Question 1

Based on its surface features,the most important event on Venus in the past billion years or so was

Accepted Answer

A) a global "repaving" that erased essentially all the surface features that had existed earlier. 
B) the eruption of a giant volcano that formed one of Venus's "continents." 
C) the impact of an unusually large asteroid that left a deep scar on one side of the planet. 
D) the onset of mantle convection,which caused Venus's lithosphere to split into plates like those on Earth. 
A) a global "repaving" that erased essentially all the surface features that had existed earlier. 
B) the eruption of a giant volcano that formed one of Venus's "continents." 
C) the impact of an unusually large asteroid that left a deep scar on one side of the planet. 
D) the onset of mantle convection,which caused Venus's lithosphere to split into plates like those on Earth.

Question 2

Which of the following is not generally true of all the terrestrial world lithospheres?

Accepted Answer

A) The lithosphere is broken into a set of large plates that float upon the softer rock below. 
B) Rock in the lithosphere is stronger than rock beneath it. 
C) The lithosphere extends from somewhere in the mantle all the way to the surface. 
D) The thickness of the lithosphere depends on interior temperature,with cooler interiors leading to thicker lithospheres. 
A) The lithosphere is broken into a set of large plates that float upon the softer rock below. 
B) Rock in the lithosphere is stronger than rock beneath it. 
C) The lithosphere extends from somewhere in the mantle all the way to the surface. 
D) The thickness of the lithosphere depends on interior temperature,with cooler interiors leading to thicker lithospheres.

Question 3

What are the conditions necessary for a terrestrial planet to have a strong magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

A) a molten metallic core only 
B) fast rotation only 
C) a rocky mantle only 
D) both a molten metallic core and reasonably fast rotation 
E) both a metal core and a rocky mantle 
A) a molten metallic core only 
B) fast rotation only 
C) a rocky mantle only 
D) both a molten metallic core and reasonably fast rotation 
E) both a metal core and a rocky mantle

Question 4

Which of the following best describes convection?

Accepted Answer

A) It is the process by which rocks sink in water. 
B) It is the process in which warm material expands and rises while cool material contracts and falls. 
C) It is the process in which warm material gets even warmer and cool material gets even cooler. 
D) It is the process in which a liquid separates according to density,such as oil and water separating in a jar. 
E) It is the process in which bubbles of gas move upward through a liquid of the same temperature. 
A) It is the process by which rocks sink in water. 
B) It is the process in which warm material expands and rises while cool material contracts and falls. 
C) It is the process in which warm material gets even warmer and cool material gets even cooler. 
D) It is the process in which a liquid separates according to density,such as oil and water separating in a jar. 
E) It is the process in which bubbles of gas move upward through a liquid of the same temperature.

Question 5

Process of Science: Make a prediction from the theory of plate tectonics and then look to see if you can find an example on Earth that provides a test.

Accepted Answer

One possibility is that we should see ev

Question 6

What drives the motion of the tectonic plates on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) convection cells in the mantle 
B) lava flows in trenches along the sea floor 
C) the Coriolis force 
D) Earth's magnetic field 
E) tidal forces 
A) convection cells in the mantle 
B) lava flows in trenches along the sea floor 
C) the Coriolis force 
D) Earth's magnetic field 
E) tidal forces

Question 7

Spreading centers are marked by mid-ocean ridges where hot mantle material rises upward and then spreads sideways.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Most of the Moon's surface is densely covered with craters,but we find relatively few craters within the lunar maria.What can we conclude?

Accepted Answer

A) The maria formed after the heavy bombardment ended. 
B) The maria formed within the past 1 billion years. 
C) The regions of the maria were hit by fewer impacts than the densely cratered regions. 
D) Erosion affects the maria more than it affects other regions of the Moon. 
A) The maria formed after the heavy bombardment ended. 
B) The maria formed within the past 1 billion years. 
C) The regions of the maria were hit by fewer impacts than the densely cratered regions. 
D) Erosion affects the maria more than it affects other regions of the Moon.

Question 9

Earth is the only planet in the solar system known to have plate tectonics.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Recent evidence suggests that Mars once had a global magnetic field.Assuming this is true,which of the following could explain why Mars today lacks a global magnetic field like that of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Mars rotates much slower than Earth. 
B) Mars's interior has cooled so much its molten core layer no longer undergoes convection. 
C) The Martian core is made of rock,while Earth's core is made of metal. 
D) Mars is too far from the Sun to have a global magnetic field. 
A) Mars rotates much slower than Earth. 
B) Mars's interior has cooled so much its molten core layer no longer undergoes convection. 
C) The Martian core is made of rock,while Earth's core is made of metal. 
D) Mars is too far from the Sun to have a global magnetic field.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A) Recent,large impacts shattered lunar rock to make this soil. 
B) It is made by the same processes that make powdery sand on Earth. 
C) It is the result of countless tiny impacts by small particles striking the Moon. 
D) It exists because the Moon accreted from powdery material after a giant impact blasted Earth. 
A) Recent,large impacts shattered lunar rock to make this soil. 
B) It is made by the same processes that make powdery sand on Earth. 
C) It is the result of countless tiny impacts by small particles striking the Moon. 
D) It exists because the Moon accreted from powdery material after a giant impact blasted Earth.

Question 12

The strength of a rock depends on its composition,its temperature,and the surrounding pressure.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Volcanism is more likely on a planet that

Accepted Answer

A) is closer to the Sun. 
B) is struck often by meteors and solar system debris. 
C) has high internal temperatures. 
D) doesn't have an atmosphere or oceans. 
A) is closer to the Sun. 
B) is struck often by meteors and solar system debris. 
C) has high internal temperatures. 
D) doesn't have an atmosphere or oceans.

Question 14

Why are there fewer large impact craters on the Earth's seafloor than on the continents?

Accepted Answer

A) Seafloor crust is younger than continental crust,so it has had less time in which to suffer impacts. 
B) The oceans slow large impactors and prevent them from making craters. 
C) Erosion erases impact craters must faster on the ocean bottom than on land. 
D) Most impacts occur on the land. 
A) Seafloor crust is younger than continental crust,so it has had less time in which to suffer impacts. 
B) The oceans slow large impactors and prevent them from making craters. 
C) Erosion erases impact craters must faster on the ocean bottom than on land. 
D) Most impacts occur on the land.

Question 15

What can we learn from studying a planet's magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

Planetary magnetic fields are created in

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

Based on its surface features,the most important event on Venus in the past billion years or so was

Which of the following is not generally true of all the terrestrial world lithospheres?

What are the conditions necessary for a terrestrial planet to have a strong magnetic field?

Which of the following best describes convection?

Process of Science: Make a prediction from the theory of plate tectonics and then look to see if you can find an example on Earth that provides a test.

What drives the motion of the tectonic plates on Earth?

Spreading centers are marked by mid-ocean ridges where hot mantle material rises upward and then spreads sideways.

Most of the Moon's surface is densely covered with craters,but we find relatively few craters within the lunar maria.What can we conclude?

Earth is the only planet in the solar system known to have plate tectonics.

Recent evidence suggests that Mars once had a global magnetic field.Assuming this is true,which of the following could explain why Mars today lacks a global magnetic field like that of Earth?

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

The strength of a rock depends on its composition,its temperature,and the surrounding pressure.

Volcanism is more likely on a planet that

Why are there fewer large impact craters on the Earth's seafloor than on the continents?

What can we learn from studying a planet's magnetic field?

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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