Question 1

Few of the Moon's craters are actually due to volcanism,as was widely thought prior to Apollo.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The oldest known features of Mercury's surface formed:

Accepted Answer

A)  about 4.6 billion years ago. 
B)  about 3.9-3.2 billion years ago. 
C)  just under 4 billion years ago. 
D)  less than a billion years ago. 
A)  about 4.6 billion years ago. 
B)  about 3.9-3.2 billion years ago. 
C)  just under 4 billion years ago. 
D)  less than a billion years ago.

Question 3

The composition of Mercury's crust is:

Accepted Answer

A)  deficient in volatile compounds that contain elements such as sulfur and potassium. 
B)  consistent with material from the solar wind, indicating that Mercury has collected material over the last few billion years. 
C)  similar to the crust of the other terrestrial planets. 
D)  nearly identical to Mercury's mantle material. 
A)  deficient in volatile compounds that contain elements such as sulfur and potassium. 
B)  consistent with material from the solar wind, indicating that Mercury has collected material over the last few billion years. 
C)  similar to the crust of the other terrestrial planets. 
D)  nearly identical to Mercury's mantle material.

Question 4

The chief erosive agent now on the Moon is:

Accepted Answer

A)  lunar ice melting and refreezing in the polar regions. 
B)  lava flows welling up in the mare. 
C)  volcanic vents in the rugged highlands. 
D)  the rain of micrometeorites chewing up the regolith. 
E)  rain from cometary debris melting as it enters the Moon's atmosphere. 
A)  lunar ice melting and refreezing in the polar regions. 
B)  lava flows welling up in the mare. 
C)  volcanic vents in the rugged highlands. 
D)  the rain of micrometeorites chewing up the regolith. 
E)  rain from cometary debris melting as it enters the Moon's atmosphere.

Question 5

The average rate of erosion on the Moon is far less than on Earth because:

Accepted Answer

A)  the crust of the Moon is much denser than the Earth's crust. 
B)  the Moon is much younger than the Earth. 
C)  the Moon lacks wind, water and an atmosphere. 
D)  the Moon's magnetic field protects it from the solar wind better than ours does. 
E)  the Moon's mare long ago dried up, so there is no more wave erosion there. 
A)  the crust of the Moon is much denser than the Earth's crust. 
B)  the Moon is much younger than the Earth. 
C)  the Moon lacks wind, water and an atmosphere. 
D)  the Moon's magnetic field protects it from the solar wind better than ours does. 
E)  the Moon's mare long ago dried up, so there is no more wave erosion there.

Question 6

Mercury has the widest variation in surface temperatures between night and day of any planet in the solar system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

An atmosphere can escape a planet if the escape velocity is six times the average molecular speed at that temperature.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

________ has a rotation period of 59 days,2/3 as long as its 88 day year.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ has a rotation period of 59...

Question 9

The high eccentricity of Mercury's orbit probably has nothing to do with Mercury's 3:2 synch of rotation and revolution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Mercury's Caloris Basin is aptly named,since:

Accepted Answer

A)  it is the region on Mercury looking much like our own "painted desert." 
B)  it is the only such large basin on Mercury. 
C)  it is the hottest region, turning to face the Sun when Mercury is at perihelion. 
D)  it is always pointed directly at the Sun. 
E)  it is the largest impact basin found in the solar system. 
A)  it is the region on Mercury looking much like our own "painted desert." 
B)  it is the only such large basin on Mercury. 
C)  it is the hottest region, turning to face the Sun when Mercury is at perihelion. 
D)  it is always pointed directly at the Sun. 
E)  it is the largest impact basin found in the solar system.

Question 11

What are the major factors that rule out the co-formation theory for the Moon-Earth system?

Accepted Answer

A)  Each body has different atmospheric content and a different density. 
B)  Each body has different surface features and different atmospheric content. 
C)  Each body has different chemical composition and different surface features. 
D)  Each body has a different density and a different chemical composition. 
E)  Each body has a different chemical composition and different atmospheric content. 
A)  Each body has different atmospheric content and a different density. 
B)  Each body has different surface features and different atmospheric content. 
C)  Each body has different chemical composition and different surface features. 
D)  Each body has a different density and a different chemical composition. 
E)  Each body has a different chemical composition and different atmospheric content.

Question 12

The lunar mare are radioactively dated at:

Accepted Answer

A)  4.6 billion years old, forming first among the lunar features. 
B)  4.2-3.9 billion years old, comparable to the adjacent highlands. 
C)  3.9-3.2 billion years old, forming after most of the bombardment was over. 
D)  3.5-2.5 billion years old, similar to the formation of our own oceans. 
E)  less than a billion years old, the most recent additions to the Moon. 
A)  4.6 billion years old, forming first among the lunar features. 
B)  4.2-3.9 billion years old, comparable to the adjacent highlands. 
C)  3.9-3.2 billion years old, forming after most of the bombardment was over. 
D)  3.5-2.5 billion years old, similar to the formation of our own oceans. 
E)  less than a billion years old, the most recent additions to the Moon.

