The Solar System
Practice Test
1.
When atoms combine to form heavier atoms, _________ occurs.
a.
fusion
b.
fission
c.
friction
d.
refraction
Hint
2.
Which of Jupiter's four largest moon's oceans do scientists hope to explore in the near future?
a.
Ganymede
b.
Callisto
c.
Io
d.
Europa
Hint
3.
Why do planets closer to the Sun orbit the Sun faster than planets farther away do?
a.
because of their size
b.
because of the Sun's gravity
c.
because of each planet's individual gravitational pull
d.
because of the way the planets are lined up with each other in space
Hint
4.
How can Saturn be the second largest planet, as well as the lowest in density?
a.
It is made mostly of water vapor.
b.
It is composed mostly of methane and ammonia
c.
It is made of a large, rocky core.
d.
It is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium
Hint
5.
Scientists theorize that Jupiter's core is __________.
a.
rocky
b.
made of water vapor
c.
made of ammonia and methane
d.
made of hydrogen and helium
Hint
6.
Which planet did the Viking probes explore?
a.
Mercury
b.
Jupiter
c.
Mars
d.
Venus
Hint
7.
What is the difference between meteors and comets?
a.
all answers are correct
b.
Comets are made of frozen ice and rock and meteors are made of rock.
c.
Meteors can burn up as they enter a planet's atmosphere and comets rarely enter a planet's atmosphere.
d.
Most comets are found outside the solar system, and meteors are found within.
Hint
8.
Who developed the sun-centered model of the solar system?
a.
Johannes Kepler
b.
Clyde Tombaugh
c.
Nicholas Copernicus
d.
Galileo Galilei
Hint
9.
Which of Jupiter's four largest moons is the most volcanically active?
a.
Callisto
b.
Ganymede
c.
Io
d.
Europa
Hint
10.
What causes Mars to appear reddish?
a.
the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
b.
its position in the solar system
c.
the iron oxide surface
d.
its distance from the Sun
Hint
11.
What evidence of water on Mars did the Mars Pathfinder find?
a.
all answers are correct
b.
features like gullies
c.
Samples of Martian crust indicated that iron had been leached out by groundwater.
d.
water that is possibly frozen into the crust at Mars's poles
Hint
12.
How many planets are in our solar system?
a.
nine
b.
eight
c.
ten
d.
unknown
Hint
13.
Why do scientists think is the cause of Uranus's titled orbit?
a.
It's a result of its distance from the Sun.
b.
It collided with another object in space.
c.
It was created that way.
d.
The temperatures out in space caused the planet to tilt.
Hint
14.
One of the main differences between the outer and inner planets is __________.
a.
the outer planets are gas planets
b.
the inner planets are all terrestrial
c.
the inner planets are much bigger than the outer planets
d.
the outer planets have rings, and the inner planets don't
Hint
15.
Why is Venus hot?
a.
because of its closeness to the Sun
b.
because of its position in the solar system
c.
because of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
d.
because of the volcanoes
Hint
16.
How many known moons orbit Jupiter?
a.
17
b.
16
c.
7
d.
10
Hint
17.
What happened to the dust and gas that did not contribute to forming the Sun?
a.
It created the planets.
b.
It created other stars.
c.
It was lost forever.
d.
It was all burned up by the Sun.
Hint
18.
Why does Mercury have such a thin atmosphere?
a.
because of its small size and gravitational pull
b.
because of its rocky cliffs
c.
because of its extreme temperatures
d.
because of its iron core
Hint
19.
Why isn't Neptune always the eighth planet from the Sun?
a.
because it sometimes passes outside Pluto's orbit to become the ninth planet
b.
because all the planet's change positions occasionally
c.
because it sometimes passes inside Uranus's orbit, becoming the seventh planet from the Sun
d.
because sometimes we are unable to see Neptune's orbit in space
Hint
20.
Mars and Earth have similar tilts. What other similarity does this cause the two planets to have?
a.
seasons
b.
life-forms
c.
temperatures
d.
land forms
Hint
