1. Clicker Questions Chapter 6 The Terrestrial Planets Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

2. Question 1 Mercury’s surface most resembles which of these? a) the Moon’s far side b) Venus’ polar regions c) Earth’s deserts d) the Moon’s near side e) Mars’ deserts

3. Question 1 Mercury’s surface most resembles which of these? a) the Moon’s far side b) Venus’ polar regions c) Earth’s deserts d) the Moon’s near side e) Mars’ deserts Both Mercury and the Moon’s far side are heavily cratered.

4. Mercury is very hard to observe from Earth because Question 2 a) it always appears only half lit. b) it is never more than 28° from the Sun. c) its elliptical orbit causes it to change speed unpredictably. d) its surface reflects too little sunlight. e) its surface does not allow radar to bounce back to Earth.

5. Mercury is very hard to observe from Earth because Question 2 a) it always appears only half lit. b) it is never more than 28° from the Sun. c) its elliptical orbit causes it to change speed unpredictably. d) its surface reflects too little sunlight. e) its surface does not allow radar to bounce back to Earth. Mercury’s inner orbit keeps it close to the Sun, visible only for an hour or two before sunrise or after sunset.

6. How do the atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury compare? Question 3 a) Mercury’s is more dense, with carbon dioxide. b) They are similar, only 1% as dense as ours. c) The cooler Moon retains a thicker nitrogen atmosphere. d) As no spacecraft has yet landed there, no information exists about Mercury’s. e) Neither body has a permanent atmosphere.

7. How do the atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury compare? Question 3 a) Mercury’s is more dense, with carbon dioxide. b) They are similar, only 1% as dense as ours. c) The cooler Moon retains a thicker nitrogen atmosphere. d) As no spacecraft has yet landed there, no information exists about Mercury’s. e) Neither body has a permanent atmosphere. The lack of an atmosphere acting as a protective layer contributes to their extremely cratered surfaces.

8. Mercury has extreme high and low temperatures between night and day because Question 4 a) it is so close to the Sun. b) its surface rocks don’t retain heat. c) it spins too fast to cool down. d) Mercury’s axis has no tilt; its equator receives direct sunlight. e) it has no atmosphere to moderate temperatures over the globe.

9. Mercury has extreme high and low temperatures between night and day because Question 4 a) it is so close to the Sun. b) its surface rocks don’t retain heat. c) it spins too fast to cool down. d) Mercury’s axis has no tilt; its equator receives direct sunlight. e) it has no atmosphere to moderate temperatures over the globe. Mercury’s very high sunlit surface temperature of 700 K, and low mass, explain why it has no atmosphere.

10. Which statement about the rotations of Mercury & the Moon is FALSE? Question 5 a) Our Moon keeps the same side toward us. b) Mercury keeps the same side sunward at perihelion. c) Like our Moon, Mercury does not rotate at all, keeping the same side facing the Sun. d) On Mercury, three “days” equals two “years.” e) On the Moon, each “day” lasts about 15 Earth days of constant sunlight.

11. Which statement about the rotations of Mercury & the Moon is FALSE? Question 5 a) Our Moon keeps the same side toward us. b) Mercury keeps the same side sunward at perihelion. c) Like our Moon, Mercury does not rotate at all, keeping the same side facing the Sun. d) On Mercury, three “days” equals two “years.” e) On the Moon, each “day” lasts about 15 Earth days of constant sunlight. Both Mercury and the Moon rotate slowly, and show a “spin-lock” created by tidal forces from nearby large objects.

12. Question 6 Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the densest atmosphere? a) Mercury b) Venus c) Earth d) Moon e) Mars

13. Question 6 a) Mercury b) Venus c) Earth d) Moon e) Mars Venus’ atmosphere has a pressure about 90 times larger than Earth’s. Many of its surface features are affected by this immense pressure. Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the densest atmosphere?

14. Question 7 The greenhouse effect on Venus is due to ______ in its atmosphere. a) nitrogen b) hydrogen c) carbon dioxide d) oxygen e) sulfuric acid

15. Question 7 The greenhouse effect on Venus is due to ______ in its atmosphere. Venus’ atmosphere is over 96% CO 2, resulting in a surface temperature exceeding 900 ° F. a) nitrogen b) hydrogen c) carbon dioxide d) oxygen e) sulfuric acid

16. Venus’ surface shows all of the following EXCEPT Question 8 a) many impact craters of all sizes. b) shield volcanoes. c) a continent-sized plateau. d) huge circular volcanic coronae. e) lava domes.

17. Venus’ surface shows all of the following EXCEPT Question 8 a) many impact craters of all sizes. b) shield volcanoes. c) a continent-sized plateau. d) huge circular volcanic coronae. e) lava domes. Venus’ thick atmosphere shields the planet from smaller meteor impacts.

18. Question 9 What effect does the greenhouse effect have on the surface environment of Venus? a) little or no effect b) about the same as on Earth c) to reduce the surface temperature by about 30 ° Celsius d) to raise the surface temperature by hundreds of degrees Celsius e) to cause the surface temperature of Venus to become hotter than Jupiter

19. Question 9 What effect does the greenhouse effect have on the surface environment of Venus? a) little or no effect b) about the same as on Earth c) to reduce the surface temperature by about 30 ° Celsius d) to raise the surface temperature by hundreds of degrees Celsius e) to cause the surface temperature of Venus to become hotter than Jupiter Even though Venus is farther from the Sun than Mercury, it actually has a higher surface temperature because of the greenhouse effect.

20. Question 10 Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the largest volcanoes? a) Mercury b) Venus c) Earth d) Mars e) Moon

21. Question 10 a) Mercury b) Venus c) Earth d) Mars e) Moon Mars’ largest volcano, Olympus Mons, rises more than 25 km (75,000 ft) above the surrounding plains. Which of the following inner solar system bodies has the largest volcanoes?

22. Venus and Mars probably evolved differently from Earth because Question 11 a) they are slightly bigger than Earth. b) they are more massive than Earth. c) they have thicker atmospheres than Earth. d) they formed sooner than Earth. e) they orbit at different distances from the Sun.

23. Venus and Mars probably evolved differently from Earth because Question 11 a) they are slightly bigger than Earth. b) they are more massive than Earth. c) they have thicker atmospheres than Earth. d) they formed sooner than Earth. e) they orbit at different distances from the Sun.

24. The weakness of the magnetic field of Mars is because Question 12 a) it spins much slower than Earth does. b) its core may no longer be molten. c) its core contains less iron than our Earth. d) Both 2 and 3 are probable. e) All of the above are correct.

25. The weakness of the magnetic field of Mars is because Question 12 a) it spins much slower than Earth does. b) its core may no longer be molten. c) its core contains less iron than our Earth. d) Both 2 and 3 are probable. e) All of the above are correct. Mars is smaller, and would have cooled more quickly. EarthMars

26. What was the most likely source of the water that formed the huge outflow channels of Mars? Question 13 a) rainfall b) catastrophic but rare flooding c) annual melting of the seasonal ice caps d) large comets that struck Mars e) a collision with one of Jupiter’s frozen moons

27. What was the most likely source of the water that formed the huge outflow channels of Mars? Question 13 a) rainfall b) catastrophic but rare flooding c) annual melting of the seasonal ice caps d) large comets that struck Mars e) a collision with one of Jupiter’s frozen moons Flooding on Mars appears to have occurred about 3 billion years ago.