term
Which of the following planets or moons has an atmosphere consisting mainly of Hydrogen and Helium?
a. Saturn
b. Venus
c. Titan
d. Uranus |
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Definition
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Term
10 The Inner Oort Cloud is located
a. between the outer edge of the Kuiper Belt and the orbit of Pluto
b. between the orbit of Neptune and the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt.
c. in the same general area as Pluto.
d. beyond the Kuiper Belt |
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Definition
| d. beyond the kuiper belt |
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Term
Liquid water tends to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of a planet by
a. displacing it upward until it escapes from the planetís gravity.
b. dissolving it.
c. splitting the carbon from the oxygen.
d. forming an acid which reacts with calcium in rocks. |
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Definition
| d. forming an acid which reacts with calcium in rocks |
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Term
The number of near-Earth asteroids is large because they
a. are left over from the formation of our Moon.
b. are kicked out of the asteroid belt by Jupiter's gravity.
c. are in stable orbits and have nowhere else to go.
d. are the remains of a destroyed planet near the Earth. |
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Definition
| b. are kicked out of the asteroid belt by jupiters grav |
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Term
The Kuiper Belt is the origin of
a. the moons of Mars.
b. the moons of Jupiter.
c. long period comets.
d. earth-crossing asteroids.
e. short period comets. |
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Definition
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Term
According to the current definition of a planet, Pluto is not regarded as a planet because
a. it is too small.
b. it has not cleared its neighborhood of other orbiting objects.
c. it has an orbit that is steeply inclined to the orbits of the rest of the planets. |
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Definition
| b. it has not cleared its neighborhood of other orbiting objects |
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Term
Jupiter failed to become a star because
a. The Sun's gravity prevented it from growing.
b. The Sun's lunal collapse blew all the gas away.
c. It was made from the wrong material.
d. When Jupiter ignited, the Sun blew it out.
e. It was too far from the Sun. |
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Definition
| b. the suns lunal collapse blew all the gas away |
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Term
Space probes often visit several planets before getting to their lunal destinations. The main reason they do this is to
a. take on fuel.
b. reduce the amount of rocket fuel needed.
c. recharge their batteries.
d. arrive at the destination at the right time.
e. see more planets in a single trip. |
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Definition
| b. reduce the amount of rocket fuel needed |
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Term
Which of the following objects has a magnetic field whose origin is not explained by any currently accepted model?
a. Uranus
b. Jupiter
c. Saturn
d. Mercury
e. Venus |
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Definition
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Term
The layer of the atmosphere where one would find hurricanes is the
a. Troposphere.
b. Ozone Layer.
c. Ionosphere.
d. Stratosphere.
e. Mesosphere. |
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Definition
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Term
In the original Solar Nebula, ob jects that condensed far from the protoSun tended to include large amounts of frozen gas and water ice because, in that part of the nebula
a. there was a great deal of gas and water.
b. there was little rock and iron.
c. it was too hot for rock and iron to condense.
d. it was cold enough for gases and water to condense. |
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Definition
| d. it was cold enough for gases and water to condense |
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Term
Jupiter has
a. an atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium with no real surface.
b. an atmosphere of carbon dioxide with about 1% the surface pressure of Earthís.
c. almost no atmosphere.
d. an atmosphere of carbon dioxide with about 90 times the surface pressure of Earthís.
e. an atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium with some methane. |
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Definition
| a. an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium with no real surface |
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Term
Which of the following objects has a magnetic field whose North and South poles are almost exactly in line with its rotation axis?
a. Uranus
b. Jupiter
c. Saturn
d. Venus
e. Neptune |
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Definition
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Term
Which of the following ob jects is the largest moon of Saturn?
a. Titania
b. Triton
c. Titan
d. Callisto
e. Ganymede |
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Definition
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Term
The number of protostars that can be seen right now is
a. large because they are much brighter than ordinary stars.
b. small because they are not very bright.
c. small because they do not last very long before they turn into stars.
d. large because they last a long time. |
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Definition
| a. large because they are much brighter than ordinary stars. |
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Term
During a meteor shower, shooting stars seem to be coming from
a. the celestial north pole.
b. all parts of the sky.
c. the equant.
d. the radiant.
e. the celestial equator. |
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Definition
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Term
As seen from far above the Earth's North Pole,
a. only Uranus orbits the Sun counterclockwise.
b. only Uranus orbits the Sun clockwise.
c. no planet orbits the Sun clockwise.
