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WorksheetsUnit 7: Universe and Solar System
Total questions: 56
Worksheet time: 34mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Venus has the highest surface temperature of all the planets in our solar system. Which is the BEST explanation for this?
a)
Venus rotates on its axis very slowly.
b)
Venus is very close the the Sun.
c)
Venus revolves around the Sun relatively quickly.
d)
Venus's atmosphere has thick clouds and carbon dioxide.
2.
Artificial satellites are grouped into all of the following categories except
a)
commercial.
b)
meteor.
c)
scientific.
d)
secret military.
3.
Astronomers usually measure the distance from Earth to the Moon in
a)
meters.
b)
kilometers.
c)
light-years.
d)
fathoms.
4.
A characteristic of gaseous planets is that they have
a)
no density.
b)
a density greater than Earth's.
c)
a density the same as Earth's.
d)
a density less than Earth's.
5.
The asteroid belt is located between
a)
the Sun and Earth.
b)
Mars and Jupiter.
c)
Neptune and Pluto.
d)
Saturn and Uranus.
6.
The reason that a student does not feel the gravitational pull of the Sun is because
a)
the Sun has no gravitational pull.
b)
the mass of the Sun is very small.
c)
the Sun is very far away.
d)
Earth is so much smaller that the Sun.
7.
Which planet is closest to the Sun?
a)
Jupiter
b)
Mars
c)
Venus
d)
Mercury
8.
Which planet do scientists think once had surface water or flowing rivers?
a)
Mercury
b)
Venus
c)
Mars
d)
Jupiter
9.
Venus is completely enveloped in clouds that hide its surface from view on Earth. Which statement is also true about these clouds?
a)
They keep the surface cool.
b)
They produce sulfuric acid rain.
c)
They are mostly made of water.
d)
They are caused by volcanoes.
10.
A comet is largely made up of
a)
iron and nickel.
b)
rock.
c)
petroleum.
d)
water and ice.
11.
We can be sure that the Milky Way galaxy we live in is a spiral galaxy rather than an elliptical galaxy because
a)
it has curved arms.
b)
it does not show any rotation.
c)
its stars are all about the same age.
d)
new stars are no longer forming.
12.
When a star like the Sun runs out of hydrogen in its center, it evolves into a
a)
red giant.
b)
blue straggler.
c)
supernova.
d)
yellow dwarf.
13.
How does the gravity on the Moon compare to the gravity on Earth?
a)
Gravity is the same wherever you are.
b)
There is less gravity on the Moon.
c)
There is more gravity on the Moon.
d)
Gravity depends on each person.
14.
Why does the Moon orbit Earth instead of the Sun?
a)
Gravity depends on distance and the Moon is closet to Earth.
b)
Only large objects orbit around the Sun and the Moon is too small.
c)
The Moon used to be part of Earth so it must orbit Earth.
d)
The Moon is moving too fast and cannot change its orbit.
15.
Objects in an orbiting space shuttle float because
a)
the space shuttle slows down when it reaches orbit.
b)
Earth's gravity has less effect on objects as they get farther away from Earth.
c)
the mass of the object is less in space.
d)
the space shuttle's engines cause too much vibration for objects to remain still.
16.
Earth is made of solid materials. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all made of gas. Which is true about the density of these planets?
a)
They are more dense than Earth.
b)
They have no density.
c)
They are less dense than Earth.
d)
They have the same density as Earth.
17.
The asteroid belt can be found between
a)
Earth and the Sun.
b)
Earth and the Moon.
c)
Neptune and Pluto.
d)
Mars and Jupiter.
18.
The dark, lava covered lowlands of the Moon are called
a)
mountains.
b)
volcanoes.
c)
valleys.
d)
maria.
19.
A hurricane-type cloud known as the Great Red Spot can be found on which planet?
a)
Saturn
b)
Mars
c)
Uranus
d)
Jupiter
20.
The atmosphere of Venus consists of thick yellow clouds formed mostly from
a)
helium.
b)
sulfur.
c)
hydrogen.
d)
carbon.
21.
Which accounts for the fact that a compass can be used to find north on Earth?
a)
Earth has a magnetic field.
b)
Earth has only one moon.
c)
Most of Earth is covered by water.
d)
Earth's temperature is not constant.
22.
What characteristics do scientists measure to determine the temperature and composition of stars?
a)
the positions of the stars in the galaxy
b)
the light radiated from the stars
c)
the proximity of the stars to each other
d)
the speed at which stars are moving
23.
Which statement BEST explains why there is no atmosphere on the Moon?
a)
The temperature of the Moon varies too much to develop an atmosphere.
b)
The Moon does not have enough gravity to hold an atmosphere.
c)
The Moon revolves too quickly to keep an atmosphere.
d)
The density of the Moon is too great to allow an atmosphere.
24.
The ozone layer in Earth's upper atmosphere is important to living organisms because it
a)
absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
b)
breaks down harmful pollutants into normal atmospheric gases.
c)
supplies the oxygen living organisms require to carry on respiration.
d)
traps heat close to Earth's surface to maintain temperature necessary for life.
25.
Kate is building a model of the solar system. She chooses a basketball to represent Earth. She wants her model to represent the relative sizes of all the planets and the Moon accurately. Which of the following should Kate use to represent the Moon?
a)
a marble
b)
a ping-pong ball
c)
a softball
d)
a soccer ball
26.
Which is a gaseous plant?
a)
Jupiter
b)
Mars
c)
Earth
d)
Venus
27.
Footprints made by astronauts on the Moon years ago are still there. Which reason explains this?
a)
The Moon has no wind or rain.
b)
Time passes much slower on the Moon.
c)
The dust on the Moon hardened into stone.
d)
The heavy astronauts left very deep footprints in the Moon's dust.
