Question 1

Which objects in the solar system have been least modified since the formation of the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)   asteroids
B)   Kuiper Belt objects
C)   meteoroids
D)   terrestrial planets
E)   jovian moons

Question 2

How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?

Accepted Answer

A)   Made from the same solar nebula, they are all similar.
B)   More massive jovians all have high densities, compared to the tiny terrestrials.
C)   All terrestrials are more dense than any of the jovians.
D)   The closer a planet lies to the Sun, the less its density.
E)   No real pattern here; densities vary greatly and are very individual to each world.

Question 3

What was the primary role of dust in the formation of the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)   Dust formed the rings around Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter.
B)   Dust veiled the process by which our solar system formed.
C)   Dust acted as condensation nuclei; platforms to which other particles could attach and form larger particles of matter.
D)   The Sun formed from a vast spinning cloud consisting only of dust.
E)   Dust provided the radioactive elements that initially heated the Sun.

Question 4

A gravitational "sling-shot":

Accepted Answer

A)   causes comets to crash into planets, such as Jupiter in 1994.
B)   allowed the Apollo astronauts to reach the Moon in 1969.
C)   is the accepted theory for the formation of the asteroid belt.
D)   changes the speed and direction of a spacecraft nearing a massive planet.
E)   explains how the solar system was formed after a near collision with another star.

Question 5

Which of the following is considered "interplanetary matter"?

Accepted Answer

A)   Titan
B)   Triton
C)   the Moon
D)   Ganymede
E)   Comet Hale-Bopp

Question 6

What might have made the original solar nebula begin to contract?

Accepted Answer

A)   the Big Bang
B)   the formation of our arm of the Milky Way
C)   the shock wave from a nearby exploding star
D)   interstellar magnetism generated by pulsars
E)   the large amount of angular momentum in the nebula

Question 7

In light of modern solar system theory,why do the orbits of the planets all lie in the same plane?

Accepted Answer

A)   The Sun's gravity forced them into these orbits.
B)   The angular momentum of the solar system was kept to a minimum this way.
C)   The early solar nebula flattened into a disk.
D)   Comets would have wiped out any not in this protected plane.
E)   This happened purely by chance.

Question 8

Conservation of angular momentum means that a spinning body tends to:

Accepted Answer

A)   fly apart.
B)   slow down.
C)   wobble into an eccentric orbit.
D)   gravitationally collapse.
E)   keep spinning.

Question 9

In order to determine the mass of a planet by applying Newton's laws of motion and gravity,the planet must have:

Accepted Answer

A)   rings.
B)   moons.
C)   a solid surface.
D)   a known size and distance from Earth.
E)   planets further from the Sun than itself.

Question 10

The jovian planets:

Accepted Answer

A)   all lie less than 5 AU from the Sun.
B)   all have rings around their equators.
C)   all spin slower than the Earth.
D)   have satellite systems with less than 4 moons.
E)   are all much more dense than any of the terrestrials planets.

Question 11

Any model of solar system formation must explain why comets come from the Oort Cloud,with orbits very different from the planets,asteroids,and Kuiper Belt Objects.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Name three properties of the solar nebula still seen in planet orbits.

Accepted Answer

The planets still orbit in the common co...

Question 13

Any model of solar system formation must explain why terrestrial planets and jovian planets formed differently.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The processes of giant-planet migration and the formation of the Oort Cloud caused the Uranus to move both inward and outward in the solar system.Which motion was most important? Why?

Accepted Answer

The giant-planet migration process was p...

Question 15

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of the solar nebula theory?

Accepted Answer

A)   The ecliptic is the equator for the Sun.
B)   All the planets should follow the ecliptic plane.
C)   All the planets should orbit the Sun counterclockwise.
D)   Larger planets should form closer to their star, where there is more debris.
E)   Planets should rotate counterclockwise as well.

Question 16

In composition,mass,and density,Jupiter is most like:

Accepted Answer

A)   a huge comet.
B)   a gigantic asteroid.
C)   the Sun.
D)   a huge Kuiper belt Object.
E)   a large terrestrial planet.

Question 17

The Kuiper Belt is:

Accepted Answer

A)   another name for the Asteroid Belt.
B)   a band of icy planetesimals found beyond Neptune's orbit.
C)   where all comets come from.
D)   the name given to icy bodies found between Jupiter and Saturn.
E)   the name given to icy bodies found between Mars and Jupiter.

Question 18

The rotation periods of Venus,Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus and Neptune are difficult to determine because:

Accepted Answer

A)   they rotate so fast.
B)   they are all gas giants.
C)   they are so far away from the Sun.
D)   their surface features are obscured by their atmospheres.
E)   each one has a large satellite that interferes with this measurement.

Question 19

In the conventional scenario,during phase of planet formation caused the jovian planets to form?

Accepted Answer

A)   core-accretion
B)   fragmentation
C)   differentiation
D)   collision
E)   condensation

Question 20

Any model of solar system formation must explain why the planets revolve in the same direction as the Sun rotates.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 6: The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

In light of modern solar system theory,why do the orbits of the planets all lie in the same plane?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Kuiper Belt is:

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The rotation periods of Venus,Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus and Neptune are difficult to determine because:

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The processes of giant-planet migration and the formation of the Oort Cloud caused the Uranus to move both inward and outward in the solar system.Which motion was most important? Why?

Correct AnswerverifiedThe giant-planet migration process was p...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following is considered "interplanetary matter"?

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A gravitational "sling-shot":

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Name three properties of the solar nebula still seen in planet orbits.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe planets still orbit in the common co...View AnswerShow Answer

What might have made the original solar nebula begin to contract?

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Conservation of angular momentum means that a spinning body tends to:

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Which of these is NOT a characteristic of the solar nebula theory?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How do the densities of the jovian and terrestrial planets compare?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In order to determine the mass of a planet by applying Newton's laws of motion and gravity,the planet must have:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Any model of solar system formation must explain why terrestrial planets and jovian planets formed differently.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which objects in the solar system have been least modified since the formation of the solar system?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The jovian planets:

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What was the primary role of dust in the formation of the solar system?

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In composition,mass,and density,Jupiter is most like:

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Any model of solar system formation must explain why the planets revolve in the same direction as the Sun rotates.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the conventional scenario,during phase of planet formation caused the jovian planets to form?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Any model of solar system formation must explain why comets come from the Oort Cloud,with orbits very different from the planets,asteroids,and Kuiper Belt Objects.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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The giant-planet migration process was p...
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The planets still orbit in the common co...
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