Question 1

At what point in time do we say that the protosun became the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A)  when thermonuclear fusion reactions began at its center 
B)  when it became hot enough to emit light and heat 
C)  when the temperature began to rise at its center 
D)  when planetary formation was complete 
A)  when thermonuclear fusion reactions began at its center 
B)  when it became hot enough to emit light and heat 
C)  when the temperature began to rise at its center 
D)  when planetary formation was complete A

Question 2

Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  Uranus 
B)  Jupiter 
C)  Earth 
D)  Saturn 
A)  Uranus 
B)  Jupiter 
C)  Earth 
D)  Saturn B

Question 3

The low average density of the large outer planets,which have high masses and hence high gravitational fields,is an indication of what fact about their interiors?

Accepted Answer

A)  The large, outer planets have hot, gaseous interiors, similar to the interiors of cool stars. 
B)  The interiors of the large, outer planets are composed of water, methane, and ammonia. 
C)  The large, outer planets are composed mainly of very light elements, such as hydrogen and helium. 
D)  The interiors of the large, outer planets have not been condensed to liquid or solid form. 
A)  The large, outer planets have hot, gaseous interiors, similar to the interiors of cool stars. 
B)  The interiors of the large, outer planets are composed of water, methane, and ammonia. 
C)  The large, outer planets are composed mainly of very light elements, such as hydrogen and helium. 
D)  The interiors of the large, outer planets have not been condensed to liquid or solid form. C

Question 4

The MOST probable process for the formation or acquisition of the planets of the Sun is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  capture of planets from outer space by gravity. 
B)  relatively slow growth of smaller objects by collisions and mutual gravitational attraction. 
C)  freezing of immense gas clouds by the cold temperature of space. 
D)  breakup by tidal distortion of a single large companion body to the Sun. 
A)  capture of planets from outer space by gravity. 
B)  relatively slow growth of smaller objects by collisions and mutual gravitational attraction. 
C)  freezing of immense gas clouds by the cold temperature of space. 
D)  breakup by tidal distortion of a single large companion body to the Sun.

Question 5

The timescale over which material in the solar nebula accreted to form planets was about _____ years.

Accepted Answer

A)  100 million 
B)  4.6 million 
C)  4.6 billion 
D)  100,000 
A)  100 million 
B)  4.6 million 
C)  4.6 billion 
D)  100,000

Question 6

Hydrogen and helium together account for what percentage of the total mass of all the matter in the universe?

Accepted Answer

A)  90% 
B)  98% 
C)  75% 
D)  about 50% 
A)  90% 
B)  98% 
C)  75% 
D)  about 50%

Question 7

In the solar system,what is the snow line?

Accepted Answer

A)  either one of a pair of lines on any planet, parallel to its equator, between which snow is never found 
B)  a boundary in the solar system such that ices of water, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia are found only outside of this line (i.e., farther from the Sun) 
C)  a boundary in the solar system such that all fluids outside of this line (i.e., farther from the Sun) must be frozen 
D)  a boundary within the asteroid belt that divides the asteroids into those composed of rock and those composed of ice 
A)  either one of a pair of lines on any planet, parallel to its equator, between which snow is never found 
B)  a boundary in the solar system such that ices of water, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia are found only outside of this line (i.e., farther from the Sun) 
C)  a boundary in the solar system such that all fluids outside of this line (i.e., farther from the Sun) must be frozen 
D)  a boundary within the asteroid belt that divides the asteroids into those composed of rock and those composed of ice

Question 8

A gas and dust cloud that is unstable and will collapse is characterized by all the factors EXCEPT ONE.Which is the exception?

Accepted Answer

A)  low temperature 
B)  rapid internal motion 
C)  low pressure 
D)  high density 
A)  low temperature 
B)  rapid internal motion 
C)  low pressure 
D)  high density

Question 9

The MOST probable theory for the formation of the solar system is:

Accepted Answer

A)  an encounter in which a passing star ripped off material from the Sun to form the planets. 
B)  a capture theory in which the Sun, after formation, captured objects moving through space to form the planets. 
C)  the condensation of a nebula of cold gas and dust into the Sun and planets. 
D)  the condensation of a nebula of hot gas into the Sun and planets. 
A)  an encounter in which a passing star ripped off material from the Sun to form the planets. 
B)  a capture theory in which the Sun, after formation, captured objects moving through space to form the planets. 
C)  the condensation of a nebula of cold gas and dust into the Sun and planets. 
D)  the condensation of a nebula of hot gas into the Sun and planets.

