Question 1

Which of the following is a Jovian planet?

Accepted Answer

A) Uranus 
B) Mercury 
C) Earth 
D) Mars 
A) Uranus 
B) Mercury 
C) Earth 
D) Mars A

Question 2

A comet has a tail because

Accepted Answer

A) it elongates as it travels through space, which creates the appearance of a tail. 
B) when it comes close enough to the sun, some of its volatile materials start vaporizing and vent into space, creating a tail. 
C) when it travels fast enough, it heats as a result of friction and some of its volatile materials start to burn, producing a tail. 
D) when it enters Earth's atmosphere, the friction causes it to begin to vaporize, producing a brilliant trail of light. 
A) it elongates as it travels through space, which creates the appearance of a tail. 
B) when it comes close enough to the sun, some of its volatile materials start vaporizing and vent into space, creating a tail. 
C) when it travels fast enough, it heats as a result of friction and some of its volatile materials start to burn, producing a tail. 
D) when it enters Earth's atmosphere, the friction causes it to begin to vaporize, producing a brilliant trail of light. B

Question 3

All of the planets EXCEPT ___________ rotate counterclockwise on their axes when viewed from the sun's north pole.

Accepted Answer

A) Mercury 
B) Venus 
C) Jupiter 
D) Saturn 
A) Mercury 
B) Venus 
C) Jupiter 
D) Saturn B

Question 4

Which of the following planets has rings that can be seen from Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Saturn 
B) Uranus 
C) Mars 
D) Venus 
A) Saturn 
B) Uranus 
C) Mars 
D) Venus

Question 5

Which of the following planets is a gas giant?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth 
B) Venus 
C) Jupiter 
D) Uranus 
A) Earth 
B) Venus 
C) Jupiter 
D) Uranus

Question 6

Which of the following is MOST true of Saturn's moon(s)?

Accepted Answer

A) Saturn has no moons. 
B) Saturn has one moon named Io. 
C) Saturn has one moon named Titan. 
D) Saturn has many moons (62 confirmed). 
A) Saturn has no moons. 
B) Saturn has one moon named Io. 
C) Saturn has one moon named Titan. 
D) Saturn has many moons (62 confirmed).

Question 7

Which of the following planets does NOT have rings?

Accepted Answer

A) Jupiter 
B) Saturn 
C) Uranus 
D) Mars 
A) Jupiter 
B) Saturn 
C) Uranus 
D) Mars

Question 8

Phobos and Demos are

Accepted Answer

A) moons of Mars. 
B) moons of Jupiter. 
C) moons of Venus. 
D) especially large asteroids in the asteroid belt. 
A) moons of Mars. 
B) moons of Jupiter. 
C) moons of Venus. 
D) especially large asteroids in the asteroid belt.

Question 9

What is a planet? Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet?

Accepted Answer

A planet is an object that orbits a star

Question 10

The Jovian planets are

Accepted Answer

A) also known as the ice giants. 
B) also known as the terrestrial planets. 
C) the four outermost planets. 
D) composed primarily of rocky materials. 
A) also known as the ice giants. 
B) also known as the terrestrial planets. 
C) the four outermost planets. 
D) composed primarily of rocky materials.

Question 11

Contrast meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites.

Accepted Answer

A meteoroid is a small object (less than

Question 12

Is or was there water on Mars? How do we know?

Accepted Answer

Evidence suggests that there was liquid

Question 13

Which of the following best describes how Earth's Moon formed?

Accepted Answer

A) The Earth and Moon formed at the same time. 
B) Early in the history of our solar system, an asteroid was captured by Earth's gravity and became the Moon. 
C) Early in the history of our solar system, a protoplanet collided with Earth, sending debris into orbit that coalesced to form the moon. 
D) During the late heavy bombardment, a group of comets were captured by Earth's gravity and coalesced to form the moon. 
A) The Earth and Moon formed at the same time. 
B) Early in the history of our solar system, an asteroid was captured by Earth's gravity and became the Moon. 
C) Early in the history of our solar system, a protoplanet collided with Earth, sending debris into orbit that coalesced to form the moon. 
D) During the late heavy bombardment, a group of comets were captured by Earth's gravity and coalesced to form the moon.

