Question 1

Small rocky bodies with compositions similar to Earth that are in orbit around the Sun are called ________.

Accepted Answer

meteoroids

Question 2

The solar system contains the Sun,eight major bodies called planets,and at least thousands of smaller bodies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

For what reasons do we consider the planets of the solar system to be of two fundamentally different types?

Accepted Answer

The jovian planets are made up mainly of

Question 4

What is the role of dust in the condensation theory?

Accepted Answer

Dust provides the co

Question 5

The meteorites that strike Earth are:

Accepted Answer

A)  pieces of comets that fall to Earth. 
B)  mostly made of iron. 
C)  the oldest rocks known. 
D)  the remains of the planet between Mars and Jupiter. 
E)  material from outside our solar system. 
A)  pieces of comets that fall to Earth. 
B)  mostly made of iron. 
C)  the oldest rocks known. 
D)  the remains of the planet between Mars and Jupiter. 
E)  material from outside our solar system.

Question 6

Contrast the orbits of asteroids and Kuiper Belt bodies.

Accepted Answer

Both types stay close to the e

Question 7

Dust is an important part of the nebular theory of solar system formation because dust is needed to explain:

Accepted Answer

A)  how the inner planets came to be rocky bodies. 
B)  how the outer planets came to be gaseous bodies. 
C)  how the initial cloud cooled enough to collapse. 
D)  how the initial cloud heated as it contracted. 
E)  why the icy bodies are located so far from the Sun. 
A)  how the inner planets came to be rocky bodies. 
B)  how the outer planets came to be gaseous bodies. 
C)  how the initial cloud cooled enough to collapse. 
D)  how the initial cloud heated as it contracted. 
E)  why the icy bodies are located so far from the Sun.

Question 8

Use the information in Table 6.1 to compare the angular momentum in Earth's orbital motion,Jupiter's orbital motion and Pluto's orbital motion.Which factor seems to be most significant to the orbital angular momentum of these bodies: radius,mass or angular speed? Why?

Accepted Answer

Since looking at the ratios of the angul

Question 9

Which of these spacecraft went into orbit about Saturn in July 2004?

Accepted Answer

A)  Galileo 
B)  New Horizons 
C)  Cassini 
D)  Voyager 2 
E)  NEAR-Shoemaker 
A)  Galileo 
B)  New Horizons 
C)  Cassini 
D)  Voyager 2 
E)  NEAR-Shoemaker

Question 10

All planets revolve around the Sun counterclockwise,and most also rotate on their axis counterclockwise.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Name the four principal types of solar system debris; pair them up in terms of composition.

Accepted Answer

Comets,asteroids,meteoroids,an

Question 12

Our solar system contains more than 100 Kuiper Belt objects larger than 300 km in diameter.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Accretion occurred sooner in the inner part of the solar system than it did in the outer regions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which of the following are the jovian planets?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto 
B)  only Jupiter 
C)  only Jupiter and Saturn 
D)  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only 
E)  everything past Mars and the asteroid belt 
A)  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto 
B)  only Jupiter 
C)  only Jupiter and Saturn 
D)  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune only 
E)  everything past Mars and the asteroid belt

Question 15

Earth is nearly twice as large as Venus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

All terrestrial planets have moons.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The chemical composition differences between the planets are basically the result of the fact that different elements condense out of gas at different ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The chemical composition differences between the planets...

Question 18

Most comets spend the majority of their time beyond the orbit of ________,yet many of them have perihelions very close to the Sun.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Most comets spend the majority of their...

Question 19

The Oort Cloud is believed to have been formed by:

Accepted Answer

A)  planetesimals that were flung far from the Sun in gravitational encounters with the jovian planets. 
B)  icy bodies formed between stars that have been captured by our solar system's gravity. 
C)  moons that escaped from the jovian planets. 
D)  debris from an icy planet that broke apart early in the solar system's history. 
E)  debris from impacts of planetesimals, asteroids and comets with the jovian planets. 
A)  planetesimals that were flung far from the Sun in gravitational encounters with the jovian planets. 
B)  icy bodies formed between stars that have been captured by our solar system's gravity. 
C)  moons that escaped from the jovian planets. 
D)  debris from an icy planet that broke apart early in the solar system's history. 
E)  debris from impacts of planetesimals, asteroids and comets with the jovian planets.

Question 20

Our best close-up views of the jovian moons came from the many passes by:

Accepted Answer

A)  Voyager 2. 
B)  Galileo. 
C)  Cassini. 
D)  New Horizons. 
E)  Global Surveyor. 
A)  Voyager 2. 
B)  Galileo. 
C)  Cassini. 
D)  New Horizons. 
E)  Global Surveyor.

Exam 6: The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Small rocky bodies with compositions similar to Earth that are in orbit around the Sun are called ________.

The solar system contains the Sun,eight major bodies called planets,and at least thousands of smaller bodies.

For what reasons do we consider the planets of the solar system to be of two fundamentally different types?

What is the role of dust in the condensation theory?

The meteorites that strike Earth are:

Contrast the orbits of asteroids and Kuiper Belt bodies.

Dust is an important part of the nebular theory of solar system formation because dust is needed to explain:

Use the information in Table 6.1 to compare the angular momentum in Earth's orbital motion,Jupiter's orbital motion and Pluto's orbital motion.Which factor seems to be most significant to the orbital angular momentum of these bodies: radius,mass or angular speed? Why?

Which of these spacecraft went into orbit about Saturn in July 2004?

All planets revolve around the Sun counterclockwise,and most also rotate on their axis counterclockwise.

Name the four principal types of solar system debris; pair them up in terms of composition.

Our solar system contains more than 100 Kuiper Belt objects larger than 300 km in diameter.

Accretion occurred sooner in the inner part of the solar system than it did in the outer regions.

Which of the following are the jovian planets?

Earth is nearly twice as large as Venus.

All terrestrial planets have moons.

The chemical composition differences between the planets are basically the result of the fact that different elements condense out of gas at different ________.

Most comets spend the majority of their time beyond the orbit of ________,yet many of them have perihelions very close to the Sun.

The Oort Cloud is believed to have been formed by:

Our best close-up views of the jovian moons came from the many passes by:

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information from the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: The Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earth's Sister Planet

Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants,Dwarfs,and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust among the Stars

Star Formation: A Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae,Supernovae,and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: A Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

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