d. no planet orbits the Sun counterclockwise. |
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Definition
| c. no planet orbits the sun clockwise |
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Term
Underneath a place where the sea floor is spreading, one expects there to be
a. a rising convection current in the Earth's mantle.
b. a bubble in the Earthís mantle.
c. a horizontal current in the Earthís mantle.
d. a magnetic domain in the Earthís core.
e. a descending convection current in the Earthís mantle. |
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Definition
| a. a rising convection current in the earths mantle |
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Term
Which of the following objects has a magnetic field whose North and South poles are displaced from its rotation axis poles and also from the center of the planet?
a. Venus
b. Neptune
c. Jupiter
d. Mercury
e. Saturn |
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Definition
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Term
The current effort to defend the Earth against space impacts consists of
a. finding most asteroids that are capable of global effects.
b. re-directing Star-Wars anti-missile weapons.
c. finding places to hide.
d.finding most near-Earth asteroids.
e. building a space-patrol fleet of asteroid-killers. |
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Definition
| a. finding most asteroids that are capable of global effects |
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Term
Stars usually come in clusters, all born at about the same time, because
a. supergiant stars often explode into pieces.
b. that is statistically the most probable situation.
c. the formation of one star triggers others.
d. collapsing interstellar clouds usually fragment. |
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Definition
| d. collapsing interstellar clouds usually fragment |
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Term
The first successful soft landing on the Moon was Surveyor 1 in
a. 1972.
b. 1974.
c. 1966.
d. 1958.
e. 1969. |
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Definition
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Term
The possibility that increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air will raise the average temperature of the Earth is referred to as the
a. creation of the ionosphere.
b. destruction of the ozone layer.
c. Stark Effect.
d. Greenhouse Effect.
e. creation of smog. |
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Definition
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Term
The magnetic field of Earth's Moon is
a. about 1% of the Earthís magnetic field.
b. about 100 times the intensity of the Earth's magnetic field.
c. about 10 times the intensity of the Earthís magnetic field.
d. Similar in intensity to the Earthís magnetic field.
e. essentially zero. |
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Definition
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Term
Which of the following planets has a system of rings that consists of dark rocks that are difficult to see?
a. Mars
b. Jupiter
c. Saturn |
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Definition
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Term
The second space probe to reach the planet Mercury was
a. Pioneer 10.
b. MESSENGER.
c. Mariner 4.
d. Pioneer 11.
e. Mariner 10. |
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Definition
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Term
Of the following methods for eliminating an asteroid threat, which one would be affected least by the unknown composition and condition of the asteroid?
a. Use the gravitational attraction of a massive spacecraft to pull the asteroid off course.
b. Deflect or shatter the asteroid by crashing a missile into it.
c. Deflect or shatter the asteroid with a nuclear explosion.
d. Land on the asteroid and attach a rocket to it. |
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Definition
| a. Use the gravitational attraction of a massive spacecraft to pull the asteroid off course. |
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Term
Icy objects were ejected inward from the neighborhood of the Jovian planets to form
a. the Moons of the Jovian planets.
b. the Kuiper belt.
c. the Oort Cloud.
d. the asteroid belt.
e. the oceans and atmosphere of Earth. |
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Definition
| e. the oceans and atmosphere of Earth. |
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Term
The statement that lunar material is much dryer than Earth material refers to the absence of
a. ice.
b. liquid water.
c. mud.
d. hydrated minerals. |
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Definition
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Term
Which of the following planets has no moons at all?
a. Mars
b. Mercury
c. Neptune
d. Earth
e. Jupiter |
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Definition
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Term
A large asteroid impact can affect the Earth's climate primarily by
a. heating the air with the heat of impact.
b. poisoning the air with its fumes.
c. producing strong winds from its passage.
d. blocking the sunlight with its smoke and dust. |
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Definition
| d. blocking the sunlight with its smoke and dust |
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Term
Which of the following spacecraft were the first to fly past Jupiter?
a. Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11
b. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2
c. Viking 1 and Viking 2
d. Mariner 9 and Mariner 10 |
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Definition
| a. Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 |
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Term
Which of the following temperatures is closest to what you might expect on the planet Uranus?
a. -250 F
b. 100 F
c. -350 F
d. -150 F
e. 50 F |
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Definition
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Term
Europe and North America are
a. on plates that are moving past each other.
b. each on a different plate and moving toward each other.
c. atop a single plate and moving in unison.
d. each on a different plate and moving away from each other. |
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Definition
| d. each on a different plate and moving away from each other |
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Term
The first space probe to place a robotic rover on the surface of Mars was
a. Pathfinder.
b. Surveyor 1.
c. Mariner 9.
