Question 1

We refer to some of the inner regions of Jupiter and Saturn as metallic hydrogen because they:

Accepted Answer

A)  are as dense as lead. 
B)  are solid. 
C)  provide support for the upper layers of hydrogen and helium. 
D)  efficiently conduct electricity.

Question 2

As a group,the giant planets all rotate ________ terrestrial planets.

Accepted Answer

A)  faster than 
B)  slower than 
C)  the same as 
D)  retrograde compared to

Question 3

How does the discovery of Neptune relate to the discovery of extrasolar planets?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does the discovery of Neptune relate...

Question 4

Why would a planet's rings reflect 50 percent of the sunlight they receive?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are made of ice. 
B)  They are made of silicate rock. 
C)  They are made of iron. 
D)  They are very old.

Question 5

Why are all clouds on Jupiter not white,as on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are made of methane. 
B)  They are made of carbon dioxide. 
C)  There are impurities in their ice crystals. 
D)  For the same reason that we see colors in rainbows on Earth.

Question 6

Of the giant planets,only Jupiter and Saturn have thick inner layers of:

Accepted Answer

A)  liquid rock. 
B)  solid rock. 
C)  molecular and metallic hydrogen. 
D)  liquid methane.

Question 7

Uranus and Neptune do not have bands as distinct as those on Jupiter and Saturn because Uranus and Neptune:

Accepted Answer

A)  have wind speeds that vary more smoothly from the equator to the poles. 
B)  are composed entirely of hydrogen and helium and lack more complex molecules. 
C)  are much closer to the Sun and much colder. 
D)  rotate 10 times slower.

Question 8

A planet will have bands in its atmosphere like Jupiter and Saturn if:

Accepted Answer

A)  Hadley circulation is the main effect governing the atmosphere. 
B)  the planet rotates slowly. 
C)  the wind speeds vary greatly with latitude. 
D)  the planet has a high temperature.

Question 9

The Roche Limit is reached when:

Accepted Answer

A)  the internal pressure of a gas giant planet is enough to compress its core. 
B)  ring particles closest to a planet fall into its atmosphere. 
C)  the tidal stress becomes greater than the surface gravity. 
D)  a ring particle reaches escape velocity.

Question 10

If you monitor Saturn's atmosphere and you see a storm at a longitude of 0° west on one day and at a longitude of 90° west 3 days later,what is the average wind speed on Saturn at this storm's latitude? Note that these positions are measured on a coordinate system that rotates with the planet's interior.(The radius of Saturn is 6 × 10⁷ meters.)

Accepted Answer

A)  720 m/s 
B)  120 m/s 
C)  360 m/s 
D)  540 m/s

Question 11

Which of the giant planets does NOT have rings?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter 
B)  Saturn 
C)  Uranus 
D)  Neptune 
E)  All of the giant planets have rings

Question 12

Neptune and Uranus probably took longer to form than Jupiter and Saturn because the solar nebula was ________ at the radius of Neptune and Uranus.

Accepted Answer

A)  rotating faster 
B)  composed of rockier planetesimals 
C)  not as dense 
D)  hotter

Question 13

The Great Red Spot,Jupiter's most prominent storm system,has a diameter that is ________ times Earth's diameter.

Accepted Answer

A)  2 
B)  5 
C)  10 
D)  50

Question 14

The colors of the cloud bands on Jupiter and Saturn are due primarily to differences in their:

Accepted Answer

A)  wind speeds. 
B)  chemical compositions. 
C)  altitudes. 
D)  temperatures.

Question 15

How can water exist as liquid at temperatures higher than its boiling point?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How can water exist as liquid at...

Question 16

Jupiter's rings are made of material from:

Accepted Answer

A)  its largest, innermost moons. 
B)  its upper atmosphere. 
C)  only Io. 
D)  only its retrograde moons.

Question 17

If Saturn's orbital period is 30 years and the obliquity is 26°,how long is it from the first day of spring to the first day of autumn on Saturn?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If Saturn's orbital period is 30 years...

Question 18

The different colors of auroras are due to:

Accepted Answer

A)  temperature differences in the giant planet atmosphere. 
B)  fluctuations in the magnetic field. 
C)  variations in atmospheric pressure. 
D)  the composition of the giant planet atmosphere.

Question 19

You observe Neptune as it occults a background star when the relative velocity between Neptune and the Earth is 30 km/s,and the star crosses through the middle of the planet and disappears for 27.6 minutes.What is Neptune's diameter?

Accepted Answer

A)  5 × 104 km 
B)  800 km 
C)  4,000 km 
D)  9 × 103 km

Question 20

All the giant planets except ________ experience seasons.

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 8: The Giant Planets