ASTRONOMY COURSE 1010

TEST on UNIT 2: SOLAR SYSTEM

John P. Pratt


Use only a Number 2 pencil. If you make a mistake and need to correct it be sure you erase completely. (Sometimes the scanner is not kind.) Hint: Avoid "E" as an answer.

    1. The outermost layer of the earth is the
    2. core
    3. crust
    4. mantle
    5. asthenosphere
    6. peeling
    1. The earth's core is composed primarily of
    2. lead
    3. silicates
    4. copper
    5. nickel-iron
    6. Marine corps
    1. Sound waves traveling through the earth are termed _____ waves.
    2. earth traveling
    3. seismic
    4. magnetic
    5. geologic
    6. tidal
    1. All processes of fracturing and movement of the Earth's crust are called __________.
    2. slippage
    3. earthquakes
    4. tectonics
    5. volcanoes
    6. the earth's crust never moves
    1. With regard to the tectonic plates of the earth's crust
    2. are all colliding with each other
    3. are all separating from each other
    4. some are separating and some are colliding
    5. none of these
    6. California voted to remove San Andreas from sainthood
    1. The earth's magnetic field is thought to be caused by
    2. a large loadstone in Northern Canada
    3. sunspot activity
    4. liquid metal circulating in the earth's outer core
    5. the Northern Lights
    6. all the compasses in the world aligning
    1. A lunar mare is
    2. a crack on the surface
    3. a dark, flat area on the surface
    4. abright streak radiating from the craters
    5. a moon mountain
    6. looking for a lunar stallion
    1. The lunar craters were apparently caused by
    2. bursting bubbles from the interior
    3. spacecraft landings
    4. meteoric collisions
    5. explosions
    6. Trick question. The Craters of the Moon are in Idaho.
    1. The planets Mars through Pluto are called the
    2. Terrestrial planets
    3. Giant planets
    4. Outer planets
    5. Jovian Planets
    6. Edible Plants
    1. The smallest and largest planets (excluding Pluto) are
    2. Mars and Jupiter
    3. Mercury and Jupiter
    4. Mercury and Saturn
    5. Venus and Jupiter
    6. Stockton and Malone
    1. The most slowly rotating planet is
    2. Mars
    3. Mercury
    4. Saturn
    5. Venus
    6. The Daily Planet
    1. The hottest planet is
    2. Mercury, because it is so near the sun
    3. Venus, because of the "greenhouse" effect
    4. Mars, because of its large magnetic field
    5. Io, because of Jupiter's tidal effects
    6. Earth, because it has the most movie stars
    1. Planets nearly identical to the earth in certain respects are
    2. Mercury in rotation rate, Venus in temperature, Mars in size
    3. Mercury in size, Venus in density, Mars in temperature
    4. Mercury in temperature, Venus in rotation rate, Mars in size
    5. Mercury in density, Venus in size, Mars in rotation rate
    6. Mercury in swiftness, Venus in beauty, Mars in agression
    1. A planet's synodic period is the period, as seen on the moving earth, relative to
    2. the sun
    3. the moon
    4. the ecliptic
    5. the stars
    6. the asterisk

    1. The orbital period of Jupiter is
    2. 5 times in 8 years
    3. 12 years
    4. 30 years
    5. 84 years
    6. 144 years, which is gross
    1. The planet which would float in water is
    2. Mars
    3. Jupiter
    4. Saturn
    5. Uranus
    6. There's no bathtub big enough, so there's no way to know
    1. The first planet to have been predicted to exist because of perturbations to known planets was
    2. Saturn
    3. Uranus
    4. Neptune
    5. Pluto
    6. Being perturbed never led to the discovery of anything.
    1. The planet on which you would weigh the most is
    2. Mars
    3. Jupiter
    4. Saturn
    5. Uranus
    6. You weigh the same on every planet.
    1. One planet known to radiate more energy in infrared light than it receives from the sun is
    2. Mercury, because it is so near the sun
    3. Venus, because of the Greenhouse effect
    4. Mars, because it is so red
    5. Jupiter, because of gravitational contraction
    6. Infrared is not light, it is heat
    1. The moon with the thickest atmosphere is
    2. Titan
    3. Titania
    4. Triton
    5. Ganymede
    6. our Moon

