Question 1

The following statements are all true. Which one counts as an "exception to the rule" in being unusual for our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) Venus does not have a moon. 
B) Jupiter has a very small axis tilt. 
C) Saturn has no solid surface. 
D) The diameter of Earth's Moon is about 1/4 that of Earth. 
A) Venus does not have a moon. 
B) Jupiter has a very small axis tilt. 
C) Saturn has no solid surface. 
D) The diameter of Earth's Moon is about 1/4 that of Earth.

Question 2

Which planet, other than Earth, has visible water ice on it?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

Which planet has the highest average surface temperature, and why?

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury, because of its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere 
B) Jupiter, because it is so big 
C) Mars, because of its red color 
D) Mercury, because it is closest to the Sun 
E) Venus, because of its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere 
A) Mercury, because of its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere 
B) Jupiter, because it is so big 
C) Mars, because of its red color 
D) Mercury, because it is closest to the Sun 
E) Venus, because of its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere

Question 4

Which planet listed below has the most extreme seasons?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter 
B) Earth 
C) Mars 
D) Uranus 
A) Jupiter 
B) Earth 
C) Mars 
D) Uranus

Question 5

How would the solar system be different today if the entire planet forming disk had been warmer than 300K? Why?

Accepted Answer

There would likely be fewer, or even no,

Question 6

The jovian planets in our solar system are .

Accepted Answer

A) Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto 
B) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune 
C) Pluto and Eris 
D) Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars 
A) Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto 
B) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune 
C) Pluto and Eris 
D) Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

Question 7

Which of the following is not a major pattern of motion in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) Most of the solar system's large moons orbit in their planet's equatorial plane. 
B) The Sun and most of the planets rotate in the same direction in which the planets orbit the Sun. 
C) All of the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction-counterclockwise as viewed from above Earth's north pole. 
D) Nearly all comets orbit the Sun in same direction and roughly the same plane. 
A) Most of the solar system's large moons orbit in their planet's equatorial plane. 
B) The Sun and most of the planets rotate in the same direction in which the planets orbit the Sun. 
C) All of the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction-counterclockwise as viewed from above Earth's north pole. 
D) Nearly all comets orbit the Sun in same direction and roughly the same plane.

Question 8

Which planet has a ring system?

Accepted Answer

A) Neptune 
B) Jupiter 
C) Uranus 
D) Saturn 
E) All of the above 
A) Neptune 
B) Jupiter 
C) Uranus 
D) Saturn 
E) All of the above

Question 9

Within about 4 AU, all planets are rocky.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Based on our current theory of Earth's formation, the water we drink comes from

Accepted Answer

A) chemical reactions that occurred in Earth's crust after Earth formed. 
B) chemical reactions that occurred in Earth's core after Earth formed. 
C) material left behind during the giant impact that formed the Moon. 
D) ice that condensed in the solar nebula in the region where Earth formed. 
E) comets that impacted Earth. 
A) chemical reactions that occurred in Earth's crust after Earth formed. 
B) chemical reactions that occurred in Earth's core after Earth formed. 
C) material left behind during the giant impact that formed the Moon. 
D) ice that condensed in the solar nebula in the region where Earth formed. 
E) comets that impacted Earth.

Question 11

Which planet could an astronaut visit without the need for a spacesuit (and survive)?

Accepted Answer

A) the Moon 
B) Mars 
C) Mercury 
D) Venus 
E) None; an astronaut would need a spacesuit to survive a visit to any other planet in the solar system. 
A) the Moon 
B) Mars 
C) Mercury 
D) Venus 
E) None; an astronaut would need a spacesuit to survive a visit to any other planet in the solar system.

Question 12

According to our theory of solar system formation, which law best explains why the central regions of the solar nebula got hotter as the nebula shrank in size?

Accepted Answer

A) the law of conservation of angular momentum 
B) the law of conservation of energy 
C) Newton's third law 
D) the two laws of thermal radiation 
A) the law of conservation of angular momentum 
B) the law of conservation of energy 
C) Newton's third law 
D) the two laws of thermal radiation

Question 13

All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction (counterclockwise as viewed from above Earth's North Pole).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The Cassini mission to Saturn consists of .

