Question 1

By orbiting a planet with a probe and using Kepler's third law, scientists can learn a planet's

Accepted Answer

A)  albedo. 
B)  age. 
C)  volume. 
D)  density. 
E)  heat capacity. 
A)  albedo. 
B)  age. 
C)  volume. 
D)  density. 
E)  heat capacity.

Question 2

Which terrestrial object shows the least evidence of recent volcanic activity?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

Compared to the dark-colored regions of the surface of the Moon, the light-colored regions are approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  1 billion years older. 
B)  1 billion years younger. 
C)  1 million years older. 
D)  1 million years younger. 
E)  a few thousand years younger. 
A)  1 billion years older. 
B)  1 billion years younger. 
C)  1 million years older. 
D)  1 million years younger. 
E)  a few thousand years younger.

Question 4

If you obtained a sample of rock from Venus and determined the abundances of uranium (238U) and lead (207Pb) in it, and found that for every one uranium atom there were three lead atoms, what would be the age of this rock? Note that this form of uranium decays to this form of lead with a half-life of 700 million years.For simplicity, you can assume that there were no lead atoms of this specific isotope in the rock when it originally formed.

Accepted Answer

A)  1.4 billion years 
B)  2.8 billion years 
C)  4.0 million years 
D)  10.5 billion years 
E)  3.6 billion years 
A)  1.4 billion years 
B)  2.8 billion years 
C)  4.0 million years 
D)  10.5 billion years 
E)  3.6 billion years

Question 5

Along which type of plate boundary are mountain chains commonly found?

Accepted Answer

Mountain ranges are

Question 6

Which of the following statements is an example of comparative planetology?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury should have more craters than Earth because it is closer to the Sun. 
B)  Geological features and the chemical composition of some rocks on Mars suggest liquid water flowed on the surface in the past, but not at the present time. 
C)  Venus should be cooler than Earth because it is smaller. 
D)  Jupiter's colored bands are evidence of tectonic activity. 
E)  The Moon has big, dark "seas," which are evidence of water having existed on its surface at one time. 
A)  Mercury should have more craters than Earth because it is closer to the Sun. 
B)  Geological features and the chemical composition of some rocks on Mars suggest liquid water flowed on the surface in the past, but not at the present time. 
C)  Venus should be cooler than Earth because it is smaller. 
D)  Jupiter's colored bands are evidence of tectonic activity. 
E)  The Moon has big, dark "seas," which are evidence of water having existed on its surface at one time.

Question 7

The figure below depicts

Accepted Answer

A)  a rocky-core volcano. 
B)  a lunar crater. 
C)  mantle turbulence. 
D)  a shield volcano. 
E)  a composite volcano. 
A)  a rocky-core volcano. 
B)  a lunar crater. 
C)  mantle turbulence. 
D)  a shield volcano. 
E)  a composite volcano.

Question 8

What are the four main processes that shape the surfaces of the terrestrial planets?

Accepted Answer

The four main proces

Question 9

The American and African/European continents are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean, which is approximately 4,000 km wide.Assuming a continental drift rate of 2 cm/yr, how long has it been since they were one land mass?

Accepted Answer

If we assume a constant drift rate of 2

Question 10

If the Himalayan mountain range is presently 8,000 m in height and is rising at a rate of 0.5 m per century because of the convergence of two continental plates, how long did it take to create this mountain range?

Accepted Answer

A)  1,600 years 
B)  160,000 years 
C)  1.6 million years 
D)  160 million years 
E)  1.6 billion years 
A)  1,600 years 
B)  160,000 years 
C)  1.6 million years 
D)  160 million years 
E)  1.6 billion years

Question 11

Secondary craters are

Accepted Answer

A)  craters formed by water impact. 
B)  craters formed by ejecta during another impact. 
C)  a crater that forms later, inside a larger crater. 
D)  craters formed on a new surface. 
E)  craters formed on planets other than Earth. 
A)  craters formed by water impact. 
B)  craters formed by ejecta during another impact. 
C)  a crater that forms later, inside a larger crater. 
D)  craters formed on a new surface. 
E)  craters formed on planets other than Earth.

