Question 1

Why do we think Mercury has so many tremendous cliffs?

Accepted Answer

A) They were probably carved in Mercury's early history by running water. 
B) They were probably formed by tectonic stresses when the entire planet shrank as its core cooled. 
C) They probably formed when a series of large impacts hit Mercury one after the other. 
D) They are almost certainly volcanic in origin,carved by flowing lava. 
E) They represent one of the greatest mysteries in the solar system,as no one has suggested a reasonable hypothesis for their formation. 
A) They were probably carved in Mercury's early history by running water. 
B) They were probably formed by tectonic stresses when the entire planet shrank as its core cooled. 
C) They probably formed when a series of large impacts hit Mercury one after the other. 
D) They are almost certainly volcanic in origin,carved by flowing lava. 
E) They represent one of the greatest mysteries in the solar system,as no one has suggested a reasonable hypothesis for their formation.

Question 2

The magnetic and rotational north poles on Earth are the same.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Very high pressures,like those found deep within planetary interiors,can compress rocks so much that they stay solid even when temperatures are high enough to melt them under ordinary conditions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

What is basalt?

Accepted Answer

A) any substance that evaporates easily and is a gas,liquid,or ice on Earth 
B) a type of rock that makes relatively low-viscosity lava 
C) a type of metal that tends to create stratovolcanoes when eruptions occur 
D) a type of mineral that is the main ingredient of sea salt 
E) another name for lava 
A) any substance that evaporates easily and is a gas,liquid,or ice on Earth 
B) a type of rock that makes relatively low-viscosity lava 
C) a type of metal that tends to create stratovolcanoes when eruptions occur 
D) a type of mineral that is the main ingredient of sea salt 
E) another name for lava

Question 5

Which of the following places is the result of volcanoes erupting over a hot spot in the mantle?

Accepted Answer

A) the Himalayas 
B) the Appalachians 
C) California 
D) Hawaii 
A) the Himalayas 
B) the Appalachians 
C) California 
D) Hawaii

Question 6

How does seafloor crust differ from continental crust?

Accepted Answer

A) Seafloor crust is thicker,older,and higher in density. 
B) Seafloor crust is thinner,younger,and higher in density. 
C) Seafloor crust is thinner,older,and lower in density. 
D) Seafloor crust is thicker,older,and lower in density. 
E) Seafloor crust is thicker,younger,and lower in density. 
A) Seafloor crust is thicker,older,and higher in density. 
B) Seafloor crust is thinner,younger,and higher in density. 
C) Seafloor crust is thinner,older,and lower in density. 
D) Seafloor crust is thicker,older,and lower in density. 
E) Seafloor crust is thicker,younger,and lower in density.

Question 7

The three principal sources of internal heat of terrestrial planets are

Accepted Answer

A) conduction,differentiation,and accretion. 
B) accretion,differentiation,and radioactivity. 
C) accretion,differentiation,and eruption. 
D) convection,differentiation,and eruption. 
E) conduction,convection,and eruption. 
A) conduction,differentiation,and accretion. 
B) accretion,differentiation,and radioactivity. 
C) accretion,differentiation,and eruption. 
D) convection,differentiation,and eruption. 
E) conduction,convection,and eruption.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

A) It does not have a metallic core. 
B) Unlike Earth,Venus does not have a liquid outer core. 
C) Its rotation is too slow. 
D) It has too thick of an atmosphere. 
A) It does not have a metallic core. 
B) Unlike Earth,Venus does not have a liquid outer core. 
C) Its rotation is too slow. 
D) It has too thick of an atmosphere.

Question 9

Which of the following describes impact cratering?

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 10

A planet is most likely to have tectonic activity if it has

Accepted Answer

A) low surface gravity. 
B) high surface gravity. 
C) low internal temperature. 
D) high internal temperature. 
E) a dense atmosphere. 
A) low surface gravity. 
B) high surface gravity. 
C) low internal temperature. 
D) high internal temperature. 
E) a dense atmosphere.

Question 11

How large is an impact crater compared to the size of the impactor?

Accepted Answer

A) the same size 
B) 10-20 percent larger 
C) 10 times larger 
D) 100 times larger 
E) 1,000 times larger 
A) the same size 
B) 10-20 percent larger 
C) 10 times larger 
D) 100 times larger 
E) 1,000 times larger

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of convection?

Accepted Answer

A) warm air expanding and rising while cooler air contracts and fall 
B) different kinds of material separating by density,like oil and water 
C) rocks sinking in water 
D) gas bubbling upward through a liquid 
A) warm air expanding and rising while cooler air contracts and fall 
B) different kinds of material separating by density,like oil and water 
C) rocks sinking in water 
D) gas bubbling upward through a liquid

Question 13

Which of the following describes erosion?