Question 13

Describe some of the features of Mercury's surface and briefly explain how these features are believed to have formed.

Accepted Answer

Scarps: Long,cliff-like structures that

Question 14

The slow ________ of Mercury was first determined using radar signals sent from Earth.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The slow ________ of Mercury was first...

Question 15

Caloris is well named,for at every perihelion,it faces the Sun directly.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

The rate of cratering in the lunar highlands shows us that:

Accepted Answer

A)  they must be younger than the older, darker mare. 
B)  they range from 4.6-4.4 billion years old, on average. 
C)  the largest impacts are the youngest, such as Copernicus and Tycho. 
D)  the oldest rocks are at least as old as the mare, but some craters are much younger. 
E)  most of the asteroids must have hit the Moon, not the Earth. 
A)  they must be younger than the older, darker mare. 
B)  they range from 4.6-4.4 billion years old, on average. 
C)  the largest impacts are the youngest, such as Copernicus and Tycho. 
D)  the oldest rocks are at least as old as the mare, but some craters are much younger. 
E)  most of the asteroids must have hit the Moon, not the Earth.

Question 17

Astronomers believe that the Moon did not differentiate to the same degree as Earth because:

Accepted Answer

A)  the Moon was made of solid debris, not liquids like our hydrosphere. 
B)  the meteors that hit the Moon were lighter than those that hit us, so did not generate as much heat on the surface. 
C)  the less dense and smaller Moon did not have as much radioactivity as the larger Earth in its core. 
D)  the Moon was formed after the Earth was, so its radioactivity was less. 
E)  the Moon was made of very different materials than our mantle and crust. 
A)  the Moon was made of solid debris, not liquids like our hydrosphere. 
B)  the meteors that hit the Moon were lighter than those that hit us, so did not generate as much heat on the surface. 
C)  the less dense and smaller Moon did not have as much radioactivity as the larger Earth in its core. 
D)  the Moon was formed after the Earth was, so its radioactivity was less. 
E)  the Moon was made of very different materials than our mantle and crust.

Question 18

How do the atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury compare?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury's is much denser, like Venus, with much carbon dioxide. 
B)  They are about equal, each only 1% as dense as ours. 
C)  The cooler Moon retains a thicker nitrogen atmosphere. 
D)  As no spacecraft has yet landed there, no information exists about Mercury's. 
E)  Neither body has a permanent true atmosphere. 
A)  Mercury's is much denser, like Venus, with much carbon dioxide. 
B)  They are about equal, each only 1% as dense as ours. 
C)  The cooler Moon retains a thicker nitrogen atmosphere. 
D)  As no spacecraft has yet landed there, no information exists about Mercury's. 
E)  Neither body has a permanent true atmosphere.

Question 19

Two Mercury years are the same length as three Mercury sidereal days.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

The rate of cratering:

Accepted Answer

A)  has remained constant over the last 4.6 billion years. 
B)  has recently increased with more collisions in the asteroid belt. 
C)  fluctuates over time, with massive bodies occasionally coming in from the Oort Cloud. 
D)  shows that large asteroid impacts are more common now than in the past. 
E)  shows that most interplanetary debris was swept up soon after the formation of the solar system. 
A)  has remained constant over the last 4.6 billion years. 
B)  has recently increased with more collisions in the asteroid belt. 
C)  fluctuates over time, with massive bodies occasionally coming in from the Oort Cloud. 
D)  shows that large asteroid impacts are more common now than in the past. 
E)  shows that most interplanetary debris was swept up soon after the formation of the solar system.

Exam 8: The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Few of the Moon's craters are actually due to volcanism,as was widely thought prior to Apollo.

The oldest known features of Mercury's surface formed:

The composition of Mercury's crust is:

The chief erosive agent now on the Moon is:

The average rate of erosion on the Moon is far less than on Earth because:

Mercury has the widest variation in surface temperatures between night and day of any planet in the solar system.

An atmosphere can escape a planet if the escape velocity is six times the average molecular speed at that temperature.

________ has a rotation period of 59 days,2/3 as long as its 88 day year.

The high eccentricity of Mercury's orbit probably has nothing to do with Mercury's 3:2 synch of rotation and revolution.

Mercury's Caloris Basin is aptly named,since:

What are the major factors that rule out the co-formation theory for the Moon-Earth system?

The lunar mare are radioactively dated at:

Describe some of the features of Mercury's surface and briefly explain how these features are believed to have formed.

The slow ________ of Mercury was first determined using radar signals sent from Earth.

Caloris is well named,for at every perihelion,it faces the Sun directly.

The rate of cratering in the lunar highlands shows us that:

Astronomers believe that the Moon did not differentiate to the same degree as Earth because:

How do the atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury compare?

Two Mercury years are the same length as three Mercury sidereal days.

The rate of cratering:

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

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

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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