Question 1

A small rock in interplanetary space is called a

Accepted Answer

A) meteor. 
B) meteoroid. 
C) meteorite. 
A) meteor. 
B) meteoroid. 
C) meteorite. B

Question 2

Which body in the solar system has the highest level of volcanic activity?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter 
B) Earth 
C) Mars 
D) Io 
A) Jupiter 
B) Earth 
C) Mars 
D) Io D

Question 3

About how deep is the photosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) 300 meters 
B) 500 meters 
C) 300 km 
D) 500 km 
A) 300 meters 
B) 500 meters 
C) 300 km 
D) 500 km D

Question 4

What is the cause of Jupiter's extremely high-energy radiation belts?

Accepted Answer

A) An enormous magnetic field that captures high energy particles. 
B) The capture of a high number of metallic asteroids. 
C) Tidal forces due to the interaction between Jupiter and its moons. 
D) The remnants of a massive collision between Jupiter and another large body. 
A) An enormous magnetic field that captures high energy particles. 
B) The capture of a high number of metallic asteroids. 
C) Tidal forces due to the interaction between Jupiter and its moons. 
D) The remnants of a massive collision between Jupiter and another large body.

Question 5

The ecliptic

Accepted Answer

A) occurs during a solar or lunar eclipse. 
B) is the average distance between the Sun and Earth. 
C) is the plane of Earth's orbit. 
D) refers to the gases from which our solar system formed. 
A) occurs during a solar or lunar eclipse. 
B) is the average distance between the Sun and Earth. 
C) is the plane of Earth's orbit. 
D) refers to the gases from which our solar system formed.

Question 6

Why is the Moon still visible during a full lunar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's atmosphere acts as a lens that refracts light into the shadowed region. 
B) There is a minor component of phosphorescent minerals distributed fairly evenly on the lunar surface. 
C) The Moon's thin atmosphere acts as a mirror, reflecting light being cast from neighboring stars. 
D) Background microwave radiation becomes excited during the lunar eclipse, and shifts towards visual light, which then slightly illuminates the eclipsed moon. 
A) Earth's atmosphere acts as a lens that refracts light into the shadowed region. 
B) There is a minor component of phosphorescent minerals distributed fairly evenly on the lunar surface. 
C) The Moon's thin atmosphere acts as a mirror, reflecting light being cast from neighboring stars. 
D) Background microwave radiation becomes excited during the lunar eclipse, and shifts towards visual light, which then slightly illuminates the eclipsed moon.

Question 7

The predominant gas in the atmosphere of Earth is

Accepted Answer

A) oxygen. 
B) nitrogen. 
C) water vapor. 
D) carbon dioxide. 
E) methane. 
A) oxygen. 
B) nitrogen. 
C) water vapor. 
D) carbon dioxide. 
E) methane.

Question 8

With each pass of a comet about the Sun, its mass

Accepted Answer

A) is appreciably reduced. 
B) remains virtually unchanged. 
C) actually increases. 
A) is appreciably reduced. 
B) remains virtually unchanged. 
C) actually increases.

Question 9

What is the evidence that the Sun is a relatively new star in the universe?

Accepted Answer

Spectroscopic investigations show that t

Question 10

What aspect of the Sun's behavior wraps and distorts the solar magnetic field?

Accepted Answer

A) The differential spin between the equatorial and polar regions 
B) Sunspot activity due to differential heat dispersion 
C) Plasma fluxes within the core 
D) The cycle of the reversal of the magnetic poles 
A) The differential spin between the equatorial and polar regions 
B) Sunspot activity due to differential heat dispersion 
C) Plasma fluxes within the core 
D) The cycle of the reversal of the magnetic poles

Question 11

The planet with a mass most like Earth's is

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury. 
B) Venus. 
C) Mars. 
D) Saturn. 
E) Neptune. 
A) Mercury. 
B) Venus. 
C) Mars. 
D) Saturn. 
E) Neptune.

Question 12

The parts of Saturn's rings with the greatest rotational speed are the

Accepted Answer

A) inner parts. 
B) outer parts. 
C) Neither, for all parts of Saturn's rings rotate equally. 
A) inner parts. 
B) outer parts. 
C) Neither, for all parts of Saturn's rings rotate equally.

Question 13

How long does it take for Earth to revolve around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

A) one day 
B) one week 
C) one month 
D) one year 
A) one day 
B) one week 
C) one month 
D) one year

Question 14

At about what frequency is Earth struck by a meteorite large enough (about 10 km in diameter)to cause mass extinctions?

