Question 1

In the absence of the greenhouse effect, the water on the surface of the Earth would:

Accepted Answer

A)  escape into outer space 
B)  remain in liquid form 
C)  vaporize and form clouds in the atmosphere 
D)  freeze 
E)  be absorbed into rocks 
A)  escape into outer space 
B)  remain in liquid form 
C)  vaporize and form clouds in the atmosphere 
D)  freeze 
E)  be absorbed into rocks

Question 2

Runaway convection in the Earth's atmosphere can lead to:

Accepted Answer

A)  snow 
B)  destruction of ozone 
C)  aurorae 
D)  acid rain 
E)  violent storms 
A)  snow 
B)  destruction of ozone 
C)  aurorae 
D)  acid rain 
E)  violent storms

Question 3

All weather and wind on Earth are a result of convection in the:

Accepted Answer

A)  troposphere 
B)  stratosphere 
C)  mesosphere 
D)  ionosphere 
E)  thermosphere 
A)  troposphere 
B)  stratosphere 
C)  mesosphere 
D)  ionosphere 
E)  thermosphere

Question 4

Earth's atmosphere is a (seemingly) enormous blanket roughly 250 km thick. What percentage of Earth's radius, which is 6,400 km, does this represent? How does it compare to the average depth of the oceans, which is 3 km?

Accepted Answer

The Earth's atmosphere is 250/6, 400 = 0

Question 5

All the terrestrial planets have atmospheres as dense or denser than Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

According to the figure, about how long ago did oxygen reach its current abundance in Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  3 billion years ago 
B)  1 billion years ago 
C)  0.5 billion years ago 
D)  0.25 billion years ago 
E)  0.1 billion years ago 
A)  3 billion years ago 
B)  1 billion years ago 
C)  0.5 billion years ago 
D)  0.25 billion years ago 
E)  0.1 billion years ago

Question 7

The fraction of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere has always remained at about the same as it is today.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Which molecule moves with the fastest average speed while being bound in the Earth's atmosphere in thermal equilibrium?

Accepted Answer

A)  Water, H2O (atomic mass =18) 
B)  Carbon dioxide, CO2 (atomic mass = 44) 
C)  Nitrogen (atomic mass = 28) 
D)  Oxygen (atomic mass = 32) 
E)  Hydrogen, H2 (atomic mass= 2) 
A)  Water, H2O (atomic mass =18) 
B)  Carbon dioxide, CO2 (atomic mass = 44) 
C)  Nitrogen (atomic mass = 28) 
D)  Oxygen (atomic mass = 32) 
E)  Hydrogen, H2 (atomic mass= 2)

Question 9

According to the Ideal Gas law, if you blow up a balloon, seal it, and then lower its temperature, the balloon will:

Accepted Answer

A)  contract 
B)  expand 
C)  remain the same size 
D)  explode 
A)  contract 
B)  expand 
C)  remain the same size 
D)  explode

Question 10

Figure 1
-According to Figure 1, what effect does doubling the temperature of a gas while keeping its volume constant have on the pressure of the gas?

Accepted Answer

A)  The pressure doubles. 
B)  The pressure is cut in half. 
C)  The pressure remains the same. 
D)  The volume quadruples. 
E)  The volume is cut to one-third its original value. 
A)  The pressure doubles. 
B)  The pressure is cut in half. 
C)  The pressure remains the same. 
D)  The volume quadruples. 
E)  The volume is cut to one-third its original value.

Question 11

The major chemical component of the air we breathe today was deposited on Earth primarily by cometary impacts.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Venus's surface temperature is fairly uniform from the equator to the poles because:

Accepted Answer

A)  Venus rotates very rapidly, which causes strong zonal winds 
B)  Venus is covered by a thick cloud layer that absorbs most of the sunlight that falls on it 
C)  the carbon dioxide in Venus's atmosphere efficiently emits infrared radiation 
D)  Venus rotates slowly so Coriolis forces do not disrupt Hadley circulation 
E)  Venus's orbit is nearly perfectly circular 
A)  Venus rotates very rapidly, which causes strong zonal winds 
B)  Venus is covered by a thick cloud layer that absorbs most of the sunlight that falls on it 
C)  the carbon dioxide in Venus's atmosphere efficiently emits infrared radiation 
D)  Venus rotates slowly so Coriolis forces do not disrupt Hadley circulation 
E)  Venus's orbit is nearly perfectly circular

Question 13

If it were not for the greenhouse effect on Earth:

Accepted Answer

A)  there would be no liquid water on Earth 
B)  life as we know it would not have developed on Earth 
C)  it would be a much colder planet 
D)  there would be no oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  All of the above are results of the greenhouse effect. 
A)  there would be no liquid water on Earth 
B)  life as we know it would not have developed on Earth 
C)  it would be a much colder planet 
D)  there would be no oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere 
E)  All of the above are results of the greenhouse effect.

