The Solar System Review

Which solar system object is the largest?

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• the Sun
• Neptune

Which best describes the astroid belt?

• another name for the Oort cloud
• the region where comets originate
• large chuncks of gas, dust, and ice
• millions of small rocky objects

Which describes a planet's speed as it orbits the Sun?

• it constantly decreases
• it constantly increases
• it does not change
• it increases then decreases

The diagram below shows a planet's orbit around the Sun. What does the blue arrow represent?

• the gravitational pull of the Sun.
• the planet's orbital path.
• the planet's path if the Sun did not exist.
• the planet's speed.

Which describes the greenhouse effect?

• effect of gravity on temperature
• energy emitted by the Sun
• energy trapped by atmosphere
• reflection of light from a planet

How are the terrestrial planets similar?

• similar densities
• similar diameters
• similar period of rotation
• similar rocky surfaces

Which inner planet is the hottest?

• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars

The photograph shows how Earth appears from space. how does Earth differ from other inner planets?

• Its atmosphere contains large amounts of methane.
• Its period of revolution is much greater.
• Its surface is covered by large amounts of liquid water.
• Its surface temperature is higher.

Which two gases make up most of the outer planets?

• ammonia and helium
• ammonia and hydrogen
• hydrogen and helium
• methane and hydrogen

Which is true of the dwarf planets?

• more massive than nearby objects
• never have moons
• orbit near the Sun
• spherically shaped