ASTR 1020 FINAL EXAM ACTUAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
| ALREADY GRADED A+ | VERIFIED
ANSWERS | JUST RELEASED (LATEST
VERSION)
Why is Neptune denser than Saturn?
A) It has a different composition than Saturn, including a higher proportion
of hydrogen compounds and rocks.
B) It has a greater proportion of hydrogen than Saturn.
C) The extra mass of Neptune compresses its interior to a greater extent
than that of Saturn.
D) Its hydrogen is molecular, whereas Saturn's hydrogen is atomic.
E) It is not denser than Saturn. ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) It
has a different composition than Saturn, including a higher proportion of
hydrogen compounds and rocks.
Why is Saturn almost as big as Jupiter, despite its smaller mass?
A) Jupiter's greater mass compresses it more, thus increasing its density.
B) Saturn's rings make the planet look bigger.
C) Saturn is further from the Sun, thus cooler, and therefore less compact.
D) Saturn has a larger proportion of hydrogen and helium than Jupiter, and
is therefore less dense.
E) Jupiter's strong magnetic field constrains its size. ------CORRECT
ANSWER---------------A) Jupiter's greater mass compresses it more, thus
increasing its density.
How do astronomers think Saturn generates its internal heat?
A) radioactive decay
B) internal friction due to its high rotation rate
C) chemical processes
,D) by raining dense helium droplets from higher to lower altitudes,
resembling the process of differentiation
E) nuclear fusion in the core ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------D) by
raining dense helium droplets from higher to lower altitudes, resembling the
process of differentiation
How do the jovian planet interiors differ?
A) All have cores of about the same mass, but differ in the amount of
surrounding hydrogen and helium.
B) The core mass decreases with the mass of the planet.
C) The composition changes from mostly ammonia in Jupiter and Saturn to
mostly methane in Uranus and Neptune.
D) The composition changes from mostly hydrogen in Jupiter and Saturn to
mostly helium in Uranus and Neptune.
E) All have about the same amount of hydrogen and helium but the
proportion of rocks is greater in those planets closer to the Sun. ------
CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) All have cores of about the same mass,
but differ in the amount of surrounding hydrogen and helium.
Why do the jovian planet interiors differ?
A) The more distant planets formed in a cooler region of the solar nebula
and therefore contain a greater proportion of ices than the closer jovian
planets.
B) They differ due to giant impacts at the late stages of planet formation.
C) Accretion took longer further from the Sun, so the more distant planets
formed their cores later and captured less gas from the solar nebula than
the closer jovian planets.
D) The solar heating is less for the more distant planets than the closer
planets.
E) The more distant planets had longer to form than the closer planets,
since the solar nebula lasted longer at greater distances from the Sun. ------
CORRECT ANSWER---------------C) Accretion took longer further from the
Sun, so the more distant planets formed their cores later and captured less
gas from the solar nebula than the closer jovian planets.
,Why does Jupiter have several distinct cloud layers?
A) Different layers represent clouds made of gases that condense at
different temperatures.
B) Different layers represent the various regions where the temperature is
cool enough for liquid water to condense.
C) Different gases are present at different altitudes in Jupiter's atmosphere.
D) Winds prevent clouds from forming at some altitudes, so we see clouds
only at the other altitudes.
E) Clouds form randomly, so on average there are always several layers. --
----CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) Different layers represent clouds
made of gases that condense at different temperatures.
The main process by which heat flows upward through the lithosphere is
A) conduction.
B) convection.
C) radiation.
D) accretion.
E) differentiation. ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) conduction.
Heat escapes from a planet's surface into space by thermal radiation.
Planets radiate almost entirely in the wavelength range of the
A) infrared.
B) radio.
C) visible.
D) ultraviolet.
E) none of the above ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) infrared.
Which of the following worlds have the thinnest lithospheres?
A) Earth and the Moon
B) Venus and the Moon
C) Mercury and Venus
D) Earth and Mars
, E) Earth and Venus ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------E) Earth and
Venus
Which of the following best describes why the smaller terrestrial worlds
have cooler interiors than the larger ones?
A) They were cooler when they formed.
B) The smaller ones are farther from the Sun.
C) They have relatively fewer radioactive elements.
D) They have relatively more surface area compared to their volumes.
E) They had more volcanic eruptions in the past, which released their
internal heat. ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------D) They have relatively
more surface area compared to their volumes.
Which of the terrestrial worlds has the strongest magnetic field?
A) Mars
B) Earth
C) the Moon
D) Venus
E) Mercury ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------B) Earth
Why does Earth have the strongest magnetic field among the terrestrial
worlds?
A) It is the only one that has a metallic core.
B) It rotates much faster than any other terrestrial world.
C) It is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and
reasonably rapid rotation.
D) It is by far the largest terrestrial world.
E) It is the most volcanically active world. ------CORRECT ANSWER----------
-----C) It is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and
reasonably rapid rotation.
