The Terrestrial Planets

The Figure below shows the terrestrial planets.

1. Which planet is A?
A).. Mercury.
B)..Venus.
C).. Earth.
D)..Mars.

2. What are the most common features on Mercury's surface?
A)...Volcanoes.
B)... Old ocean basins.
C)...Canyons.
D)...Craters.
E)...Folded mountain ranges.

3. What sort of atmosphere has Mercury?
A)... Thick carbon dioxide.
B)... Thick hydrogen.
C)...Oxygen and water.
D)... Moderate amounts of hydrogen and helium.
E)... Essentially None.

4. What factor about Mercury best explains its atmosphere or lack thereof?
A)... Its strong gravity has allowed it to capture a lot of hydrogen from the Sun.
B)... Its strong gravity has allowed it to retain lots of carbon dioxide ejected by its volcanoes.
C)... Its rapid rotation has spun any atmosphere off it.
D)... Its low mass has made it hard for it to retain any gases at all as an atmosphere.
E)... Its strong magnetic field has allowed it to capture lots of hydrogen from the solar wind.

5. What is odd about Mercury's motions?
A)... It moves "backwards" around the Sun.
B)... It spins extremely fast.
C)... It rotates so that it always keep the same side toward the Sun.
D)... It spins three times for every two orbits around the Sun.
E)...Its orbit is nearly perpendicular to the orbits of the other planets.

6. In the Figure above, why can't we see any surface features on Venus?
A)... Its thick clouds block our view.
B)...It is too far from the Earth.
C)...It is so cold that its surface is covered under a blanket of frost.
D)...It is so near the Sun that the Sun's glare hides the features.
E)...None of the above.

7. What are Venus's clouds made of?
A)... Water.
B)...Frozen Carbon Dioxide crystals.
C)...Sulfuric acid droplets.
D)...Iron flakes.
E)... Iodine flakes.
8. Which of the following surface feature is NOT found on Venus?
A)... Craters.
B)...Old River beds.
C)...Volcanic peaks.
D)...Congealed lava flows.
E)...All of the above are found there.

9. What gas makes up most of the atmosphere of Mars?
A)...Hydrogen.
B)...Oxygen.
C)...Nitrogen.
D)... Carbon Dioxide.
E)...Sulfuric acid.

10. What evidence leads astronomers to think that Mars may once have had a milder climate?
A)... Old canyons look like they were carved by running water.
B)...The Martian landers have found evidence of fossilized palm trees.
C)...Deserts occupy much of the planet.
D)... The polar caps are only a few hundred years old.
E)...None of the above.

11. Why is it not surprising that Mars is tectonically inactive today?
A)...It spins so slowly.
B)...It is so far from the Sun.
C)...Its interior is entirely ice.
D)...All of the above.
E)...It is smaller than Earth and therefore cooled much faster.


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