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 14

Which internal energy source produces heat by converting gravitational potential energy into thermal energy?

Accepted Answer

A) accretion 
B) differentiation 
C) radioactivity 
D) both A and B 
E) all of the above 
A) accretion 
B) differentiation 
C) radioactivity 
D) both A and B 
E) all of the above

Question 15

What is differentiation in planetary geology?

Accepted Answer

A) the process by which gravity separates materials according to density 
B) the process by which different types of minerals form a conglomerate rock 
C) any process by which a planet's surface evolves differently from another planet's surface 
D) any process by which one part of a planet's surface evolves differently from another part of the same planet's surface 
E) any process by which a planet evolves differently from its moons 
A) the process by which gravity separates materials according to density 
B) the process by which different types of minerals form a conglomerate rock 
C) any process by which a planet's surface evolves differently from another planet's surface 
D) any process by which one part of a planet's surface evolves differently from another part of the same planet's surface 
E) any process by which a planet evolves differently from its moons

Question 16

Suppose Mars had turned out to be significantly smaller than its current size,say about the size of our Moon.How would this have affected the number of geological features due to each of the four major geological processes?

Accepted Answer

If Mars were smaller,it would have under

Question 17

Deep trenches in the ocean mark places where

Accepted Answer

A) one plate slides under another,returning older crust to the mantle. 
B) plates pull apart,leaving great rifts in the crust. 
C) hot mantle material rises upward and spreads sideways,pushing the plates apart. 
D) plates push together,creating ocean mountain chains. 
E) plates slip sideways relative to one another. 
A) one plate slides under another,returning older crust to the mantle. 
B) plates pull apart,leaving great rifts in the crust. 
C) hot mantle material rises upward and spreads sideways,pushing the plates apart. 
D) plates push together,creating ocean mountain chains. 
E) plates slip sideways relative to one another.

Question 18

The Caloris Basin on Mercury covers a large region of the planet,but few smaller craters have formed on top of it.From this we conclude that

Accepted Answer

A) erosion destroyed the smaller craters that formed on the basin. 
B) Mercury's atmosphere prevented smaller objects from hitting the surface. 
C) only very large impactors hit Mercury's surface in the past. 
D) the Caloris Basin formed toward the end of the solar system's period of heavy bombardment. 
E) the Caloris Basin was formed by a volcano. 
A) erosion destroyed the smaller craters that formed on the basin. 
B) Mercury's atmosphere prevented smaller objects from hitting the surface. 
C) only very large impactors hit Mercury's surface in the past. 
D) the Caloris Basin formed toward the end of the solar system's period of heavy bombardment. 
E) the Caloris Basin was formed by a volcano.

Question 19

Heat escapes from a planet's surface into space by thermal radiation.Planets radiate almost entirely in the wavelength range of the

Accepted Answer

A) infrared. 
B) radio. 
C) visible. 
D) ultraviolet. 
E) none of the above 
A) infrared. 
B) radio. 
C) visible. 
D) ultraviolet. 
E) none of the above

Question 20

On average,how fast do the plates move on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) about 1 mile per hour 
B) a few kilometers per year 
C) a few centimeters per year 
D) a few millimeters per century 
A) about 1 mile per hour 
B) a few kilometers per year 
C) a few centimeters per year 
D) a few millimeters per century

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

Why do we think Mercury has so many tremendous cliffs?

The magnetic and rotational north poles on Earth are the same.

Very high pressures,like those found deep within planetary interiors,can compress rocks so much that they stay solid even when temperatures are high enough to melt them under ordinary conditions.

What is basalt?

Which of the following places is the result of volcanoes erupting over a hot spot in the mantle?

How does seafloor crust differ from continental crust?

The three principal sources of internal heat of terrestrial planets are

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

Which of the following describes impact cratering?

A planet is most likely to have tectonic activity if it has

How large is an impact crater compared to the size of the impactor?

Which of the following is an example of convection?

Which of the following describes erosion?

Which internal energy source produces heat by converting gravitational potential energy into thermal energy?

What is differentiation in planetary geology?

Suppose Mars had turned out to be significantly smaller than its current size,say about the size of our Moon.How would this have affected the number of geological features due to each of the four major geological processes?

Deep trenches in the ocean mark places where

The Caloris Basin on Mercury covers a large region of the planet,but few smaller craters have formed on top of it.From this we conclude that

Heat escapes from a planet's surface into space by thermal radiation.Planets radiate almost entirely in the wavelength range of the

On average,how fast do the plates move on Earth?

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

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