Question 1

The Kirkwood Gaps in the asteroid belt are due to resonances with Jupiter.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 2

Sedna,with a perihelion three times farther out than Pluto,and a period of thousands of years,is just a typical Kuiper Belt body.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

The K-T Boundary Event happened about 65 million years ago when an asteroid the size of Deimos struck the ________ Peninsula.

Accepted Answer

Yucatan

Question 4

Meteor showers are the result of debris left behind by the passage of a decaying comet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

All known asteroids can be found in the asteroid belt.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Iridium was the element that first alerted us to the unusual dust left behind by the K-T boundary event.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Vesta's density is:

Accepted Answer

A)  about the same as other asteroids, around 2100-2900 kg/m³. 
B)  lower than typical asteroids, around 1400 kg/m³. 
C)  about the same as a typical comet, around 100 kg/m³. 
D)  about the same as the densest meteorites, around 5000 kg/m³. 
E)  more than the density of other asteroids, but less than the density of a terrestrial planet; around 3500 kg/m³. 
A)  about the same as other asteroids, around 2100-2900 kg/m³. 
B)  lower than typical asteroids, around 1400 kg/m³. 
C)  about the same as a typical comet, around 100 kg/m³. 
D)  about the same as the densest meteorites, around 5000 kg/m³. 
E)  more than the density of other asteroids, but less than the density of a terrestrial planet; around 3500 kg/m³.

Question 8

The two names most associated with the discovery of Pluto are

Accepted Answer

A)  Adams and Leverrier. 
B)  Herschel and Bode. 
C)  Kuiper and Whipple. 
D)  Lowell and Tombaugh. 
E)  Shoemaker and Levy. 
A)  Adams and Leverrier. 
B)  Herschel and Bode. 
C)  Kuiper and Whipple. 
D)  Lowell and Tombaugh. 
E)  Shoemaker and Levy.

Question 9

Asteroids are similar in composition,leading scientists to suspect that they formed from the breakup of a single large object,such as a planet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

One of the best known craters on Earth is the Barringer Crater in Arizona.It was formed by:

Accepted Answer

A)  a large volcanic eruption. 
B)  the same impact thought to have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. 
C)  the impact of an asteroid whose mass was around 200,000 tons. 
D)  testing of nuclear bombs during the Cold War. 
E)  the impact of a comet whose mass was around 25 tons. 
A)  a large volcanic eruption. 
B)  the same impact thought to have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. 
C)  the impact of an asteroid whose mass was around 200,000 tons. 
D)  testing of nuclear bombs during the Cold War. 
E)  the impact of a comet whose mass was around 25 tons.

Question 11

Iron meteorites are believed to come from:

Accepted Answer

A)  the core of a dense M-type asteroid, now broken up. 
B)  Mars, hence their reddish color. 
C)  the crust of a differentiated type C asteroid, now broken up. 
D)  a broken up cometary nucleus, hence their shiny appearance. 
E)  deep space, far beyond the solar system, hence their unique crystal patterns. 
A)  the core of a dense M-type asteroid, now broken up. 
B)  Mars, hence their reddish color. 
C)  the crust of a differentiated type C asteroid, now broken up. 
D)  a broken up cometary nucleus, hence their shiny appearance. 
E)  deep space, far beyond the solar system, hence their unique crystal patterns.

Question 12

The orbital resonances with Jupiter are shown in the:

Accepted Answer

A)  Cassini division. 
B)  Zone of Avoidance. 
C)  Kirkwood Gaps. 
D)  ring arcs. 
E)  orbits of the aten asteroids. 
A)  Cassini division. 
B)  Zone of Avoidance. 
C)  Kirkwood Gaps. 
D)  ring arcs. 
E)  orbits of the aten asteroids.

