TAKEN FROM HORIZONS 7TH EDITION CHAPTER 17 TUTORIAL QUIZ 1. The fact that Mars' axis of rotation is tilted the same as Earth means that a. it collided with a large meteorite that knocked it slightly on its side. b. it goes through seasonal changes. c. it originated next to Earth, then slowly moved away. d. its rate of rotation is equal to its rate of revolution. answer: b 2. High cliffs are interpreted as evidence of shrinking as cooled. a. Mercury. b. Earth. c. Mars. d. the Moon. 3. Which of the following is NOT associated with boundaries between Earth's continental plates? a. earthquakes b. volcanoes c. ozone layer d. chain of mountain ranges 4. The presence of tear-shaped features within the channel-like depressions on Mars suggests that file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (1 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM
a. liquid water once flowed through these channels. b. flowing lava from nearby volcanoes must have spread across much of the surface of Mars. c. all of these choices. d. many of the meteorites that collide with planets hit at a low angle. 5. Which of the following statements about Mars is FALSE? a. The present atmosphere of Mars is 95 percent carbon dioxide. b. Liquid water cannot survive on the surface of Mars. c. The large sizes of the volcanoes suggest that the Martian crust is quite thin. d. The appearance of some craters suggests the presence of frozen water in the crust. 6. What location, on Earth, can you observe a continental "plate" in the process of splitting in two? a. The Andes Mountains. b. The Grand Canyon. c. The Rift Valley of Africa. d. The mid-atlantic ridge. 7. As regards the Moon's origin, the "large-impact" hypothesis is favored over the "condensation" hypothesis because it better explains a. the different sizes of Earth and moon. b. the presence of so many craters on the moon, but very few on Earth. c. none of these choices. The "condensation" hypothesis is favored over the "large-impact" hypothesis. d. the different densities and compositions of Earth and moon. file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (2 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM
8. A good example of a subduction zone on Earth is a. the Andes Mountains of South America. b. the mid-atlantic rift. c. the Great Rift Valley of Africa. d. the Himalayan Mountains. 9. The terrestrial planets in order of increasing amount of atmosphere: a. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. b. Mercury, Mars, Earth, Venus. c. Mars, Mercury, Earth, Venus. d. Mercury, Earth, Mars, Venus. answer: b 10. The Moon has neither an atmosphere nor a sizable molten core because it a. does not rotate. b. is covered with craters. c. does not possess a magnetic field. d. contains insufficient mass. 11. When we speak of the surface (or portion of the surface) of a planet or satellite being old, we are using as a determiner of age the a. sizes of craters on the surface. b. radioactive decay rates of chemicals on the surface. file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (3 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM
c. wavelengths of radiation reflected off the surface. d. frequency of craters on the surface. 12. Which of these provides evidence that planets were hot when they were young, and shrank slightly as they cooled? a. Grand Canyon on Earth. b. Maxwell Montes on Venus. c. the caldera on the top of Olympus Mons on Mars. d. lobate scarps on Mercury. 13. What is a strong objection to the theory that the Moon formed after it flew off the rapidly spinning proto-earth? a. None of these choices. There are no objections to that theory. It is the best we have at this time. b. Comparison of moon rocks with Earth rocks reveals very different chemical compositions. c. No one has ever claimed to have witnessed the event. d. The Earth has never been spinning faster than it is today. answer: b 14. Why do astronomers suspect that Venus does NOT have drifting tectonic plates like Earth? a. The intense heat has made the surface material too strong to break into plates. b. None of these choices. Venus DOES have drifting tectonic plates like Earth. c. There are no oceans to provide "lubricant" necessary for plates to "slip" against one another. d. Venus does not spin (rotate). file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (4 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM
15. The large, dark features visible to the naked eye on the Moon are a. ancient dried-up oceans. b. mountain ranges. c. called plateaus. d. lava-filled craters. 16. Mercury is the hottest planet in the solar system because a. it does not rotate. b. one side is always facing the Sun, like the Moon is to Earth. c. it is the closet planet to the Sun. d. none of these choices. Mercury is NOT the hottest planet in the solar system. 17. Valles Marineris on Mars is a. a result of vast amounts of flowing liquid on the surface long ago. b. about the size of Earth's Grand Canyon. c. associated with faults, suggesting a connection to the nearby uplifted volcanic region. d. all of these choices. 18. The revolution of is retrograde. a. Pluto b. Venus file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (5 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM
c. none of these choices. No Planet's revolution is retrograde. d. Mercury 19. Carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere trap infrared radiation in making a planet's surface quite hot: a. called the 'greenhouse effect.' b. Mercury. c. Mars. d. dynamo effect. 20. Which of the following statements about Mars is FALSE? a. Terraces near the poles are thought to be caused by periodic changes in the Martian climate. b. The present atmosphere of Mars is 95 percent carbon dioxide. c. The large sizes of the volcanoes suggest that the Martian crust is quite thick. d. Due to the low surface gravity, the atmosphere of Mars has never been very thick. 21. Which of the following statements about our Moon is FALSE? a. The crust on the far side of the Moon is thicker than that on the near side. b. The large-impact hypothesis is currently the favored explanation for the Moon's origin. c. The key to understanding the Moon is determining why the lowlands are so free of craters. d. At least 50 percent of sunlight falling on the Moon is reflected off the surface. file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (6 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM
22. discovered that roughly 65% of the surface of Venus consists of. a. The Magellan spacecraft/rolling plains b. The Mariner 4 spacecraft/coronae c. The Viking spacecraft/volcanoes d. Edwin Hubble/craters 23. What is the most exciting discovery on the surface of Mars, and the basis for speculation that life may have gotten a start there? a. Dry streambeds that seem to have been created by running water. b. A huge canyon, inside of which are located small pools of water. c. Active volcanoes that eject oxygen into the atmosphere. d. The Viking Mission lander detected fossils of life forms in the soil. 24. Which reveals the widest range of temperature change during the day/night cycle? a. the Moon. b. Mars. c. Mercury. d. Venus. 25. At what location on Earth's surface is evidence of convection currents bringing "fresh" material from within Earth's mantle most evident? a. Mid-Atlantic rift. file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (7 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM
b. Andes Mountains in South America. c. Hawaiian Islands. d. Japan. 26. Why do you expect to find only large impact craters on the surface of Venus? a. The sulfuric acid rains dissolve the small craters more rapidly than the large craters. b. The small ones have been eroded away by the thick atmosphere and strong winds. c. The thick atmosphere breaks up smaller incoming rocks. Only large ones get to the surface. d. The high temperature at the surface "melts" the small ones faster than the large ones. 27. Earthquakes are valuable because they allow for a. determining the structure and composition of Earth's interior. b. determining the energy involved in the Big Bang theory. c. locating the remnants of Pangaea. d. determining of the strength of Earth's magnetic field. file:///f /Astronomy/InnerPlanetsPracticeQuiz.txt (8 of 8)8/12/2005 9:04:55 AM