Our Solar System

Practice Test
      
  1.Pluto and Charon are __________.  
  a.   extremely different in mass  
  b.   in different equatorial planes  
  c.   satellites of gas giant planets  
  d.   in synchronous rotation  
      
  2.What is the Sun-centered model of our solar system called?  
  a.   eccentric  
  b.   geocentric  
  c.   epicycle  
  d.   heliocentric  
      
  3.What particle(s) make up the nucleus of an atom?  
  a.   neutrons and electrons  
  b.   electrons only  
  c.   protons and neutrons  
  d.   protons only  
      
  4.Graphs and charts of data can be used for __________.  
  a.   testing the independent variable  
  b.   formation of a hypothesis  
  c.   deciding on a control  
  d.   data analysis  
      
  5.Use the table to determine the largest terrestrial planet.

Planet Orbital Radius, a (AU) Planetary Radius, r (km) Planetary Mass, m (1024 kg)
Mercury 0.387 2439.7 0.3302
Venus 0.723 6051.8 4.8685
Earth 1.0 6378.1 5.9736
Mars 1.524 3397 0.64185
Jupiter 5.204 71 492 1898.6
Saturn 9.582 60 268 568.46
Uranus 19.201 25 559 86.832
Neptune 30.047 24 764 102.43
Pluto 39.236 1195 0.0125


 
  a.   Mars  
  b.   Mercury  
  c.   Venus  
  d.   Earth  
      
  6.Mercury's extremely slow spin causes only __________ days to pass in __________ of Mercury's years.  
  a.   one, two hundred  
  b.   three, two  
  c.   one hundred, one  
  d.   twenty-four, one  
      
  7.What is the smallest particle of an element?  
  a.   a neutron  
  b.   an isotope  
  c.   an atom  
  d.   a proton  
      
  8.What type of telescope uses mirrors to bring visible light to a focus?  
  a.   reflecting  
  b.   interferometry  
  c.   refracting  
  d.   Very Large Array  
      
  9.When the Moon is aligned with and between the Sun and Earth, the Moon is at the __________ stage.  
  a.   full moon  
  b.   waning gibbous  
  c.   new moon  
  d.   waxing crescent  
      
  10.What is the composition of Saturn's atmosphere?  
  a.   helium and oxygen  
  b.   hydrogen, helium, and ammonia ice  
  c.   hydrogen and helium  
  d.   sulfuric acid and hydrogen  
      
  11.What are the three labeled parts of the comet shown in the figure?



 
  a.   ice core, cloud, fan  
  b.   coma, nucleus, tail  
  c.   corona, nucleus, end  
  d.   head, cone, tail  
      
  12.What mineral are the lunar breccias primarily made of?  
  a.   orthoclase feldspar  
  b.   quartz  
  c.   gypsum  
  d.   plagioclase feldspar  
      
  13.Which image of the moon in the figure shows a gibbous?



 
  a.   16  
  b.   18  
  c.   15  
  d.   17  
      
  14.The __________ of a planet is its apparent backwards movement as seen from Earth's sky.  
  a.   epicycle  
  b.   eccentricity  
  c.   retrograde motion  
  d.   perihelion  
      
  15.What is a hypothesis?  
  a.   A hypothesis is the answer to a scientific question.  
  b.   A hypothesis is the same as identifying the problem in the scientific method.  
  c.   A hypothesis is the first step of the scientific method.  
  d.   A hypothesis is a suggested explanation of an observation.  
      
  16.Where are most asteroids located?  
  a.   between Mars and Jupiter  
  b.   orbiting all planets  
  c.   between Earth and Venus  
  d.   outside of Pluto's orbit  
      
  17.What theory of formation is most widely accepted for Earth's moon?  
  a.   the simultaneous formation  
  b.   the capture theory  
  c.   the plate tectonic theory  
  d.   the impact theory  
      
  18.What determines the light-collecting power of a microscope?  
  a.   the area of the opening  
  b.   the shape of the opening  
  c.   the number of mirrors  
  d.   the configuration of the lenses  
      
  19.What is the best method to show a change in volume over time?  
  a.   graph  
  b.   theory  
  c.   law  
  d.   model  
      
  20.How would the values in the "Percent Carbon Dioxide" column in Figure 2 be presented in scientific notation?

Experiment 1 Experiment 2
Percent

Oxygen
Percent

Carbon

Dioxide
Percent

Nitrogen
Growth

Rate

(mm/day)
Percent

Oxygen
Percent

Carbon

Dioxide
Percent

Nitrogen
Growth

Rate

(mm/day)
1 0.03 98.97 10 21 1 78 15
10 0.03 89.97 11 21 10 69 25
20 0.03 79.97 10 21 20 59 35
30 0.03 69.97 12 21 30 49 43
40 0.03 59.97 11 21 40 39 44
50 0.03 49.97 10 21 50 29 44


 
  a.   30 x 10-3  
  b.   0.03 x 103  
  c.   3 x 10-2  
  d.   3 x 102  

 
   
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