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1 | |
What is the fat bulging disk from which planets were believed to have formed? |
| | A) | protoplanet disk |
| | B) | white dwarf disk |
| | C) | accretion disk |
| | D) | red giant disk |
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2 | |
Select the incorrect statement about asteroids. |
| | A) | Their existence was predicted before their actual discovery. |
| | B) | They are mainly situated between Earth and Mars. |
| | C) | They are believed to be clumps of matter that were prevented from forming of a planet by the gravitational pull of Jupiter. |
| | D) | They are arranged in the form of a belt. |
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3 | |
What are terrestrial planets? They are planets |
| | A) | similar to the earth in density and chemical composition. |
| | B) | whose orbits are in the same plane as the plane of the earth. |
| | C) | that take roughly 365 days for one revolution around the sun. |
| | D) | that can be seen from the earth. |
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4 | |
This is not a reason why terrestrial planets are different from giant ones. |
| | A) | Interior planets lost matter to the sun early in the nebular stage. |
| | B) | There are differences in the amount of heat generated. |
| | C) | Flare-ups in the early sun affected the interior planets more. |
| | D) | Only interior planets are the original members of our solar system, others were captured later. |
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5 | |
Choose the incorrect statement about Mercury. |
| | A) | It is difficult to see because it appears low on the horizon for only a few hours. |
| | B) | Due to its proximity to the Sun even the nights there are quite warm. |
| | C) | Craters on Mercury were formed by collisions with leftover pieces of rock moving in the newly formed solar system. |
| | D) | Mercury has no moons. |
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6 | |
Choose the correct statement about Venus. |
| | A) | Venus appears brighter from Earth when in its crescent phase than in its full phase. |
| | B) | Venus is about the same as the Moon in size. |
| | C) | The surface of Venus is mostly flat. |
| | D) | The atmosphere of Venus is very similar to that of Earth. |
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7 | |
Smooth dark areas on the surface of the moon are called |
| | A) | lunar highlands. |
| | B) | mari |
| | C) | basalt. |
| | D) | brecci |
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8 | |
The moon's surface is covered with a layer of fine dust (about 10 feet deep) because |
| | A) | the moon lacks an atmosphere to protect its surface from meteorite bombardment. |
| | B) | the moon experienced a period of repeated volcanic eruptions in the past. |
| | C) | erosion has worn down the moon's surface features. |
| | D) | the moon's atmosphere is subject to violent winds and dust storms. |
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9 | |
Rocks on the surface of the moon are mainly |
| | A) | gray sandstones. |
| | B) | basalt. |
| | C) | glassy. |
| | D) | magm |
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10 | |
Detailed study of moon rocks led scientists to develop the current theory of moon formation called the |
| | A) | capture theory. |
| | B) | condensation theory. |
| | C) | fission theory. |
| | D) | impact theory. |
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11 | |
Choose the incorrect statement about Mars. |
| | A) | A year on Mars is about twice as long as a year on Earth. |
| | B) | Four main regions on Mars are characterized by volcanoes, canyons, terraced plateaus, and flat surfaces. |
| | C) | At one point Earth and Mars had similar secondary atmospheres of carbon dioxide and water vapors. |
| | D) | Temperature on Mars is quite stable. |
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12 | |
Choose the correct statement about Jupiter. |
| | A) | Jupiter radiates about twice the energy that it receives from the Sun. |
| | B) | Jupiter is mostly made of heavy elements. |
| | C) | We don't have much information about the moons of Jupiter. |
| | D) | There is no water in the atmosphere of Jupiter. |
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13 | |
Choose the incorrect statement about Saturn. |
| | A) | The rings of Saturn can be seen with a pair of binoculars. |
| | B) | The surface of Saturn has bright and dark bands parallel to its equator. |
| | C) | Rings of Saturn are made of water vapors. |
| | D) | One of Jupiter's moons, Titan, is larger than the planet Saturn. |
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14 | |
