Question 1

What is one way that we humans are currently making the atmosphere of the Earth more like that of Venus?

Accepted Answer

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
Section 10.4: The Geology of Mars 
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
Section 10.4: The Geology of Mars

Question 2

Mars rovers (such as Opportunity and Curiosity) have identified evidence that their landing sites were once under water. Which of the following is among the kinds of evidence they have identified?

Accepted Answer

A)  they found liquid water deposits just under the surface when they dug down a few feet 
B)  they found rock formations that show the area was under water and also minerals that only form in water 
C)  they found warm salt water spurting up in the form of geysers 
D)  they found a lot of water vapor in the martian atmosphere just above their landing sites 
E)  they found buried ropes and buoys from ancient martian swimming holes 
A)  they found liquid water deposits just under the surface when they dug down a few feet 
B)  they found rock formations that show the area was under water and also minerals that only form in water 
C)  they found warm salt water spurting up in the form of geysers 
D)  they found a lot of water vapor in the martian atmosphere just above their landing sites 
E)  they found buried ropes and buoys from ancient martian swimming holes

Question 3

What planet can come closest to the Earth in its orbit and look brightest in our skies?

Accepted Answer

A)  Venus 
B)  Mars 
C)  Mercury 
D)  Jupiter 
E)  none of the above 
A)  Venus 
B)  Mars 
C)  Mercury 
D)  Jupiter 
E)  none of the above

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

A)  optical illusions 
B)  enormous cracks caused by extensive plate tectonics on Mars 
C)  very narrow oceans of water 
D)  huge chains of thousands of large volcanoes 
E)  built by the same race of ancient martian engineers who constructed the "face on Mars" 
A)  optical illusions 
B)  enormous cracks caused by extensive plate tectonics on Mars 
C)  very narrow oceans of water 
D)  huge chains of thousands of large volcanoes 
E)  built by the same race of ancient martian engineers who constructed the "face on Mars"

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Viking 1 
B)  Voyager 1 
C)  Apollo 1 
D)  Mariner 9 
E)  Venera 11 
A)  Viking 1 
B)  Voyager 1 
C)  Apollo 1 
D)  Mariner 9 
E)  Venera 11

Question 6

The process by which Venus became so much hotter than the Earth is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  radioactivity 
B)  ozone depletion 
C)  the runaway greenhouse effect 
D)  tectonic displacement 
E)  the twisted sister effect 
A)  radioactivity 
B)  ozone depletion 
C)  the runaway greenhouse effect 
D)  tectonic displacement 
E)  the twisted sister effect

Question 7

The Viking spacecraft were designed -- in part -- to search for life on Mars. Which of the following statements about the results of these experiments is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Viking discovered a form of life on Mars that does not require water to thrive 
B)  Viking did not discover larger life forms on Mars, but did find some Mars bacteria 
C)  Viking did not discover life on Mars today, but did find a lot of fossils indicating Mars had life in the past 
D)  Viking found that the surface of Mars in the two places it searched did not have any life or even life's building blocks 
E)  Viking did find a whole Martian civilization, but they are hiding it from the news media 
A)  Viking discovered a form of life on Mars that does not require water to thrive 
B)  Viking did not discover larger life forms on Mars, but did find some Mars bacteria 
C)  Viking did not discover life on Mars today, but did find a lot of fossils indicating Mars had life in the past 
D)  Viking found that the surface of Mars in the two places it searched did not have any life or even life's building blocks 
E)  Viking did find a whole Martian civilization, but they are hiding it from the news media

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a way that Venus resembles the Earth?

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 9

Astronomers believe that Mars formed with a much thicker atmosphere than it has today. Where did this atmosphere go?

Accepted Answer

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
NOTE: Section 10.6 is just a short summary, so there are no questions for it. 
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
NOTE: Section 10.6 is just a short summary, so there are no questions for it.

Question 10

Which of the following would NOT be one of the problems faced by an unprotected Earthling stranded on Mars? (Unprotected meaning no space suit.)

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Voyager 
B)  Viking 
C)  Magellan 
D)  Galileo 
E)  Percival & Lowell 
A)  Voyager 
B)  Viking 
C)  Magellan 
D)  Galileo 
E)  Percival & Lowell

Question 12

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?

