Question 1

The slow, retrograde spin of Venus is responsible for which phenomenon on Venus?

Accepted Answer

A)   the polar vortex
B)   high-speed upper atmospheric winds
C)   Mercury is a permanent "morning star."
D)   The Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

Question 2

Although Venus is farther from the Sun than Mercury, its surface temperature is hotter than Mercury's.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Of these, which is evidence that Mars once had running water on its surface?

Accepted Answer

A)   There are vast amounts of H2O present in Martian rocks.
B)   There is medium-sized ocean in the Southern Hemisphere of Mars.
C)   Spacecraft have observed channels and dry riverbeds on the Martian surface.
D)   There is no such evidence.

Question 4

Why was the discovery of Mercury's liquid core a surprise to scientists?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mercury's small size should have allowed it to cool early in its history.
B)   Mercury's magnetic field was too weak to be generated by a liquid core.
C)   Mercury's density suggested that there should have been a small solid core.
D)   Mercury's rotation was too slow to sustain a liquid core.

Question 5

Why do Earth and Venus have active interiors, while Mercury and Mars do not?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mercury and Mars have small iron cores, while Earth and Venus have large ones.
B)   Earth and Venus are much more massive, and cool more slowly, than Mars and Mercury.
C)   Earth and Venus have rapid rotations, while Mercury and Mars do not.
D)   All of these choices are correct.
E)   None of these choices is correct.

Question 6

What drives the high-speed winds in Venus's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)   light from the Sun in its equatorial regions
B)   cold temperatures at the poles
C)   the slow spin of the planet
D)   a polar vortex

Question 7

Which of the following statements correctly compares the terrestrial planets?

Accepted Answer

A)   Venus has the densest atmosphere and the highest average temperature.
B)   Earth is the only planet that has active plate tectonics and surface water.
C)   Mercury is the planet with the thinnest atmosphere and the smallest size.
D)   All of these choices are correct.

Question 8

Why is Venusian lava less viscous than Earth's?

Accepted Answer

A)   There is more water in Earth's lava.
B)   Earth's surface has a lower temperature.
C)   Atmospheric pressure on Venus is much higher than on Earth.
D)   Earth's rapid rotation stirs its lava, making it thinner.

Question 9

Why are the layers of ice and dust in Mars's permanent ice caps not all the same thickness?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mars's orbital eccentricity has changed over time.
B)   Mars's axial tilt has changed over time.
C)   Jupiter's gravity affects Mars's climate.
D)   All of these choices are correct.

Question 10

Why is a more massive terrestrial planet more likely to have an atmosphere than a less massive planet?

Accepted Answer

A)   It has a larger gravitational force.
B)   It has a larger magnetic field.
C)   Its interior is hotter.
D)   It had a larger primordial atmosphere.
E)   All of these choices are correct.

Question 11

Venus's extremely high surface temperatures are due to

Accepted Answer

A)   the composition of its atmosphere.
B)   volcanic activity.
C)   its relatively close proximity to the Sun.
D)   a recent impact that heated the planet.

Question 12

You would most likely find pancake-shaped lava domes on

Accepted Answer

A)   Mercury.
B)   Venus.
C)   Earth.
D)   Mars.

Question 13

Some recent evidence points to the possibility of there being some liquid water on Mars "recently." Why does this puzzle astronomers?

Accepted Answer

A)   Currently Mars is too hot for liquid water.
B)   The Martian atmosphere is too thick, and clouds would form.
C)   The Martian atmosphere is too cold and has too low a pressure for liquid water.
D)   All of these choices are correct.

Question 14

Venus' atmosphere lacks water because the Sun's ultraviolet rays tend to break up any water molecules at the top of the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

List the terrestrial planets in decreasing order of their mass.

Accepted Answer

A)   Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
B)   Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth
C)   Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury
D)   Venus, Earth, Mars, Mercury

Question 16

Mars' red color comes from iron minerals in its surface rocks.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The polar vortex at the south pole of Venus is

Accepted Answer

A)   a high-pressure zone with winds flowing away from its center.
B)   a region where cooler gases sink to the surface before moving back to the equatorial regions.
C)   a region of the atmosphere where the surface can be seen from orbit.
D)   a low-pressure, high-humidity storm, much like a hurricane on Earth.

Question 18

Why do astronomers think Earth ended up with so little CO2 compared with Mars and Venus?

Accepted Answer

A)   Plant life and abundant water have removed most of the CO2, locking it into rocks and the oceans.
B)   Volcanoes on Earth outgassed less CO2 than on Venus and Mars.
C)   Comets striking the surfaces of Venus and Mars added CO2 to their atmospheres, but not to Earth.
D)   Pollution on Earth has reduced the amount of CO2 originally present.

Question 19

The red coloration seen on the Martian surface originates from

Accepted Answer

A)   past volcanic activity covering the surface of the planet with red lava.
B)   when Mars' had flowing water, it also has red algae, which stained the surface rocks.
C)   the atmosphere blocking out blue light, only allowing red light to reflect off the surface.
D)   the iron minerals in the surface rocks combining with oxygen in the atmosphere causing the surface to rust.

Question 20

The present atmospheres of the terrestrial planets probably originated from their internal activity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 9: The Terrestrial Planets

Why is a more massive terrestrial planet more likely to have an atmosphere than a less massive planet?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Venus's extremely high surface temperatures are due to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why are the layers of ice and dust in Mars's permanent ice caps not all the same thickness?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

You would most likely find pancake-shaped lava domes on

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Although Venus is farther from the Sun than Mercury, its surface temperature is hotter than Mercury's.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The red coloration seen on the Martian surface originates from

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Mars' red color comes from iron minerals in its surface rocks.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why do Earth and Venus have active interiors, while Mercury and Mars do not?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is Venusian lava less viscous than Earth's?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements correctly compares the terrestrial planets?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why do astronomers think Earth ended up with so little CO2 compared with Mars and Venus?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of these, which is evidence that Mars once had running water on its surface?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What drives the high-speed winds in Venus's atmosphere?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The polar vortex at the south pole of Venus is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Some recent evidence points to the possibility of there being some liquid water on Mars "recently." Why does this puzzle astronomers?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

List the terrestrial planets in decreasing order of their mass.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The slow, retrograde spin of Venus is responsible for which phenomenon on Venus?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Venus' atmosphere lacks water because the Sun's ultraviolet rays tend to break up any water molecules at the top of the atmosphere.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The present atmospheres of the terrestrial planets probably originated from their internal activity.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why was the discovery of Mercury's liquid core a surprise to scientists?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Why do astronomers think Earth ended up with so little CO₂ compared with Mars and Venus?

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