Question 1

The greenhouse effect raises Earth's surface temperature by roughly:

Accepted Answer

A)  0 K 
B)  0.35 K 
C)  3.5 K 
D)  35 K 
E)  350 K 
A)  0 K 
B)  0.35 K 
C)  3.5 K 
D)  35 K 
E)  350 K D

Question 2

Why did the terrestrial planets lose the majority of the gas in their primary atmospheres?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were too hot and their escape velocities too low to hold onto them. 
B)  The solar wind was too strong and blew these gasses off the planets. 
C)  Their high surface temperatures made the gas chemically react with the rock. 
D)  The centrifugal force from the planets' fast rotation rates made them fly off. 
E)  The initial gases were so heavy when the planet differentiated that they sank to the core. 
A)  They were too hot and their escape velocities too low to hold onto them. 
B)  The solar wind was too strong and blew these gasses off the planets. 
C)  Their high surface temperatures made the gas chemically react with the rock. 
D)  The centrifugal force from the planets' fast rotation rates made them fly off. 
E)  The initial gases were so heavy when the planet differentiated that they sank to the core. A

Question 3

Winds are generated on Earth primarily because the Sun unevenly heats our rotating planet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

A gas eventually will escape from a planet's atmosphere if the average velocity of its atoms exceeds 1/6 times the escape velocity of the planet. If the average velocity of water vapor in Venus's atmosphere is 0.5 km/s, what would be the average velocity of a single hydrogen atom? If Venus's escape velocity is 11 km/s, will hydrogen atoms eventually escape?

Accepted Answer

Because of equipartition of en

Question 5

What is the main reason Hadley circulation in a planet's atmosphere breaks up into zonal winds?

Accepted Answer

A)  convection driven by solar heating 
B)  heating from the solar wind 
C)  hurricanes developing along the planet's equator 
D)  a planet's rapid rotation 
E)  heating from the greenhouse effect 
A)  convection driven by solar heating 
B)  heating from the solar wind 
C)  hurricanes developing along the planet's equator 
D)  a planet's rapid rotation 
E)  heating from the greenhouse effect

Question 6

Which of the following processes did NOT contribute gas to Earth's secondary atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  Volcanism 
B)  Accretion 
C)  Oxidation 
D)  Comet impacts 
E)  All of the above contributed gasses to Earth's secondary atmosphere. 
A)  Volcanism 
B)  Accretion 
C)  Oxidation 
D)  Comet impacts 
E)  All of the above contributed gasses to Earth's secondary atmosphere.

Question 7

On Mars, water could exist in what form(s): solid, liquid, or gas? How does this vary with the seasons on Mars? Why are the seasonal variations on Mars different in its northern and southern hemispheres?

Accepted Answer

Any water on Mars would either be in the

Question 8

If sunlight broke up water molecules in Venus's atmosphere, would the hydrogen atoms escape into outer space? Note that Venus's temperature is 740 K. Recall that gas eventually will escape if the average velocity of its atoms is greater than 1/6 times the escape velocity of the planet. The escape velocity of Venus is 10 km/s.

Accepted Answer

A)  No, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 0.8 km/s. 
B)  No, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 3.9 km/s. 
C)  Yes, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 3.9 km/s. 
D)  Yes, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 25 km/s. 
E)  No, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 25 km/s. 
A)  No, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 0.8 km/s. 
B)  No, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 3.9 km/s. 
C)  Yes, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 3.9 km/s. 
D)  Yes, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 25 km/s. 
E)  No, the average velocity of hydrogen atoms would be 25 km/s.

Question 9

The only two layers of Earth's atmosphere that have temperature gradients that allow convection to take place are:

Accepted Answer

A)  the troposphere and the thermosphere 
B)  the mesosphere and the stratosphere 
C)  the thermosphere and the stratosphere 
D)  the troposphere and the mesosphere 
E)  the troposphere and the stratosphere 
A)  the troposphere and the thermosphere 
B)  the mesosphere and the stratosphere 
C)  the thermosphere and the stratosphere 
D)  the troposphere and the mesosphere 
E)  the troposphere and the stratosphere

Question 10

According to the figure shown below, about how long ago did oxygen first appear in Earth's atmosphere? About how long ago did oxygen reach 50 percent of its current abundance in Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

3 Billion

Question 11

Venus has an unusual rotation rate because:

Accepted Answer

A)  it is very slow 
B)  it is very slow and retrograde 
C)  its obliquity is 90 degrees 
D)  it is very fast 
E)  it is very fast and retrograde 
A)  it is very slow 
B)  it is very slow and retrograde 
C)  its obliquity is 90 degrees 
D)  it is very fast 
E)  it is very fast and retrograde

Question 12

The planet-wide flow of air from a warmer equator to the colder poles is called Hadley circulation, and an example of this effect is seen on the planet Venus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

You take a sealed plastic bag of snacks on an airline flight where the atmospheric pressure is reduced to 0.8 bar, but the cabin is heated so the temperature is approximately the same as when you sealed the bag. What will happen to the volume of the bag? By how much will it have changed?

