The Solar System Chapter Test A Multiple Choice Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The fact that each planet s orbit is an ellipse was discovered by a. Copernicus. b. Galileo. c. Kepler. d. Brahe. What do all of the inner planets have in common? a. They all have rings. b. They all have abundant liquid water. c. They all have many moons. d. They all are small and have rocky surfaces. The ancient Greeks knew of all of the following planets EXCEPT a. Earth. b. Saturn. c. Uranus. d. Venus. What do the four outer planets have in common? a. They are much larger than Earth and are made mainly of hydrogen and helium. b. They are about the same size as Earth and are made mainly of hydrogen and helium. c. They are much larger than Earth and are made mainly of iron. d. They are about the same size as Earth and are made mainly of iron. What layer are you looking at when you look at an image of the sun? a. photosphere b. chromosphere c. corona d. prominence 6. The solar system consists of the sun, several kinds of smaller objects such as comets and asteroids, and a. eight planets and their moons. b. the star Proxima Centauri. c. six planets and their moons. d. more than 100 planets. 1
7. 8. 9. Which is the smallest terrestrial planet? a. Mars b. Mercury c. Venus d. Earth Small asteroid-like bodies that became the building blocks for the planets are called a. planetesimals. b. comets. c. meteoroids. d. open clusters. What is distinctive about Jupiter? a. Its axis of rotation is tilted 90 degrees. b. It is smaller and denser than the other outer planets. c. It is the planet with the most spectacular rings. d. It is the largest and most massive planet. 10. Meteoroids usually come from a. debris from other planets. b. the solar wind. c. meteorites. d. comets or asteroids. 11. The solar wind is a stream of electrically charged particles that extend outward from the sun s a. chromosphere. b. photosphere. c. corona. d. core. Completion Fill in the line to complete each statement. 12. The _ consists of the sun, eight planets and their moons, and several kinds of smaller objects. 13. Jupiter s Great Red Spot is a(n) _ larger than Earth. 14. A meteoroid that hits Earth s surface is called a(n). 15. Most ancient astronomers thought that all celestial objects revolved around. 16. Mars s atmosphere is mostly _. 2
True or False If the statement is true, write true. If it is false, change the underlined word or words to make the statement true. 17. Most comets are found in the asteroid belt. 18. All of the terrestrial planets have many moons. 19. The sun s surface layer is the photosphere. 20. The number of sunspots on the sun varies over a period of about 11 years. 21. Earth is thought to be at the center of the solar system in the geocentric model. Using Science Skills Directions: Use the diagram below to answer questions 22 through 24. 22. Identify area E and define it. 3
23. Identify area B. Describe its appearance during a total solar eclipse. 24. Identify the objects in area D. Explain why they appear to be darker than surrounding parts of the sun. Essay Write an answer for each of the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. 25. Describe how the solar system probably formed. 26. What caused Galileo to accept the theory that the planets revolve around the sun? Using Science Skills Directions: Use the diagram below to answer questions 27 through 30. 27. What objects are found at 5? Why are they not considered to be planets? 28. Write the name of the planet that is labeled with each number. 1_ 2_ 3_ 4_ 4
29. Name object 9 and explain why it appears different from the other gas giant planets. 30. Where on Mars and in what forms does water exist at present? What evidence indicates that liquid water existed on Mars in the past? Essay Write an answer for each of the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. 31. Explain why the outer planets did not lose the light gases in their atmospheres. 32. How are Earth and Venus similar? How is Venus different from Earth? 5