    1. The terrestrial planets in order from the Sun are
    2. Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Earth
    3. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
    4. Mercury, Mars, Venus and Earth
    5. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
    6. Earth is the only terrestrial planet
    1. Which is NOT a characteristic of terrestrial planets?
    2. low density
    3. nearer the sun than the asteroid belt
    4. at least some craters
    5. small diameters
    6. round like a tennis ball
    1. Which is NOT a characteristic of the giant planets?
    2. low density
    3. pronounced greenhouse effect
    4. they all have rings
    5. they have many satellites
    6. they are named for mythological gods
    1. Craters on Mercury were discovered by
    2. Galileo, with one of the first telescopes
    3. large telescopes in this century
    4. a space craft fly-by
    5. radar mapping
    6. there are no graders on Mercury
    1. Which is NOT a characteristic of Venus' atmosphere
    2. it was discovered 200 years ago
    3. it is composed almost entirely of carbon dioxide
    4. it is about the same pressure as our atmosphere
    5. it has clouds containing sulfuric acid
    6. it's hot enough to fry an egg
    1. The fact that no object was known at the Bode's rule distance of 2.8 a.u. led to the discovery of
    2. the moons of Mars
    3. the asteroids
    4. the ring around Jupiter
    5. Neptune
    6. Newton's laws
    1. Mariner 10 photos of Mercury showed that it looks like
    2. Europa
    3. our Moon
    4. Venus
    5. Jupiter
    6. Quicksilver
    1. The planet Mercury
    2. is easy to see in a very dark sky
    3. can sometimes be seen rising near the full moon
    4. is so dim it can only be seen every few years
    5. sometimes can be seen several times a year
    6. is impossible to see because it is so near the sun
    1. Because of its density, Mercury is believed by scientists to
    2. have an iron core like the earth
    3. be composed almost entirely of rock like the moon
    4. be composed of ices, which would float in water
    5. be composed of crushed asteroids
    6. there is no reliable indication of Mercury's density
    1. One planet which is both a morning and evening star is
    2. Venus
    3. Earth
    4. Mars
    5. Jupiter
    6. the same planet cannot be both the evening and the morning star
    1. The synodic period of Venus is
    2. about one third of a year
    3. the time for it to revolve around the sun
    4. the time for it to rotate on its axis
    5. such that 5 cycles of Venus takes 8 earth years
    6. 365 days, the same as its "sister planet," earth
    1. The red color of Mars is caused by
    2. sunlight being diffracted across the surface
    3. the plentiful iron oxide (rust) minerals on the surface
    4. the projection of the red atmosphere onto the planet
    5. the high rubidium content
    6. blood from the many battles of Mars
    1. The large polar "ice cap" on Mars is composed of
    2. mostly frozen water sometimes covered with dry ice
    3. frozen carbon tetrachloride
    4. frozen ammonia and methane
    5. frozen nitrogen
    6. frozen yogurt
    1. Which is NOT true about the search for life on Mars?
    2. there is evidence that life probably existed anciently when there was water in the riverbeds
    3. no biological processes like photosynthesis have been found
    4. the temperature is warm enough for life
    5. no indications of microscopic organisms were found
    6. Martians did not gather at the Viking landing site
    1. Which is NOT a surface feature of Mars?
    2. volcanoes larger than any on earth
    3. atmospheric pressure greater than that on earth
    4. meteorite craters larger than any on earth
    5. features resembling ancient riverbeds
    6. a red sky
    1. The "canals" on Mars turned out to be
    2. windblown dust deposits
    3. dry river beds
    4. extinct vegetation
    5. huge impact craters
    6. a government welfare project
    1. Which is NOT true of the moons of Mars
    2. they are named Phobos and Deimos, after the horses that pulled Mars' chariot
    3. they are too small to be seen from earth-based telescopes
    4. they are small enough to be potato-shaped
    5. they might be captured asteroids
    6. they are not made of green cheese

