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Solar System Formation

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 37mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

As a nebula collapses it also begins to

a)

Expand

b)

Rotate

c)

Shake

d)

Turn to ice

2.

What forms in the very center of the protoplanetary disk?

a)

A protostar

b)

A planet

c)

A protoplanet

d)

A planetesimal

3.

As the particles of matter move around they are

a)

Colliding and breaking apart

b)

Colliding and sticking together

c)

Colliding and bouncing around

d)

Breaking down into smaller pieces

4.
How old is our solar system?
a)

4.5 billion years

b)

13.8 billion years

c)

6,000 years

d)

15,000 years

5.

A cloud of dust and gas in space is called . . .

a)

nebula

b)

supernova

c)

accretion disc

d)

bombardment

6.

What are the steps of solar system formation?

a)

nebula -> protoplanetary disk -> protostar-> sun and planets

b)

protoplanetary disk --> nebula -> sun and planets ->protostar

7.

Which statement disagrees with Laplace’s hypothesis of the sun’s formation?

a)

The sun gradually cooled over time.

b)

The sun began to shrink after it formed.

c)

The sun began to rotate faster after it formed.

d)

The sun’s mass moved toward the outer edge of it.

8.

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?

a)

Sun

b)

Earth

c)

Mars

d)

Mercury

9.

A student rubs an inflated balloon with wool. The student moves the balloon over bits of paper, and the balloon attracts it. Which statement best describes how the balloon models the early formation of planets in the solar system?

a)

The balloon and the planets are both constructed from bits of matter that they collect.

b)

The balloon circles over the bits of paper, just as the planets circle around each other.

c)

The balloon and the planets both display orbital motion around a larger body of mass.

d)

The balloon attracts bits of paper, just as the planets attract matter that is around them.

10.

Which of these are comets composed of?

a)

ice and dust

b)

metals and dust

c)

hydrogen and ice

d)

hydrogen and helium

11.

Which of these are asteroids composed of?

a)

ice and rocks

b)

metals and rocks

c)

hydrogen and ice

d)

hydrogen and helium

12.

Which is the largest planet in our Solar System?

a)

Saturn

b)

Neptune

c)

Earth

d)

Jupiter

13.

What is in our Solar System?

a)

Planets

b)

Moons

c)

Sun

d)

All of the above

14.

Some sources say Uranus is not a gas giant, but an ________ instead.

a)

red giant

b)

dwarf planet

c)

ice giant

d)

sister planet

15.
Who was the scientist that made the telescope?
a)
Albert Einstein
b)
Galileo
c)
Neil Armstrong