Name Physical Science 113 - Astronomy Exam II Questions 1-18 have to do with the terrestrial planets, choose your answer from the list below: 1. The smallest terrestrial planet. A) Mercury B) Venus C) Earth D) Mars 2. The terrestrial planet with the most eccentric orbit. 3. The planet that is most like our Moon in appearance. 4. The planet nearest in size to the Earth. 5. The clouds of this planet are composed of sulphuric acid. 6. The planet which is nearest to the Sun. 7. The planet which has a solar day almost exactly equal to the Earth's solar day. 8. This planet has the highest surface temperatures. 9. This planet has features on the surface that look like they may have been caused by running water, although there is not water present on the surface today. 10. This planet has a solar day which lasts almost two of the planet's solar years. 11. The day-night temperature variations on this terrestrial planet are larger than any other terrestrial planet. 12. This planet has the largest magnetic field. 13. The planet with the lowest albedo. 14. This planet has the longest solar year. 15. The plane of the orbit of this planet makes about a 7 degree angle with the ecliptic, whereas the angle for all the other planets' orbits is much smaller. 16. This planet has no appreciable atmosphere. 17. This planet has the largest volcano in the solar system. 18. The albedo of this planet is the largest of all the terrestrial planets. 19. The far side of the Moon is very different from the near side (the side pointed toward the Earth). One of the main differences is that this far side is always in the dark. 20. Which of the following planets has a rotational direction opposite from Earth's? a) Mercury b) Venus c) Mars 1
21. The primary component of the Earth's atmosphere is, while the principle component of the atmospheres of Venus and Mars is. a) hydrogen, oxygen b) hydrogen, nitrogen c) hydrogen, carbon dioxide d) nitrogen, carbon dioxide e) oxygen, carbon dioxide 22. The best explanation of the greenhouse effect is: a) more sunlight strikes the planet's surface than normal. b) the surface of the planet is darker than normal. c) infrared radiation is trapped by the planet's atmosphere. d) cloud cover prevents the atmosphere from escaping. e) cloud cover prevents visible light from striking the surface of the planet. 23. Of the four terrestrial planets, has the least atmospheric pressure at its surface, and has the greatest. a) Mercury... Venus b) Venus... Mars c) Earth... Mars d) Mars... Venus 24. The albedo of a planet tells us a) how large a planet is b) how "out of round" a planet is c) the composition of the surface of a planet d) the percentage of light that is reflected from a planet e) how much the greenhouse effect changes the temperature of a planet 25. Valles Marineris is a a) large valley on Venus b) mountain on Mercury c) mountain on Venus d) mountain on Mars e) large valley on Mars 26. Olympus Mons is a a) large valley on Venus b) mountain on Mercury c) mountain on Venus d) mountain on Mars e) large valley on Mars 27. The greenhouse effect is most pronounced on the planet a) Mercury b) Venus c) Earth d) Mars e) Venus and Earth both have very prominent greenhouse effects, about equal to one another and greater than the other planets. 28. Because of the eccentricity of Mar's orbit, seasonal variations on Mars are different from that on Earth. On Mars the summer season in the Southern hemisphere is and than the summer season in the Northern hemisphere. a) shorter, colder b) shorter, hotter c) longer, colder d) longer, hotter 29. The ice cap on Mars is observed to melt completely, while the ice cap simply gets smaller during the summer season. a) Northern, Southern b) Southern, Northern 30. The atmospheric pressure at the surface of Mars is a) much less than the pressure at Earth's surface. b) about the same as the pressure at Earth's surface. c) much greater than the pressure at Earth's surface. 2
31. The temperature variations on the surface of Mars are much larger than on the Earth's surface. This is because a) Mars has no atmosphere b) There is no water on the surface of Mars c) The sun is so far away from Mars d) both a) and b) 32. Most of the lunar craters are believed to have been formed from a) meteor impacts b) volcanic eruptions c) water seaping up from beneath the surface 33. What is the most likely cause of the smooth and relatively crater-free surfaces of lunar maria? a) Dust storms which eroded and smoothed the surface. b) Lava flows in the relatively late geological history of the Moon. c) Sediments left behind after water had flowed into the basins and evaporated away. d) Volcanic ash which rained upon the surfaces of the basins in recent geological times. 34. Rocks found in the highland area of the Moon are typically much younger than the rocks found in the Maria. 35. Mar's moon is closest to the planet and orbits the planet is about 7 1/2 hours. a) Phobos b) Deimos 36. From the surface of Mars Phobos and Deimos appear to orbit the planet in opposite directions. 37. The fact that Mars and the Moon are covered with large amounts of loose small fragments (dust-like particles) may be a result of constant bombardment of their surfaces by meteors over a long period of time. 38. The appearance of the aurora around the Earth's north pole is evidence of the Earth's gravitational field. 