d. Spirit and Opportunity.
e. Viking 1. |
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Definition
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Term
The Earth's magnetic field plays an essential role in
a. protecting the Earth from ultraviolet light from the Sun.
b. keeping the Moon in orbit.
c. maintaining the Earthís rotation.
d. protecting the Earth from charged particles from the Sun.
e. the manufacture of refrigerator magnets. |
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Definition
| d. protecting the earth from charged particles from the sun |
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Term
The layer of the Earth's interior that consists of dense, semiliquid material is the
a. outer core.
b. mesosphere.
c. inner core.
d. crust.
e. mantle. |
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Definition
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Term
At present (within the last few hundred years), the distance from the Earth to the Sun
a. changes a little, but not enough to a§ect the intensity of sunlight.
b. changes enough to make the intensity of sunlight vary by 40 percent.
c. changes enough to make the intensity of sunlight vary by 6 percent.
d. never changes. |
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Definition
| c. changes enough to make the intensity of sunlight vary by 6 percent |
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Term
In the Earth's atmosphere, the amount of carbon dioxide is
a. much less than the typical amount of water.
b. about the same as the typical amount of water.
c. much more than the typical amount of water. |
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Definition
| a. much less than the typical amount of water. |
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Term
In a region of the atmosphere in which the temperature falls with increasing altitude
a. you expect rapid changes.
b. you expect no changes. |
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Definition
| a. you expect rapid changes |
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Term
The layer of the atmosphere that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun is the
a. Troposphere.
b. Mesosphere.
c. Ionosphere.
d. Ozone Layer.
e. Stratosphere. |
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Definition
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Term
An asteroid whose impact generates an explosion similar to that of a typical nuclear weapon probably has a diameter of about
a. 1 meter.
b. 100,000 meters or larger.
c. 50 meters.
d. 1000 to 10,000 meters. |
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Definition
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Term
Mars retains a carbon dioxide atmosphere because
a. there is no life there.
b. there is no liquid water there.
c. the pressure is very close to the triple point of water.
d. it has plate tectonic activity like Earth. |
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Definition
| c. the pressure is very close to the triple point of water. |
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Term
hich of these is a distinctive feature of the Earth's atmosphere?
a. the presence of carbon dioxide
b. temperature and pressure permit all three forms of water.
c. the presence of water vapor.
d. the presence of nitrogen.
e. temperature and pressure permit all three forms of methane. |
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Definition
| b. the temperature and pressure permit all three forms of water |
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Term
The asteroid 2007 VK184 has one chance in 2940 of hitting the Earth between the years 2048 and 2057. The asteroid is 130 meters in diameter or about half the size of Apophis. Assuming that an impact could cause the death of 1,000,000 people the average death rate for this type of event is closest to
a. 10 people per event.
b. 250 people per event.
c. 350 people per event.
d. 100 people per event. |
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Definition
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Term
The Lunar Maria are actually
a. ancient lava flows.
b. oceans of water.
c. ancient dust storms.
d. oceans of carbon disulfide.
e. the original lunar surface. |
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Definition
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Term
The first spacecraft to go into orbit around Saturn was
a. Cassini-Huygens
b. Pioneer 11
c. Mariner 9
d. Galileo
e. Ulysses |
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Definition
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Term
After a comet's closest approach to the Sun, its tail points
a. out of the plane of its orbit around the Sun.
b. in all directions at once.
c. nowhere.
d. behind its direction of motion.
e. ahead of its direction of motion. |
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Definition
| e. ahead of its direction of motion |
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Term
Seismic waves are used to determine the Earth's
a. mass.
b. rotation rate.
c. size.
d. interior structure. |
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Definition
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Term
Mercury has
a. an atmosphere of carbon dioxide with about 90 times the surface pressure of Earth's.
b. an atmosphere of carbon dioxide with about 1% the surface pressure of Earthís.
c. an atmosphere whose temperature and pressure permit all three forms of methane.
d. an atmosphere whose temperature and pressure permit all three forms of water.
e. almost no atmosphere. |
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Definition
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Term
Relative to the distant stars, Venus
a. completes just one full rotation each time it orbits the Sun.
b. completes less than one full rotation each time it orbits the Sun.
c. completes 2 rotations each time it orbits the Sun.
d. does not rotate at all.
e. completes 1.5 rotations each time it orbits the Sun. |
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Definition
| b. completes less than one full rotation each time it orbits the sun |
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Term
Which of the following objects is the largest moon of Jupiter?
a. Callisto
b. Triton
c. Ganymede
d. Titan
e. Titania |
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Definition
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