28.
Each year, Earth moves once around
a)
Mars.
b)
Venus.
c)
the Sun.
d)
the Moon.
29.
Which planet is closer to the Sun than Earth is to the Sun?
a)
Jupiter
b)
Venus
c)
Saturn
d)
Mars
30.
If you were to watch the stars all night, they would seem to
a)
stay in exactly the same place in the sky.
b)
move across the sky at night, as the Sun does during the day.
c)
go in circles around the point straight up from where you are.
d)
move across the sky at night, in the opposite direction that the Sun moves during the day.
31.
The ozone layer protects us from
a)
global warming.
b)
ultraviolet radiation.
c)
infrared rays.
d)
harmful chemicals.
32.
NASA scientists recently discovered evidence of liquid water on
a)
Venus.
b)
Mars.
c)
Jupiter.
d)
the Moon.
33.
Which is made primarily of pieces of rock or iron that enter Earth's atmosphere?
a)
asteroids
b)
comets
c)
solar flares
d)
meteorites
34.
Imagine you are an astronomer who just observed a huge burst of light from an exploding star. What did you most likely observe?
a)
a pulsar
b)
a black hole
c)
a supernova
d)
a meteor
35.
What planet has gases, land masses, and large amounts of surface water?
a)
Earth
b)
Mars
c)
Pluto
d)
Saturn
36.
A planet has twice the mass of Earth and the same radius as Earth. If you are standing on this planet, the force of gravity would be
a)
twice that on Earth.
b)
half that on Earth.
c)
the same as on Earth.
d)
four times greater than Earth's
37.
Terry was learning about an object in the Solar System that is made of frozen gases and solid rock. Which of these objects was she learning about?
a)
a star
b)
a comet
c)
a meteor
d)
an asteroid
38.
Many scientists used to accept the model that all objects in the universe revolved around the Sun. What did they learn that made them change this model?
a)
Stars do not revolve around the Sun.
b)
Planets do no revolve around the Sun.
c)
Comets do not revolve around the Sun.
d)
Asteroids do not revolve around the Sun.
39.
Why is Venus always near the Sun when viewed from Earth?
a)
Venus orbits Earth, which orbits the Sun.
b)
Venus orbits the Sun, which orbits Earth.
c)
Venus's orbit is closer to the Sun than Earth's orbit.
d)
Venus is visible only when its orbit gets close to the Sun.
40.
Middle school science students in Georgia recorded the Sun's location in the sky every day at noon during September and February. Which of these MOST LIKELY describes what the students observed?
a)
The size of the Sun changed.
b)
The color of the Sun changed.
c)
The force of gravity from the Sun changed.
d)
The position of the Sun in the sky changed.
41.
Juan's class is studying the Solar System. What causes the planets to orbit the Sun rather than drift off into space?
a)
the force of gravity
b)
the force of magnetism
c)
momentum
d)
heat energy from the Sun
42.
Life on Earth is protected from the Sun's ultraviolet radiation by
a)
the cloud cover.
b)
dust particles.
c)
water vapor.
d)
the ozone layer.
43.
Footprints made by astronauts on the Moon many years ago are probably still there because
a)
the heavy astronauts left very deep footprints in the Moon's dust.
b)
the dust on the Moon hardened into stone.
c)
time passes much more slowly on the Moon.
d)
the Moon has no weather.
44.
How does the number of hours of daylight compare to the number of hours of darkness on March 20, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere?
a)
The hours of daylight and darkness are the same.
b)
There are more hours of darkness than daylight.
c)
There are more hours of daylight than darkness.
d)
The number of hours of daylight and darkness cannot be predicted in advance.
45.
An object in the solar system has many wide, flat craters. What must be true about the object?
a)
It is an asteroid.
b)
It was originally formed with craters.
c)
It has been hit by other objects from space.
d)
It is a planet.
46.
The force that keeps a communications satellite in orbit around Earth is
a)
gravity.
b)
friction.
c)
magnetism.
d)
electricity.
47.
Which planet is characterized by thick cloud cover, greenhouse effect, vast plains, and high mountains?
a)
Uranus
b)
Saturn
c)
Mercury
d)
Venus
48.
Which planet is characterized by polar ice caps, a pink sky, a rust-colored surface, large volcanoes, and surface channels?
a)
Uranus
b)
Pluto
c)
Mars
d)
Saturn
49.
Which planet has a great red spot and many moons?
a)
Neptune
b)
Jupiter
c)
Mars
d)
Mercury
50.
Which is the largest planet?
a)
Mars
b)
Uranus
c)
Jupiter
d)
Saturn
51.
The force that causes rain to fall to Earth is
a)
wind.
b)
solar heat.
c)
gravity.
d)
electromagnetism.
52.
How is Saturn different from Earth?
a)
Saturn is smaller than Earth.
b)
Saturn is closer to the Sun than Earth.
c)
Earth has a moon, while Saturn does not have any moons.
d)
Earth is made mostly of rock, while Saturn is made mostly of gas.
53.
Which force pulls the planets of the solar system towards the sun?
a)
nuclear
b)
centripetal
c)
gravitational
d)
electromagnetic
54.
Gravity is the force that governs the planets' motion around which celestial body?
a)
the sun
b)
the earth
c)
the galaxy
55.
Which body in the solar system usually contains an atmosphere?
a)
an asteroid
b)
a planet
c)
a meteor
d)
a comet
56.
Which of there resources would give the most current, complete and accurate information on planets?
a)
Planet website by Round Rock Middle School
b)
The NASA website
c)
a set of general encyclopedias
d)
a science book about the planets.
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