A day on Saturn takes about 10 Earth hours. Which fact would best explain this short day?

• Saturn is less dense than Earth.

• Saturn is much farther from the Sun than Earth.

• Saturn rotates more rapidly than Earth.

• Saturn’s orbit has greater eccentricity than Earth’s.

The highest elevation on this topographic map can be no more than about:

• 25 meters.

• 34 meters.

• 45 meters.

• 49 meters.

In an area where a river has cut deep into Earth, there are several layers of very different rock exposed. The oldest rock layer is most likely to be the layer that is:

• below the other layers.

• the thickest layer.

• the most rich in fossils.

• igneous intrusive rock.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Which of the following statements best describes how the planets of the solar system formed?

• They are condensed rings of matter thrown off by the young Sun.

• They are the remains of an exploded star once paired with the young Sun.

• The Sun captured them from smaller, older nearby stars.

• They formed from a nebular cloud of dust and gas.

Evidence suggests that Earth is about 4.6 billion years old, even though no Earth rocks have been found that can be dated at more than 4 billion years old. This discrepancy is most likely caused by Earth’s original crust being:

• difficult to date so precisely.

• subject to extensive erosion.

• blasted away during Earth’s formation.

• destroyed by solar radiation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Which of the following is the best evidence that Earth’s continents were once in vastly different positions than they are today?

• Penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere.

• Fossils of tropical plants are found in Antarctica.

• Volcanoes encircle the Pacific Ocean.

• Major rivers form deltas from continental erosion.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Early telescopes showed stars as only points of light, while the planets appeared to be much larger, providing evidence that stars must:

• be more plentiful in our solar system than planets.

• travel in elliptical orbits like planets.

• be much farther from Earth than planets.

• reflect much more light than planets.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Although many ancient civilizations designated certain patterns of stars as constellations, they never included planets in their constellations. What feature of planets, as opposed to stars, explains this?

• They look bigger than stars.

• They are more difficult to see than stars.

• There are not enough of them to form a constellation.

• They do not maintain fixed positions relative to other planets or stars.

What is the source of energy for the Sun?

• nuclear fusion

• internal combustion

• nuclear fission of metals

• burning of solar gases

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

Fusion is a form of nuclear reaction resulting in an enormous release of heat energy. The fusion of hydrogen to helium is a reaction that commonly occurs in:

• the Sun and other typical stars

• the ionosphere and thermosphere

• Earth’s outer core of molten iron

• a comet’s tail of ionized gases

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-1

NGSS.HS-ESS1-3

NGSS.HS-PS1-8