Question 12

The dynamo theory says that a planet will have a strong magnetic field if it has

Accepted Answer

A)  fast rotation and a solid core. 
B)  slow rotation and a liquid core. 
C)  fast rotation and a liquid core. 
D)  slow rotation and a solid core. 
E)  fast rotation and a gaseous core. 
A)  fast rotation and a solid core. 
B)  slow rotation and a liquid core. 
C)  fast rotation and a liquid core. 
D)  slow rotation and a solid core. 
E)  fast rotation and a gaseous core.

Question 13

Name the terrestrial planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun.What are the terrestrial planets in order of increasing geological age of their surface?

Accepted Answer

In order of increasing distanc

Question 14

How do we know that Earth's magnetic field has flipped its polarity many times in the past?

Accepted Answer

We know this because the direction of Ea

Question 15

What would you study in order to determine the timescale on which Earth's magnetic field reverses direction?

Accepted Answer

A)  a spreading center on the sea floor 
B)  a volcano in the middle of a continental plate 
C)  a fault at the border between two plates 
D)  a subduction zone on the sea floor 
E)  the rate of motion of tectonic plates 
A)  a spreading center on the sea floor 
B)  a volcano in the middle of a continental plate 
C)  a fault at the border between two plates 
D)  a subduction zone on the sea floor 
E)  the rate of motion of tectonic plates

Question 16

Based on the number of impact craters observed per square meter on their surface, place these terrestrial planets in order from youngest to oldest surface.

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth, Venus, Mercury 
B)  Venus, Earth, Mercury 
C)  Mercury, Venus, Earth 
D)  Earth, Mercury, Venus 
E)  Venus, Mercury, Earth 
A)  Earth, Venus, Mercury 
B)  Venus, Earth, Mercury 
C)  Mercury, Venus, Earth 
D)  Earth, Mercury, Venus 
E)  Venus, Mercury, Earth

Question 17

Which layer in the figure below represents Earth's liquid core?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  none of these 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  none of these

Question 18

What is the evidence for a large asteroid impact and an associated mass extinction event occurring approximately 65 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

Plentiful dinosaur skeletons exist below

Question 19

The observation that the Moon's average density is similar to the density of Earth's ________ supports the collision theory of the Moon's origin.

Accepted Answer

A)  oceans 
B)  average density 
C)  core 
D)  atmosphere 
E)  mantle 
A)  oceans 
B)  average density 
C)  core 
D)  atmosphere 
E)  mantle

Question 20

Rocks less than 100 meters (m) in diameter are called ________ when they are in space.

Accepted Answer

A)  meteorites 
B)  meteoroids 
C)  meteors 
D)  asteroids 
E)  comets 
A)  meteorites 
B)  meteoroids 
C)  meteors 
D)  asteroids 
E)  comets

Exam 8: The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

By orbiting a planet with a probe and using Kepler's third law, scientists can learn a planet's

Which terrestrial object shows the least evidence of recent volcanic activity?

Compared to the dark-colored regions of the surface of the Moon, the light-colored regions are approximately

Along which type of plate boundary are mountain chains commonly found?

Which of the following statements is an example of comparative planetology?

The figure below depicts

What are the four main processes that shape the surfaces of the terrestrial planets?

The American and African/European continents are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean, which is approximately 4,000 km wide.Assuming a continental drift rate of 2 cm/yr, how long has it been since they were one land mass?

If the Himalayan mountain range is presently 8,000 m in height and is rising at a rate of 0.5 m per century because of the convergence of two continental plates, how long did it take to create this mountain range?

Secondary craters are

The dynamo theory says that a planet will have a strong magnetic field if it has

Name the terrestrial planets in order of increasing distance from the Sun.What are the terrestrial planets in order of increasing geological age of their surface?

How do we know that Earth's magnetic field has flipped its polarity many times in the past?

What would you study in order to determine the timescale on which Earth's magnetic field reverses direction?

Based on the number of impact craters observed per square meter on their surface, place these terrestrial planets in order from youngest to oldest surface.

Which layer in the figure below represents Earth's liquid core?

What is the evidence for a large asteroid impact and an associated mass extinction event occurring approximately 65 million years ago?

The observation that the Moon's average density is similar to the density of Earth's ________ supports the collision theory of the Moon's origin.

Rocks less than 100 meters (m) in diameter are called ________ when they are in space.

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Formation of Planetary Systems

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Planetary Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

The Expanding Universe

Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters