Question 1

Which of the following does not have a major effect in shaping planetary surfaces?

Accepted Answer

A) impact cratering 
B) volcanism 
C) tectonics 
D) erosion 
E) magnetism 
A) impact cratering 
B) volcanism 
C) tectonics 
D) erosion 
E) magnetism

Question 2

Process of Science: Our theory of solar system formation suggests that larger planets cool more slowly than small ones.What does this suggest regarding geologic activity on Venus? Do we expect Venus to be geologically active? How did scientists test this hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

Since Venus is about Earth's s

Question 3

Why does the Moon have a layer of powdery "soil" on its surface?

Accepted Answer

A) Large impacts shattered lunar rock to make this soil. 
B) The soil exists because the Moon accreted from powdery material after a giant impact blasted Earth. 
C) Volatiles escaping from the Moon's interior bubble upward and make the soil. 
D) The soil is the result of the same processes that make powdery sand on Earth. 
E) It's the result of gradual erosion by micrometeorites striking the Moon. 
A) Large impacts shattered lunar rock to make this soil. 
B) The soil exists because the Moon accreted from powdery material after a giant impact blasted Earth. 
C) Volatiles escaping from the Moon's interior bubble upward and make the soil. 
D) The soil is the result of the same processes that make powdery sand on Earth. 
E) It's the result of gradual erosion by micrometeorites striking the Moon.

Question 4

Which of the terrestrial worlds has the strongest magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

The main process by which heat flows upward through the lithosphere is

Accepted Answer

A) conduction. 
B) convection. 
C) radiation. 
D) accretion. 
E) differentiation. 
A) conduction. 
B) convection. 
C) radiation. 
D) accretion. 
E) differentiation.

Question 6

Rank the five terrestrial worlds in order of size from smallest to largest.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

Which of the following describes volcanism?

Accepted Answer

A) the excavation of bowl-shaped depressions by asteroids or comets striking a planet's surface 
B) the eruption of molten rock from a planet's interior to its surface 
C) the disruption of a planet's surface by internal stresses 
D) the wearing down or building up of geological features by wind,water,ice,and other phenomena of planetary weather 
A) the excavation of bowl-shaped depressions by asteroids or comets striking a planet's surface 
B) the eruption of molten rock from a planet's interior to its surface 
C) the disruption of a planet's surface by internal stresses 
D) the wearing down or building up of geological features by wind,water,ice,and other phenomena of planetary weather

Question 8

What can we learn from the detailed shapes of craters?

Accepted Answer

The shapes of craters can tell us the ty

Question 9

Which of the following best describes why the smaller terrestrial worlds have cooler interiors than the larger ones?

Accepted Answer

A) They were cooler when they formed. 
B) The smaller ones are farther from the Sun. 
C) They have relatively fewer radioactive elements. 
D) They have relatively more surface area compared to their volumes. 
E) They had more volcanic eruptions in the past,which released their internal heat. 
A) They were cooler when they formed. 
B) The smaller ones are farther from the Sun. 
C) They have relatively fewer radioactive elements. 
D) They have relatively more surface area compared to their volumes. 
E) They had more volcanic eruptions in the past,which released their internal heat.

Question 10

Earth is the only terrestrial planet to have experienced tectonic stresses and volcanic activity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following most likely explains why Venus does not have a strong magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

A) It does not have a metallic core. 
B) Its rotation is too slow. 
C) It is too close to the Sun. 
D) It is too large. 
E) It has too thick an atmosphere. 
A) It does not have a metallic core. 
B) Its rotation is too slow. 
C) It is too close to the Sun. 
D) It is too large. 
E) It has too thick an atmosphere.

Question 12

Process of Science: How can we test hypotheses about something that is postulated to exist in the past but that no longer exists today,such as free-flowing water on Mars?

Accepted Answer

A hypothesis must make predictions that

Question 13

Smaller worlds generally have thinner lithospheres.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which two factors are most important to the existence of plate tectonics on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) oxygen in the atmosphere and mantle convection 
B) the existence of life and oxygen in the atmosphere 
C) Earth's liquid outer core and solid inner core 
D) mantle convection and a thin lithosphere 
A) oxygen in the atmosphere and mantle convection 
B) the existence of life and oxygen in the atmosphere 
C) Earth's liquid outer core and solid inner core 
D) mantle convection and a thin lithosphere

Question 15

What are the basic requirements for a terrestrial world to have a global magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

A) a core layer of molten,convecting material and sufficiently rapid rotation 
B) a metal core and rapid rotation 
C) a metal core,a rocky mantle,and sufficiently rapid rotation 
D) a core that has a molten layer and a mantle that has convection 
A) a core layer of molten,convecting material and sufficiently rapid rotation 
B) a metal core and rapid rotation 
C) a metal core,a rocky mantle,and sufficiently rapid rotation 
D) a core that has a molten layer and a mantle that has convection

Question 16

The geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park result from

Accepted Answer

A) thin continental crust separating and creating a rift valley. 
B) plumes of hot mantle rising in a hot spot within a plate. 
C) plates that have slipped sideways relative to each other,creating a fault. 
D) a plate that has run up against an existing continental plate. 
E) a fault. 
A) thin continental crust separating and creating a rift valley. 
B) plumes of hot mantle rising in a hot spot within a plate. 
C) plates that have slipped sideways relative to each other,creating a fault. 
D) a plate that has run up against an existing continental plate. 
E) a fault.

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the lunar maria?

Accepted Answer

A) densely cratered regions on the Moon 
B) mountainous regions on the Moon 
C) frozen oceans of liquid water on the Moon 
D) relatively smooth,flat plains on the Moon 
A) densely cratered regions on the Moon 
B) mountainous regions on the Moon 
C) frozen oceans of liquid water on the Moon 
D) relatively smooth,flat plains on the Moon

Question 18

The terrestrial planet cores contain mostly metal because

Accepted Answer

A) the entire planets are made mostly of metal. 
B) metals condensed first in the solar nebula and the rocks then accreted around them. 
C) metals sank to the center during a time when the interiors were molten throughout. 
D) radioactivity created metals in the core from the decay of uranium. 
E) convection carried the metals to the core. 
A) the entire planets are made mostly of metal. 
B) metals condensed first in the solar nebula and the rocks then accreted around them. 
C) metals sank to the center during a time when the interiors were molten throughout. 
D) radioactivity created metals in the core from the decay of uranium. 
E) convection carried the metals to the core.

Question 19

Valles Marineris is a

Accepted Answer

A) large valley on the Moon. 
B) vast plain on Mars. 
C) huge series of cliffs on Mercury. 
D) large canyon on Mars. 
E) large canyon on Venus. 
A) large valley on the Moon. 
B) vast plain on Mars. 
C) huge series of cliffs on Mercury. 
D) large canyon on Mars. 
E) large canyon on Venus.

Question 20

Why does Earth have the strongest magnetic field among the terrestrial worlds?

Accepted Answer

A) It is the only one that has a metallic core. 
B) It rotates much faster than any other terrestrial world. 
C) It is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and reasonably rapid rotation. 
D) It is by far the largest terrestrial world. 
E) It is the most volcanically active world. 
A) It is the only one that has a metallic core. 
B) It rotates much faster than any other terrestrial world. 
C) It is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and reasonably rapid rotation. 
D) It is by far the largest terrestrial world. 
E) It is the most volcanically active world.

Exam 9: Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Which of the following does not have a major effect in shaping planetary surfaces?

Process of Science: Our theory of solar system formation suggests that larger planets cool more slowly than small ones.What does this suggest regarding geologic activity on Venus? Do we expect Venus to be geologically active? How did scientists test this hypothesis?

Why does the Moon have a layer of powdery "soil" on its surface?

Which of the terrestrial worlds has the strongest magnetic field?

The main process by which heat flows upward through the lithosphere is

Rank the five terrestrial worlds in order of size from smallest to largest.

Which of the following describes volcanism?

What can we learn from the detailed shapes of craters?

Which of the following best describes why the smaller terrestrial worlds have cooler interiors than the larger ones?

Earth is the only terrestrial planet to have experienced tectonic stresses and volcanic activity.

Which of the following most likely explains why Venus does not have a strong magnetic field?

Process of Science: How can we test hypotheses about something that is postulated to exist in the past but that no longer exists today,such as free-flowing water on Mars?

Smaller worlds generally have thinner lithospheres.

Which two factors are most important to the existence of plate tectonics on Earth?

What are the basic requirements for a terrestrial world to have a global magnetic field?

The geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park result from

Which of the following best describes the lunar maria?

The terrestrial planet cores contain mostly metal because

Valles Marineris is a

Why does Earth have the strongest magnetic field among the terrestrial worlds?

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

Formation of the Solar System

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

Filters