Question 10

Suppose that observers using the Hubble Space Telescope detect around several solar-type stars the presence of planets with the following characteristics: low density,large size,fluid surfaces,rapid rotation.How would these planets be classified in terms of our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  asteroids 
B)  comet nuclei 
C)  terrestrial planets 
D)  Jovian planets 
A)  asteroids 
B)  comet nuclei 
C)  terrestrial planets 
D)  Jovian planets

Question 11

Evidence of extensive cratering can be seen on most bodies in the inner solar system.Two bodies,however,have surfaces that are continually reformed by geologic processes.These bodies are:

Accepted Answer

A)  Earth and Mars. 
B)  Mercury and the Moon. 
C)  Venus and Earth. 
D)  Earth and the Moon. 
A)  Earth and Mars. 
B)  Mercury and the Moon. 
C)  Venus and Earth. 
D)  Earth and the Moon.

Question 12

The LARGEST of the terrestrial planets is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Venus. 
B)  Earth. 
C)  Mars. 
D)  Jupiter. 
A)  Venus. 
B)  Earth. 
C)  Mars. 
D)  Jupiter.

Question 13

The asteroid belt is made up of:

Accepted Answer

A)  irregularly shaped bodies composed primarily of ices. 
B)  several planet-sized objects with dense methane atmospheres. 
C)  large, rocky bodies typically about the size of our Moon. 
D)  rocky bodies with diameters ranging from less than a kilometer to hundreds of kilometers. 
A)  irregularly shaped bodies composed primarily of ices. 
B)  several planet-sized objects with dense methane atmospheres. 
C)  large, rocky bodies typically about the size of our Moon. 
D)  rocky bodies with diameters ranging from less than a kilometer to hundreds of kilometers.

Question 14

The universe contains about ten times as many hydrogen atoms as helium atoms,but a helium atom has four times the mass of a hydrogen atom.What is the approximate ratio of the universe's hydrogen to helium by mass?

Accepted Answer

A)  2.5 to 1 
B)  10 to 1 
C)  4 to 1 
D)  1 to 4 
A)  2.5 to 1 
B)  10 to 1 
C)  4 to 1 
D)  1 to 4

Question 15

Most of the weight of our bodies comes from heavy elements such as carbon and oxygen.This fact immediately tells us that:

Accepted Answer

A)  our bodies have converted the original hydrogen and helium into heavier elements. 
B)  the Big Bang model of the universe must be wrong. 
C)  the solar system did not form directly from the material created by the Big Bang. 
D)  the Big Bang created elements unevenly because the Sun, unlike our bodies, is mostly hydrogen and helium. 
A)  our bodies have converted the original hydrogen and helium into heavier elements. 
B)  the Big Bang model of the universe must be wrong. 
C)  the solar system did not form directly from the material created by the Big Bang. 
D)  the Big Bang created elements unevenly because the Sun, unlike our bodies, is mostly hydrogen and helium.

Question 16

What is the Kuiper belt?

Accepted Answer

A)  a band of dust in the plane of the ecliptic, extending from near the orbit of Mars to beyond the orbit of Pluto 
B)  the broadest band of asteroids in the asteroid belt, separated from other bands by Kirkwood gaps 
C)  the relatively flat distribution of objects in the plane of the ecliptic, extending from around the orbit of Pluto out to about 50 AU from the Sun 
D)  the approximate spherical distribution of comets centered on the Sun and extending out to about 50,000 AU 
A)  a band of dust in the plane of the ecliptic, extending from near the orbit of Mars to beyond the orbit of Pluto 
B)  the broadest band of asteroids in the asteroid belt, separated from other bands by Kirkwood gaps 
C)  the relatively flat distribution of objects in the plane of the ecliptic, extending from around the orbit of Pluto out to about 50 AU from the Sun 
D)  the approximate spherical distribution of comets centered on the Sun and extending out to about 50,000 AU

Question 17

What is the basic difference between comets and asteroids?

Accepted Answer

A)  Comets always move in open orbits around the Sun and hence visit the Sun only once in their lifetime, whereas asteroids move in closed orbits. 
B)  Comets always emit their own light, whereas asteroids only reflect sunlight. 
C)  Comets are spherical, whereas asteroids are mostly irregular in shape. 
D)  Comets are mostly composed of ices, whereas asteroids are mainly composed of rocks. 
A)  Comets always move in open orbits around the Sun and hence visit the Sun only once in their lifetime, whereas asteroids move in closed orbits. 
B)  Comets always emit their own light, whereas asteroids only reflect sunlight. 
C)  Comets are spherical, whereas asteroids are mostly irregular in shape. 
D)  Comets are mostly composed of ices, whereas asteroids are mainly composed of rocks.

