WorksheetsThe Solar System and Universe CSA
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 40mins
Which evidence first supported the heliocentric model of the solar system?
mapping of stars using the unaided eye
determining that planets orbit in elliptical paths with telescopes
taking pictures of distant galaxies with satellite based cameras
observing the surface features of nearby planets and moon with telescopes
Which unit is used to describe the distances between galaxies in the universe?
miles
hours
kilometers
light-years
The diagram shows Laplace's hypothesis explaining the formation of the solar system. Which best explains the first stage in the diagram shown?
Contracting and cooling of a cloud
Large collapsing cloud of gas and dust
Collision and fusion of particles forming several large clumps
Spinning and flattening of a nebula that throws off gaseous material
Which question should you ask to find out the length of a planet's year?
How large is the planet?
How long does it take the planet to orbit the sun?
How much does the planet tilt on its axis of rotation?
How long does it take the planet to rotate on its axis?
Earth formed in a swirling disk of matter surrounding the sun. As particles in the disk grew larger and some eventually became planets. What force was responsible for the collisions between these particles?
gravity
solar radiation
seismic waves
radioactive decay
The table includes the distance of each outer planet from the sun. Which planet is closest to the sun?
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Which statement disagrees with Laplace's hypothesis of the sun's formation
The sun gradually cooled over time
The sun began to shrink after it formed
The sun began to rotate faster after it formed
The sun's mass moved toward the outer edge of it
Immanuel Kant proposed the nebular hypothesis for the origin of the solar system as a single cloud of material rotating in a single direction. Which object in our solar system is the most similar to the nebula in composition?
sun
Mars
Earth
Mercury
A student rubs an inflated balloon with wool. The student moves the balloon bits of paper, and the balloon attracts it. Which statement best describes how the balloon models the early formation of of planets in the solar system?
The balloon and the planets are both constructed from bits of matter that they collect
The balloon circles over the bits of paper just as the planets circle around the sun
The balloon and the planets both display orbital motion around a large body of mass
The balloon attracts bits of paper just as the planets attract matter that is around them.
Which statement correctly describes a difference in our solar system's inner planets and outer planets due to gravitational effects?
The inner planets are larger
The outer planets have more moons
The inner planets are more spread apart
The outer planets all have rocky surfaces
Which of these are comets composed of?
ice and dust
metals and dust
hydrogen and ice
hydrogen and helium
Where in the solar system are most gases found, other than the sun?
the inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
the Kuiper Belt: disc of dwarf planets beyond the orbit of Neptune
the asteroid belt: disc of asteroids between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
Which statement summarizes how the formation of the solar system was similar to the differentiation of Earth into different layers?
In both, the most massive materials moved to the center
In both, the most massive materials moved the outside
In both, the most massive materials were evenly distributed
In both, the most massive materials formed in the middle layer
Dwarf planets are smaller than planets. What is another way that dwarf planets are different?
They are not spherical
They do not orbit the sun
They have large objects in their orbit
They move more slowly along their orbits
An astronomer observes an object in space that has an irregular shape, that orbits the sun in a highly elliptical orbit, and that is made of ice and rock. Which object is the astronomer most likely observing?
moon
comet
asteroid
meteroid
An astronomer uses parallax to determine a star's distance from Earth. Which statement correctly describes parallax?
Stars closer to Earth will have a dimmer appearance
Stars farther away from Earth will have a dimmer appearance
Stars closer to Earth will appear to have a greater shift in position
Stars farther away from Earth will appear to have a smaller shift in position
The picture shows a model of the solar system. Which statement describes a limitation of the model?
It can't show how the planet orbit the sun
It can't show the relative sizes of each planet.
It doesn't show the gravitational force exerted by each planet
It does not show the order of the planets, from closest to the sun to farthest from the sun.
Early astronomers noticed that some stars in the sky appeared to move together across the sky as constellations. How do astronomers today explain this motion?
The sun's gravity keeps the stars together because they orbit the sun at the same rate
The stars appear to move together along a path because of Earth's rotation on its axis
Gravitational attraction between the stars keeps them fixed relative to each other as they move
The stars move around Earth in the same way, so their positions relative to each other stay the same.
The table shows events that led to the current theory that the sun is the center of the solar system. Which sequence is correct?
1, 2, 3
1, 3, 2
2, 1, 3
3, 1, 2
The dotted lines in the picture show orbital paths of objects. Which object orbits object E?
object A
object B
object C
object D