Accepted Answer

The ideal gas law says P @#LAT-DLM&0 @#LAT-DLM&T @#LAT-DLM&T/V. If the

Question 14

The nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere primarily came from:

Accepted Answer

A)  ammonia delivered by comet impacts 
B)  photosynthesis done by algae and plants 
C)  oxidation of silicate rich minerals 
D)  rock delivered by asteroid impacts 
E)  its primary atmosphere 
A)  ammonia delivered by comet impacts 
B)  photosynthesis done by algae and plants 
C)  oxidation of silicate rich minerals 
D)  rock delivered by asteroid impacts 
E)  its primary atmosphere

Question 15

Approximately how long after the Solar System formed did it take for oxygen to get to within 80 percent of its present abundance in the Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  4 billion years 
B)  1 billion years 
C)  400 million years 
D)  1 million years 
E)  Oxygen was always a primary component of the Earth's atmosphere. 
A)  4 billion years 
B)  1 billion years 
C)  400 million years 
D)  1 million years 
E)  Oxygen was always a primary component of the Earth's atmosphere.

Question 16

Approximately _________ years ago, _________ began producing oxygen in enough amounts to be a significant fraction in the Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A)  100 million; trees and plants 
B)  1 billion; trees and plants 
C)  250 million; bacteria and algae 
D)  2.5 billion; bacteria and algae 
E)  2,000; animals and humans 
A)  100 million; trees and plants 
B)  1 billion; trees and plants 
C)  250 million; bacteria and algae 
D)  2.5 billion; bacteria and algae 
E)  2,000; animals and humans

Question 17

In the Southern hemisphere, hurricanes _________ compared to hurricanes in the Northern hemisphere due to the Coriolis effect.

Accepted Answer

A)  rotate in the same direction 
B)  rotate in the opposite direction 
C)  move from east to west 
D)  have larger wind speeds 
E)  cause more damage 
A)  rotate in the same direction 
B)  rotate in the opposite direction 
C)  move from east to west 
D)  have larger wind speeds 
E)  cause more damage

Question 18

The primary atmospheres of the terrestrial planets formed from hydrogen and helium. Why? What happened to this gas?

Accepted Answer

The primary atmospheres were composed of

Question 19

Each halogen atom, such as chlorine, fluorine, and bromine, in the Earth's atmosphere catalyzes the destruction of ozone for a long time ranging from decades to centuries.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

The presence of gases like carbon dioxide and water vapor in a planet's atmosphere is direct evidence of _________ in a planet's history.

Accepted Answer

A)  high surface temperatures 
B)  volcanic activity 
C)  cometary impacts 
D)  a lack of asteroid impacts 
E)  the greenhouse effect 
A)  high surface temperatures 
B)  volcanic activity 
C)  cometary impacts 
D)  a lack of asteroid impacts 
E)  the greenhouse effect

Exam 9: Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

The greenhouse effect raises Earth's surface temperature by roughly:

Why did the terrestrial planets lose the majority of the gas in their primary atmospheres?

Winds are generated on Earth primarily because the Sun unevenly heats our rotating planet.

What is the main reason Hadley circulation in a planet's atmosphere breaks up into zonal winds?

Which of the following processes did NOT contribute gas to Earth's secondary atmosphere?

On Mars, water could exist in what form(s): solid, liquid, or gas? How does this vary with the seasons on Mars? Why are the seasonal variations on Mars different in its northern and southern hemispheres?

The only two layers of Earth's atmosphere that have temperature gradients that allow convection to take place are:

According to the figure shown below, about how long ago did oxygen first appear in Earth's atmosphere? About how long ago did oxygen reach 50 percent of its current abundance in Earth's atmosphere?

Venus has an unusual rotation rate because:

The planet-wide flow of air from a warmer equator to the colder poles is called Hadley circulation, and an example of this effect is seen on the planet Venus.

You take a sealed plastic bag of snacks on an airline flight where the atmospheric pressure is reduced to 0.8 bar, but the cabin is heated so the temperature is approximately the same as when you sealed the bag. What will happen to the volume of the bag? By how much will it have changed?

The nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere primarily came from:

Approximately how long after the Solar System formed did it take for oxygen to get to within 80 percent of its present abundance in the Earth's atmosphere?

Approximately _________ years ago, _________ began producing oxygen in enough amounts to be a significant fraction in the Earth's atmosphere.

In the Southern hemisphere, hurricanes _________ compared to hurricanes in the Northern hemisphere due to the Coriolis effect.

The primary atmospheres of the terrestrial planets formed from hydrogen and helium. Why? What happened to this gas?

Each halogen atom, such as chlorine, fluorine, and bromine, in the Earth's atmosphere catalyzes the destruction of ozone for a long time ranging from decades to centuries.

The presence of gases like carbon dioxide and water vapor in a planet's atmosphere is direct evidence of _________ in a planet's history.

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Life

Filters

Approximately _ years ago, _ began producing oxygen in enough amounts to be a significant fraction in the Earth's atmosphere.