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
| ALREADY GRADED A+ | VERIFIED
ANSWERS | JUST RELEASED (LATEST
VERSION)
Why is Neptune denser than Saturn?
A) It has a different composition than Saturn, including a higher proportion
of hydrogen compounds and rocks.
B) It has a greater proportion of hydrogen than Saturn.
C) The extra mass of Neptune compresses its interior to a greater extent
than that of Saturn.
D) Its hydrogen is molecular, whereas Saturn's hydrogen is atomic.
E) It is not denser than Saturn. ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) It
has a different composition than Saturn, including a higher proportion of
hydrogen compounds and rocks.
Why is Saturn almost as big as Jupiter, despite its smaller mass?
A) Jupiter's greater mass compresses it more, thus increasing its density.
B) Saturn's rings make the planet look bigger.
C) Saturn is further from the Sun, thus cooler, and therefore less compact.
D) Saturn has a larger proportion of hydrogen and helium than Jupiter, and
is therefore less dense.
E) Jupiter's strong magnetic field constrains its size. ------CORRECT
ANSWER---------------A) Jupiter's greater mass compresses it more, thus
increasing its density.
How do astronomers think Saturn generates its internal heat?
A) radioactive decay
B) internal friction due to its high rotation rate
C) chemical processes
,D) by raining dense helium droplets from higher to lower altitudes,
resembling the process of differentiation
E) nuclear fusion in the core ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------D) by
raining dense helium droplets from higher to lower altitudes, resembling the
process of differentiation
How do the jovian planet interiors differ?
A) All have cores of about the same mass, but differ in the amount of
surrounding hydrogen and helium.
B) The core mass decreases with the mass of the planet.
C) The composition changes from mostly ammonia in Jupiter and Saturn to
mostly methane in Uranus and Neptune.
D) The composition changes from mostly hydrogen in Jupiter and Saturn to
mostly helium in Uranus and Neptune.
E) All have about the same amount of hydrogen and helium but the
proportion of rocks is greater in those planets closer to the Sun. ------
CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) All have cores of about the same mass,
but differ in the amount of surrounding hydrogen and helium.
Why do the jovian planet interiors differ?
A) The more distant planets formed in a cooler region of the solar nebula
and therefore contain a greater proportion of ices than the closer jovian
planets.
B) They differ due to giant impacts at the late stages of planet formation.
C) Accretion took longer further from the Sun, so the more distant planets
formed their cores later and captured less gas from the solar nebula than
the closer jovian planets.
D) The solar heating is less for the more distant planets than the closer
planets.
E) The more distant planets had longer to form than the closer planets,
since the solar nebula lasted longer at greater distances from the Sun. ------
CORRECT ANSWER---------------C) Accretion took longer further from the
Sun, so the more distant planets formed their cores later and captured less
gas from the solar nebula than the closer jovian planets.
,Why does Jupiter have several distinct cloud layers?
A) Different layers represent clouds made of gases that condense at
different temperatures.
B) Different layers represent the various regions where the temperature is
cool enough for liquid water to condense.
C) Different gases are present at different altitudes in Jupiter's atmosphere.
D) Winds prevent clouds from forming at some altitudes, so we see clouds
only at the other altitudes.
E) Clouds form randomly, so on average there are always several layers. --
----CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) Different layers represent clouds
made of gases that condense at different temperatures.
The main process by which heat flows upward through the lithosphere is
A) conduction.
B) convection.
C) radiation.
D) accretion.
E) differentiation. ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) conduction.
Heat escapes from a planet's surface into space by thermal radiation.
Planets radiate almost entirely in the wavelength range of the
A) infrared.
B) radio.
C) visible.
D) ultraviolet.
E) none of the above ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------A) infrared.
Which of the following worlds have the thinnest lithospheres?
A) Earth and the Moon
B) Venus and the Moon
C) Mercury and Venus
D) Earth and Mars
, E) Earth and Venus ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------E) Earth and
Venus
Which of the following best describes why the smaller terrestrial worlds
have cooler interiors than the larger ones?
A) They were cooler when they formed.
B) The smaller ones are farther from the Sun.
C) They have relatively fewer radioactive elements.
D) They have relatively more surface area compared to their volumes.
E) They had more volcanic eruptions in the past, which released their
internal heat. ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------D) They have relatively
more surface area compared to their volumes.
Which of the terrestrial worlds has the strongest magnetic field?
A) Mars
B) Earth
C) the Moon
D) Venus
E) Mercury ------CORRECT ANSWER---------------B) Earth
Why does Earth have the strongest magnetic field among the terrestrial
worlds?
A) It is the only one that has a metallic core.
B) It rotates much faster than any other terrestrial world.
C) It is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and
reasonably rapid rotation.
D) It is by far the largest terrestrial world.
E) It is the most volcanically active world. ------CORRECT ANSWER----------
-----C) It is the only one that has both a partially molten metallic core and
reasonably rapid rotation.
