WorksheetsThe Planets
Total questions: 37
Worksheet time: 19mins
Earth is nearly twice as large as Venus.
True
False
All of the Jovian planets lie beyond the asteroid belt.
True
False
Due to their great masses, all four jovian worlds are much denser than the Earth.
True
False
Any model of the solar system formation must explain why the planets revolve in the same direction as the Sun rotates.
True
False
Which planet by itself contains the majority of mass of all the planets?
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
Uranus
What is the goal of comparative planetology?
to use planetary positions to foretell the future.
to find which planets will be most suitable for future colonization.
to help plan future visits by unmanned probes, orbiters, and rovers.
To determine the origin and evolution of the solar system.
What is true about solar system densities?
The denser planets lie closer to the Sun.
In differentiated bodies, the denser materials lie near their surfaces.
Planetary density increases with increasing distance from the Sun.
Saturn is more dense than water.
Mercury has an almost constant surface temperature between night and day
True
False
Mercury and the Earth have about the same average density, but Mercury’s core is much larger compared to the size of the body of the planet.
True
False
Which is the best explanation for why it is so difficult to view Mercury from Earth?
Mercury is very small.
Mercury can’t be seen at night.
Mercury is only seen for 2 hours at night.
Mercury is always very close to the Sun.
All of the following are factors that determine if a planet in the solar system keeps an atmosphere EXCEPT_____.
composition and weight of the gases.
escape velocity
axial tilt
rotation rate
The lunar mare are found
anywhere large meteor impacts created deep basins.
almost entirely on the far side, which was more likely to be hit.
almost entirely on the Earth side, where the crust was thinner.
mainly in the south polar region, where the largest impact occurred.
The lunar highlands are
more rugged, heavily cratered, and older than the lunar mare.
made of lighter colored, younger rocks than the mare.
formed by plate tectonics.
formed by volcanic eruptions.
What are the major factors that rule out the co-formation theory for the Moon-Earth system?
Each body has different atmospheric content and different density.
Each body has different surface features and different atmospheric content.
Each body has different chemical composition and different surface features.
Each body has a different density and a different chemical composition.
The cratering of the lunar highlands show us
they are younger than the maria.
they are older than the smoother maria.
they have been unchanged for the last 4.6 billion years.
They were made of more rigid lavas than the basalts that made the maria.
What is the primary source of erosion o
repeated lava flows
n the Moon?
major impacts by asteroids
micro-meteroids that constantly pulverize the surface.
wind storms that disrupt the regolith.
Venus’ rotation:
is the fastest of the terrestrial planets.
is counterclockwise, like the other planets.
takes longer than its orbit around the Sun.
is tidally locked to the Sun.
Earth and Venus are often called sister planets; in which ways are they most alike?
atmospheric composition and density
size, density, and surface gravity.
surface temperature and pressure
polar caps and rusty red deserts.
Venus has a longer day than its year.
True
False
Which statement is true of Venus’ surface?
It has remained unchanged for billions of years.
Atmospheric pressure is very low.
There is an extensive hydrosphere.
There are two continent-sized uplands.
Compared to Earth, the volcanic activity on Venus is thought to be
more frequent, but less violent.
more frequent and more violent.
less frequent but more violent.
less frequent and less violent.
Venus has surface temperature that are raised by hundreds of degrees Celsius because of
the dynamo effect.
the accretion effect.
the greenhouse effect.
climate change.
The main composition of Venus’ clouds are
water, like Earth’s clouds.
frozen carbon dioxide, as on Mars.
a combination of ammonia and methane, like Uranus.
sulfur and sulfuric acid droplets.
The crust of the Earth is covered by about ____ water in the hydrosphere.
50%
60%
70%
80%
What is the process that transfers heat from a lower (hotter) to higher (cooler) level?
radiation
translation
convection
reflection
The gases that are primarily responses for the Greenhouse effect are
hydrogen and carbon monoxide
carbon dioxide and ozone
water vapor and nitrogen
water vapor and carbon dioxide
Our world is differentiated. This means that
the density of its materials decreases as you go downward toward the core.
the Earth has evolved in different patterns than any other planet.
the iron and nickel core is denser than the silicate mantle and crust.
radioactive heating in the core is at a slower pace than when the Earth was new.
The Dynamo Theory hold that
lightning plays a major role in generating our magnetic fields.
any other planet of similar density will also have a strong magnetic field.
the Earth’s core, like Mercury’s, is now a solid, rigid bar magnet.
magnetic fields are generated by rapidly spinning magnetic interiors that are fluid/liquid.
What property of Mars allows volcanoes to reach heights greater than the highest point on Earth?
The cold temperature freezes magma faster than on Earth.
Mars has a thicker crust for support and lower gravity that doesn’t pull down as much.
Mars has more radioactive material than the Earth.
Mars has a higher surface gravity which allows higher peaks to form.
How are the atmospheres on Mars and Venus alike?
Both are made of hydrogen and helium.
Nitrogen is the chief atmospheric gas.
Both are mainly carbon dioxide.
Both are too hot for water to now exist as a liquid.
How does Jupiter’s rotation period compare to other planets?
It is the same as Earth’s rotation period.
Its orbital period is the same as its rotational period.
It rotates perpendicular to its orbit like Uranus.
It rotates the fastest of all of the planets in the solar system.
Saturn’s rings are
great disks of liquid helium.
small icy particles moving in orbit around Saturn.
a growing, flat magnetospheric aurora.
a solid thin disk of material circling Saturn.
Neptune was found due to irregularities in the orbit of
Jupiter
the Sun
Saturn’s rings
Uranus
Neptune and Uranus have a bluish tint because
at their distances, the Sun appears blue, the red absorbed by dust in the ecliptic.
they are far away and distance makes objects appear bluish.
their atmospheres contain hydrogen and helium.
their atmospheres contain methane which absorbs red light.
Uranus’ rotation axis is tipped over 98 degrees which causes extreme seasons on the poles.
True
False
The Great Dark Spot is a storm on _______ that was discovered in 1989 but disappeared by 1995.
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
The reason the jovian planets lost very little of their original atmosphere is due to their
rapid rotation
strong magnetic fields
ring systems
large mass
