Question 1

In which of these physical characteristics are Earth and Mars MOST similar to each other?

Accepted Answer

A)  total mass 
B)  number of moons 
C)  length of solar day 
D)  planetary diameter 
A)  total mass 
B)  number of moons 
C)  length of solar day 
D)  planetary diameter

Question 2

What were the results of the life-sciences experiments aboard the Viking landers?

Accepted Answer

A)  strong reactions releasing oxygen from apparent biological causes (e.g., bacteria) 
B)  none at all; the Martian soil is completely chemically inert and biologically sterile. 
C)  strong reactions releasing oxygen but from nonbiological causes 
D)  slight fizzing due to released carbon dioxide but very little else 
A)  strong reactions releasing oxygen from apparent biological causes (e.g., bacteria) 
B)  none at all; the Martian soil is completely chemically inert and biologically sterile. 
C)  strong reactions releasing oxygen but from nonbiological causes 
D)  slight fizzing due to released carbon dioxide but very little else

Question 3

The surface temperature of Venus has been found by radio observations and by remote exploration by spacecraft to be approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  300 K. 
B)  750 K. 
C)  273 K. 
D)  110 K. 
A)  300 K. 
B)  750 K. 
C)  273 K. 
D)  110 K.

Question 4

When the solar wind (mostly protons and electrons, emitted continuously at relatively high speeds by the Sun) approaches Mercury, it

Accepted Answer

A)  is deflected around the planet by the magnetic field. 
B)  is absorbed and stopped by the atmosphere of the planet. 
C)  hits the surface directly, causing heat and a continuous fluorescent glow. 
D)  is repelled by the high electrostatic charge on the planet. 
A)  is deflected around the planet by the magnetic field. 
B)  is absorbed and stopped by the atmosphere of the planet. 
C)  hits the surface directly, causing heat and a continuous fluorescent glow. 
D)  is repelled by the high electrostatic charge on the planet.

Question 5

The Moon raises tidal bulges on Earth and as a consequence is being pulled gradually away from Earth. Phobos raises tidal bulges on Mars and as a consequence is being pulled gradually toward Mars. Why this difference?

Accepted Answer

A)  Phobos orbits Mars with a shorter period than Mars itself rotates. 
B)  Phobos is in a polar orbit rather than an equatorial orbit. 
C)  Phobos is in a retrograde orbit. 
D)  Phobos is in a highly eccentric orbit. 
A)  Phobos orbits Mars with a shorter period than Mars itself rotates. 
B)  Phobos is in a polar orbit rather than an equatorial orbit. 
C)  Phobos is in a retrograde orbit. 
D)  Phobos is in a highly eccentric orbit.

Question 6

Where has water ice been found on Mercury?

Accepted Answer

A)  nowhere 
B)  suspended as microscopic crystals in the stratosphere 
C)  in permanently shadowed crater floors at the north and south poles 
D)  in deep fissures on the night side 
A)  nowhere 
B)  suspended as microscopic crystals in the stratosphere 
C)  in permanently shadowed crater floors at the north and south poles 
D)  in deep fissures on the night side

Question 7

An observer on the surface of Venus looking upward during the daytime would be likely to see

Accepted Answer

A)  a solid cloud deck, with the Sun moving from east to west. 
B)  scattered, billowy clouds with clear sky between them and the Sun moving from west to east. 
C)  thin, high clouds near mountains or otherwise clear skies and the Sun moving from east to west. 
D)  a solid cloud deck, with the Sun moving from west to east. 
A)  a solid cloud deck, with the Sun moving from east to west. 
B)  scattered, billowy clouds with clear sky between them and the Sun moving from west to east. 
C)  thin, high clouds near mountains or otherwise clear skies and the Sun moving from east to west. 
D)  a solid cloud deck, with the Sun moving from west to east.

Question 8

Venus rotates

Accepted Answer

A)  "locked in" to the Sun, maintaining one side toward it at all times in synchronous rotation. 
B)  in the same direction as Earth but very rapidly (in a few hours). 
C)  in the same direction as Earth but very slowly. 
D)  in the opposite direction from Earth but very slowly. 
A)  "locked in" to the Sun, maintaining one side toward it at all times in synchronous rotation. 
B)  in the same direction as Earth but very rapidly (in a few hours). 
C)  in the same direction as Earth but very slowly. 
D)  in the opposite direction from Earth but very slowly.

Question 9

Which of these processes did NOT contribute to Mars losing its atmosphere about two billion years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  stripping by the solar wind 
B)  the breakup of molecules by solar ultraviolet radiation 
C)  some gases freezing and being buried under the surface 
D)  the greenhouse effect 
A)  stripping by the solar wind 
B)  the breakup of molecules by solar ultraviolet radiation 
C)  some gases freezing and being buried under the surface 
D)  the greenhouse effect

Question 10

The MOST plausible explanation for the retrograde rotation (rotation in a direction opposite that of most other planets) of Venus is the

Accepted Answer

A)  frictional slowing down and eventual reversal of Venus's rotation by tidal forces at a time when the planet had deep oceans over its surface. 
B)  frictional drag of its very dense atmosphere on the rotating planet throughout its history. 
C)  combined gravitational effects of its neighboring planets, Mercury and Earth. 
D)  impact of a massive object on it early in its history. 
A)  frictional slowing down and eventual reversal of Venus's rotation by tidal forces at a time when the planet had deep oceans over its surface. 
B)  frictional drag of its very dense atmosphere on the rotating planet throughout its history. 
C)  combined gravitational effects of its neighboring planets, Mercury and Earth. 
D)  impact of a massive object on it early in its history.

