AST PRACTICE TESTS | QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | VERIFIED AND
WELL DETAILED ANSWERS | LATEST EXAM UPDATE
We do not expect Mercury to have an atmosphere at all because: - CORRECT
ANSWER - it is small, it has a high temperature and is bombarded by intense solar
radiation
Why did the terrestrial planets lose their primary atmospheres? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Their low gravities couldn't hold them
Which molecule moves with the fastest average speed in Earth's atmosphere in
thermal equilibrium? - CORRECT ANSWER - water (atomic mass= 18)
Which of the following contributes most to the large difference in the average
daytime and nighttime temperatures on the Moon? - CORRECT ANSWER - the
lack of an atmosphere
Earth releases the energy it receives from the Sun by emitting ________ radiation.
- CORRECT ANSWER - infrared
The main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of the terrestrial planets are: -
CORRECT ANSWER - carbon dioxide and water vapor
The major difference in the composition of Earth's atmosphere compared to the
atmospheres of Venus and Mars is a direct consequence of: - CORRECT
ANSWER - life on the planet
,If it were not for the greenhouse effect on Earth, - CORRECT ANSWER - there
would be no liquid water, life as we know it would not have developed and it
would be much colder
The Northern Lights are caused by: - CORRECT ANSWER - energetic particles
from the Sun interacting with Earth's atmosphere
The currently thin atmosphere of Mars is likely due to its: - CORRECT
ANSWER - lack of volcanic activity, weak gravitational field extreme temperature
variation
Given the thickness and composition of Venus's atmosphere, by how much would
you expect its average surface temperature to change between day and night? -
CORRECT ANSWER - almost no change at all
The gas giants are composed primarily of: - CORRECT ANSWER - hydrogen
The compositions of Uranus and Neptune differ outer two planets contain more: -
CORRECT ANSWER - water ice
Why are Jupiter and Saturn not perfectly spherical? - CORRECT ANSWER -
they rotate rapidly
As a group, the giant planets all rotate ________ terrestrial planets. - CORRECT
ANSWER - faster than
The Great Red Spot, Jupiter's most prominent storm system, has a diameter that is
________ times Earth's diameter. - CORRECT ANSWER - 2
, Saturn's rings may have originated from: - CORRECT ANSWER - the
destruction of a moon or planetoid from tidal stresses within the Roche limit
How do Saturn's shepherd moons help maintain the stability of Saturn's rings? -
CORRECT ANSWER - their gravitational interactions with ring material
maintains the orbital stability of the rings
The Roche Limit is reached when: - CORRECT ANSWER - the tidal stress
becomes greater than the surface gravity
What is the most common geological feature seen on moons? - CORRECT
ANSWER - craters
Which object has turned itself inside out numerous times, leading to lighter
elements escaping, sulfur compounds composing the crust, and heavier elements
making up the core? - CORRECT ANSWER - Io
Which of the following moons is thought to have a vast ocean of water beneath its
thin frozen surface? - CORRECT ANSWER - Europa
Titan's thick atmosphere (see the image below) is hypothesized to have been
created when ultraviolet photons broke apart methane molecules, ultimately
creating the observed smog-like conditions. This process, though, would likely
remove all of the atmospheric methane in roughly 10 million years, yet we still see
its presence today. How can this be? - CORRECT ANSWER - volcanoes on titan
periodically release new methane into the atmosphere
WELL DETAILED ANSWERS | LATEST EXAM UPDATE
We do not expect Mercury to have an atmosphere at all because: - CORRECT
ANSWER - it is small, it has a high temperature and is bombarded by intense solar
radiation
Why did the terrestrial planets lose their primary atmospheres? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Their low gravities couldn't hold them
Which molecule moves with the fastest average speed in Earth's atmosphere in
thermal equilibrium? - CORRECT ANSWER - water (atomic mass= 18)
Which of the following contributes most to the large difference in the average
daytime and nighttime temperatures on the Moon? - CORRECT ANSWER - the
lack of an atmosphere
Earth releases the energy it receives from the Sun by emitting ________ radiation.
- CORRECT ANSWER - infrared
The main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of the terrestrial planets are: -
CORRECT ANSWER - carbon dioxide and water vapor
The major difference in the composition of Earth's atmosphere compared to the
atmospheres of Venus and Mars is a direct consequence of: - CORRECT
ANSWER - life on the planet
,If it were not for the greenhouse effect on Earth, - CORRECT ANSWER - there
would be no liquid water, life as we know it would not have developed and it
would be much colder
The Northern Lights are caused by: - CORRECT ANSWER - energetic particles
from the Sun interacting with Earth's atmosphere
The currently thin atmosphere of Mars is likely due to its: - CORRECT
ANSWER - lack of volcanic activity, weak gravitational field extreme temperature
variation
Given the thickness and composition of Venus's atmosphere, by how much would
you expect its average surface temperature to change between day and night? -
CORRECT ANSWER - almost no change at all
The gas giants are composed primarily of: - CORRECT ANSWER - hydrogen
The compositions of Uranus and Neptune differ outer two planets contain more: -
CORRECT ANSWER - water ice
Why are Jupiter and Saturn not perfectly spherical? - CORRECT ANSWER -
they rotate rapidly
As a group, the giant planets all rotate ________ terrestrial planets. - CORRECT
ANSWER - faster than
The Great Red Spot, Jupiter's most prominent storm system, has a diameter that is
________ times Earth's diameter. - CORRECT ANSWER - 2
, Saturn's rings may have originated from: - CORRECT ANSWER - the
destruction of a moon or planetoid from tidal stresses within the Roche limit
How do Saturn's shepherd moons help maintain the stability of Saturn's rings? -
CORRECT ANSWER - their gravitational interactions with ring material
maintains the orbital stability of the rings
The Roche Limit is reached when: - CORRECT ANSWER - the tidal stress
becomes greater than the surface gravity
What is the most common geological feature seen on moons? - CORRECT
ANSWER - craters
Which object has turned itself inside out numerous times, leading to lighter
elements escaping, sulfur compounds composing the crust, and heavier elements
making up the core? - CORRECT ANSWER - Io
Which of the following moons is thought to have a vast ocean of water beneath its
thin frozen surface? - CORRECT ANSWER - Europa
Titan's thick atmosphere (see the image below) is hypothesized to have been
created when ultraviolet photons broke apart methane molecules, ultimately
creating the observed smog-like conditions. This process, though, would likely
remove all of the atmospheric methane in roughly 10 million years, yet we still see
its presence today. How can this be? - CORRECT ANSWER - volcanoes on titan
periodically release new methane into the atmosphere
