WorksheetsSolar System Test
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 2hrs 0mins
Which model of the solar system incorrectly has the Earth at the center of the revolving planets and stars?
Geocentric
Heliocentric
Newtonian
Gallileian
In a heliocentric system, the Earth revolves around which astronomical body?
Mars
The stars
The moon
The Sun
Which diagram best shows the geocentric model of the solar system developed by the ancient Greeks?
Which diagram best shows the heliocentric model of the solar system developed by Copernicus and Galileo?
The solar system consists of the sun, several kinds of smaller objects such as comets and asteroids, and what other objects?
Eight planets and their moons
The star Proxima Centauri
Six planets and their moons
More than 100 planets
Which of the following best describes how the solar system formed?
The solar system formed from an expanding galaxy.
The solar system formed from a giant cloud of gas and dust.
The solar system formed from an enormous explosion.
The solar system formed from a black hole.
Tara is making a model of the solar system for her class project. Which of the following choices states the correct order in which she should put the planets, starting with the one closest to the Sun?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus
What are the 4 gas giants in our solar system?
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Neptune
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Billions of years ago, what formed the maria on the moon’s surface?
Oceans
Lava flows
Ice flows
Meteor impacts
The surfaces of the planet Mercury and the Moon are both covered with round pits caused by the impact of meteors. What are these pits called?
Highlands
Seas
Craters
Maria
The temperatures of the planet Mercury and the Moon vary greatly from day to night, with temperatures that are much hotter than boiling, and also colder than freezing. What best explains the reason for these extreme changes in temperature?
They both are very close to the Sun.
They both are very far away from the Sun.
They do not have atmospheres.
They are covered in craters.
What do all of the inner planets have in common?
They all have rings.
They all have abundant liquid water.
They all have many moons.
They all are small and have rocky surfaces.
What is the smallest planet?
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Which of the following characteristics do the outer planets share?
All of the outer planets have liquid water.
All of the outer planets have rings around them.
All of the outer planets have a dense rocky surface.
All of the above.
What do the four outer planets have in common?
They are much larger than Earth and are made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
They are about the same size as Earth and are made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
They are much larger than Earth and are made mainly of iron.
They are about the same size as Earth and are made mainly of iron.
What is distinctive about Jupiter?
Its axis of rotation is tilted 90 degrees
It is smaller and denser than the outer planets.
It is the planet with the most spectacular rings.
It is the largest and most massive planet.
Neptune is very similar in size and color to what other planet?
Jupiter
Venus
Earth
Uranus
A planet passes a point in its orbit on August 31, 1997. The next time it passes the same point in its orbit is September 24, 2081. About how long is a year for that planet?
42 Earth years
76 Earth years
84 Earth years
Cannot be determined
Neptune is the farthest planet in our solar system and it has 13 identified moons. Pluto is considered a dwarf planet and has only 3 moons. Why is Pluto classified as a dwarf planet and not a regular planet like Neptune?
Pluto is much smaller than Neptune
Pluto has less gravity than Neptune
There are other objects in Pluto’s orbit
Pluto has too few moons to be a planet
The inner terrestrial planets are composed of hard rocky material with metallic cores. In contrast, the outer planets are called gas giants because of their deep massive atmospheres that are composed of gas. Despite this major difference, what is one thing all of these planets have in common?
They all have moons
They travel in elliptical orbits
They are all larger than Earth
They are all known to contain water
As you travel from the gas giants to the terrestrial planets, which of the following is true?
The speed of rotation increases
The planets get larger
The period of revolution decreases
The density of each planet decreases
What common factor do all of the terrestrial planets share?
They all have moons
They are all closer to the sun than the asteroid belt
They all have dense gaseous atmospheres
They are all less than or equal to 1 AU (astronomical unit) from the Sun.
Which answer correctly orders astronomical bodies according to their distance from the Sun?
Venus < Earth < Asteroid Belt < Neptune
Asteroid Belt < Saturn < Pluto < Uranus
Pluto < Uranus < Neptune < Asteroid Belt
Asteroid Belt < Earth’s moon < Venus < Mercury
As you travel from the inner planets to the outer planets, which of the following decreases?
The number of moons
The surface temperature
The time for one revolution
The distance from the Sun
Which of the following makes Neptune different from other planets in the Solar System?
