Question 1

Mercury's Caloris Basin is aptly named, since:

Accepted Answer

A) it is the region on Mercury looking much like our own "painted desert." 
B) it is the only such large basin on Mercury. 
C) it is the hottest region, turning to face the Sun when Mercury is at perihelion. 
D) it is always pointed directly at the Sun. 
E) it is the largest impact basin found in the solar system. 
A) it is the region on Mercury looking much like our own "painted desert." 
B) it is the only such large basin on Mercury. 
C) it is the hottest region, turning to face the Sun when Mercury is at perihelion. 
D) it is always pointed directly at the Sun. 
E) it is the largest impact basin found in the solar system.

Question 2

The scarps on Mercury were probably caused by:

Accepted Answer

A) tectonic activity. 
B) meteorite bombardment. 
C) a tidal bulge. 
D) volcanism. 
E) the interior cooling and shrinking. 
A) tectonic activity. 
B) meteorite bombardment. 
C) a tidal bulge. 
D) volcanism. 
E) the interior cooling and shrinking.

Question 3

What do moonquakes reveal about the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A) It has a strong magnetic field generated by a large molten core. 
B) It has a differentiated core, displaced away from us by the Moon's rotation. 
C) Its small, partially molten core has been pulled toward us by tidal forces. 
D) The Moon has been geologically dead throughout its entire history. 
E) The Moon is quite active, almost as much so as Jupiter's moon Io. 
A) It has a strong magnetic field generated by a large molten core. 
B) It has a differentiated core, displaced away from us by the Moon's rotation. 
C) Its small, partially molten core has been pulled toward us by tidal forces. 
D) The Moon has been geologically dead throughout its entire history. 
E) The Moon is quite active, almost as much so as Jupiter's moon Io.

Question 4

The dominant features of the highlands of the Moon, ________ are chiefly the result ofimpacts of comets and asteroids early in the Moon's history.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The dominant features of the highlands of...

Question 5

Comparing the densities of the Moon and Mercury, we find:

Accepted Answer

A) the Moon is slightly denser than Mercury. 
B) similar in surface appearance, they are also similar in density. 
C) that density increases as we go outward from the Sun. 
D) the Moon's is similar to Earth's crust, while Mercury's is similar to the entire Earth. 
E) both are much denser than our water-covered planet. 
A) the Moon is slightly denser than Mercury. 
B) similar in surface appearance, they are also similar in density. 
C) that density increases as we go outward from the Sun. 
D) the Moon's is similar to Earth's crust, while Mercury's is similar to the entire Earth. 
E) both are much denser than our water-covered planet.

Question 6

The lunar mare are radioactively dated at:

Accepted Answer

A) 4.6 billion years old, forming first among the lunar features. 
B) 4.2-3.9 billion years old, comparable to the adjacent highlands. 
C) 3.9-3.2 billion years old, forming after most of the bombardment was over. 
D) 3.5-2.5 billion years old, similar to the formation of our own oceans. 
E) less than a billion years old, the most recent additions to the Moon. 
A) 4.6 billion years old, forming first among the lunar features. 
B) 4.2-3.9 billion years old, comparable to the adjacent highlands. 
C) 3.9-3.2 billion years old, forming after most of the bombardment was over. 
D) 3.5-2.5 billion years old, similar to the formation of our own oceans. 
E) less than a billion years old, the most recent additions to the Moon.

Question 7

Which of these features is attributed to the shrinking of Mercury's core?

Accepted Answer

A) rilles 
B) scarps 
C) craters 
D) mare 
E) rays 
A) rilles 
B) scarps 
C) craters 
D) mare 
E) rays

Question 8

The composition of Mercury's crust is:

Accepted Answer

A) deficient in volatile compounds that contain elements such as sulfur and potassium. 
B) consistent with material from the solar wind, indicating that Mercury has collected materialover the last few billion years. 
C) similar to the crust of the other terrestrial planets. 
D) nearly identical to Mercury's mantle material. 
A) deficient in volatile compounds that contain elements such as sulfur and potassium. 
B) consistent with material from the solar wind, indicating that Mercury has collected materialover the last few billion years. 
C) similar to the crust of the other terrestrial planets. 
D) nearly identical to Mercury's mantle material.

Question 9

What is true of the lunar highlands?

Accepted Answer

A) They are found on the Moon's northern hemisphere. 
B) They are less heavily cratered than the mare. 
C) They are the darker regions of the Moon seen with the naked eye. 
D) They are younger than the darker mare. 
E) They are the oldest part of the lunar surface. 
A) They are found on the Moon's northern hemisphere. 
B) They are less heavily cratered than the mare. 
C) They are the darker regions of the Moon seen with the naked eye. 
D) They are younger than the darker mare. 
E) They are the oldest part of the lunar surface.

Question 10

For Mercury, the tidal stress of the Sun is much greater at aphelion than at perihelion.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

What surface region of the Moon is oldest? How do we know this?

Accepted Answer

The highlands are older than t

Question 12

Mercury's surface most resembles that of which other body?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth 
B) Moon 
C) Venus 
D) Mars 
E) Io 
A) Earth 
B) Moon 
C) Venus 
D) Mars 
E) Io

Question 13

________ has a rotation period of 59 days, 2/3 as long as its 88 day year.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ has a rotation period of 59...

Exam 8: The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Mercury's Caloris Basin is aptly named, since:

The scarps on Mercury were probably caused by:

What do moonquakes reveal about the Moon?

The dominant features of the highlands of the Moon, ________ are chiefly the result ofimpacts of comets and asteroids early in the Moon's history.

Comparing the densities of the Moon and Mercury, we find:

The lunar mare are radioactively dated at:

Which of these features is attributed to the shrinking of Mercury's core?

The composition of Mercury's crust is:

What is true of the lunar highlands?

For Mercury, the tidal stress of the Sun is much greater at aphelion than at perihelion.

What surface region of the Moon is oldest? How do we know this?

Mercury's surface most resembles that of which other body?

________ has a rotation period of 59 days, 2/3 as long as its 88 day year.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

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