Solutions to Practice Test #4

Correct answers are indicated by *


1. The Apollo Asteroids _______, and the Trojan Asteroids _______.

a) cross the orbit of Mars; are located 60 degrees from Jupiter

b) cross the orbit of Earth; are located 60 degrees from Jupiter *

c) cross the orbit of Mars; are located 60 degrees from Earth

d) cross the orbit of Earth; are located 60 degrees from Mars

e) cross the orbit of Mars; are located 60 degrees from Venus


2. We see that the densities of the planets _______ as we move outward through the solar system, due to _______.

a) increase; condensation, which causes the dense material to stay away from the Sun

b) decrease; condensation, which causes the dense material to stay near the Sun

c) increase; differentiation, which causes the dense material to stay away from the Sun

d) decrease; differentiation, which causes the dense material to stay near the Sun *


3. The dust tail of a comet is not as straight as the ion tail because _______.

a) the ions are more massive than the dust particles

b) the dust particles are more massive than the ions *

c) the dust tail is influenced by Jupiter

d) the dust tail is influenced by the Moon


4. The Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt are due to _______.

a) orbital resonances with Neptune

b) orbital resonances with Jupiter *

c) orbital resonances with Pluto

d) orbital resonances with Saturn

e) orbital resonances with Uranus


5. Most short period comets are located in the _______ right now.

a) Kuiper belt *

b) Oort cloud

c) Asteroid belt

d) inside the orbit of Mercury

e) inside the orbit of Venus


6. Most long period comets are located in the _______ right now.

a) Kuiper belt

b) Oort cloud *

c) Asteroid belt

d) inside the orbit of Mercury

e) inside the orbit of Venus


7. The Condensation Theory for planetary formation adds _______ to the Nebular Theory.

a) helium gas

b) carbon dioxide

c) ice

d) dust *

e) lithium gas


8. Protoplanetary nebula observed in our galaxy radiate strongly in the _______ region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

a) optical

b) gamma-ray

c) radio

d) infrared *

e) X-ray


9. The majority of meteorites found on Earth have a composition that is mostly _______.

a) silicate or iron *

b) carbon

c) oxygen or iron

d) hydrogen

e) helium


10. The Widmanstatten patterns in iron meteorites reveal that the meteorites were _______.

a) frozen solid

b) cooled slowly over millions of years *

c) cooled quickly in a few thousand years

d) mostly hydrogen

e) mostly helium