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| 1 | |
Which of the following lists the planets in correct order of increasing distance from the Sun?
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| | A) | Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, Mercury |
| | B) | Saturn, Uranus, Mercury, Neptune, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus |
| | C) | Earth, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Mercury |
| | D) | Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune |
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| 2 | |
The largest body in the Solar System is:
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| | A) | Jupiter |
| | B) | the Sun |
| | C) | Saturn |
| | D) | Neptune |
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| 3 | |
Which of the following is evidence that Jupiter's composition is rich in hydrogen?
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| | A) | its large mass |
| | B) | its large size |
| | C) | its low density |
| | D) | its distance from the Sun |
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| 4 | |
The most massive planet is:
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| | A) | Earth |
| | B) | Uranus |
| | C) | Jupiter |
| | D) | Venus |
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| 5 | |
The atmosphere of Venus is composed primarily of:
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| | A) | carbon dioxide |
| | B) | sulfur dioxide |
| | C) | sulfuric acid |
| | D) | nitrogen |
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| 6 | |
Why do Mercury and the Moon lack an atmosphere?
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| | A) | They formed after all the gas had been used up. |
| | B) | They are so cold that all their gases have frozen into deposits below their surface. |
| | C) | They formed before the solar nebula had captured any gas. |
| | D) | They are so small that their gravity is too weak to retain an atmosphere. |
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| 7 | |
Why would it be difficult to land a spacecraft on Jupiter?
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| | A) | Jupiter has no solid surface. |
| | B) | Jupiter's immense gravity would squash it. |
| | C) | Jupiter's intense magnetic field would destroy it. |
| | D) | The clouds are so thick it would be hard to navigate to a safe spot. |
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| 8 | |
The Sun is part of the:
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| | A) | Asteroid belt. |
| | B) | Oort Cloud belt. |
| | C) | Milky Way galaxy. |
| | D) | none of these. |
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| 9 | |
Images of Pluto's surface were first observed:
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| | A) | thru the Hubble telescope. |
| | B) | from the earth observatory in Hawaii. |
| | C) | from the Galileo spacecraft. |
| | D) | by astronomers in the 6th century |
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| 10 | |
Scientists think water may once have flowed on Mars. The evidence for this is:
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| | A) | fossil fish found in several craters. |
| | B) | canyons that resemble dried-up river beds. |
| | C) | frozen lakes along the Martian equator. |
| | D) | photographs made in the late 1800s that show blue spots that were probably lakes. |
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| 11 | |
The core of a comet is composed of:
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| | A) | molten iron. |
| | B) | frozen gases and ice. |
| | C) | liquid hydrogen. |
| | D) | uranium. |
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| 12 | |
Why are most asteroids not spherical?
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| | A) | Their gravity is too weak to pull them into a sphere. |
| | B) | The Sun's gravity distorts them. |
| | C) | Strong magnetic fields in their molten core make them lumpy. |
| | D) | The statement is false. Nearly all asteroids are spherical. |
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| 13 | |
What causes meteor showers?
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| | A) | The breakup of an asteroid in our upper atmosphere. |
| | B) | Bursts of particles ejected from the Sun. |
| | C) | A comet being captured into orbit around the Earth. |
| | D) | The Earth passing through the tail of debris left by a comet. |
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| 14 | |
Which of the following show evidence of volcanic activity?
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| | A) | Venus |
| | B) | Mars |
| | C) | the Moon |
| | D) | all of these |
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| 15 | |
The most dense planet is:
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| | A) | Jupiter |
| | B) | Venus |
| | C) | Mars |
| | D) | Earth |
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| 16 | |
The planet whose rotational axis is nearly parallel to the orbital plane is:
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| | A) | Saturn |
| | B) | Uranus |
| | C) | Venus |
| | D) | Mars |
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| 17 | |
Planetesimals become planets thru a process called:
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| | A) | chrondrulation |
| | B) | nebulizing |
| | C) | differentiation |
| | D) | meteorite genesis |
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| 18 | |
The planet that was discovered in 1731 is:
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| | A) | Uranus |
| | B) | Pluto |
| | C) | Neptune |
| | D) | Jupiter |
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| 19 | |
About 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs and many other creatures and plants were exterimated, about the same time a giant ________ hit the earth:
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| | A) | asteroid |
| | B) | meteor |
| | C) | comet |
| | D) | meteorite |
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| 20 | |
To the best of present knowledge, the Earth, Sun, and Moon are all of the same age, of about:
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| | A) | 6000 years old. |
| | B) | 4.6 billion years old. |
| | C) | 15 billion years old. |
| | D) | 12 billion years old. |
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