Question 1

Olympus Mons is _ .

Accepted Answer

A) a huge volcano on Venus 
B) a huge volcano on Mars 
C) a great canyon on Mars 
D) a large lava plain on the Moon 
A) a huge volcano on Venus 
B) a huge volcano on Mars 
C) a great canyon on Mars 
D) a large lava plain on the Moon

Question 2

Why does increasing the amount a greenhouse gas increase the temperature of a planet?

Accepted Answer

A) Greenhouse gases emit visible light. 
B) Greenhouse gases absorb infrared light. 
C) Greenhouse gases emit infrared light. 
D) Greenhouse gases absorb visible light. 
A) Greenhouse gases emit visible light. 
B) Greenhouse gases absorb infrared light. 
C) Greenhouse gases emit infrared light. 
D) Greenhouse gases absorb visible light.

Question 3

Today, Mars has virtually no magnetic field.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

All of the statements below are true. Which one gives the primary reason why the surface of Venus today is some 450°C hotter than the surface of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Venus is only about 73% as far from the Sun as Earth. 
B) Venus has a much higher reflectivity than Earth. 
C) Venus has a higher atmospheric pressure than Earth. 
D) Venus has a much stronger greenhouse effect than Earth. 
A) Venus is only about 73% as far from the Sun as Earth. 
B) Venus has a much higher reflectivity than Earth. 
C) Venus has a higher atmospheric pressure than Earth. 
D) Venus has a much stronger greenhouse effect than Earth.

Question 5

Briefly describe how the greenhouse effect makes a planetary surface warmer than it would be otherwise.

Accepted Answer

Sunlight that is not absorbed by the atm

Question 6

Why does Earth have so little carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, when Earth should have outgassed about as much of it as Venus?

Accepted Answer

The answer to this question is that Eart

Question 7

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the internal structure of a planet?

Accepted Answer

A) its size 
B) its mass 
C) its magnetic field 
D) its composition 
A) its size 
B) its mass 
C) its magnetic field 
D) its composition

Question 8

Which of the following is the underlying reason why Venus has so little wind erosion?

Accepted Answer

A) its thick atmosphere 
B) its slow rotation 
C) its relatively close distance to the Sun 
D) its small size 
A) its thick atmosphere 
B) its slow rotation 
C) its relatively close distance to the Sun 
D) its small size

Question 9

Erosion is the most important geological process on Venus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

In the context of planetary geology, what do we mean by outgassing?

Accepted Answer

A) the release by volcanism of gases that had been trapped in a planetary interior 
B) the loss of atmospheric gas to outer space 
C) the evaporation of water that adds water vapor (a gas)to an atmosphere 
D) another name for a volcanic eruption 
A) the release by volcanism of gases that had been trapped in a planetary interior 
B) the loss of atmospheric gas to outer space 
C) the evaporation of water that adds water vapor (a gas)to an atmosphere 
D) another name for a volcanic eruption

Question 11

The terrestrial planet cores contain mostly metal because

Accepted Answer

A) metals sank to the center during a time when the interiors were molten throughout. 
B) metals condensed first in the solar nebula and the rocks then accreted around them. 
C) the entire planets are made mostly of metal. 
D) convection carried the metals to the core. 
E) radioactivity created metals in the core from the decay of uranium. 
A) metals sank to the center during a time when the interiors were molten throughout. 
B) metals condensed first in the solar nebula and the rocks then accreted around them. 
C) the entire planets are made mostly of metal. 
D) convection carried the metals to the core. 
E) radioactivity created metals in the core from the decay of uranium.

Question 12

How large is an impact crater compared to the size of the impactor?

Accepted Answer

A) 1,000 times larger 
B) 10- 20 percent larger 
C) the same size 
D) 100 times larger 
E) 10 times larger 
A) 1,000 times larger 
B) 10- 20 percent larger 
C) the same size 
D) 100 times larger 
E) 10 times larger

Question 13

Which in its gaseous form is not a greenhouse gas?

Accepted Answer

A) methane 
B) molecular nitrogen 
C) water 
D) carbon dioxide 
A) methane 
B) molecular nitrogen 
C) water 
D) carbon dioxide

Question 14

Briefly describe how the solar wind affects magnetospheres and how auroras are produced.

Accepted Answer

Some particles from the solar wind get c

Question 15

The process in which one plate slides under another is called subduction and occurs where seafloor crust descends into the mantle below continental crust.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

What drives the motion of the continental plates on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) lava flows in trenches along the sea floor 
B) convection cells in the mantle 
C) rotation of the liquid core 
D) tidal forces 
E) Earth's magnetic field 
A) lava flows in trenches along the sea floor 
B) convection cells in the mantle 
C) rotation of the liquid core 
D) tidal forces 
E) Earth's magnetic field

Question 17

Many scientists suspect that Venus has a stronger and thicker lithosphere than Earth. If this is true, which of the following could explain it?

