Question 1

The four large moons of Jupiter were first discovered by:

Accepted Answer

A)   ancient people, seeing Jupiter in dark, cloudless skies
B)   Galileo with his early telescope
C)   Isaac Newton with his improved telescope
D)   William Herschel, in the 18th century
E)   the Voyager spacecraftF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 2

Which of the following statements about Saturn's rings is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)   There is really only one ring, which looks unbroken from Earth
B)   The structure of the rings is completely independent of Saturn's moons
C)   The rings are made of billions and billions of individual "moonlets" (small chunks) 
D)   The rings are made of particles no bigger than the particles that make up smoke
E)   If the rings were put on Earth, they would stretch from about New York to BostonF) A) and B)
G) B) and E)

Question 3

Which of the jovian planets does NOT have any satellites?

Accepted Answer

A)   Jupiter
B)   Saturn
C)   Uranus
D)   Neptune
E)   you can't fool me, all the jovian planets are accompanied by satellitesF) All of the above
G) B) and C)

Question 4

The Galileo spacecraft measured that the moon Ganymede had a magnetic field, indicating that its interior was at least partly melted and warm. What do scientists think is the most likely reason for this?

Accepted Answer

A)   Ganymede is so far away from Jupiter, it is an independent world, and can compress its core without interference
B)   Ganymede has thousands of volcanoes, which then send material downward to heat up its interior
C)   Ganymede is a relatively small moon, and therefore much easier to heat up than its neighbor moons
D)   Ganymede is heated by tidal forces from Jupiter
E)   Scientists have no idea what causes the inner part of Ganymede to be warm; this is an unsolved mysteryF) A) and B)
G) D) and E)

Question 5

Our modern understanding of Pluto is that it is a member of

Accepted Answer

A)   the asteroid belt
B)   the giant planets
C)   the Kuiper Belt (of trans-Neptunian objects) 
D)   the terrestrial planets
E)   no grouping within our solar system; it is completely one-of-a-kindF) C) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 6

Which planet has the biggest moon relative to its own size? Not the biggest moon in terms of kilometers, but the biggest as a percentage of the size of the planet it orbits.

Accepted Answer

A)   Jupiter
B)   Neptune
C)   Uranus
D)   Saturn
E)   PlutoF) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a way that the moon Titan probably resembles the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   it has a thick atmosphere
B)   the main constituent of its atmosphere is nitrogen
C)   sunlight interacts with the chemicals on the moom to create a rich mix of organic molecules
D)   it has clouds in its atmosphere
E)   at its surface the temperature and pressure are just right for water to exist in all three phases (gas, liquid, and ice) F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 8

Which of the following worlds does NOT have a ring?

Accepted Answer

A)   Jupiter
B)   Saturn
C)   Uranus
D)   Pluto
E)   NeptuneF) A) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 9

Which of the following statements about Charon is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)   it takes the same amount of time to rotate and revolve
B)   it keeps the same face toward Pluto
C)   it takes the same time to go around Pluto as Pluto takes to rotate
D)   it has a significant atmosphere
E)   it has a retrograde orbit (revolves in a direction opposite to the sense that most satellites in the solar system revolve) F) A) and C)
G) All of the above

Question 10

If I stood on the surface of Pluto, observing its big moon, I would see that moon:

Accepted Answer

A)   rise in the east
B)   rise in the west
C)   get smaller day by day
D)   remain in the same place in the sky
E)   Come on! Pluto has no moons!F) A) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 11

The world in the solar system that is most active volcanically is:

Accepted Answer

A)   Earth
B)   Neptune
C)   Io
D)   Mars
E)   GanymedeF) B) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 12

The satellite which has the thickest atmosphere (so thick that it's quite a surprise for a satellite)  is:

Accepted Answer

A)   Triton
B)   Titan
C)   the Earth's Moon
D)   Europa
E)   CallistoSection 12.2: The Galilean Moons of JupiterF) B) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 13

Saturn's ring particles are composed mainly of:

Accepted Answer

A)   silicate rocks
B)   frozen carbon dioxide
C)   droplets of very cold methane
D)   carbon that has been compressed until it is highly reflective
E)   water iceF) B) and D)
G) A) and D)

