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Answers:
01 – 10 DBBBC ABCBC
11 – 20 DCDCD AACBC
21 – 30 BAADB CBDAA
31 – 40 DBDDC BCDCA
41 – 50 DAACD ABADD
51 – 60 BBADA DADCD
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|
1. |
Suppose
that in 2008, the Hubble Space Telescope discovers a series of planets with
the following characteristics moving around a star resembling our Sun:
spherical, solid surfaces; mean densities about 4 times that of H2O;
radii about 4000 km, low-density atmospheres. How would these planets be
classified, in terms of our solar system? |
|
|
A) |
Jovian
planets |
|
B) |
cometary
nuclei |
|
C) |
asteroids
|
|
D) |
terrestrial
planets |
|
2. |
Which
of the following characteristics is not typical of our planetary system? |
|
|
A) |
The
orbits of most planets are almost circular. |
|
B) |
Most
planets have about the same physical size. |
|
C) |
The
spin axes of most planets are aligned to within 30° to the perpendicular to
the orbital plane. |
|
D) |
Most
planets orbit the Sun in the same direction. |
|
3. |
The
mass of the planet Jupiter is high and its atmosphere is relatively cool.
What are the chances for the retention of gases within its atmosphere? |
|
|
A) |
good
for light (H2 and He) molecules but poor for heavier (CH4,
NH3, H2O) molecules |
|
B) |
good
for all gases, including light (H2 and He) and heavier (CH4,
NH3, H2O) molecules |
|
C) |
poor
for all gases because of the low temperature, thus all gases will be leaving
Jupiter continuously |
|
D) |
good
for heavier (CH4, NH3, H2O) molecules but poor
for light (H2 and He) molecules |
|
4. |
The
asteroid belt exists between the orbits of which planets? |
|
|
A) |
Jupiter
and Saturn |
|
B) |
Mars
and Jupiter |
|
C) |
Venus
and Earth |
|
D) |
Earth
and Mars |
|
5. |
The
region outside the orbit of Neptune in which a large number of objects
composed of rock and ice circle the Sun not far from the plane of the
ecliptic is called |
|
|
A) |
the
Outer Solar System. |
|
B) |
the
asteroid belt. |
|
C) |
the
Kuiper belt. |
|
D) |
the
Oort comet cloud. |
|
6. |
Which
one of the following planets shows the greatest amount of cratering on its
surface? |
|
|
A) |
Mercury |
|
B) |
Earth |
|
C) |
Mars |
|
D) |
Jupiter |
|
7. |
The
low average densities of the Jovian planets, which have high masses and hence
high gravitational fields, is an indication that their interiors are |
|
|
A) |
gaseous
and have not condensed to liquid or solid form. |
|
B) |
composed
mainly of very light elements, such as H and He. |
|
C) |
composed
of nothing, i.e., a vacuum. |
|
D) |
composed
of H2O, CH4 (methane), and NH3 (ammonia). |
|
8. |
A
theory of the origin of the solar system must take into account all important
general properties of the planets.
