Question 1

How was the true rotation rate of Venus determined? Why does this make study of the Venusian surface hard for observers on the Earth?

Accepted Answer

Radar studies of Venus finally determine

Question 2

What percentage of the surface of Venus could be characterized as continental-sized highlands?

Accepted Answer

A)  less than 10% 
B)  about 30%, like the Earth 
C)  45% 
D)  75% 
E)  100% 
A)  less than 10% 
B)  about 30%, like the Earth 
C)  45% 
D)  75% 
E)  100%

Question 3

What is thought to have caused the craters on Venus?

Accepted Answer

A)  Most are volcanic in origin; some are due to meteoritic impacts. 
B)  As in the case of Mercury, all the craters are due to meteorite impacts. 
C)  Because meteorites cannot survive passing through the atmosphere of Venus, all craters must be volcanic. 
D)  Venus has very few craters and their origin is not known. 
E)  Venus' craters originated during differentiation. 
A)  Most are volcanic in origin; some are due to meteoritic impacts. 
B)  As in the case of Mercury, all the craters are due to meteorite impacts. 
C)  Because meteorites cannot survive passing through the atmosphere of Venus, all craters must be volcanic. 
D)  Venus has very few craters and their origin is not known. 
E)  Venus' craters originated during differentiation.

Question 4

The direction of the rotation of Venus is exceptional because it is in a(n)________ direction.

Accepted Answer

retrograde

Question 5

The largest volcanic structures on Venus are called:

Accepted Answer

A)  shield volcanoes. 
B)  cinder cones. 
C)  coronae. 
D)  calderas. 
E)  crater cones. 
A)  shield volcanoes. 
B)  cinder cones. 
C)  coronae. 
D)  calderas. 
E)  crater cones.

Question 6

Venus has a highly eccentric orbit,accounting for its large temperature extremes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Contrast the compositions and heights of the clouds of Earth and Venus.

Accepted Answer

Our weather and clouds of water droplets

Question 8

The clouds of Earth often generate rain storms on the Earth's surface.Is this true of Venus? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The sulfuric acid droplets from Venus' c

Question 9

Carbon dioxide is the predominant atmospheric gas on Venus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The rilles found in Ovda Regio are evidence of:

Accepted Answer

A)  ancient river beds. 
B)  plate tectonics. 
C)  something akin to sea-floor spreading. 
D)  ancient oceans. 
E)  lava flows. 
A)  ancient river beds. 
B)  plate tectonics. 
C)  something akin to sea-floor spreading. 
D)  ancient oceans. 
E)  lava flows.

Question 11

What are coronae?

Accepted Answer

large,circular volca

Question 12

Volcanic activity on Venus is thought to be:

Accepted Answer

A)  more frequent, but less violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
B)  more frequent and more violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
C)  less frequent, but more violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
D)  less frequent and less violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
E)  the same as volcanic activity on Earth. 
A)  more frequent, but less violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
B)  more frequent and more violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
C)  less frequent, but more violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
D)  less frequent and less violent than volcanic activity on Earth. 
E)  the same as volcanic activity on Earth.

Question 13

Every time the Earth and Venus are closest,the same side of Venus is facing us.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The most effective wavelengths to see through the clouds of Venus to the surface are ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The most effective wavelengths to see through...

Question 15

The relatively small number of impact craters and the near absence of small craters on the surface of Venus are thought to be a result of:

Accepted Answer

A)  the soft and resilient nature of the Venusian surface. 
B)  the thick Venusian atmosphere. 
C)  the position of Venus in the solar system-not many meteoroids cross Venus' orbit. 
D)  Venus' lack of a satellite. 
E)  the ancient oceans that once existed on Venus. 
A)  the soft and resilient nature of the Venusian surface. 
B)  the thick Venusian atmosphere. 
C)  the position of Venus in the solar system-not many meteoroids cross Venus' orbit. 
D)  Venus' lack of a satellite. 
E)  the ancient oceans that once existed on Venus.

Question 16

The atmosphere of Venus is about 95% ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The atmosphere of Venus is about 95%...

Question 17

If Venus once had an ocean,where did it go?

Accepted Answer

A)  It exists as abundant water vapor in the planet's atmosphere. 
B)  It was lost to space, stripped away by the solar wind. 
C)  The water broke into hydrogen, which escaped to space, and oxygen, which became trapped in the planet's surface rocks. 
D)  It exists trapped in the crust but below the surface. 
E)  It is found in the cooler polar regions, like at the Moon and Mercury. 
A)  It exists as abundant water vapor in the planet's atmosphere. 
B)  It was lost to space, stripped away by the solar wind. 
C)  The water broke into hydrogen, which escaped to space, and oxygen, which became trapped in the planet's surface rocks. 
D)  It exists trapped in the crust but below the surface. 
E)  It is found in the cooler polar regions, like at the Moon and Mercury.

Question 18

The lack of water on Venus is the result of ________ of the water molecules into its component atoms by solar ultraviolet radiation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The lack of water on Venus is...

Question 19

How does the rotation of Venus' clouds compare to the rotation of its surface?

Accepted Answer

The clouds

Question 20

Venus' temperature is fairly uniform over the entire planet,both day and night.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 9: Venus: Earth's Sister Planet

How was the true rotation rate of Venus determined? Why does this make study of the Venusian surface hard for observers on the Earth?

What percentage of the surface of Venus could be characterized as continental-sized highlands?

What is thought to have caused the craters on Venus?

The direction of the rotation of Venus is exceptional because it is in a(n)________ direction.

The largest volcanic structures on Venus are called:

Venus has a highly eccentric orbit,accounting for its large temperature extremes.

Contrast the compositions and heights of the clouds of Earth and Venus.

The clouds of Earth often generate rain storms on the Earth's surface.Is this true of Venus? Why or why not?

Carbon dioxide is the predominant atmospheric gas on Venus.

The rilles found in Ovda Regio are evidence of:

What are coronae?

Volcanic activity on Venus is thought to be:

Every time the Earth and Venus are closest,the same side of Venus is facing us.

The most effective wavelengths to see through the clouds of Venus to the surface are ________.

The relatively small number of impact craters and the near absence of small craters on the surface of Venus are thought to be a result of:

The atmosphere of Venus is about 95% ________.

If Venus once had an ocean,where did it go?

The lack of water on Venus is the result of ________ of the water molecules into its component atoms by solar ultraviolet radiation.

How does the rotation of Venus' clouds compare to the rotation of its surface?

Venus' temperature is fairly uniform over the entire planet,both day and night.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information from the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: The Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants,Dwarfs,and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust among the Stars

Star Formation: A Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae,Supernovae,and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: A Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

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