Question 1

The largest difference between Mars' northern and southern hemispheres is that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the southern appears older, with more impact craters. 
B)  the northern has all the outflows and must have been much hotter. 
C)  the northern is higher overall, despite some high volcanoes in the south. 
D)  the southern has a polar cap, but none ever forms in the north. 
E)  the southern is much darker, with large mare-like basaltic lava flows. 
A)  the southern appears older, with more impact craters. 
B)  the northern has all the outflows and must have been much hotter. 
C)  the northern is higher overall, despite some high volcanoes in the south. 
D)  the southern has a polar cap, but none ever forms in the north. 
E)  the southern is much darker, with large mare-like basaltic lava flows.

Question 2

The Earth's orbital eccentricity does not play a major role in our seasons,for perihelion occurs in January.Is this true on Mars also?

Accepted Answer

No,the more eccentric orbit of Mars mean

Question 3

Phobos and Deimos are probably captured comet nuclei.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The atmosphere of Mars is composed of mostly carbon dioxide along with some nitrogen.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Atmospheric pressure on Mars is roughly half that of Earth's at sea level.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The difference between the Grand Canyon and the Valles Marineris is:

Accepted Answer

A)  the Grand Canyon was formed by water. 
B)  the Valles Marineris is much larger than the Grand Canyon. 
C)  the Valles Marineris has tectonic features surrounding it. 
D)  the Valles Marineris has craters in and around it. 
E)  All of the above. 
A)  the Grand Canyon was formed by water. 
B)  the Valles Marineris is much larger than the Grand Canyon. 
C)  the Valles Marineris has tectonic features surrounding it. 
D)  the Valles Marineris has craters in and around it. 
E)  All of the above.

Question 7

Compare the days,seasons,and years of Mars and Earth.

Accepted Answer

The lengths of the days are very similar

Question 8

Running water continues to be the major erosive factor of Mars today.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Why are telescopic observers so obsessed with observing Mars?

Accepted Answer

The red color attracted our attention in

Question 10

The residual polar cap that does not vanish during the Martian summer is ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The residual polar cap that does not...

Question 11

If Mars' atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide,why isn't it as hot as Venus?

Accepted Answer

Although it has a carbon dioxi

Question 12

Which of the following characterizes a shield volcano?

Accepted Answer

A)  It sits above a hot spot in the planet's mantle. 
B)  It is formed by moving tectonic plates. 
C)  It will be smaller than cinder cones like Maxwell Mons on Venus. 
D)  It erupts only briefly before subsiding forever. 
E)  It cannot grow very large, for the plates are constantly moving. 
A)  It sits above a hot spot in the planet's mantle. 
B)  It is formed by moving tectonic plates. 
C)  It will be smaller than cinder cones like Maxwell Mons on Venus. 
D)  It erupts only briefly before subsiding forever. 
E)  It cannot grow very large, for the plates are constantly moving.

Question 13

If water caused the huge outflow channels on Mars,what was the most likely process that formed them?

Accepted Answer

A)  rainfall from the hydrosphere 
B)  catastrophic but rare flooding 
C)  annual melting of the seasonal ice caps 
D)  large comets that struck Mars 
E)  heat from the impact of the large asteroid that made Hellas 
A)  rainfall from the hydrosphere 
B)  catastrophic but rare flooding 
C)  annual melting of the seasonal ice caps 
D)  large comets that struck Mars 
E)  heat from the impact of the large asteroid that made Hellas

Question 14

The surface of Mars is surprisingly smooth and featureless.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

The vast flood deposits support the hypothesis that Mars once had much running water.Assuming that Mars did have water once,what happened to it?

Accepted Answer

As Martian volcanism died down,the atmos

Question 16

Why do we know much more about the surface of Mars than that of Venus?

Accepted Answer

Venus has a thick cloud cover that preve

Question 17

Evidence of liquid water in Mars' distant past suggests that it had a substantial atmosphere compared to what it has presently.What happened to its water vapor?

Accepted Answer

A)  The carbon dioxide in its atmosphere dissolved in the water and combined with surface rocks. 
B)  Its atmosphere was mostly hydrogen and helium. Mars' gravity is too weak to hold them. 
C)  The water vapor has frozen out into the polar ice caps and permafrost as Mars has cooled. 
D)  Mars initially had such a large Greenhouse Effect that the atmosphere became quite hot and slowly escaped. 
E)  It has now all been lost in space, including the carbon dioxide and water vapor. 
A)  The carbon dioxide in its atmosphere dissolved in the water and combined with surface rocks. 
B)  Its atmosphere was mostly hydrogen and helium. Mars' gravity is too weak to hold them. 
C)  The water vapor has frozen out into the polar ice caps and permafrost as Mars has cooled. 
D)  Mars initially had such a large Greenhouse Effect that the atmosphere became quite hot and slowly escaped. 
E)  It has now all been lost in space, including the carbon dioxide and water vapor.

Question 18

The polar caps and dust storms of Mars can be seen with Earth-based amateur telescopes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Which hemisphere on Mars is believed to be older,and what is the evidence?

Accepted Answer

The southern hemisphere is older and hig

Question 20

Which of these is NOT now on the surface of Mars?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars Global Surveyor 
B)  Viking 1 
C)  Pathfinder 
D)  Sojourner 
E)  Spirit 
A)  Mars Global Surveyor 
B)  Viking 1 
C)  Pathfinder 
D)  Sojourner 
E)  Spirit

Exam 10: Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

The largest difference between Mars' northern and southern hemispheres is that:

The Earth's orbital eccentricity does not play a major role in our seasons,for perihelion occurs in January.Is this true on Mars also?

Phobos and Deimos are probably captured comet nuclei.

The atmosphere of Mars is composed of mostly carbon dioxide along with some nitrogen.

Atmospheric pressure on Mars is roughly half that of Earth's at sea level.

The difference between the Grand Canyon and the Valles Marineris is:

Compare the days,seasons,and years of Mars and Earth.

Running water continues to be the major erosive factor of Mars today.

Why are telescopic observers so obsessed with observing Mars?

The residual polar cap that does not vanish during the Martian summer is ________.

If Mars' atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide,why isn't it as hot as Venus?

Which of the following characterizes a shield volcano?

If water caused the huge outflow channels on Mars,what was the most likely process that formed them?

The surface of Mars is surprisingly smooth and featureless.

The vast flood deposits support the hypothesis that Mars once had much running water.Assuming that Mars did have water once,what happened to it?

Why do we know much more about the surface of Mars than that of Venus?

Evidence of liquid water in Mars' distant past suggests that it had a substantial atmosphere compared to what it has presently.What happened to its water vapor?

The polar caps and dust storms of Mars can be seen with Earth-based amateur telescopes.

Which hemisphere on Mars is believed to be older,and what is the evidence?

Which of these is NOT now on the surface of Mars?

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

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earth's Sister Planet

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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