Accepted Answer

A) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended to the surface of Titan 
B) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended into Saturn's atmosphere 
C) a large spacecraft that flew by Saturn on its way to other planets 
D) a spacecraft that orbits Saturn and a sample return mission that landed on Titan, scooped up a surface sample, and will return it to Earth 
A) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended to the surface of Titan 
B) an orbiter that orbits Saturn and a probe that descended into Saturn's atmosphere 
C) a large spacecraft that flew by Saturn on its way to other planets 
D) a spacecraft that orbits Saturn and a sample return mission that landed on Titan, scooped up a surface sample, and will return it to Earth

Question 15

What is the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A) The Moon formed when two gigantic asteroids collided with one another. 
B) The Moon formed just like the Earth, from accretion in the solar nebula. 
C) The Moon originally was about the same size as Earth, but a giant impact blasted most of it away so that it ended up much smaller than Earth. 
D) The Moon formed from material blasted out of the Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars- size object. 
A) The Moon formed when two gigantic asteroids collided with one another. 
B) The Moon formed just like the Earth, from accretion in the solar nebula. 
C) The Moon originally was about the same size as Earth, but a giant impact blasted most of it away so that it ended up much smaller than Earth. 
D) The Moon formed from material blasted out of the Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars- size object.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the accelerations and gravitational forces between a planet and a star is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Forces are equal and opposite; the planet is accelerated more than the star. 
B) Forces are equal and opposite; the star is accelerated more than the planet. 
C) Acceleration is equal and opposite; the planet feels more force more than the star. 
D) Acceleration is equal and opposite; the star feels more force more than the planet. 
E) Accelerations and forces are both equal and opposite. 
A) Forces are equal and opposite; the planet is accelerated more than the star. 
B) Forces are equal and opposite; the star is accelerated more than the planet. 
C) Acceleration is equal and opposite; the planet feels more force more than the star. 
D) Acceleration is equal and opposite; the star feels more force more than the planet. 
E) Accelerations and forces are both equal and opposite.

Question 17

Oceans cover more of Earth's surface than land.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Pluto is the largest solar system object beyond the orbit of Neptune

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Suppose the entire solar nebula had cooled to a very low temperature before the solar wind cleared it away. Do you think Earth would be the same? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Ices would have condensed in the inner s

Question 20

What is the primary basis upon which we divide the ingredients of the solar nebula into four categories (hydrogen/helium; hydrogen compound; rock; metal)?

Accepted Answer

A) the amounts of energy required to ionize various materials 
B) the temperatures at which various materials will condense from gaseous form to solid form 
C) the atomic mass numbers of various materials 
D) the locations of various materials in the solar nebula 
A) the amounts of energy required to ionize various materials 
B) the temperatures at which various materials will condense from gaseous form to solid form 
C) the atomic mass numbers of various materials 
D) the locations of various materials in the solar nebula

The following statements are all true. Which one counts as an "exception to the rule" in being unusual for our solar system?

Which planet, other than Earth, has visible water ice on it?

Which planet has the highest average surface temperature, and why?

Which planet listed below has the most extreme seasons?

How would the solar system be different today if the entire planet forming disk had been warmer than 300K? Why?

The jovian planets in our solar system are .

Which of the following is not a major pattern of motion in the solar system?

Which planet has a ring system?

Within about 4 AU, all planets are rocky.

Based on our current theory of Earth's formation, the water we drink comes from

Which planet could an astronaut visit without the need for a spacesuit (and survive)?

According to our theory of solar system formation, which law best explains why the central regions of the solar nebula got hotter as the nebula shrank in size?

All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction (counterclockwise as viewed from above Earth's North Pole).

The Cassini mission to Saturn consists of .

What is the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon?

Which of the following statements about the accelerations and gravitational forces between a planet and a star is true?

Oceans cover more of Earth's surface than land.

Pluto is the largest solar system object beyond the orbit of Neptune

Suppose the entire solar nebula had cooled to a very low temperature before the solar wind cleared it away. Do you think Earth would be the same? Why or why not?

What is the primary basis upon which we divide the ingredients of the solar nebula into four categories (hydrogen/helium; hydrogen compound; rock; metal)?

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

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

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 6: Formation of the Solar System

The following statements are all true. Which one counts as an "exception to the rule" in being unusual for our solar system?

Which planet, other than Earth, has visible water ice on it?

Which planet has the highest average surface temperature, and why?

Which planet listed below has the most extreme seasons?

How would the solar system be different today if the entire planet forming disk had been warmer than 300K? Why?

The jovian planets in our solar system are .

Which of the following is not a major pattern of motion in the solar system?

Which planet has a ring system?

Within about 4 AU, all planets are rocky.

Based on our current theory of Earth's formation, the water we drink comes from

Which planet could an astronaut visit without the need for a spacesuit (and survive)?

According to our theory of solar system formation, which law best explains why the central regions of the solar nebula got hotter as the nebula shrank in size?

All planets orbit the Sun in the same direction (counterclockwise as viewed from above Earth's North Pole).

The Cassini mission to Saturn consists of .

What is the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon?

Which of the following statements about the accelerations and gravitational forces between a planet and a star is true?

Oceans cover more of Earth's surface than land.

Pluto is the largest solar system object beyond the orbit of Neptune

Suppose the entire solar nebula had cooled to a very low temperature before the solar wind cleared it away. Do you think Earth would be the same? Why or why not?

What is the primary basis upon which we divide the ingredients of the solar nebula into four categories (hydrogen/helium; hydrogen compound; rock; metal)?

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

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

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