39. In which list are the regions of the spectrum in order - from shortest to longest? a) gamma, radio, ultraviolet, visible b) ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio, gamma c) gamma, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, radio d) gamma, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, radio 40. A hot star produces a continuous spectrum of light where the relative amount of light coming from each region (color) of the spectrum depends strongly upon the of the star. a) age b) size c) temperature d) chemical composition e) speed 41. You are looking at two stars, one red and the other blue. a) The surface temperature of the blue star is higher than that of the the red star. b) The blue star is brighter than the red star. c) The red star is bigger than the blue star. d) Nothing can be said about theses two stars. 3
42. When you examine the spectrum coming from a star, a) You can tell something about the surface temperature of the star. b) You can tell something about the chemical makeup of the star. c) You can tell something about the relative motion of the star. d) all the above 43. The dark lines seen in a solar spectrum can be used to identify the elements found in the sun's outer atmosphere. 44. The light gathering ability of a refracting telescope is directly related to the size of the objective lens. 45. The Hubble telescope is able to produce much better images than most of the ground-based telescopes because the Hubble telescope is a) so much larger than most earth-based telescopes b) outside the Earth's atmosphere c) outside the Earth's gravitational attraction d) so much closer to the stars 46. Todays generation of ground-base telescopes use multiple mirrors to focus the light. 47. By examining the spectrum from stars we can determine the surface temperature of that star. a) continuous b) absorption line c) emission line 48. By examining the spectrum of a star, we can determine the chemical makeup of the stars outer atmosphere. a) continuous b) absorption line c) emission line 49. The stars appear to twinkle at night because a) the atmosphere is turbulent and causes the light from the star to change directions slightly b) stars normally pulsate c) they are so far away 50. A major disadvantage of reflecting telescopes is that the focus is in front of the mirror so that an observer must block some of the light from the source. 51. The two ranges of electromagnetic radiation for which the Earth's atmosphere is reasonably transparent are a. visible and radio radiation. b. UV and radio waves. c. x-rays and visible radiation. d. visible and far infrared radiation. 52. If you want to build a telescope having the LEAST possible amount of chromatic aberration, you should use a. as thin a front lens as you can. b. mirrors instead of lenses. c. a front lens that has been coated with a special material to reduce refraction. d. a front lens that is composed of two closely spaced lenses made of different kinds of glass. 4
53. The average temperature of Mars is less than that of Earth. What would be the relative wavelengths of the peak emissions of the infra-red spectra from these planets? a. The wavelength of peak emission from Mars will be at a longer wavelength than that from the Earth. b. The emission from the two planets will peak at the same wavelength but the radiation from Mars will be less intense than that from the Earth. c. It is not possible to predict the outcome of this experiment from the information given. d. The wavelength of peak emission from the Earth will be at the longer wavelength than that from Mars. 54. The spectrum of sunlight, when spread out by a spectrograph, has what characteristic appearance? a. A series of separate emission lines, characteristic of many elements, which overlap in certain regions of the spectrum to produce short sections of continuous color. b. A continuous band of color, crossed by innumerable emission lines. c. A continuous band of color, crossed by innumerable dark absorption lines. d. A continuous and uniform band of color from violet to deep red. 55. Isotopes of a particular element in the periodic table have which nuclear property in common? a. the same number of neutrons but different numbers of protons in the nucleus. b. the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus. c. the same total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. d. the same number of neutrons, but different numbers of protons and electrons in the nucleus. 56. Suppose that at some time a particular sample of radioactive material contains N radioactive atoms (e.g., N might be one billion radioactive atoms). How many radioactive atoms will be left after three half-lives have passed? a. 1/6 N. b. 1/8 N. c. There will be no radioactive atoms left in the sample. d. 1/2 N. 57. An atom in which one or more electrons has been removed is known as a. an ion. b. an isotope. c. a molecule. d. an excited atom. 58. O III is a. doubly-ionized oxygen (an oxygen atom which has lost two electrons). b. four-times ionized oxygen (an oxygen atom which has lost four electrons). c. triply-ionized oxygen (an oxygen atom which has lost three electrons). d. an oxygen isotope with three neutrons. 59. In Bohr's model of the hydrogen atom, light is emitted whenever a. an electron jumps from a lower to an upper energy level or orbit. b. an electron reverses its direction of motion in its orbit. c. an electron spirals into the nucleus. d. an electron jumps from an upper to a lower energy level or orbit. 60. The Doppler effect is the a. change in the wavelength of peak emission of light when the source temperature changes. b. increase in the observed wavelength of light if the light source is moving towards you. c. increase in the observed wavelength of light if the source of light is moving away from you. d. splitting of spectral lines into two or more wavelengths because the source of the light is in a strong magnetic field. 5