    1. Jupiter is
    2. about 2 times the diameter of the earth
    3. about 5 times the diameter of the earth
    4. about 10 times the diameter of the earth
    5. about 20 times the diameter of the earth
    6. too big to be seen in a telescope
    1. Jupiter has
    2. bands of clouds of ammonia ice
    3. visible clouds of carbon dioxide
    4. bands on the rocky surface
    5. visible clouds of sulfuric acid
    6. bands of clouds called "zebra stripes"
    1. Jupiter's red spot is
    2. a giant impact crater
    3. the huge basin of a ancient sea
    4. a huge hurricane larger than the earth
    5. an example of iron oxide coloration
    6. an classic example of mass hypnosis
    1. Which is NOT true of Jupiter's magnetic field?
    2. It is second in strength only to that of Saturn.
    3. It contributes to Jupiter's synchrotron radiation in the radio wavelengths.
    4. It is probably caused by a liquid metallic hydrogen core.
    5. It traps charged particles in zones similar to earth's van Allen belts.
    6. It has never been known to damage a Mickey Mouse watch.
    1. Jupiter
    2. passes through about one zodiac constellation per year
    3. is too dim to see easily from the earth
    4. was unknown before the early Greek astronomy
    5. has a retrograde axial rotation
    6. was known anciently as "Big Jupe"
    1. Which is NOT true about the four large Galilean satellites of Jupiter
    2. they can be seen in a small telescope
    3. they orbit in the same direction as Jupiter and nearly in a plane
    4. they follow a modified Bode's rule
    5. they all rotate fairly rapidly on their axes
    6. they are too big to fit in the Sea of Galilei
    1. The outer moons of Jupiter
    2. can all be seen in a small telescope
    3. revolve in the same direction and nearly in a plane
    4. appear to have been captured
    5. all follow a modified Bode's rule
    6. are located closer to Jupiter than the inner moons.
    1. The nearest Galilean moon to Jupiter is
    2. Io
    3. Callisto
    4. Europa
    5. Triton
    6. none of the above; the Galilean moons surround Saturn
    1. The order of the Galilean satellites in distance from Jupiter is
    2. Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
    3. Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto
    4. Europa, Io, Callisto and Ganymede
    5. Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede
    6. Harpo, Chico, Zeppo and Groucho
    7. Jupiter does NOT have at least one moon that
    8. looks like an icy cue ball
    9. has sulfur and active volcanoes
    10. is heated by tidal flexing
    11. has the thickest atmosphere of any moon in the solar system
    12. is not overpopulated
    1. Cassini's division is
    2. a separation in Saturn's ring visible even in small telescopes
    3. the division between Jupiter's equatorial and south temperate zone
    4. the borderline between a dark belt and a light zone
    5. the outer edge of the Great Red Spot
    6. a part of the "new math"
    1. All of the rings around the outer planets are
    2. never located closer than one planet diameter away from the planet
    3. are solid discs made of ice and/or rock
    4. are composed largely of particles and lumps of ice and/or rock
    5. invisible in small telescopes
    6. known as the Wedding Rings of the Great Ones
    1. Which is NOT true of all of the four giants planets?
    2. They all have rings
    3. They all have high density
    4. They all have thick clouds
    5. They all have at least seven moons
    6. They all are named for mythological gods
    1. In what does Saturn differ most from Jupiter?
    2. size
    3. composition
    4. rings
    5. rotation rate
    6. they are essentially identical, being known as the Twinners

    1. Saturn
    2. has a magnificent ring visible only in large telescopes
    3. takes about 30 years to revolve around the sun
    4. is visible only shortly after sunset or before sunrise
    5. has one side always facing Jupiter
    6. will never be popular enough to have a car named for it
    1. Saturn's ring is composed of
    2. solid rock
    3. solid ice
    4. rock chunks
    5. ice chunks
    6. white gold
    1. The gap in Saturn's rings is caused by
    2. tidal forces
    3. being swept clean by a satellite with twice the orbital period of anything in the gap
    4. the continual passing of the planet Jupiter
    5. continual meteorite bombardment
    6. failure to use a ring-removing detergent
    1. Titan is known for
    2. being the largest moon in the solar system
    3. having a thick, smoggy atmosphere
    4. being the icy cue-ball moon
    5. its liquid nitrogen geysers
    6. having been sunk by an iceberg
    1. Which is NOT a characteristic of BOTH Uranus and Neptune?
    2. grey colored
    3. thick atmospheres
    4. composed mostly of hydrogen and helium
    5. rings
    6. bigger than the U.S.A.

