Question 1

Why are terrestrial planets denser than jovian planets?

Accepted Answer

A) Only dense materials could condense in the inner solar nebula. 
B) The Sun's gravity gathered dense materials into the inner solar system. 
C) Gravity compresses terrestrial planets to a higher degree,making them denser. 
D) Actually,the jovian planets are denser than the terrestrial planets. 
A) Only dense materials could condense in the inner solar nebula. 
B) The Sun's gravity gathered dense materials into the inner solar system. 
C) Gravity compresses terrestrial planets to a higher degree,making them denser. 
D) Actually,the jovian planets are denser than the terrestrial planets.

Question 2

According to the nebular theory,how did the Kuiper belt form?

Accepted Answer

A) It is material left over from the interstellar cloud that never contracted with the rest of the gases to form the solar nebula. 
B) It is made of planetesimals that formed beyond Neptune's orbit and never accreted to form a planet. 
C) It consists of objects that fragmented from the protosun during a catastrophic collision early in the formation of the solar system. 
D) It is made of planetesimals between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter that never formed into a planet. 
E) It is made of planetesimals formed in the outer solar system that were flung into distant orbits by encounters with the jovian planets. 
A) It is material left over from the interstellar cloud that never contracted with the rest of the gases to form the solar nebula. 
B) It is made of planetesimals that formed beyond Neptune's orbit and never accreted to form a planet. 
C) It consists of objects that fragmented from the protosun during a catastrophic collision early in the formation of the solar system. 
D) It is made of planetesimals between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter that never formed into a planet. 
E) It is made of planetesimals formed in the outer solar system that were flung into distant orbits by encounters with the jovian planets.

Question 3

Within the frost line,planetesimals were composed entirely of rock and outside the frost line planetesimals were composed entirely of ice.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Which of the following is not evidence supporting the giant impact theory for the formation of the Moon?

Accepted Answer

A) Computer simulations show that the Moon could really have formed in this way. 
B) The composition of the Moon is similar to that of Earth's outer layers. 
C) The Moon is depleted of easily vaporized materials,as we would expect from the heat of an impact. 
D) Scientists have found several meteorites that appear to be the remains of the object that caused the giant impact. 
E) We see signatures of giant impacts on other planets. 
A) Computer simulations show that the Moon could really have formed in this way. 
B) The composition of the Moon is similar to that of Earth's outer layers. 
C) The Moon is depleted of easily vaporized materials,as we would expect from the heat of an impact. 
D) Scientists have found several meteorites that appear to be the remains of the object that caused the giant impact. 
E) We see signatures of giant impacts on other planets.

Question 5

What kind of material in the solar nebula could remain solid at temperatures as high as 1,500 K,such as existed in the inner regions of the nebula?

Accepted Answer

A) rocks 
B) metals 
C) silicon-based minerals 
D) hydrogen compounds 
E) molecules such as methane and ammonia 
A) rocks 
B) metals 
C) silicon-based minerals 
D) hydrogen compounds 
E) molecules such as methane and ammonia

Question 6

According to our basic scenario of solar system formation,why do the jovian planets have numerous large moons?

Accepted Answer

A) As the growing jovian planets captured gas from the solar nebula,the gas formed swirling disks around them,and moons formed from condensation accretion within these disks. 
B) Because of their strong gravity,the jovian planets were able to capture numerous asteroids that happened to be passing nearby,and these became the major moons of the jovian planets. 
C) The large moons of the jovian planets originally formed in the inner solar system and these moons then migrated out to join up with the jovian planets. 
D) The many moons of the jovian planets remains one of the unexplained mysteries of the formation of our solar system. 
A) As the growing jovian planets captured gas from the solar nebula,the gas formed swirling disks around them,and moons formed from condensation accretion within these disks. 
B) Because of their strong gravity,the jovian planets were able to capture numerous asteroids that happened to be passing nearby,and these became the major moons of the jovian planets. 
C) The large moons of the jovian planets originally formed in the inner solar system and these moons then migrated out to join up with the jovian planets. 
D) The many moons of the jovian planets remains one of the unexplained mysteries of the formation of our solar system.

Question 7

According to our present theory of solar system formation,how did Earth end up with enough water to make oceans?

Accepted Answer

A) The water was mixed in the other materials in the planetesimals that accreted at our distance from the Sun. 
B) The water was formed by chemical reactions among the minerals in the Earth's core. 
C) The water was brought to the forming Earth by planetesimals that accreted beyond the orbit of Mars. 
D) Earth formed in the relatively narrow region of the solar nebular in which liquid water was plentiful. 
A) The water was mixed in the other materials in the planetesimals that accreted at our distance from the Sun. 
B) The water was formed by chemical reactions among the minerals in the Earth's core. 
C) The water was brought to the forming Earth by planetesimals that accreted beyond the orbit of Mars. 
D) Earth formed in the relatively narrow region of the solar nebular in which liquid water was plentiful.

Question 8

Which of the following puzzles in the solar system cannot be explained by a giant impact event?

Accepted Answer

A) the formation of the Moon 
B) the large metallic core of Mercury 
C) the backward rotation of Venus 
D) the extreme axis tilt of Uranus 
E) the orbit of Triton in the opposite direction to Neptune's rotation 
A) the formation of the Moon 
B) the large metallic core of Mercury 
C) the backward rotation of Venus 
D) the extreme axis tilt of Uranus 
E) the orbit of Triton in the opposite direction to Neptune's rotation

Question 9

Explain how the age of a rock can be determined by radiometric dating.

