Part I: Multiple Choice Questions. There are 31 multiple choice questions worth 2 points each. Choose the best answer and record it on the scan sheet. 1. The giant pendulum demonstration done in class was to illustrate A. that the instructor better duck before the pendulum returns! B. the conservation of mass. C. the conservation of energy. D. the conservation of angular momentum. 2. The ocean tides raised by the Sun and the Moon on the Earth reinforce each other when A. the phase of the Moon is new or full. B. the Earth is closest to the Sun. C. the phase of the Moon is first or third quarter. D. the Moon is closest to the Earth. 3. The "runaway greenhouse effect" occurred on which planet? A. Earth B. Mars C. Venus D. Mercury 4. The phase of the moon today is A. full. B. waxing gibbous. C. waning crescent. D. first quarter. 5. The greenhouse effect occurs because A. Ultraviolet radiation is blocked by the ozone layer. B. Visible radiation is blocked by the atmosphere. C. Infrared radiation is blocked by the atmosphere. D. Ultraviolet radiation is blocked by the atmosphere. 6. According to Newton's laws of motion, the Moon remains in orbit around the Earth because A. the original motion of the Moon was circular B. Earth's gravity pulls the Moon toward the Earth C. the Sun's gravity balances the Earth's gravity D. the Earth's magnetic field holds it there E. the Moon's velocity balances the Earth's velocity 7. The geocentric world model is characterized by A. placing the earth in orbit around the sun. B. placing the sun at the center of the universe. C. a flat earth. D. placing the earth at the center of the universe. 8. The molecule that does NOT contribute to the greenhouse effect on Earth is A. carbon dioxide. B. water. C. nitrogen. D. methane. 9. The molecule that contributes most to the greenhouse effect on Earth is A. water. B. methane. C. carbon dioxide. D. ozone. 10. The sun stays below the horizon all winter for observers A. exactly at the equator. B. in the tropics. C. this situation never happens. D. above the arctic circle. 11. The sidereal day is A. the time between one sunrise and the next. B. the portion of the day due to the earth's orbital motion. C. the time it takes earth to spin once about its axis. D. the international standard for the average length of a day. 12. Suppose you are an astronaut taking a space walk to fix your spacecraft with a hammer. Your life-line breaks and the jets on your backpack are out of fuel. How would you return to your craft safely (without the help of someone else)? A. Throw the hammer in disgust away from the spacecraft B. Throw the hammer in disgust at the spacecraft C. There is absolutely nothing you can do so kiss your ship goodbye D. Apply harsh language towards the spacecraft E. Fling your arms around in circles 13. You find yourself driving south on Route 1 on the winter solstice. The sun is directly ahead of you. Consequently, A. this situation is not possible. B. you are out early, shortly after sunrise. C. the time is about noon. D. there will be a full moon that day. 14. Planets are spherical while asteroids are irregularly shaped because A. material strength dominates over gravity in planets. B. asteroids can not be irregular in shape. C. gravity dominates over material strength in planets. D. gravity dominates over material strength in asteroids. 15. Compared to its neighboring planets, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, the surface of the Earth is relatively young. This youthful appearance results from A. the Earth being the most recently formed of these planets. B. the Earth having the largest Moon of all of these planets. C. tectonic activity still shaping the surface of the Earth. D. the Earth is furthest from the Sun. E. the fact that few major impacts ever occur on the Earth. 16. A solar eclipse can occur A. when the Moon's phase is new. B. when the Moon's phase is full. C. when Venus is at inferior conjunction. D. when Venus is in its crescent phase. 17. The Moon has many more craters than Earth because A. Earth's are all beneath the ocean. B. it shielded Earth from collisions. C. it has no erosion or geological activity to erase craters. D. asteroids cannot penetrate Earth's atmosphere. 18. The tablecloth pull demonstration done in class was to illustrate A. that physics is hazardous. B. the concept of inertia. C. how escape velocity depends on the mass of an object. D. the conservation of mass. 19. The sun casts no shadow A. on the spring equinox at the latitude of the tropics. B. on the summer solsctice at the latitude of the tropics. C. every day at noon. D. only at the equator. 20. Mercury and Venus are called inferior planets because A. they are insufferably hot. B. they are terrestrial planets like Mars. C. they never stray far from the sun on the sky. D. they are small and insignificant. 21. Which of these assumptions is NOT part of the scientific method? A. Reality is governed by the laws of nature. B. There exists an objective reality. C. Reality is limited by our perceptions. D. The laws of nature are universal. 22. The escape velocity is A. the speed required to completely escape the gravitational pull of an object. B. the terminal velocity acquired by an object in free fall. C. the speed at which a planet will orbit in a circle. D. the speed needed to launch a satellite into orbit. 23. We see the same pattern on the moon every night because A. the phase of the moon depends on the illumination of the sun. B. the moon's spin and orbit are tidally locked. C. the earth's atmosphere make it look bigger near the horizon. D. the moon has craters, mountains, and maria. 24. The seasons of the Earth result from A. the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis B. the varying speed of the Earth in its orbit C. the Earth being farther from the Sun in winter because of its elliptical orbit D. the precession of the Earth's rotation axis 25. Which of the following statements about retrograde motion is INCORRECT? A. in the heliocentric model of the Universe, retrograde motion occurs when one planet overtakes another in its orbit around the Sun. B. in the geocentric model of the Universe, epicycles were invented to explain retrograde motion. C. retrograde motion is the occasional westward drift of a planet against the background stars. D. retrograde motion occurs when a planet occasionally rises in the west and sets in the east. 26. The principle reason that the terrestrial planets have different geology is A. rotation rate. B. distance from the Sun. C. thickness of the atmosphere. D. planetary mass. 27. Which of the following is NOT one of Newton's Laws of Motion? A. F = ma. B. All objects fall at the same rate irrespective of mass. C. An object in motion remains in motion unless acted on by an outside force. D. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. 28. The ecliptic is A. the path across the celestial sphere followed by comets B. the line on the celestial sphere directly above the Earth's Tropic of Cancer C. the line that divides the Earth into daytime and nighttime D. the Sun's path across the celestial sphere E. a circle approximately 23.5 degrees across centered on Polaris 29. Which observation of Galileo's was NOT relevant to distinguishing between the Ptolemaic and Copernican world models? A. The phases of Venus. B. The moons of Jupiter. C. Stars in the Milky Way. D. Mountains and plains on the Moon. 30. Why do we think the climate of Mars has changed? A. The atmosphere is currently rich in methane. B. Its mean density is between that of Earth and the Jovian planets. C. Fossil trees found by the Viking spacecraft show it was once hot and wet. D. Old river beds exist, but no water flows there today. 31. Copernicus' model of the heavens destroyed many of the concepts of the heavens held by the ancient Greeks. However, one feature that his model retained was that A. all celestial orbits are circles. B. the Sun controls all motions of the planets. C. the Earth is at the center of the Universe. D. epicycles were used to explain retrograde motion. 1. C. 2. A. 3. C. 4. C. 5. C. 6. B. 7. D. 8. C. 9. A. 10. D. 11. C. 12. A. 13. C. 14. C. 15. C. 16. A. 17. C. 18. B. 19. B. 20. C. 21. C. 22. A. 23. B. 24. A. 25. D. 26. D. 27. B. 28. D. 29. C. 30. D. 31. A.