61. The spectrum of a star shows an equivalent set of dark absorption lines to those of the Sun, but with one exception - every line appears at a slightly longer wavelength, shifted toward the red end of the spectrum. What conclusion can be drawn from this observation? a. The star is moving rapidly away from Earth. b. The temperature of the star's surface is higher than that of the Sun. c. A cloud of cold gas and dust surrounds the star and is absorbing light from it. d. The star is moving rapidly toward the Earth. 62. Proper motion is defined as a. the motion of a star or other object in any direction through space. b. the motion of a star or other object across (at right angles to) the line of sight. c. the motion of a star or other object along the line of sight, towards or away from us. d. any motion allowed by the laws of physics. 63. The region of the Earth's atmosphere where most of the weather occurs is called the troposphere. 64. Continental drift on the Earth is believed to be caused by a) precession of the equinoxes b) the motion of thin rigid plates riding on top of a moving convection current in the mantle. c) atmospheric heating and cooling d) the fact that the Earth's magnetic poles are not the same as its rotation poles. 65. Auroras are caused by a) charged particles impacting on the Earth's atmosphere. b) sunlight being reflected by upper layers of the atmosphere. c) sunlight being refracted by upper layers of the atmosphere. d) moonlight being refracted and reflected by upper layers of the atmosphere. e) gravitational attraction of light toward the Earth. 66. The primary component of the Earth's atmosphere is, while the principle component of the atmospheres of Venus and Mars is. a) hydrogen, oxygen b) hydrogen, nitrogen c) hydrogen, carbon dioxide d) nitrogen, carbon dioxide e) oxygen, carbon dioxide 67. The best explanation of the greenhouse effect is: a) more sunlight strikes the planet's surface than normal. b) the surface of the planet is darker than normal. c) infrared radiation is trapped by the planet's atmosphere. d) cloud cover prevents the atmosphere from escaping. e) cloud cover prevents visible light from striking the surface of the planet. 68. The albedo of a planet tells us a) how large a planet is b) how "out of round" a planet is c) the composition of the surface of a planet d) the percentage of light that is reflected from a planet e) how much the greenhouse effect changes the temperature of a planet 6
69. When sunlight from the Sun hits the surface of a planet, that surface is heated. Places on the planet's surface that are heated so that the atmospheric gases rise are pressure zones on the planet's surface. Winds move across the planet's surface this pressure zone. a) low, toward, low b) high, toward, high c) low, away from, low d) high, away from, high 70. Due to the rotation of the Earth and Mars winds do not move in straight lines across the surface of these planets. In the northern hemisphere of each planet these winds curve to the a) right b) left 71. The length of a solar day on Mars is almost a) 10 hours b) 24.7 hours c) nearly twice the length of a day on Earth 72. This planet would be expected to have a significant magnetic field because of its rotation rate. However, scientists believe that because the planet is so small its liquid core has probably cooled and may now be "plastic" causing the magnetic field to be unexpectedly small. a) Mercury b) Venus c) Earth d) Mars 73. The planets Mercury and Venus would not be expected to have a significant magnetic field because their rotational period is so long? 74. The interior of the Earth has been "mapped" by studying the waves produced by earthquakes. Scientists on the surface of the Earth can determine the distance from an observing station to the point where the earthquake occured by a) timing the P wave b) measuring the difference in the arrival time of S and P waves c) measuring the velocity of the S waves 75. On the Earth, the most abundant gas given off by a volcano is. a) oxygen b) hydrogen c) sulfur dioxide d) water vapor 76. When moisture laden air is forced upward, the air cools and the water stored in the air condenses on small particles in the air. When this lifting occurs due to mountains it is called lifting. a) orographic b) frontal c) convergence 77. At night, the prevailing winds blow from the ocean toward the land. 78. When an Earthquake occurs within the surface of the Earth, two types of body waves (waves that pass through the interior of the earth) are produced, S-waves, and P-waves. Which of theses wave types move the fastest? a) S-waves b) P-waves 79. When an Earthquake occurs within the surface of the Earth, observers on the opposite side of the Earth can detect only one of the two types of body waves. Which of theses wave types can be detected on the opposite side of the Earth? a) S-waves b) P-waves 7
80. The reason that observers on the opposite side of the Earth cannot detect one of the body waves produced by Earthquakes is because: a) The Earth is so large that the amplitude of the P-wave dies out before reaching the opposite side of the Earth. b) The Earth is so large that the amplitude of the S-wave dies out before reaching the opposite side of the Earth. c) The P-waves cannot pass through the solid rock found at the center of the Earth. d) The S-waves cannot pass through the liquid center of the Earth. e) The S-waves cannot pass through the solid rock found at the center of the Earth. 81. A subduction zone (a region on the earth's surface where one crustal plate is being pushed underneath another) at the boundary of a continent is usually associated with a deep ocean trench and volcanic mountains along the edge of the continent. 82. A primary example of a divergent plate boundary (a region on the earth's surface where two crustal plates are being separated from one another) is the mid-atlantic ridge. 83. Without our atmosphere, we would not be able to live on the earth. Which of the items in the following list is NOT a major contributing factor for life that can be associated with the atmosphere. a) The atmosphere supplies the necessary gases for respiration. b) The atmosphere blocks out many harmful electromagnetic rays from outer space. c) The atmosphere helps to maintain a relatively uniform temperature on the surface of the Earth. d) The atmosphere burns up many smaller objects which might otherwise strike the Earth's surface. e) The atmosphere contains about 1% Argon. 84. Our knowledge about the interior of the Moon comes from our studies of impact craters on the surface of the Moon. 85. A large planet near the Sun would be more likely to have an atmosphere than a small planet at the same distance from the Sun. 86. Other than the oceans, most of the water on the surface of the Earth is found in rivers and lakes on the surface of the Earth. 87. When a volcano erupts, the liquid that flows over the surface from the volcano is called. a) tephra b) magma c) pyroclastic flow d) lava e) pele 88. When warm, moist air rises it cools off because it is allowed to expand. When the air cools below the dew point, clouds form. 89. The Earth's stratosphere is warmer than the layers above and below it because a) warm air heated by contact with the ground rises into the stratosphere and heats it. b) carbon dioxide in the stratosphere absorbs infrared light radiated outward by the ground. c) the methane released when we burn fossil fuel collects in this layer and absorbs infrared light. d) ozone in the stratosphere absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. 8
90. The San Andreas fault in California is an example of a) two tectonic plates sliding past each other. b) a spreading center, where two tectonic plates are being pushed away from each other. c) an upthrust due to a hot spot in the Earth's mantle. d) a subduction zone, where one plate is pushed back down into the Earth. 91. It is believed that most of the great mountain ranges of the Earth have been produced by a) asteroid impacts, since they are just worn-down crater walls. b) volcanic eruptions. c) collisions between tectonic plates. d) wrinkling of the crust as the interior cools and contracts. 92. The deepest Earthquakes occur near the Earth's core. 93. The Earth and the Moon should have been struck by about the same number of meterites and formed about the same number of craters. Why are there so few visible craters on the surface of the Earth compared with the Moon? a) The Moon has no appreciable atmosphere b) The Earth's water-laden atmosphere tends to erode the surface over time c) The motion of the Earth's tectonic plates tends to reform the surface of the Earth over time. d) all the above 94. The Hawaiian island chain was probably formed as a tectonic plate moved over a active hot-spot arising from the Earth's mantle. 95. The reason the volcanoes on Mars are so much larger than ones on Earth is a) the lava on Mars is stiffer b) the tectonic plates on Mars are so much larger c) there appears to be no tectonic plate motion on Mars d) the gravitational forces on Mars are so much less than on Earth 96. The presence of clouds during the night usually causes a) the temperature to be higher than if there were no clouds. b) the temperature to be lower than if there were no clouds. c) no change in the nightime temperature. 97. The hottest part of the day occurs when the sun is highest in the sky. 98. The Doppler shift can be utilized to determine the rate at which a planet like Venus rotates on its axis. 99. The surface of Mercury and of the Moon look very similar. However, the surface of Mercury does not have a) long scarps b) large impact craters c) rilles d) extensive maria e) volcanos 100. Although liquid water cannot exhist on the surface of Mars, there may be significant quantities of frozen water ice trapped below the surface. 9