Accepted Answer

The minerals in rocks contain small amou

Question 10

The age of the solar system can be established by radioactive dating of

Accepted Answer

A) the oldest Earth rocks. 
B) the oldest rocks on the Moon. 
C) the oldest meteorites. 
D) the atmosphere of Mars. 
E) It hasn't been done yet,but the age of the solar system could be obtained from a sample of Io's surface. 
A) the oldest Earth rocks. 
B) the oldest rocks on the Moon. 
C) the oldest meteorites. 
D) the atmosphere of Mars. 
E) It hasn't been done yet,but the age of the solar system could be obtained from a sample of Io's surface.

Question 11

Which of the following has not been detected around other stars in the Galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A) a collapsing nebula of gas 
B) flattened,spinning disks 
C) jovian planets 
D) asteroids 
E) strong stellar winds 
A) a collapsing nebula of gas 
B) flattened,spinning disks 
C) jovian planets 
D) asteroids 
E) strong stellar winds

Question 12

How do scientists determine the age of the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) radiometric dating of Moon rocks 
B) radiometric dating of the oldest Earth rocks 
C) radiometric dating of meteorites 
D) Theoretical calculations tell us how long it has taken the planets to evolve to their present forms. 
A) radiometric dating of Moon rocks 
B) radiometric dating of the oldest Earth rocks 
C) radiometric dating of meteorites 
D) Theoretical calculations tell us how long it has taken the planets to evolve to their present forms.

Question 13

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 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. 
C) The Moon formed from material blasted out of the Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars-size object. 
D) The Moon formed just like Earth,from accretion in the solar nebula. 
A) The Moon formed when two gigantic asteroids collided with one another. 
B) 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. 
C) The Moon formed from material blasted out of the Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars-size object. 
D) The Moon formed just like Earth,from accretion in the solar nebula.

Question 14

All the planets in the solar system rotate in the same direction as they orbit the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

According to our theory of solar system formation,where did the comets of the Oort cloud form?

Accepted Answer

A) in the inner solar system 
B) far beyond the orbit of Pluto 
C) in the region of the jovian planets 
D) in the asteroid belt 
A) in the inner solar system 
B) far beyond the orbit of Pluto 
C) in the region of the jovian planets 
D) in the asteroid belt

Question 16

According to our theory of solar system formation,which law best explains why the solar nebula spun faster as it shrank in size?

Accepted Answer

A) the law of conservation of angular momentum 
B) the law of conservation of energy 
C) the law of universal gravitation 
D) Einstein's law E = mc² 
A) the law of conservation of angular momentum 
B) the law of conservation of energy 
C) the law of universal gravitation 
D) Einstein's law E = mc²

Question 17

Which of the following types of material can condense into what we call ice at low temperatures?

Accepted Answer

A) hydrogen and helium 
B) rock 
C) metal 
D) hydrogen compounds 
A) hydrogen and helium 
B) rock 
C) metal 
D) hydrogen compounds

Question 18

According to our theory of solar system formation,what are asteroids and comets?

Accepted Answer

A) the shattered remains of collisions between planets 
B) chunks of rock or ice that condensed after the planets and moons finished forming 
C) chunks of rock or ice that were expelled from planets by volcanoes 
D) leftover planetesimals that never accreted into planets 
A) the shattered remains of collisions between planets 
B) chunks of rock or ice that condensed after the planets and moons finished forming 
C) chunks of rock or ice that were expelled from planets by volcanoes 
D) leftover planetesimals that never accreted into planets

Question 19

Which of the following lists the ingredients of the solar nebula from highest to lowest percentage of mass of the nebula?

Accepted Answer

A) light gases (H,He),hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),rocks,metals 
B) hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),light gases (H,He),rocks,metals 
C) light gases (H,He),hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),metals,rocks 
D) hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),light gases (H,He),metals,rocks 
E) hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),rocks,metals,light gases (H,He) 
A) light gases (H,He),hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),rocks,metals 
B) hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),light gases (H,He),rocks,metals 
C) light gases (H,He),hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),metals,rocks 
D) hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),light gases (H,He),metals,rocks 
E) hydrogen compounds (H₂O,CH₄,NH₃),rocks,metals,light gases (H,He)

Question 20

Impacts were extremely common in the young solar system but no longer occur today.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 8: Formation of the Solar System

Why are terrestrial planets denser than jovian planets?

According to the nebular theory,how did the Kuiper belt form?

Within the frost line,planetesimals were composed entirely of rock and outside the frost line planetesimals were composed entirely of ice.

Which of the following is not evidence supporting the giant impact theory for the formation of the Moon?

What kind of material in the solar nebula could remain solid at temperatures as high as 1,500 K,such as existed in the inner regions of the nebula?

According to our basic scenario of solar system formation,why do the jovian planets have numerous large moons?

According to our present theory of solar system formation,how did Earth end up with enough water to make oceans?

Which of the following puzzles in the solar system cannot be explained by a giant impact event?

Explain how the age of a rock can be determined by radiometric dating.

The age of the solar system can be established by radioactive dating of

Which of the following has not been detected around other stars in the Galaxy?

How do scientists determine the age of the solar system?

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

All the planets in the solar system rotate in the same direction as they orbit the Sun.

According to our theory of solar system formation,where did the comets of the Oort cloud form?

According to our theory of solar system formation,which law best explains why the solar nebula spun faster as it shrank in size?

Which of the following types of material can condense into what we call ice at low temperatures?

According to our theory of solar system formation,what are asteroids and comets?

Which of the following lists the ingredients of the solar nebula from highest to lowest percentage of mass of the nebula?

Impacts were extremely common in the young solar system but no longer occur today.

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 and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

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 Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

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

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

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