Glencoe Earth Science

Chapter 24: The Solar System

The Solar System

1
When atoms combine to form heavier atoms, _________ occurs.
A)refraction
B)fusion
C)fission
D)friction
2
Why do scientists think is the cause of Uranus's titled orbit?
A)It's a result of its distance from the Sun.
B)It collided with another object in space.
C)The temperatures out in space caused the planet to tilt.
D)It was created that way.
3
How can Saturn be the second largest planet, as well as the lowest in density?
A)It is composed mostly of methane and ammonia
B)It is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium
C)It is made mostly of water vapor.
D)It is made of a large, rocky core.
4
Which of Jupiter's four largest moon's oceans do scientists hope to explore in the near future?
A)Europa
B)Ganymede
C)Io
D)Callisto
5
What is the difference between meteors and comets?
A)Meteors can burn up as they enter a planet's atmosphere and comets rarely enter a planet's atmosphere.
B)all answers are correct
C)Comets are made of frozen ice and rock and meteors are made of rock.
D)Most comets are found outside the solar system, and meteors are found within.
6
What causes Mars to appear reddish?
A)its distance from the Sun
B)the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
C)the iron oxide surface
D)its position in the solar system
7
How many moons does Pluto have?
A)three
B)one
C)none
D)two
8
Why does Mercury have such a thin atmosphere?
A)because of its extreme temperatures
B)because of its rocky cliffs
C)because of its iron core
D)because of its small size and gravitational pull
9
Which of Jupiter's four largest moons is the most volcanically active?
A)Callisto
B)Europa
C)Ganymede
D)Io
10
Why is Venus hot?
A)because of its closeness to the Sun
B)because of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
C)because of the volcanoes
D)because of its position in the solar system
11
The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is __________.
A)a volcano
B)an ocean of liquid hydrogen
C)a mountain range
D)a tremendous storm
12
Scientists theorize that Jupiter's core is __________.
A)made of hydrogen and helium
B)rocky
C)made of ammonia and methane
D)made of water vapor
13
Mars and Earth have similar tilts. What other similarity does this cause the two planets to have?
A)seasons
B)temperatures
C)land forms
D)life-forms
14
How many planets are in our solar system?
A)nine
B)ten
C)unknown
D)eight
15
Which planet did the Viking probes explore?
A)Jupiter
B)Mars
C)Venus
D)Mercury
16
Who developed the sun-centered model of the solar system?
A)Nicholas Copernicus
B)Galileo Galilei
C)Clyde Tombaugh
D)Johannes Kepler
17
One of the main differences between the outer and inner planets is __________.
A)the inner planets are much bigger than the outer planets
B)the inner planets are all terrestrial
C)the outer planets have rings, and the inner planets don't
D)the outer planets are gas planets
18
What happened to the dust and gas that did not contribute to forming the Sun?
A)It created the planets.
B)It was lost forever.
C)It created other stars.
D)It was all burned up by the Sun.
19
Why do planets closer to the Sun orbit the Sun faster than planets farther away do?
A)because of the way the planets are lined up with each other in space
B)because of their size
C)because of each planet's individual gravitational pull
D)because of the Sun's gravity
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