Choose the correct statement about Uranus. |
| | A) | Uranus takes about 25 years to go around the Sun one time. |
| | B) | Uranus is about the same size as Jupiter. |
| | C) | Unlike other planets, Uranus' axis of rotation is not tilted. |
| | D) | Voyager 2 discovered ten new satellites of Uranus. |
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15 | |
Choose the incorrect statement about Neptune. |
| | A) | A signal from Neptune would take about four hours to reach Earth. |
| | B) | In spite of similar sizes Neptune and Uranus are very different in other respects. |
| | C) | The atmosphere of Neptune consists of hydrogen and helium. |
| | D) | Triton, the largest moon, orbits in a direction opposite to Uranus' rotation. |
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16 | |
Choose the correct statement about Pluto. |
| | A) | Pluto does not have any water or ice. |
| | B) | The atmosphere of Pluto contains mainly helium. |
| | C) | Relative to Neptune, Pluto is sometimes closer to the Sun and sometimes farther out. |
| | D) | The orbit of Pluto is the most circular one among all planetary orbits. |
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17 | |
Choose the best description of comets. |
| | A) | Stuff of a planet that never quite made it to the final stage. |
| | B) | Small pieces of materials leftover from the formation of the solar system which fall to Earth. |
| | C) | Masses of icy materials leftover from the formation of the solar system, sometimes seen with a tail. |
| | D) | Massive balls of dust and carbon dioxide orbiting the earth. |
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18 | |
Choose the best description of meteorites. |
| | A) | Stuff of a planet that never quite made it to the final stage. |
| | B) | Small pieces of materials leftover from the formation of the solar system which fall to Earth. |
| | C) | Masses of icy materials leftover from the formation of the solar system, sometimes seen with a tail. |
| | D) | Massive balls of dust and carbon dioxide orbiting the earth. |
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19 | |
Choose the best description of asteroids. |
| | A) | Stuff of a planet that never quite made it to the final stage. |
| | B) | Small pieces of materials leftover from the formation of the solar system which fall to Earth. |
| | C) | Masses of icy materials leftover from the formation of the solar system, sometimes seen with a tail. |
| | D) | Massive balls of dust and carbon dioxide orbiting the earth. |
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20 | |
This astronomical body made up of ice, frozen methane, frozen ammonia, dry ice, and mineral dust lies just beyond the orbit of Pluto and may be the source of some comets. |
| | A) | Oort cloud |
| | B) | Centaur |
| | C) | Kuiper Belt |
| | D) | Charon |
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21 | |
Most all meteorites that fall to the earth's surface are from |
| | A) | the moon. |
| | B) | Mars. |
| | C) | the asteroid belt. |
| | D) | interstellar space. |
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22 | |
What is the difference between a meteoroid and a meteorite? |
| | A) | A meteoroid orbits the Sun but a meteorite orbits the earth. |
| | B) | A meteoroid moves freely through space but if it strikes the surface of the earth it is called a meteorite. |
| | C) | When a meteoroid enters the earth's atmosphere it appears as a streak of light and smoke which is called a meteorite. |
| | D) | A meteoroid originates from an asteroid whereas a meteorite originates from a comet. |
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23 | |
The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter |
| | A) | is a planet that was broken into many pieces. |
| | B) | is lumps of matter that never did form a planet. |
| | C) | formed from a collision between two planets. |
| | D) | was a planet that was pulled apart by the strong gravity between Jupiter and Mars. |
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24 | |
The first event in the formation of the solar system would have to be which of the following? |
| | A) | A protoplanet forms from gas and dust. |
| | B) | A massive star lives out its life cycle. |
| | C) | Cold chunks of matter stick together. |
| | D) | The protosun becomes established as a star. |
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25 | |
The evidence shows that planets |
| | A) | formed from cold chunks of matter and have always been cold. |
| | B) | began as a molten mass of rocks. |
| | C) | began cold, and then underwent much heating. |
| | D) | have always been as they are now. |
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