Question 18

What fraction of the mass of the universe is in the form of atoms other than hydrogen and helium?

Accepted Answer

A)  10% 
B)  much less than 1% 
C)  2% 
D)  50% 
A)  10% 
B)  much less than 1% 
C)  2% 
D)  50%

Question 19

In our solar system,which planet is a member of the terrestrial group?

Accepted Answer

A)  Neptune 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Mars 
A)  Neptune 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Mars

Question 20

Which object might be classified as a small solar system body?

Accepted Answer

A)  a small planet 
B)  a small asteroid 
C)  a particle in a ring system 
D)  a moon of a planet 
A)  a small planet 
B)  a small asteroid 
C)  a particle in a ring system 
D)  a moon of a planet

At what point in time do we say that the protosun became the Sun?

Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

The low average density of the large outer planets,which have high masses and hence high gravitational fields,is an indication of what fact about their interiors?

The MOST probable process for the formation or acquisition of the planets of the Sun is the:

The timescale over which material in the solar nebula accreted to form planets was about _____ years.

Hydrogen and helium together account for what percentage of the total mass of all the matter in the universe?

In the solar system,what is the snow line?

A gas and dust cloud that is unstable and will collapse is characterized by all the factors EXCEPT ONE.Which is the exception?

The MOST probable theory for the formation of the solar system is:

Suppose that observers using the Hubble Space Telescope detect around several solar-type stars the presence of planets with the following characteristics: low density,large size,fluid surfaces,rapid rotation.How would these planets be classified in terms of our solar system?

Evidence of extensive cratering can be seen on most bodies in the inner solar system.Two bodies,however,have surfaces that are continually reformed by geologic processes.These bodies are:

The LARGEST of the terrestrial planets is:

The asteroid belt is made up of:

The universe contains about ten times as many hydrogen atoms as helium atoms,but a helium atom has four times the mass of a hydrogen atom.What is the approximate ratio of the universe's hydrogen to helium by mass?

Most of the weight of our bodies comes from heavy elements such as carbon and oxygen.This fact immediately tells us that:

What is the Kuiper belt?

What is the basic difference between comets and asteroids?

What fraction of the mass of the universe is in the form of atoms other than hydrogen and helium?

In our solar system,which planet is a member of the terrestrial group?

Which object might be classified as a small solar system body?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters

Exam 4: Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems

At what point in time do we say that the protosun became the Sun?

Which planet is the largest in our solar system?

The low average density of the large outer planets,which have high masses and hence high gravitational fields,is an indication of what fact about their interiors?

The MOST probable process for the formation or acquisition of the planets of the Sun is the:

The timescale over which material in the solar nebula accreted to form planets was about _____ years.

Hydrogen and helium together account for what percentage of the total mass of all the matter in the universe?

In the solar system,what is the snow line?

A gas and dust cloud that is unstable and will collapse is characterized by all the factors EXCEPT ONE.Which is the exception?

The MOST probable theory for the formation of the solar system is:

Suppose that observers using the Hubble Space Telescope detect around several solar-type stars the presence of planets with the following characteristics: low density,large size,fluid surfaces,rapid rotation.How would these planets be classified in terms of our solar system?

Evidence of extensive cratering can be seen on most bodies in the inner solar system.Two bodies,however,have surfaces that are continually reformed by geologic processes.These bodies are:

The LARGEST of the terrestrial planets is:

The asteroid belt is made up of:

The universe contains about ten times as many hydrogen atoms as helium atoms,but a helium atom has four times the mass of a hydrogen atom.What is the approximate ratio of the universe's hydrogen to helium by mass?

Most of the weight of our bodies comes from heavy elements such as carbon and oxygen.This fact immediately tells us that:

What is the Kuiper belt?

What is the basic difference between comets and asteroids?

What fraction of the mass of the universe is in the form of atoms other than hydrogen and helium?

In our solar system,which planet is a member of the terrestrial group?

Which object might be classified as a small solar system body?

Discovering the Night Sky

Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets

Light and Telescopes

Exoplanets

The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

The Outer Planets and Their Moons

Vagabonds of the Solar System

The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star

Characterizing Stars

The Lives of the Stars From Birth Through Middle Age

The Deaths and Remnants of Stars

The Galaxies

Cosmology

Astrobiology

Filters