Question 11

The BEST images of the overall topography of Venus have been produced by

Accepted Answer

A)  imaging cameras on board two spacecraft that soft-landed on the surface of Venus. 
B)  reflection of radio waves from the surface by an orbiting spacecraft. 
C)  photography from the Hubble Space Telescope at UV wavelengths to which the Venus atmosphere and clouds are transparent. 
D)  visible wavelength images from cameras on board an orbiting spacecraft. 
A)  imaging cameras on board two spacecraft that soft-landed on the surface of Venus. 
B)  reflection of radio waves from the surface by an orbiting spacecraft. 
C)  photography from the Hubble Space Telescope at UV wavelengths to which the Venus atmosphere and clouds are transparent. 
D)  visible wavelength images from cameras on board an orbiting spacecraft.

Question 12

The sulfuric acid clouds on Venus

Accepted Answer

A)  are confined to a layer about 60 km above the planet's surface and cover the whole planet. 
B)  extend from the surface to a height of 70 km and cover the whole planet. 
C)  are confined to a layer just above the surface about 1 km thick and completely opaque, rendering the surface invisible from above. 
D)  are in a layer about 70 km above the planet's surface but are patchy, so the surface can be seen occasionally from above. 
A)  are confined to a layer about 60 km above the planet's surface and cover the whole planet. 
B)  extend from the surface to a height of 70 km and cover the whole planet. 
C)  are confined to a layer just above the surface about 1 km thick and completely opaque, rendering the surface invisible from above. 
D)  are in a layer about 70 km above the planet's surface but are patchy, so the surface can be seen occasionally from above.

Question 13

What is the major constituent of the atmosphere of Mars?

Accepted Answer

A)  CO2 (carbon dioxide) 
B)  CH4 (methane or natural gas) 
C)  H2O (water vapor) 
D)  H2 (hydrogen) 
A)  CO2 (carbon dioxide) 
B)  CH4 (methane or natural gas) 
C)  H2O (water vapor) 
D)  H2 (hydrogen)

Question 14

What did the 1998 spacecraft Mars Orbiter find when it looked at the "face" on Mars?

Accepted Answer

A)  The orbiter found that the face had two noses, showing that it had been carved by a nonhuman sculptor. 
B)  The orbiter found that the shifting sands had uncovered two other, smaller faces on either side of it. 
C)  The orbiter found nothing-the face and the rocks around it were either gone or buried by sand. 
D)  The orbiter showed the face to be a natural rock formation. 
A)  The orbiter found that the face had two noses, showing that it had been carved by a nonhuman sculptor. 
B)  The orbiter found that the shifting sands had uncovered two other, smaller faces on either side of it. 
C)  The orbiter found nothing-the face and the rocks around it were either gone or buried by sand. 
D)  The orbiter showed the face to be a natural rock formation.

Question 15

The polar caps on Mars are now known to consist of

Accepted Answer

A)  methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), and water (H2O) ices, whose relative abundances vary with the seasons. 
B)  a combination of carbon dioxide (CO2) ice and water (H2O) ice. 
C)  only carbon dioxide (CO2) ice, which is very volatile and melts easily. 
D)  only water (H2O) ice, which does not melt easily and survives the summer heat. 
A)  methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), and water (H2O) ices, whose relative abundances vary with the seasons. 
B)  a combination of carbon dioxide (CO2) ice and water (H2O) ice. 
C)  only carbon dioxide (CO2) ice, which is very volatile and melts easily. 
D)  only water (H2O) ice, which does not melt easily and survives the summer heat.

Question 16

Which of these statements appears to be true for Mars?

Accepted Answer

A)  Plate tectonics has had little or no effect other than perhaps in the earliest times because Mars is small and cooled more rapidly than Earth so that a thick, solid crust formed. 
B)  Plate tectonics is only just beginning and will be important in the distant future because geologic processes happen more slowly on a small planet. 
C)  The oppressive heat on Mars has kept the planet's crust thin and prevented the onset of plate tectonics. 
D)  Plate tectonics is the dominant process creating large-scale surface features such as mountain ranges and volcanoes. 
A)  Plate tectonics has had little or no effect other than perhaps in the earliest times because Mars is small and cooled more rapidly than Earth so that a thick, solid crust formed. 
B)  Plate tectonics is only just beginning and will be important in the distant future because geologic processes happen more slowly on a small planet. 
C)  The oppressive heat on Mars has kept the planet's crust thin and prevented the onset of plate tectonics. 
D)  Plate tectonics is the dominant process creating large-scale surface features such as mountain ranges and volcanoes.

