Ph 109 Section 2 Fall Semester, 2011 Sample Final Exam 1.

Suppose the temperature of a body is higher than the temperature at which it would be in thermal equilibrium. In this case, the body: a. The body will emit more energy than it absorbs, so it will cool. b. The body will emit less energy than it absorbs, so it will heat up. c. The body will emit as much energy as it absorbs, so its temperature will remain the same. d. The body will emit more energy than it absorbs, so it will heat up. e. The body will emit less energy than it absorbs, so it will cool. 2. When we see a region of a planet that is not as heavily cratered as other regions, we conclude that: a. There was little volcanic activity in the region to create craters. b. The planet rotates very slowly and, thus, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids hit only one side of the planet. c. The region in question was once a bottom of an ocean. d. The surface in the region is older than the surface in more heavily cratered regions. e. The surface in the region is younger than the surface in more heavily cratered regions. 3. Which of the following is a characteristic of the terrestrial planets? a. High density b. Solid outer layers (hard surfaces) c. Small sizes (diameters equal to that of the Earth or less) d. They are not very far from the Sun (semi-major axis less than 2 AUs) e. All of the listed characteristics of the terrestrial planets are correct. 4. Which of these colloquial phrases would most appropriately describe Mars? a. It is a war-ravaged planet, where armies of Martians fight never-ending wars. b. It is a windy and dusty planet. c. It is a volcanic and acidic inferno. d. It is a lush paradise, akin to a beach resort in Tahiti. e. It is a hot and wet planet 5. The sky is blue. Why? a. The atmosphere absorbs mostly blue light. b. The atmosphere transmits mostly red light. c. The Sun mainly emits blue light. d. Molecules and dust scatter red light more effectively than blue light. e. Molecules and dust scatter blue light more effectively than red light. 6. What is the basic idea of plate tectonics on the Earth? a. The lithosphere is broken into pieces plates which interact as they float in the asthenosphere. b. The continents slide on the hard surface of the lithosphere below. c. The continents bop up and down as the Earth pulsates in response to the gravitational field of the Sun. d. The continents float in the world ocean. e. The crust of the Earth is broken into continental and oceanic crusts, which interact as they float in the asthenosphere.

7. Which of the following explains the greenhouse effect on Earth? a. The higher pressure of Earths thick atmosphere at lower altitudes traps heat more effectively. b. Greenhouse gases transmit visible light, allowing it to heat the surface of Earth, but then absorb infrared light from Earth, trapping the heat near the surface. c. Ozone transmits visible light, allowing it to heat the surface of Earth, but then absorbs most of the infrared heat, trapping the heat near the surface. d. Greenhouse gases absorb X rays and ultraviolet light from the Sun, which then heat the atmosphere and the surface of Earth. e. Greenhouse gases absorb infrared light from the Sun, which then heats the atmosphere and the surface of Earth. 8. Where do most earthquakes on Earth occur? a. In urban areas b. Along tectonic boundaries c. Along ocean shores d. In the central portions of continents e. This question makes no sense. Earthquakes occur everywhere equally. 9. What is the most likely source of the Earth's magnetic field? a. The interaction between the solar wind and the Van Allen belts b. Permanently magnetized rocks in the Earth's crust c. Motions of electrically conducting fluids in the Earth's core d. The motion of the Moon through the electrically charged plasma surrounding the Earth e. The motion of positively charged ions of seawater carried by the currents of the Earth's oceans 10. Which statement about the Moon is false? a. A typical rock found on the surface of the Moon is older than a typical rock found on the surface of the Earth. b. Highlands are more heavily cratered than the maria regions. c. Despite the name mare, lunar mare does not contain liquid water. d. The side of the Moon that always faces away from the Earth (the far side) does not receive any solar radiation. e. A powdery layer of lunar soil is on the surface of the Moon. 11. The majority of the surface features on Mercury were formed by: a. Impacts due to asteroids, comets, and meteoroids b. Biological activity c. Hot-spot volcanism d. Wind and water erosion e. Plate tectonic activity 12. What statement about Mercury is false? a. Mercury always shows the same face to the Sun. b. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. c. Mercury most resembles our Moon. d. There are no active tectonic plates on Mercury. e. There are places on Mercury where the Sun passes across the meridian three times each day.