These include three of the four properties listed below. Which one is not an important
general property of the planets? |
|
|
A) |
The
planets are grouped by size and composition into two general groups:
terrestrial and Jovian. |
|
B) |
The
terrestrial planets all orbit much closer to the Sun than do any of the
Jovian planets. |
|
C) |
The
outermost planet, Pluto, does not fit easily into either one of these groups. |
|
D) |
All
of the planets orbit the Sun in the same direction and nearly in the same
plane. |
|
9. |
The
composition of matter in the universe can be summarized by which statement? |
|
|
A) |
About
half of the mass of the universe is in the form of rocks, molecules, and
planetary material, visible by infrared radiation. |
|
B) |
All
but 2% of the mass in the universe is hydrogen and helium. |
|
C) |
2%
of the mass of the universe is hydrogen and helium, the rest is heavier
elements. |
|
D) |
Nobody
knows because it is impossible to measure. |
|
10. |
When a rock that had initially been molten solidifies,
it cannot contain any 40Ar, since 40Ar is a gas. However, the rock does contain some 40K
which is radioactive but it slowly decays into 40Ar with a
half-life of 1.25 billion years. Under
these conditions, the 40Ar that results from the decay is trapped
in the rock. Suppose that the rock is
subsequently found to have 1/8 microgram of
40K and 7/8 microgram of
40Ar in it. How old
is the rock (in billions of years)? |
|
|
A) |
0.125 |
|
B) |
1.25 |
|
C) |
3.75 |
|
D) |
2.50 |
|
11. |
The
most likely mechanism for the solar system's formation is that the |
|
|
A) |
Sun
captured the planets as they drifted through space. |
|
B) |
planets
were spun out of the Sun as smaller gas clouds and subsequently condensed. |
|
C) |
It
was designed and created about 6000 years ago. |
|
D) |
Sun
and planets slowly condensed to their present form from a gas and dust cloud.
|
|
12. |
The
most probable process for the formation or acquisition of the Sun's planets
is |
|
|
A) |
the
breakup of one single large companion body to the Sun, by tidal distortion. |
|
B) |
the
freezing of immense gas clouds by the cold temperature of space. |
|
C) |
relatively
slow growth of smaller objects by collisions and mutual gravitational
attraction. |
|
D) |
capture
of planets from outer space by gravity. |
|
13. |
The
planetary system was probably formed from three different categories of
material with different condensation temperatures (the temperature at which
the material melts), gases, ices, and rocks (including metals). Which is the
correct order of these materials, in increasing condensation temperature? |
|
|
A) |
rocks,
gases, ices |
|
B) |
rocks,
ices, gases |
|
C) |
gases,
rocks, ices |
|
D) |
gases,
ices, rocks |
|
14. |
The
manner in which the terrestrial planets formed was |
|
|
A) |
accretion
of planetesimals to form a core, followed by gravitational capture of gas
from the solar nebula. |
|
B) |
gravitational
condensation of hydrogen, helium, and dust in eddies or vortices in the solar
nebula. |
|
C) |
accretion
of solid planetesimals containing mostly
rocky material. |
|
D) |
gravitational
condensation of gas followed by capture of solid planetesimals. |
|
15. |
The
steps in the process of formation of the large, outer planets were |
|
|
A) |
gravitational
condensation of hydrogen, helium, and dust in eddies or vortices in the outer
solar nebula. |
|
B) |
accretion
of cold planetesimals containing large quantities of hydrogen and helium. |
|
C) |
gravitational
condensation of methane and ammonia gas, followed by capture of
planetesimals. |
|
D) |
accretion
of planetesimals made of rocks and ices to form a core, followed by
gravitational capture of hydrogen and helium gas. |
|
16. |
The
Oort cloud is |
|
|
A) |
a
spherical solar system halo of icy objects far beyond the orbit of Pluto. |
|
B) |
a
flat region just outside the orbit of Neptune in which icy and rocky objects
circle the Sun. |
|
C) |
the
collection of rocky objects orbiting the Sun between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter. |
|
D) |
a
type of cumulo-nimbus cloud that forewarns of a large storm. |
|
17. |
Strong
evidence for the existence of planetary systems around other stars comes from
|
|
|
A) |
periodic
wobbling of the positions and spectral line positions of several nearby
stars. |
|
B) |
direct
photography of actual planets near other stars. |
|
C) |
spectroscopic
evidence of large quantities of molecules such as ammonia and methane, which can
only exist in planetary atmospheres. |
|
D) |
close
encounters of the third kind. |
|
18. |
What
is surprising about the extrasolar planets that have been discovered? |
|
|
A) |
More
than half of them have strong lines of molecular oxygen in their spectra, a
possible indication of life on these planets. |
|
B) |
The
majority of them rotate much faster than the planets in our solar system. |