Earth Science Semester Test

What is the most widely accepted theory for the formation of our solar system?

• Big Bang Theory

• Nebular Hypothesis

• Plate Tectonics Theory

• Stellar Wind Theory

What caused the early solar nebula to start collapsing?

• Solar wind

• Gravity

• Magnetic fields

• Radioactive energy

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

What are planetesimals?

• Miniature stars

• Large gas clouds

• Small bodies that combine to form planets

• Moons of gas giants and combine to form supergiants

What is retrograde motion?

• When a planet rotates similar to Earth did in the past when it was a hot ball of molten material.

• When a planet orbits the sun at 1.5 light years away

• The apparent backward motion of a planet across the sky

• When the Sun moves around the Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Which model better explains retrograde motion?

• Geocentric

• Heliocentric

• Elliptical

• Tychonic

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

What shape are planetary orbits, according to Kepler?

• Perfect circles

• Spirals

• Ellipses

• Parabolas

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-4

What is an astronomical unit (AU)?

• The distance from Earth to the center of the Jupiter

• The diameter of the Sun

• The average distance from Earth to the Sun

• A unit of brightness

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

What does orbital eccentricity measure?

• The speed of a planet

• How stretched an orbit is

• The tilt of the planet's axis

• The number of moons

According to Newton’s law of universal gravitation, what happens to gravitational force if the distance between two objects doubles?

• It doubles

• It quadruples

• It is reduced

• It remains the same

What two factors determine the strength of gravity between two objects?

• Volume and temperature

• Mass and volume

• Mass and distance

• Size and rotation

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4