Question 17

The one terrestrial planet that rotates in the "wrong" way (opposite to the rotation of most other planets and to the planet's revolutionary direction) is

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars. 
B)  Earth. 
C)  Mercury. 
D)  Venus. 
A)  Mars. 
B)  Earth. 
C)  Mercury. 
D)  Venus.

Question 18

The MOST heavily cratered planet in the solar system is

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury. 
B)  Venus. 
C)  Earth. 
D)  Mars. 
A)  Mercury. 
B)  Venus. 
C)  Earth. 
D)  Mars.

Question 19

Radar observations are used from Venus-orbiting spacecraft to evaluate mountain heights by measuring the time difference between echoes from mountain peaks and from the surrounding plains. In this technique, what would be the time difference for signals reflected from Maxwell Montes, which rises 12 km above the plain? (Think about the geometry and total path length.)

Accepted Answer

A)  80 ns, or 8 *10-8 s 
B)  800 ns, or 8 * 10-7 s 
C)  80 ms, or 8 *10-2 s 
D)  80 $\mu$s, or 8 * 10-5 s 
A)  80 ns, or 8 *10-8 s 
B)  800 ns, or 8 * 10-7 s 
C)  80 ms, or 8 *10-2 s 
D)  80 $\mu$s, or 8 * 10-5 s

Question 20

Phobos orbits Mars in a prograde orbit with a period less than the rotational period of Mars itself. What consequence follows from this?

Accepted Answer

A)  Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east. 
B)  Phobos rises in the east and sets in the west. 
C)  Phobos is in a stationary orbit, always over the same point on Mars. 
D)  The situation described violates Kepler's third law: the farther out an orbit, the longer its period. 
A)  Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east. 
B)  Phobos rises in the east and sets in the west. 
C)  Phobos is in a stationary orbit, always over the same point on Mars. 
D)  The situation described violates Kepler's third law: the farther out an orbit, the longer its period.

In which of these physical characteristics are Earth and Mars MOST similar to each other?

What were the results of the life-sciences experiments aboard the Viking landers?

The surface temperature of Venus has been found by radio observations and by remote exploration by spacecraft to be approximately

When the solar wind (mostly protons and electrons, emitted continuously at relatively high speeds by the Sun) approaches Mercury, it

The Moon raises tidal bulges on Earth and as a consequence is being pulled gradually away from Earth. Phobos raises tidal bulges on Mars and as a consequence is being pulled gradually toward Mars. Why this difference?

Where has water ice been found on Mercury?

An observer on the surface of Venus looking upward during the daytime would be likely to see

Venus rotates

Which of these processes did NOT contribute to Mars losing its atmosphere about two billion years ago?

The MOST plausible explanation for the retrograde rotation (rotation in a direction opposite that of most other planets) of Venus is the

The BEST images of the overall topography of Venus have been produced by

The sulfuric acid clouds on Venus

What is the major constituent of the atmosphere of Mars?

What did the 1998 spacecraft Mars Orbiter find when it looked at the "face" on Mars?

The polar caps on Mars are now known to consist of

Which of these statements appears to be true for Mars?

The one terrestrial planet that rotates in the "wrong" way (opposite to the rotation of most other planets and to the planet's revolutionary direction) is

The MOST heavily cratered planet in the solar system is

Phobos orbits Mars in a prograde orbit with a period less than the rotational period of Mars itself. What consequence follows from this?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Outer Planets

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 8: The Other Terrestrial Planets

In which of these physical characteristics are Earth and Mars MOST similar to each other?

What were the results of the life-sciences experiments aboard the Viking landers?

The surface temperature of Venus has been found by radio observations and by remote exploration by spacecraft to be approximately

When the solar wind (mostly protons and electrons, emitted continuously at relatively high speeds by the Sun) approaches Mercury, it

The Moon raises tidal bulges on Earth and as a consequence is being pulled gradually away from Earth. Phobos raises tidal bulges on Mars and as a consequence is being pulled gradually toward Mars. Why this difference?

Where has water ice been found on Mercury?

An observer on the surface of Venus looking upward during the daytime would be likely to see

Venus rotates

Which of these processes did NOT contribute to Mars losing its atmosphere about two billion years ago?

The MOST plausible explanation for the retrograde rotation (rotation in a direction opposite that of most other planets) of Venus is the

The BEST images of the overall topography of Venus have been produced by

The sulfuric acid clouds on Venus

What is the major constituent of the atmosphere of Mars?

What did the 1998 spacecraft Mars Orbiter find when it looked at the "face" on Mars?

The polar caps on Mars are now known to consist of

Which of these statements appears to be true for Mars?

The one terrestrial planet that rotates in the "wrong" way (opposite to the rotation of most other planets and to the planet's revolutionary direction) is

The MOST heavily cratered planet in the solar system is

Phobos orbits Mars in a prograde orbit with a period less than the rotational period of Mars itself. What consequence follows from this?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Atomic Physics and Spectra

Exoplanets and the Formation of Planetary Systems

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Moon

The Outer Planets

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Death of Stars

Black Holes: Matters of Gravity

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Quasars and Other Active Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters