Solar System Investigation Test Review

^{Scientists observed a rocky, rotating object orbiting in space.  It was 250 km wide and it was located several times farther away from the Sun than the Earth.  The object was probably-}

• an asteroid
• the moon
• Mars
• Venus

When making a model of the solar system, a student chose a 14 cm diameter ball to represent Jupiter.  What size ball would be the best choice to represent Earth? 

• 16 cm
• 12 cm
• 1.2 cm
• 0.5 cm

"Made mostly of ice" fits best under which heading in the Venn diagram?

• Meteor
• Section X
• Asteroid
• Comet

All the planets in our solar system have about the same-

• shape
• mass
• diameter
• composition

Which of the following represents characteristics of the four planets farthest from the Sun?

• smaller planets
• 3 or less moons
• gas giants
• rocky planets

What planet was Galileo observing when he discovered the Galilean moons?

• Jupiter
• Neptune
• Saturn
• Uranus

A probe is a vehicle designed to carry instruments, but not a crew. To which of the following places would we most likely send a probe?

• Mountain top
• Saturn
• The International Space Station
• Inside the Sun

The Moon travels in an elliptical orbit that is nearly circular around the Earth.  Which of the following best explains the cause of the Moon's motion?

• The Moon is affected by the unbalanced force of Earth's gravity which cause it to maintain its orbit
• The Moon is acted on by unbalanced forces
• The gravitational forces from the Sun and Earth on the Moon are equal
• There was a gravitational force millions of years ago that pulled the Moon in an elliptical direction and it hasn't been acted on by a force since then

Which planet has the greatest gravitational force?

• Venus
• Mercury
• Earth
• Jupiter

Which statement accurately describes the movement of objects in our solar system?

• The Sun revolves around the planets, and moons rotate around planets
• The planets revolve around the Sun, and the moons revolve around the planets
• The moons rotate around planets, and planets revolve around the Sun
• The planets rotate around the Sun, and moons revolve around the planets