Question 14

List the three planets shown in the figure below in order of decreasing surface temperature, and cite evidence that can be seen in the figure that supports your choice.

Accepted Answer

Venus, Earth, Mars: Venus is covered wit

Question 15

Humans cannot survive on the surface of Mars for long periods of time because:

Accepted Answer

A)  there is not enough oxygen in the atmosphere 
B)  the range in temperature between day and night is too large 
C)  the flux of ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface is too high 
D)  the atmospheric pressure would be too low 
E)  all of the above are valid reasons 
A)  there is not enough oxygen in the atmosphere 
B)  the range in temperature between day and night is too large 
C)  the flux of ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface is too high 
D)  the atmospheric pressure would be too low 
E)  all of the above are valid reasons

Question 16

Venus's atmospheric clouds are so thick that the surface of the planet is not seen when observing it in visible light.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Heating from _________ causes the top of the Earth's stratosphere to be warmer than the bottom.

Accepted Answer

A)  higher-energy particles in the solar wind 
B)  convection 
C)  the ozone layer absorbing UV light 
D)  charged particles trapped by magnetic fields 
E)  the greenhouse effect 
A)  higher-energy particles in the solar wind 
B)  convection 
C)  the ozone layer absorbing UV light 
D)  charged particles trapped by magnetic fields 
E)  the greenhouse effect

Question 18

Figure 1
-According to Figure 1, what must be done to the volume of the gas in order to double its pressure while keeping its temperature constant?

Accepted Answer

A)  The volume should be doubled. 
B)  The volume should be cut in half. 
C)  The volume should remain the same. 
D)  The volume should be tripled. 
E)  The volume should be cut to one-fourth its original value. 
A)  The volume should be doubled. 
B)  The volume should be cut in half. 
C)  The volume should remain the same. 
D)  The volume should be tripled. 
E)  The volume should be cut to one-fourth its original value.

Question 19

Suppose you go out hiking in the snow on a mountain top on a cold winter day when the temperature outside is 0 C = 273 K and the pressure is 0.75 bar. If you brought along a package of potato chips that was sealed at sea level when the temperature was 24 C = 297 K, what would have happened to the volume of the bag of chips? By how much will the volume have changed?

Accepted Answer

The ideal gas law says that P @#LAT-DLM&@#LAT-DLM&T @#LAT-DLM& T/V, th

Question 20

The major difference in the composition of Earth's atmosphere compared to the atmospheres of Venus and Mars is a direct consequence of:

Accepted Answer

A)  life on Earth 
B)  Earth's plate tectonics 
C)  differences in the greenhouse effect 
D)  the presence of liquid water 
E)  differing distances from the Sun 
A)  life on Earth 
B)  Earth's plate tectonics 
C)  differences in the greenhouse effect 
D)  the presence of liquid water 
E)  differing distances from the Sun

Exam 9: Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

In the absence of the greenhouse effect, the water on the surface of the Earth would:

Runaway convection in the Earth's atmosphere can lead to:

All weather and wind on Earth are a result of convection in the:

Earth's atmosphere is a (seemingly) enormous blanket roughly 250 km thick. What percentage of Earth's radius, which is 6,400 km, does this represent? How does it compare to the average depth of the oceans, which is 3 km?

All the terrestrial planets have atmospheres as dense or denser than Earth's atmosphere.

According to the figure, about how long ago did oxygen reach its current abundance in Earth's atmosphere?

The fraction of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere has always remained at about the same as it is today.

Which molecule moves with the fastest average speed while being bound in the Earth's atmosphere in thermal equilibrium?

According to the Ideal Gas law, if you blow up a balloon, seal it, and then lower its temperature, the balloon will:

Figure 1 -According to Figure 1, what effect does doubling the temperature of a gas while keeping its volume constant have on the pressure of the gas?

The major chemical component of the air we breathe today was deposited on Earth primarily by cometary impacts.

Venus's surface temperature is fairly uniform from the equator to the poles because:

If it were not for the greenhouse effect on Earth:

List the three planets shown in the figure below in order of decreasing surface temperature, and cite evidence that can be seen in the figure that supports your choice.

Humans cannot survive on the surface of Mars for long periods of time because:

Venus's atmospheric clouds are so thick that the surface of the planet is not seen when observing it in visible light.

Heating from _________ causes the top of the Earth's stratosphere to be warmer than the bottom.

Figure 1 -According to Figure 1, what must be done to the volume of the gas in order to double its pressure while keeping its temperature constant?

The major difference in the composition of Earth's atmosphere compared to the atmospheres of Venus and Mars is a direct consequence of:

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters