Question 1

Which of the following factors could explain a gradual warming trend in a planet's climate?

Accepted Answer

A) a decreasing albedo 
B) a decrease in the amount of greenhouse gases 
C) a decrease in the brightness of the Sun 
D) a major volcanic eruption that increases the albedo of the planet by making clouds 
E) none of the above 
A) a decreasing albedo 
B) a decrease in the amount of greenhouse gases 
C) a decrease in the brightness of the Sun 
D) a major volcanic eruption that increases the albedo of the planet by making clouds 
E) none of the above

Question 2

Why doesn't Venus have seasons like Mars and Earth do?

Accepted Answer

A) It does not have an ozone layer. 
B) It is too close to the Sun. 
C) Its rotation axis is not tilted. 
D) It does not rotate fast enough. 
E) all of the above 
A) It does not have an ozone layer. 
B) It is too close to the Sun. 
C) Its rotation axis is not tilted. 
D) It does not rotate fast enough. 
E) all of the above

Question 3

Process of Science: Climate models can match the historical record of the global temperature on Earth and conclude that human's increase of atmospheric CO₂ is responsible for global warming.How might you test this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The same climate models that match the h

Question 4

Why does Earth have so little carbon dioxide in its atmosphere compared to Venus?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth has just as much carbon dioxide as Venus,but most of it is locked up in carbonate rocks rather than being free in the atmosphere. 
B) Earth's volcanoes outgassed far less carbon dioxide than those on Venus. 
C) Earth once had a lot of carbon dioxide,but it was lost to space during the heavy bombardment early in our solar system's history. 
D) Chemical reactions turned Earth's carbon dioxide into nitrogen. 
A) Earth has just as much carbon dioxide as Venus,but most of it is locked up in carbonate rocks rather than being free in the atmosphere. 
B) Earth's volcanoes outgassed far less carbon dioxide than those on Venus. 
C) Earth once had a lot of carbon dioxide,but it was lost to space during the heavy bombardment early in our solar system's history. 
D) Chemical reactions turned Earth's carbon dioxide into nitrogen.

Question 5

Which of the following planets has an exosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury 
B) Venus 
C) Earth 
D) Mars 
E) all of the above 
A) Mercury 
B) Venus 
C) Earth 
D) Mars 
E) all of the above

Question 6

Which of the following best describes how the greenhouse effect works?

Accepted Answer

A) Greenhouse gases absorb X-rays and ultraviolet light from the Sun,and this absorbed radiation then heats the atmosphere and the surface. 
B) A planet's surface absorbs visible sunlight and returns this absorbed energy to space as infrared light.Greenhouse gases slow the escape of this infrared radiation,which thereby heats the lower atmosphere. 
C) Greenhouse gases absorb infrared light coming from the Sun,and this absorbed sunlight heats the lower atmosphere and the surface. 
D) The greenhouse effect is caused primarily by ozone,which absorbs ultraviolet light and thereby makes the atmosphere much hotter than it would be otherwise. 
A) Greenhouse gases absorb X-rays and ultraviolet light from the Sun,and this absorbed radiation then heats the atmosphere and the surface. 
B) A planet's surface absorbs visible sunlight and returns this absorbed energy to space as infrared light.Greenhouse gases slow the escape of this infrared radiation,which thereby heats the lower atmosphere. 
C) Greenhouse gases absorb infrared light coming from the Sun,and this absorbed sunlight heats the lower atmosphere and the surface. 
D) The greenhouse effect is caused primarily by ozone,which absorbs ultraviolet light and thereby makes the atmosphere much hotter than it would be otherwise.

Question 7

Deuterium is much more abundant on Venus than Earth.What do we think this fact tells us about Venus?

Accepted Answer

A) that it once had a much stronger magnetic field than it does today 
B) that the greenhouse effect on Venus must have been much weaker in the distant past 
C) that it has lost a tremendous amount of water as a result of molecules being split by ultraviolet light and the hydrogen escaping to space 
D) that volcanoes on Venus did not outgas as much water as volcanoes on Earth 
A) that it once had a much stronger magnetic field than it does today 
B) that the greenhouse effect on Venus must have been much weaker in the distant past 
C) that it has lost a tremendous amount of water as a result of molecules being split by ultraviolet light and the hydrogen escaping to space 
D) that volcanoes on Venus did not outgas as much water as volcanoes on Earth

Question 8

Use these processes for the following questions.
-Which process explains why none of the terrestrial planets have much atomic or molecular hydrogen in their atmospheres?

Accepted Answer

A) outgassing from volcanoes 
B) evaporation and vaporization 
C) bombardment 
D) thermal escape 
E) chemical reactions with surface material 
A) outgassing from volcanoes 
B) evaporation and vaporization 
C) bombardment 
D) thermal escape 
E) chemical reactions with surface material

Question 9

How does the greenhouse effect work?

Accepted Answer

A) Greenhouse gases transmit visible light,allowing it to heat the surface,but then absorb infrared light from Earth,trapping the heat near the surface. 
B) The higher pressure of the thick atmosphere at lower altitudes traps heat in more effectively. 
C) Ozone transmits visible light,allowing it to heat the surface,but then absorbs most of the infrared heat,trapping the heat near the surface. 
D) Greenhouse gases absorb X-rays and ultraviolet light from the Sun,which then heat the atmosphere and the surface. 
E) Greenhouse gases absorb infrared light from the Sun,which then heats the atmosphere and the surface. 
A) Greenhouse gases transmit visible light,allowing it to heat the surface,but then absorb infrared light from Earth,trapping the heat near the surface. 
B) The higher pressure of the thick atmosphere at lower altitudes traps heat in more effectively. 
C) Ozone transmits visible light,allowing it to heat the surface,but then absorbs most of the infrared heat,trapping the heat near the surface. 
D) Greenhouse gases absorb X-rays and ultraviolet light from the Sun,which then heat the atmosphere and the surface. 
E) Greenhouse gases absorb infrared light from the Sun,which then heats the atmosphere and the surface.

Question 10

Which of the following is not caused by the Coriolis effect on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Water going down a drain swirls in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres. 
B) Earth's global circulation cells are split into three separate cells in each hemisphere. 
C) Hurricanes swirl in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres. 
D) Air or objects moving northward in the northern hemisphere are deflected to the east. 
A) Water going down a drain swirls in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres. 
B) Earth's global circulation cells are split into three separate cells in each hemisphere. 
C) Hurricanes swirl in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemispheres. 
D) Air or objects moving northward in the northern hemisphere are deflected to the east.

Question 11

Why is Mars red?

Accepted Answer

A) It is made primarily of red clay. 
B) Its surface rocks were rusted by oxygen. 
C) Its atmosphere scatters blue light more effectively than red light. 
D) Its surface is made of ices that absorb blue light. 
E) Its surface is made of ices that absorb red light. 
A) It is made primarily of red clay. 
B) Its surface rocks were rusted by oxygen. 
C) Its atmosphere scatters blue light more effectively than red light. 
D) Its surface is made of ices that absorb blue light. 
E) Its surface is made of ices that absorb red light.

Question 12

Which of the following worlds has the greatest difference in temperature between its "no atmosphere" temperature and its actual temperature?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

Which of the following is the most basic definition of a greenhouse gas?

Accepted Answer

A) a gas that absorbs infrared light 
B) a gas that makes a planet much hotter than it would be otherwise,even in small amounts 
C) a gas that keeps warms air from rising,and therefore warms the surface 
D) a gas that reflects a lot of sunlight 
A) a gas that absorbs infrared light 
B) a gas that makes a planet much hotter than it would be otherwise,even in small amounts 
C) a gas that keeps warms air from rising,and therefore warms the surface 
D) a gas that reflects a lot of sunlight

Question 14

Venus has a thicker atmosphere than Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 10: Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Which of the following factors could explain a gradual warming trend in a planet's climate?

Why doesn't Venus have seasons like Mars and Earth do?

Process of Science: Climate models can match the historical record of the global temperature on Earth and conclude that human's increase of atmospheric CO₂ is responsible for global warming.How might you test this conclusion?

Why does Earth have so little carbon dioxide in its atmosphere compared to Venus?

Which of the following planets has an exosphere?

Which of the following best describes how the greenhouse effect works?

Deuterium is much more abundant on Venus than Earth.What do we think this fact tells us about Venus?

Use these processes for the following questions. -Which process explains why none of the terrestrial planets have much atomic or molecular hydrogen in their atmospheres?

How does the greenhouse effect work?

Which of the following is not caused by the Coriolis effect on Earth?

Why is Mars red?

Which of the following worlds has the greatest difference in temperature between its "no atmosphere" temperature and its actual temperature?

Which of the following is the most basic definition of a greenhouse gas?

Venus has a thicker atmosphere than 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 Geology: 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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