Question 13

Meteor shower debris is believed to come from:

Accepted Answer

A)  the asteroid belt when Mars deflects it toward us annually. 
B)  the core of a differentiated type M asteroid, now broken up. 
C)  the crust of a differentiated type C asteroid, now broken up. 
D)  the disintegration of a short period comet over many returns to the Sun. 
E)  deep space, far beyond the solar system, deflected by the gravity of another star. 
A)  the asteroid belt when Mars deflects it toward us annually. 
B)  the core of a differentiated type M asteroid, now broken up. 
C)  the crust of a differentiated type C asteroid, now broken up. 
D)  the disintegration of a short period comet over many returns to the Sun. 
E)  deep space, far beyond the solar system, deflected by the gravity of another star.

Question 14

Pluto is probably one of the largest of the Kuiper Belt bodies beyond Neptune.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Which of the following objects would be found on the Moon's surface?

Accepted Answer

A)  sedimentary rocks 
B)  meteoroids 
C)  meteors 
D)  meteorites 
E)  asteroids 
A)  sedimentary rocks 
B)  meteoroids 
C)  meteors 
D)  meteorites 
E)  asteroids

Question 16

Few ________ actually strike the Earth,because most are small and burn up in the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Few ________ actually strike the Earth,because most...

Question 17

What role did Percival Lowell play that led to the discovery and naming of Pluto?

Accepted Answer

He predicted the existence of "Planet X"

Question 18

The body which wiped out the dinosaurs was about:

Accepted Answer

A)  as big as our Moon. 
B)  as big as one of Mars' moons. 
C)  a few hundred meters across. 
D)  as big as a 747. 
E)  as big as an SUV. 
A)  as big as our Moon. 
B)  as big as one of Mars' moons. 
C)  a few hundred meters across. 
D)  as big as a 747. 
E)  as big as an SUV.

Question 19

Pluto's orbit takes it closer to the Sun than Neptune for part of its orbit.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

What are Dactyl,Gaspra,Mathilde,Eros,and Ida?

Accepted Answer

A)  the four largest main belt asteroids, and the first to be discovered 
B)  the first four bodies found in the Kuiper Belt after Pluto 
C)  newly discovered small moons of Saturn 
D)  four asteroids that have been explored by spacecraft 
E)  newly discovered retrograde moons of Jupiter 
A)  the four largest main belt asteroids, and the first to be discovered 
B)  the first four bodies found in the Kuiper Belt after Pluto 
C)  newly discovered small moons of Saturn 
D)  four asteroids that have been explored by spacecraft 
E)  newly discovered retrograde moons of Jupiter

Exam 14: Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

The Kirkwood Gaps in the asteroid belt are due to resonances with Jupiter.

Sedna,with a perihelion three times farther out than Pluto,and a period of thousands of years,is just a typical Kuiper Belt body.

The K-T Boundary Event happened about 65 million years ago when an asteroid the size of Deimos struck the ________ Peninsula.

Meteor showers are the result of debris left behind by the passage of a decaying comet.

All known asteroids can be found in the asteroid belt.

Iridium was the element that first alerted us to the unusual dust left behind by the K-T boundary event.

Vesta's density is:

The two names most associated with the discovery of Pluto are

Asteroids are similar in composition,leading scientists to suspect that they formed from the breakup of a single large object,such as a planet.

One of the best known craters on Earth is the Barringer Crater in Arizona.It was formed by:

Iron meteorites are believed to come from:

The orbital resonances with Jupiter are shown in the:

Meteor shower debris is believed to come from:

Pluto is probably one of the largest of the Kuiper Belt bodies beyond Neptune.

Which of the following objects would be found on the Moon's surface?

Few ________ actually strike the Earth,because most are small and burn up in the atmosphere.

What role did Percival Lowell play that led to the discovery and naming of Pluto?

The body which wiped out the dinosaurs was about:

Pluto's orbit takes it closer to the Sun than Neptune for part of its orbit.

What are Dactyl,Gaspra,Mathilde,Eros,and Ida?

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

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

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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