Accepted Answer

A)  they were made by wind-blown dust during the great Martian dust storms 
B)  they are made by plate tectonics; by plates in the crust separating 
C)  Mars had a thicker atmosphere long ago when the channels formed 
D)  they were formed by volcanic lava from Olympus Mons 
E)  the channels are artificial, made by a race of Martians that died out 
A)  they were made by wind-blown dust during the great Martian dust storms 
B)  they are made by plate tectonics; by plates in the crust separating 
C)  Mars had a thicker atmosphere long ago when the channels formed 
D)  they were formed by volcanic lava from Olympus Mons 
E)  the channels are artificial, made by a race of Martians that died out

Question 13

Which of the following statements about the planet Venus is true?

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 14

The planet that most resembles the Earth in size and internal composition is

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars 
B)  Venus 
C)  Mercury 
D)  Jupiter 
E)  the Moon 
A)  Mars 
B)  Venus 
C)  Mercury 
D)  Jupiter 
E)  the Moon

Question 15

One way in which Mars closely resembles the Earth is:

Accepted Answer

A)  its mass 
B)  the length of its year (period of revolution) 
C)  the length of its day (period of rotation) 
D)  the make-up and thickness of its atmosphere 
E)  the surface gravity (i.e. what we would weigh there) 
A)  its mass 
B)  the length of its year (period of revolution) 
C)  the length of its day (period of rotation) 
D)  the make-up and thickness of its atmosphere 
E)  the surface gravity (i.e. what we would weigh there)

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT one of the key reasons that so many spacecraft from Earth have visited Venus and Mars?

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 17

The spacecraft that sent back the most detailed radar images of Venus and showed us features as small as a football field is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Viking 
B)  Pioneer 
C)  Venera 
D)  Magellan 
E)  Mariner 
A)  Viking 
B)  Pioneer 
C)  Venera 
D)  Magellan 
E)  Mariner

Question 18

The observation that began the 19th and early 20th century fascination with Mars as a place for life was:

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 19

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?

Accepted Answer

A)  spectrograph 
B)  ultraviolet telescope 
C)  imaging radar 
D)  a magnetometer 
E)  a net 
A)  spectrograph 
B)  ultraviolet telescope 
C)  imaging radar 
D)  a magnetometer 
E)  a net

Question 20

Why is it so much easier to determine the length of the day on Mars than on Venus?

Accepted Answer

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
Section 10.2: The Geology of 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
Section 10.2: The Geology of Venus

Exam 10: Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

What is one way that we humans are currently making the atmosphere of the Earth more like that of Venus?

Mars rovers (such as Opportunity and Curiosity) have identified evidence that their landing sites were once under water. Which of the following is among the kinds of evidence they have identified?

What planet can come closest to the Earth in its orbit and look brightest in our skies?

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

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

The process by which Venus became so much hotter than the Earth is called:

The Viking spacecraft were designed -- in part -- to search for life on Mars. Which of the following statements about the results of these experiments is true?

Which of the following is NOT a way that Venus resembles the Earth?

Astronomers believe that Mars formed with a much thicker atmosphere than it has today. Where did this atmosphere go?

Which of the following would NOT be one of the problems faced by an unprotected Earthling stranded on Mars? (Unprotected meaning no space suit.)

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

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?

Which of the following statements about the planet Venus is true?

The planet that most resembles the Earth in size and internal composition is

One way in which Mars closely resembles the Earth is:

Which of the following is NOT one of the key reasons that so many spacecraft from Earth have visited Venus and Mars?

The spacecraft that sent back the most detailed radar images of Venus and showed us features as small as a football field is:

The observation that began the 19th and early 20th century fascination with Mars as a place for life was:

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?

Why is it so much easier to determine the length of the day on Mars than on Venus?

Science and the Universe: a Brief Tour

Observing the Sky: the Birth of Astronomy

Orbits and Gravity

Earth, Moon, and Sky

Radiation and Spectra

Astronomical Instruments

Other Worlds: an Introduction to the Solar System

Earth As a Planet

Cratered Worlds: the Moon and Mercury

The Giant Planets

Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

The Sun: a Garden-Variety Star

The Sun: a Nuclear Powerhouse

Analyzing Starlight

The Stars: a Celestial Census

Celestial Distances

Between the Stars

The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets Outside the Solar System

Stars From Adolescence to Old Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes and Curved Space-Time

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

The Big Bang

Life in the Universe

Filters