Question 14

Compared to the Jovian planets, the terrestrial planets

Accepted Answer

A) are smaller. 
B) are less dense. 
C) are farther from the Sun. 
D) have higher masses. 
A) are smaller. 
B) are less dense. 
C) are farther from the Sun. 
D) have higher masses.

Question 15

The nebula from which our solar system formed contained

Accepted Answer

A) only gases. 
B) gases and ice. 
C) gases and dust. 
D) gases, dust, and ice. 
A) only gases. 
B) gases and ice. 
C) gases and dust. 
D) gases, dust, and ice.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is NOT true of the asteroid belt?

Accepted Answer

A) The asteroid belt is also known as the Kuiper Belt. 
B) Nearly all of the asteroids in our solar system orbit the Sun within the asteroid belt. 
C) The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter. 
D) The asteroid belt includes primitive planetesimals that never coalesced into a planet. 
A) The asteroid belt is also known as the Kuiper Belt. 
B) Nearly all of the asteroids in our solar system orbit the Sun within the asteroid belt. 
C) The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter. 
D) The asteroid belt includes primitive planetesimals that never coalesced into a planet.

Question 17

We are able to see the Moon from Earth because it

Accepted Answer

A) produces its own light. 
B) reflects the light from the Sun. 
C) reflects the light from Earth. 
D) is very close to Earth. 
A) produces its own light. 
B) reflects the light from the Sun. 
C) reflects the light from Earth. 
D) is very close to Earth.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a volatile material?

Accepted Answer

A) water (H₂O) 
B) silica (SiO₂) 
C) iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) 
D) magnesium oxide (MgO) 
A) water (H₂O) 
B) silica (SiO₂) 
C) iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) 
D) magnesium oxide (MgO)

Question 19

A meteoroid that strikes Earth after having made it through the atmosphere without burning up is a

Accepted Answer

A) comet. 
B) asteroid. 
C) meteor. 
D) meteorite. 
A) comet. 
B) asteroid. 
C) meteor. 
D) meteorite.

Question 20

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is most likely a

Accepted Answer

A) huge volcano. 
B) huge storm. 
C) huge impact crater. 
D) large patch of liquid water. 
A) huge volcano. 
B) huge storm. 
C) huge impact crater. 
D) large patch of liquid water.

Exam 22: Our Neighborhood in Space

Which of the following is a Jovian planet?

A comet has a tail because

All of the planets EXCEPT ___________ rotate counterclockwise on their axes when viewed from the sun's north pole.

Which of the following planets has rings that can be seen from Earth?

Which of the following planets is a gas giant?

Which of the following is MOST true of Saturn's moon(s)?

Which of the following planets does NOT have rings?

Phobos and Demos are

What is a planet? Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet?

The Jovian planets are

Contrast meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites.

Is or was there water on Mars? How do we know?

Which of the following best describes how Earth's Moon formed?

Compared to the Jovian planets, the terrestrial planets

The nebula from which our solar system formed contained

Which of the following statements is NOT true of the asteroid belt?

We are able to see the Moon from Earth because it

Which of the following is an example of a volatile material?

A meteoroid that strikes Earth after having made it through the atmosphere without burning up is a

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is most likely a

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks

A Process of Change: Metamorphism and the Rock Cycle

Crags, Cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Shaping the Earths Surface: Landscapes, the Hydrologic Cycle, and Mass Wasting

Freshwater: Streams, Lakes, and Groundwater

Extreme Realms: Desert and Glacial Landscapes

Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Marine Geology: the Study of Ocean Basins and Coasts

The Air We Breathe: Introducing Earths Atmosphere

Winds of the World: the Earths Major Weather Systems

Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, and Local Weather Systems

Climate and Climate Change

Our Solar System and Beyond

The Sun, Stars, and Deep Space

Prelude: Welcome to Earth Science

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