It has one moon
Its orbit takes it farthest from the Sun
It has no rings
It is frozen
Which planet has a giant red spot, which is a huge storm?
Saturn
Neptune
Mars
Jupiter
Which of the following statements correctly describes Venus?
1. Venus rotates backwards.
2. Most of Venus’ atmosphere is made up of carbon dioxide.
3. Venus’ rings are made up of ice and dust particles.
4. Venus is approximately the same size as Mercury.
3 only
1 and 2
2 and 4
1,3, and 4
How is the Earth different from the other planets in our solar system?
The Earth is solid planet, while all the other planets are made up of only gases.
The Earth has an atmosphere.
On the Earth, water can exist in all 3 physical states: ice, liquid, and vapor.
The Earth has volcanoes.
When moving from the outer planets to the inner planets, what can be said about their periods of revolution?
They triple.
They double.
They decrease.
They do not change.
The planets in our solar system share some similarities, but their differences often outnumber the similarities. For example, one day on Neptune is only about 16.1 hours, and while Earth and Neptune both have moons, Earth has only one moon, while Neptune has 13. Which of the following is also an accurate comparison of Earth and Neptune?
Neptune has a more solid surface than Earth.
Earth has a shorter period of revolution than Neptune.
Neptune has a longer period of rotation than Earth.
Earth has a lower average temperature than Neptune.
Of all the planets in our solar system, Earth is the only one on which life as we know it exists. Which of the following best describes a factor that allows Earth to be capable of supporting life, while other planets are unable to do so?
Earth revolves slowly enough for seasons to occur.
Earth is large enough to sustain a variety of species.
Earth has an atmosphere to filter and trap energy from the Sun.
Earth rotates fast enough for gravity to hold objects on its surface.
From space, Earth appears blue. Both Neptune and Uranus also appear blue in color. Which of the following best describes the blue color of these planets?
Earth has a solid core which absorbs blue light, while Neptune and Uranus have a small gaseous core which reflects all light.
Earth is mostly covered with water, which reflects blue light, while gases in the atmosphere of Neptune and Uranus affect their color.
Earth has a large amount of plant foliage that reflects blue light into space, while Neptune and Uranus have atmospheres consisting of blue gases.
Earth’s surface has a solid core consisting of metals that reflect blue light, while Neptune and Uranus contain silicates that reflect blue light particles.
Based on the position of Venus as it relates to Earth and the Sun, which of the following describes the length of a year on Venus?
The length of a year on Venus is the same as the length of a year on Earth.
The length of a year on Venus is shorter than the length of a year on Earth.
The length of a year on Venus is twice as long as the length of a year on Earth.
The length of a year on Venus is nearly ten times as long as a year on Earth.
Teresa is studying the solar system. She learns that Jupiter has 18 named moons, as well as many small unnamed ones, and that Earth has just one moon. Which of the following best explains why Jupiter has so many more moons than Earth?
Jupiter has a much greater mass, and therefore a greater gravitational pull than Earth.
Jupiter has a thicker, denser atmosphere than Earth, and it condenses rock particles to form moons.
Jupiter is much farther away from the Sun than Earth, so it attracts more moons.
Jupiter is so much colder than Earth that clumps of ice form moons in its upper atmosphere more readily.
Based on the position of the planets relative to the Sun, what can you predict about the difference in temperatures between Mars and Neptune?
Neptune is much hotter than Mars.
Neptune is much colder than Mars.
Mars and Neptune are both very similar in temperature.
Mars may be hotter or colder than Neptune, depending on its tilt.
Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between astronomical bodies in outer space?
Mars is larger than Earth.
The Milky Way is much larger than our solar system.
The moon is farther away from the Sun than the asteroid belt.
The orbit of Mercury is greater than the orbit of the Earth.
Many objects found in space have round shapes. Planets, stars, and large moons rarely have shapes other than round. Which type of force is mainly responsible for giving celestial objects their round shape and keeping them in this shape?
Buoyant
Frictional
Gravitational
Magnetic
Which graph best illustrates the surface temperatures of the planets?
Using the same graphs above, which graph best illustrates the amount of time it takes each planet to orbit the Sun once?
The image below shows four imaginary planets. Which one would most likely have the thinnest atmosphere?
Planet A
Planet B
Planet C
Planet D