Question 14

When astronomers say that Ganymede is a differentiated body, they mean that it:

Accepted Answer

A)   has a northern hemisphere which is different from its southern hemisphere
B)   has more of the larger crater types than the smaller ones
C)   has a magnetic field that is not centered on its axis of rotation
D)   has a heavier core, surrounded by a lighter, icy mantle and crust
E)   has a color that is surprising among outer solar system satellitesF) All of the above
G) B) and D)

Question 15

The mountains on Pluto are made of frozen water, which at Pluto temperatures, is as hard as rock. Pluto also has a smooth, round basin which could be thought of as a frozen sea. What material is in the basin (nicknamed Sputnik)  likely to be made of?

Accepted Answer

A)   warmer water
B)   carbon dioxide (dry ice) 
C)   nitrogen
D)   complex carbon compounds which are the building blocks of life on Earth
E)   heliumSection 12.5: Planetary RingsF) B) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 16

How were the rings of Uranus discovered?

Accepted Answer

A)   They were seen through a small telescope at the same time the planet was
B)   They were discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope
C)   They were discovered by the Voyager 2 spacecraft when it flew by Uranus
D)   Through the radio waves given off as they interact with the magnetic field
E)   by using the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (the telescope aboard an airplane)  to observe Uranus moving in front of a distant starF) C) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 17

What features are abundant on Callisto and Ganymede and almost absent on Europa and Io?

Accepted Answer

A)   volcanoes
B)   markings that show the surface is made of ice
C)   impact craters
D)   lakes and pools of liquid ammonia
E)   ringsF) B) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 18

The same astronomer wrote extensively about canals on Mars and about the possibility of a ninth planet in our solar system. The observatory named after this astronomer is the:

Accepted Answer

A)   Keck Observatory
B)   Hubble Telescope
C)   Lick Observatory
D)   Lowell Observatory
E)   Wells ObservatoryF) A) and C)
G) D) and E)

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT one of the largest moons in the Solar System?

Accepted Answer

A)   Titan (around Saturn) 
B)   Triton (around Neptune) 
C)   Ganymede (around Jupiter) 
D)   the Earth's Moon
E)   Atlas (the shepherd moon near Saturn's A ring) F) All of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 20

The largest and most massive of Saturn's rings is the

Accepted Answer

A)   A ring
B)   B ring
C)   C ring
D)   D ring
E)   F ringF) B) and E)
G) A) and C)

Exam 12: Rings, Moons, and Pluto

Which of the following worlds does NOT have a ring?

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The largest and most massive of Saturn's rings is the

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Which of the jovian planets does NOT have any satellites?

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Which of the following statements about Charon is FALSE?

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Which of the following is NOT a way that the moon Titan probably resembles the Earth?

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The four large moons of Jupiter were first discovered by:

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When astronomers say that Ganymede is a differentiated body, they mean that it:

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Which planet has the biggest moon relative to its own size? Not the biggest moon in terms of kilometers, but the biggest as a percentage of the size of the planet it orbits.

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How were the rings of Uranus discovered?

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The mountains on Pluto are made of frozen water, which at Pluto temperatures, is as hard as rock. Pluto also has a smooth, round basin which could be thought of as a frozen sea. What material is in the basin (nicknamed Sputnik) likely to be made of?

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The world in the solar system that is most active volcanically is:

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Saturn's ring particles are composed mainly of:

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What features are abundant on Callisto and Ganymede and almost absent on Europa and Io?

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Which of the following is NOT one of the largest moons in the Solar System?

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If I stood on the surface of Pluto, observing its big moon, I would see that moon:

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The Galileo spacecraft measured that the moon Ganymede had a magnetic field, indicating that its interior was at least partly melted and warm. What do scientists think is the most likely reason for this?

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Which of the following statements about Saturn's rings is TRUE?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The satellite which has the thickest atmosphere (so thick that it's quite a surprise for a satellite) is:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Our modern understanding of Pluto is that it is a member of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The same astronomer wrote extensively about canals on Mars and about the possibility of a ninth planet in our solar system. The observatory named after this astronomer is the:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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