Accepted Answer

A) About every 1 million years 
B) About every 10 million years 
C) About every 100 million years 
D) This has yet to occur on Earth 
A) About every 1 million years 
B) About every 10 million years 
C) About every 100 million years 
D) This has yet to occur on Earth

Question 15

In what region of the Sun are most of X-rays generated?

Accepted Answer

A) The inner core 
B) The photosphere 
C) The chronosphere 
D) The corona 
A) The inner core 
B) The photosphere 
C) The chronosphere 
D) The corona

Question 16

When the Moon assumes its characteristic thin crescent shape, the position of the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A) almost directly behind the Earth, so Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. 
B) almost directly in back of the Moon. 
C) at right angles to the line between the Moon and Earth. 
A) almost directly behind the Earth, so Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. 
B) almost directly in back of the Moon. 
C) at right angles to the line between the Moon and Earth.

Question 17

of Jupiter's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) Hydrogen 
B) Helium 
C) Methane 
D) Ammonia 
A) Hydrogen 
B) Helium 
C) Methane 
D) Ammonia

Question 18

The carbon dioxide cycle is important to Earth because it

Accepted Answer

A) helps sustain the planet's plant base. 
B) has been recognized by the Nobel Prize award committee. 
C) and the oceans are critical in moderating and regulating the Earth's temperatures. 
D) prevents the gradual buildup of oxygen, which would eventually lead to a combustible atmosphere. 
A) helps sustain the planet's plant base. 
B) has been recognized by the Nobel Prize award committee. 
C) and the oceans are critical in moderating and regulating the Earth's temperatures. 
D) prevents the gradual buildup of oxygen, which would eventually lead to a combustible atmosphere.

Question 19

The materials that compose most of Titan are completely different than those that compose Earth. Therefore, what were scientist surprised to see from space-probe images in a 2005 landing?

Accepted Answer

A) Some indications that an ancient civilization may have inhabited Titan approximately 500,000 years ago 
B) A landscape similar to Earth's 
C) An utterly alien landscape, unlike anything seen on Earth 
D) The image of a man's face on an equatorial mountain range. 
A) Some indications that an ancient civilization may have inhabited Titan approximately 500,000 years ago 
B) A landscape similar to Earth's 
C) An utterly alien landscape, unlike anything seen on Earth 
D) The image of a man's face on an equatorial mountain range.

Question 20

What aspect of Titan may hold clues as to what Earth was like before life arose here?

Accepted Answer

A) Its intense volcanic activity 
B) Its expansive liquid oceans 
C) The rate of radioactive decay of its inner core 
D) An intriguing soup of organic molecules 
A) Its intense volcanic activity 
B) Its expansive liquid oceans 
C) The rate of radioactive decay of its inner core 
D) An intriguing soup of organic molecules

Exam 26: The Solar System

A small rock in interplanetary space is called a

Which body in the solar system has the highest level of volcanic activity?

About how deep is the photosphere?

What is the cause of Jupiter's extremely high-energy radiation belts?

The ecliptic

Why is the Moon still visible during a full lunar eclipse?

The predominant gas in the atmosphere of Earth is

With each pass of a comet about the Sun, its mass

What is the evidence that the Sun is a relatively new star in the universe?

What aspect of the Sun's behavior wraps and distorts the solar magnetic field?

The planet with a mass most like Earth's is

The parts of Saturn's rings with the greatest rotational speed are the

How long does it take for Earth to revolve around the Sun?

At about what frequency is Earth struck by a meteorite large enough (about 10 km in diameter)to cause mass extinctions?

In what region of the Sun are most of X-rays generated?

When the Moon assumes its characteristic thin crescent shape, the position of the Sun is

of Jupiter's atmosphere?

The carbon dioxide cycle is important to Earth because it

The materials that compose most of Titan are completely different than those that compose Earth. Therefore, what were scientist surprised to see from space-probe images in a 2005 landing?

What aspect of Titan may hold clues as to what Earth was like before life arose here?

Patterns of Motion and Equilibrium

Newtons Laws of Motion

Momentum and Energy

Gravity, Projectiles, and Satellites

Fluid Mechanics

Thermal Energy and Thermodynamics

Heat Transfer and Change of Phase

Static and Current Electricity

Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction

Waves and Sound

Light

Atoms and the Periodic Table

The Atomic Nucleus and Radioactivity

Elements of Chemistry

How Atoms Bond and Molecules Attract

Mixtures

How Chemicals React

Two Classes of Chemical Reactions

Organic Compounds

Rocks and Minerals

Plate Tectonics and Earths Interior

Shaping Earths Surface

Geologic Timereading the Rock Record

The Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climatic Effects

Driving Forces of Weather

Stars and Galaxies

The Structure of Space and Time

Prologue: the Nature of Science

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