13. Unlike they are on the Earth, the seasons on Mars are not symmetric around the equator. For example, the southern winter season is longer and colder than that of the north. Why? a. Unlike the Earth, the axis of rotation of Mars wobbles in such a way that one hemisphere of Mars points toward the Sun longer than the other throughout the Martian year. b. One hemisphere of Mars reflects considerably more of the incoming radiation from the Sun than the other. c. Unlike the Earth, the eccentric orbit of Mars causes the distance between the Sun and Mars to vary enough to affect the seasons. d. One hemisphere of Mars is almost entirely covered by ocean. e. One of the two moons of Mars blocks a considerable amount of incoming solar radiation for half of a Martian year. 14. Mars has icecaps around its north and south poles. What two substances contribute the greatest mass to the composition of the icecaps? a. Carbon dioxide and ammonia ice b. Methane and ethane ice c. Carbon dioxide and water ice d. Ammonia and ethyl ice e. Nitrogen and oxygen ice 15. The best method for estimating the age of the surface of a celestial body with a solid surface such as a terrestrial planet or a moon (other than bringing rock samples back to Earth) is based on the idea that: a. Planets and other bodies are subject to impacts from space at a known rate, so the fewer the number of craters, the younger the surface. b. Volcanic activity occurs at a known rate, so the fewer volcanoes observed, the younger the surface. c. This question is nonsensical. Everything in the solar system has the same age, 5 billion years. d. Impact craters are weathered at a known rate, so the more eroded the craters, the older the surface. e. Lithospheric plates form at a known rate, so the more plates observed, the older the surface. 16. What physical mechanisms most likely caused the very long cracks and streaks that crisscross the surface of Europa? a. Volcanic eruptions caused lava flows which then froze in place. b. They are frozen rivers which, in warmer times, flowed across the moon's surface. c. Tidal flexing and cracking of the surface, with subsurface water gushing upward and freezing d. Bombardment of the surface by meteoroids and comets e. Europa-quakes due to its active plate tectonics 17. How are space probes to the outer planets, such as Jupiter, protected from being obliterated by collisions with asteroids in the asteroid belt? a. They aren'twe lose only one out of every four spacecraft to collisions with asteroids, so it is cheaper to take our chances. b. The spacecraft are equipped with cameras to detect asteroids, so they can be directed safely around them. c. The spacecraft are sent in an inclined orbit that arcs above or below the asteroid belt, crossing the ecliptic again near Jupiter. d. The spacecraft are equipped with cameras to detect asteroids and high-power lasers to

vaporize them. e. They aren'tasteroids are so far apart that the spacecraft safely pass through the asteroid belt. 18. What future awaits Triton, the largest moon of Neptune? a. Gravitational capture by Pluto b. Escape from Neptune as it gradually spirals outward c. Tidal breakup as it slowly spirals closer to Neptune d. Head-on collision with Pluto e. Nuclear meltdown due to its high content of radioactive uranium and plutonium 19. An iron meteorite, when cut open and etched with acid, often shows a peculiar pattern of nickel-iron crystals called a Widmansttten pattern. Through what process was this pattern created? a. Partial melting during the impact that ejected the meteorite from its parent asteroid, with subsequent rapid cooling in space b. Rapid crystal growth as molten iron cooled and solidified in the interior of a small asteroid c. Slow crystal growth as iron condensed from gas directly to solid form in the early solar nebula d. Slow crystal growth as molten iron cooled and solidified in the interior of a large asteroid e. Rapid crystal growth as molten iron rapidly cooled and solidified; the molten iron resulted from a head-on collision between two metal-rich asteroids 20. The Great Red Spot is: a. A large, long-lived, high-pressure storm in Jupiter's atmosphere b. The colored polar cap of Jupiter c. Clouds of dust-laden gas upwelling above the top of a massive mountain or a volcano on Jupiters surface d. A type of magnetic storm in Jupiter's atmosphere that can last for a few months at a time before disappearing e. An upwelling of metallic hydrogen from Jupiters interior to the planets atmosphere 21. The four largest moons of Jupiter are collectively named after this important physicist and astronomer? Who is he? a. Newton b. Copernicus c. Tycho d. Galileo e. Ptolemy 22. How were the rings of Uranus discovered? a. They were discovered by Galileo, the first to use optical telescope. b. The were discovered while observing the occultation of a star by Uranus c. They were discovered in the 1960s by bouncing from them radio signals first emitted by Earth-bound radio antennas. d. They were first observed from Earths orbit by the Hubble Space Telescope e. They were first observed by Apollo 13 astronauts while their spacecraft was in the lunar shadow. 23. How do the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune differ from those on Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn? a. They are nonexistentUranus and Neptune have no magnetic fields. b. They are perfectly centered and aligned with the rotational axes. c. They are magnetic monopoles.