Accepted Answer

A) the apparent lack of plate tectonics on Venus 
B) the high surface temperature that has "baked out" all the liquid water from Venus's crust and mantle 
C) the slow rotation of Venus 
D) the smaller size of Venus, which has allowed it to lose much more internal heat than Earth 
A) the apparent lack of plate tectonics on Venus 
B) the high surface temperature that has "baked out" all the liquid water from Venus's crust and mantle 
C) the slow rotation of Venus 
D) the smaller size of Venus, which has allowed it to lose much more internal heat than Earth

Question 18

Winter and summer differ in length on Mars because of its elliptical orbit.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

There are no auroras on Venus because it

Accepted Answer

A) is too hot. 
B) lacks a strong magnetic field. 
C) lacks strong winds. 
D) lacks atmospheric oxygen. 
A) is too hot. 
B) lacks a strong magnetic field. 
C) lacks strong winds. 
D) lacks atmospheric oxygen.

Question 20

All the following statements about Venus are true. Which one offers evidence of a global repaving about a billion years ago?

Accepted Answer

A) Venus's largest features are three elevated regions that look somewhat like continents. 
B) Venus has many circular features, called coronae, which appear to be tectonic in origin. 
C) Venus appears to lack any water that could lubricate the flow of rock in its crust and mantle. 
D) Venus has relatively few impact craters and these craters are distributed fairly evenly over the entire planet. 
A) Venus's largest features are three elevated regions that look somewhat like continents. 
B) Venus has many circular features, called coronae, which appear to be tectonic in origin. 
C) Venus appears to lack any water that could lubricate the flow of rock in its crust and mantle. 
D) Venus has relatively few impact craters and these craters are distributed fairly evenly over the entire planet.

Olympus Mons is _ .

Why does increasing the amount a greenhouse gas increase the temperature of a planet?

Today, Mars has virtually no magnetic field.

All of the statements below are true. Which one gives the primary reason why the surface of Venus today is some 450°C hotter than the surface of Earth?

Briefly describe how the greenhouse effect makes a planetary surface warmer than it would be otherwise.

Why does Earth have so little carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, when Earth should have outgassed about as much of it as Venus?

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the internal structure of a planet?

Which of the following is the underlying reason why Venus has so little wind erosion?

Erosion is the most important geological process on Venus.

In the context of planetary geology, what do we mean by outgassing?

The terrestrial planet cores contain mostly metal because

How large is an impact crater compared to the size of the impactor?

Which in its gaseous form is not a greenhouse gas?

Briefly describe how the solar wind affects magnetospheres and how auroras are produced.

The process in which one plate slides under another is called subduction and occurs where seafloor crust descends into the mantle below continental crust.

What drives the motion of the continental plates on Earth?

Many scientists suspect that Venus has a stronger and thicker lithosphere than Earth. If this is true, which of the following could explain it?

Winter and summer differ in length on Mars because of its elliptical orbit.

There are no auroras on Venus because it

All the following statements about Venus are true. Which one offers evidence of a global repaving about a billion years ago?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

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Exam 7: Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Olympus Mons is _ .

Why does increasing the amount a greenhouse gas increase the temperature of a planet?

Today, Mars has virtually no magnetic field.

All of the statements below are true. Which one gives the primary reason why the surface of Venus today is some 450°C hotter than the surface of Earth?

Briefly describe how the greenhouse effect makes a planetary surface warmer than it would be otherwise.

Why does Earth have so little carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, when Earth should have outgassed about as much of it as Venus?

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the internal structure of a planet?

Which of the following is the underlying reason why Venus has so little wind erosion?

Erosion is the most important geological process on Venus.

In the context of planetary geology, what do we mean by outgassing?

The terrestrial planet cores contain mostly metal because

How large is an impact crater compared to the size of the impactor?

Which in its gaseous form is not a greenhouse gas?

Briefly describe how the solar wind affects magnetospheres and how auroras are produced.

The process in which one plate slides under another is called subduction and occurs where seafloor crust descends into the mantle below continental crust.

What drives the motion of the continental plates on Earth?

Many scientists suspect that Venus has a stronger and thicker lithosphere than Earth. If this is true, which of the following could explain it?

Winter and summer differ in length on Mars because of its elliptical orbit.

There are no auroras on Venus because it

All the following statements about Venus are true. Which one offers evidence of a global repaving about a billion years ago?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Filters