    1. Uranus
    2. was discovered by Herschel when making a star map
    3. was predicted to exist by Herschel and then discovered
    4. was first discovered to have rings on the Voyager flyby
    5. had all of its moons discovered by earth-based telescopes
    6. has won the Euphonius Planet Name award
    1. Uranus
    2. can never be seen in binoculars
    3. has similar seasons to the earth
    4. has its equator tipped nearly perpendicular to the orbital plane
    5. is really an escaped moon of Neptune
    6. always carries a pitchfork
    1. Uranus
    2. orbits the sun in 12 years
    3. orbits the sun in 30 years
    4. orbits the sun in 84 years
    5. orbits the sun in 164 years
    6. orbits the sun whenever it feels like it
    1. The satellites of Uranus
    2. Are uninteresting to scientists because they are cold and dead
    3. Were found by Voyager to be volcanic
    4. Show fractures and resurfacing
    5. are only five in number
    6. are called the Frozen Chosen
    1. Pluto
    2. only appears as a dot in backyard telescopes
    3. has an orbit in the plane of the ecliptic
    4. has a moon about half its own diameter
    5. has enough mass to cause the perturbations to the orbit of Neptune which led to its discovery
    6. was always a little jealous of Goofy
    1. Which is NOT a reason to reject Pluto is as a true planet
    2. it is too far from the sun
    3. if it is called a planet, then Chiron should be also
    4. it is too small
    5. it disobeys Bode's rule
    6. it should be disqualified because nine is not a lucky number
    1. Comets are believed to be made of
    2. ice mixed with dark carbonaceous-rich dust grains, like "dirty icebergs"
    3. mostly solid methane and ammonia
    4. metallic hydrogen
    5. rock
    6. scouring detergent
    1. Comet tails
    2. point backward from the direction of orbital motion
    3. point away from the sun
    4. point toward the planet Jupiter
    5. point toward the sun
    6. point up when happy, and are dragging when sad
    1. Edmond Halley successfully first predicted the return of Halley's comet because
    2. perturbations were discovered in the orbit of Uranus
    3. perturbations were discovered in the orbit of Neptune
    4. observations of four previous comets were all separated by the same interval of time
    5. Sir Isaac Newton convinced him to use Kepler's laws
    6. he thought it would help him control the destiny of nations
    1. An average comet nucleus is about the size of
    2. the Earth
    3. the United States
    4. Utah
    5. Orem and Provo
    6. a dirty ice skater

    1. An average meteor is about the size of
    2. Mt. Timpanogos
    3. the Utah State Capitol building
    4. a Toyota
    5. a grain of sand or matchhead
    6. one yard (one meteor = 39.37 inches)
    1. Meteor showers near the same date every year occur when
    2. the earth passes through the asteroid belt
    3. the earth passes through the zodiacal light
    4. the earth passes through tiny fragments of an old comet
    5. the earth passes Mars in its orbit
    6. the dirty iceberg needs a shower
    1. The best meteor shower every year is usually occurs on
    2. March 21
    3. June 21
    4. August 12
    5. December 25
    6. a snowy day

    1. Meteors differ from meteorites in that
    2. 95% of meteors are composed of stone
    3. meteorites hit the ground
    4. meteorites are much smaller
    5. meteorites streak across the sky faster
    6. meteorites are descendants of the Great Meteor
    1. The two main kinds of meteorites are
    2. iron and stone
    3. ice and stone
    4. crystal and stone
    5. dirt and ice
    6. all meteorites were created equal

    1. Asteroids were discovered
    2. by using Bode's rule
    3. when Herschel was making a star map
    4. from perturbations of planetary orbits
    5. by accident
    6. by John Jacob Aster
    1. The asteroids are mostly found between
    2. Venus and Earth
    3. Earth and Mars
    4. Mars and Jupiter
    5. Jupiter and Saturn
    6. a rock and a hard place
    1. No asteroid has been discovered larger than
    2. a meteor
    3. a comet
    4. Utah
    5. our moon
    6. the National Debt
    1. Asteroids are composed of
    2. rock
    3. ice
    4. iron
    5. dust grains
    6. interstellar dirt fill
    1. Apollo asteroids
    2. were discovered by the Apollo spacecraft
    3. were worshipped by the early Greeks
    4. come within the earth's orbit
    5. follow the sun
    6. are appalling

    1. A good scientific theory of the solar system's origin does NOT need to explain
    2. why the planets all lie nearly in a plane
    3. the nearly circular, orbits of the planets, which all go in the same west-to-east direction
    4. Planet-satellite systems like miniature solar systems
    5. the extinction of the dinosaurs by an asteroid
    6. the origin of anything smaller than Texas
    1. One weakness in the current theory that the sun and planets apparently formed at the same time from a contracting cloud is
    2. Why would the planets all revolve in the same direction in the plane of the sun's equator?
    3. How could floating dust and grains form into the asteroids?
    4. Why would Jupiter and Saturn would have compositions much like the sun?
    5. Why do the planets rotate on their axes in the same direction they orbit the sun?
    6. Where did God get the idea in the first place?