d. They are off-centered and with axes tilted by tens of degrees with respect to the rotational axes. e. They are produced by electrical superconductivity in the interiors of Uranus and Neptune. 24. What is one observational fact common to both Jupiter and Saturn? a. Both planets appear cooler than is expected on the basis of received solar energy and emit less radiant energy than expected. b. In both planets, the temperature decreases continuously with depth, leading to the conclusion that their interiors are extremely cold. c. CO2 in the atmospheres of both planets produces an intense greenhouse effect causing the temperatures to exceed 500C near the surface. d. Both planets emit more energy (in the form of infrared radiation) than they receive from the Sun. e. The surface of each planet is made of smooth (with hardly any impact craters) water ice crust almost 1000 km thick. 25. What characteristic of Saturn's satellite Titan makes it different from any other known satellite in the Solar System? a. It has a permanent, dense, and nitrogen-rich atmosphere. b. Its surface is broken into heavily cratered and lightly cratered regions in a pattern similar to plate tectonics. c. It has very active volcanism caused by Saturns tidal flexing. d. It has lakes of water with floating icebergs on its surface. e. It has an orbit that carries it directly over the poles of Saturn. 26. Where are the Kirkwood Gaps found in the Solar System? a. In the zone and belt system on Jupiter b. In the Saturns ring system c. In the Kuiper Belt d. In the Oort Cloud e. In the asteroid belt 27. To what astronomical phenomenon is a meteor shower related? a. The passage of Earth through different parts of the spiral arms of the Milky Way b. The passage of Earth through intense streams of solar material, including dust particles, during regular solar activity c. The passage of Earth through the remnants of an old comet d. The passage of Earth through part of the asteroid belt e. The passage of Earth through part of the Oort Cloud 28. What is the habitable zone? a. The range of distances from a star within which liquid water can exist on the surface of an Earthlike planet. b. The range of regions on a planet where life can exist. c. The range of regions in the Milky Way where planets around stars can form. d. The range of distances from a star within which a terrestrial (i.e., rocky) planet can exist. e. The range of distances from a star within which ozone can exist in a planets atmosphere. 29. The Miller-Urey experiment demonstrated that: a. Very simple bacteria can be created from the chemicals present in the atmosphere of the early Earth. b. The Earths early atmosphere was too harsh for life to have formed until recently. c. Conditions on the early Earth were suitable for the creation of many of the complex organic molecules found in living organisms.

d. If simple life forms landed on the early Earth, they could have survived. e. Early life forms were silicon-based. 30. Most of the extrasolar planets discovered so far resemble: a. Kuiper belt comets b. Asteroids c. Large icy worlds similar Europa (one of Jupiters moons) d. Terrestrial planets e. Jovian planets 31. Most known extrasolar planets are more massive than Jupiter because: a. Less massive planets likely do not exist b. Current detection methods are more sensitive to more massive planets c. The Doppler technique usually overestimates planet masses d. Current detection methods are more sensitive to less massive planets e. None of the above 32. Which method could detect a planet in an orbit that is face-on to Earth? a. Doppler technique b. Transit method c. Astrometric technique d. Both Doppler and astrometric techniques e. No method or technique can detect such planet 33. There are no auroras on Venus because it a. lacks a strong magnetic field b. is too hot c. lacks atmospheric oxygen d. lacks strong winds e. has too many clouds 34. Saturns rings are: a. solid sheets of ice in the planets equatorial plane b. located outside the orbits of Saturns large moons c. never seen exactly edge-on from the Earth d. made of small icy or ice-covered objects e. a popular finger ornament among astrologers 35. Why is the atmosphere of Venus so much more massive than the atmosphere of the Earth? a. because Venus is so much more massive than the Earth b. because the seabeds of the Earth are covered with carbonate material in the form of rocks, shells, and reefs c. because Venus has had much more recent volcanism than the Earth, so Venus extra atmosphere has not had time to escape into space d. because Venusian volcanoes produce gas of much higher molecular weight than Earths volcanoes do e. because of the higher temperature, Venusian microorganisms rexpire at a higher rate, putting much more gas into the atmosphere