Part I: Multiple Choice Questions. There are 30 multiple choice questions worth 2 points each. SOLUTIONS AT END. 1. Which of the following objects is Pluto most like? A. Kuiper belt objects beyond the orbit of Neptune B. Jovian planets C. Cratered asteroids between Mars and Jupiter D. Terrestrial planets 2. Which of the following will NOT increase the severity of the seasons on a planet? A. Increasing the spin rate of the planet. B. Making the planet's orbit more elliptical. C. Increasing the tilt of its spin axis. D. All of these effects will increase the severity of seasons. 3. The Moon has many more craters than Earth because A. Earth's are all beneath the ocean. B. asteroids cannot penetrate Earth's atmosphere. C. it shielded Earth from collisions. D. it has no erosion or geological activity to erase craters. 4. You find yourself driving south on Route 1 on the winter solstice. The sun is directly ahead of you. Consequently, A. the time is about noon. B. this situation is not possible. C. you are out early, shortly after sunrise. D. there will be a full moon that day. 5. If all the asteroids in the asteroid belt were assembled into a planet, it would have a mass of about A. about 1 Jupiter mass. B. much less than Earth's mass. C. about 1 Earth mass. D. much more than of Earth's mass. 6. The point directly over your head is called A. the zenith. B. the North Star. C. the celestial pole D. the meridian. 7. The ecliptic is A. a circle approximately 23.5 degrees across centered on Polaris B. the line that divides the Earth into daytime and nighttime C. the Sun's path across the celestial sphere D. the path across the celestial sphere followed by comets E. the line on the celestial sphere directly above the Earth's Tropic of Cancer 8. We see the same pattern on the moon every night because A. the moon's spin and orbit are tidally locked. B. the phase of the moon depends on the illumination of the sun. C. the earth's atmosphere make it look bigger near the horizon. D. the moon has craters, mountains, and maria. 9. Mercury and Venus are called inferior planets because A. they are small and insignificant. B. they are terrestrial planets like Mars. C. they are insufferably hot. D. they never stray far from the sun on the sky. 10. The main asteroid belt is located between the orbits of A. Venus and Mars B. Neptune and Pluto C. Mars and Jupiter D. Jupiter and Saturn 11. Consider terrestrial planet atmospheres. Which gas is thought to originate from a biological source? A. Water vapor B. Oxygen C. Carbon Dioxide D. Nitrogen 12. In terms of how the planets orbit the Sun, A. the inner planets orbit clockwise whereas the outer planets orbit counter-clockwise. B. all of the planets spin in the same direction as our Sun. C. all of the planets orbit in the same direction. D. about half orbit clockwise whereas the other half orbit counter-clockwise. 13. As a planet revolves around the Sun, its speed is greatest A. at the time of the winter solstice. B. at perihelion. C. at aphelion. D. none of the above. The speed of a planet is constant. 14. The ocean tides raised by the Sun and the Moon on the Earth reinforce each other when A. the phase of the Moon is first or third quarter. B. the Moon is closest to the Earth. C. the Earth is closest to the Sun. D. the phase of the Moon is new or full. 15. Compared to Venus's 96% carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, Earth has less than one percent. The primary gas in Earth's atmosphere is A. methane. B. nitrogen. C. oxygen. D. water. 16. A solar eclipse can occur A. when the Moon's phase is full. B. when Venus is in its crescent phase. C. when the Moon's phase is new. D. when Venus is at inferior conjunction. 17. The molecule which contributes most to the greenhouse effect on Earth is A. ozone. B. methane. C. carbon dioxide. D. water. 18. What is an epicycle supposed to explain? A. The four seasons B. Phases of the Moon C. Solar eclipses D. Retrograde motion of the planets E. Precession of the Earth's rotation axis 19. Galileo's most important observation for the debate about the Copernican model was A. mountains and plains on the Moon. B. the rotation of the Earth. C. sunspots. D. the phases of Venus. 20. Planets are spherical while asteroids are irregularly shaped because A. gravity dominates over material strength in asteroids. B. gravity dominates over material strength in planets. C. asteroids can not be irregular in shape. D. material strength dominates over gravity in planets. 21. The names of the planets in order of their distance from the Sun are A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn B. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus C. Venus, Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune D. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune 22. The Kuiper belt refers to a group of objects orbiting A. between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. B. just within Earth's orbit. C. nearly halfway to the next star. D. beyond Neptune's orbit. 23. The escape velocity is A. the speed of a comet on a hyperbolic trajectory. B. the terminal velocity acquired in the rocket trike experiment. C. the speed at which a satellite will orbit in a circle. D. the speed required to completely escape the gravitational pull of an object. 24. Meteor showers (like the Perseids in August) occur annually A. when Earth passes through the tail of a bright and visible comet. B. when Earth crosses the orbit of a comet. C. when Earth crosses the asteroid belt. D. as Earth passes Jupiter which deflects comets into the inner solar system. 25. Excellent sources of information regarding the initial solar nebula are A. meteorites. B. meteoroids. C. tectonics. D. meteors. 26. How do we know what the core of the Earth is made of? A. Deep bore holes allow us to sample all but the inner 10% of the Earth. B. By proper use of Kepler's Laws, we can deduce the composition of the core. C. Earthquake waves give information about the kind of material through which they pass. D. Volcanoes bring up material directly from the core. 27. The terrestrial planets are rocky because A. the Sun converted all the hydrogen and helium in the inner Solar System into iron and nickel. B. Only rocky material was able to condense in the hot inner parts of the early solar nebula. C. the Sun's gravity drew primarily heavy elements into the inner part of the early Solar System. D. Once planetesimals formed, the rocky ones drifted inward and the icy ones moved outward in the Solar System. 28. Which of these assumptions is NOT part of the scientific method? A. Reality is governed by the laws of nature. B. The laws of nature are universal. C. There exists an objective reality. D. Reality is limited by our perceptions. 29. The greenhouse effect is caused by A. Earth's magnetic field. B. infrared radiation being trapped in the atmosphere. C. heat being released through the ozone hole. D. slow changes in the position of the continents. 30. The principle reason that the terrestrial planets have different geology is A. distance from the Sun. B. rotation rate. C. planetary mass. D. thickness of the atmosphere. SOLUTIONS: 1. A. 2. A. 3. D. 4. A. 5. B. 6. A. 7. C. 8. A. 9. D. 10. C. 11. B. 12. C. 13. B. 14. D. 15. B. 16. C. 17. D. 18. D. 19. D. 20. B. 21. D. 22. D. 23. D. 24. B. 25. A. 26. C. 27. B. 28. D. 29. B. 30. C.