Question 1

Which two factors are critical to the existence of the carbon dioxide (CO₂)  cycle on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   Plate tectonics and liquid water oceans
B)   Life and atmospheric oxygen
C)   Life and active volcanism
D)   Active volcanism and active tectonicsE) All of the above
F) A) and D)

Question 2

If the Earth were to warm up a bit, what would happen?

Accepted Answer

A)   Carbonate materials would form in the oceans more rapidly, the atmospheric CO₂ content would decrease, and the greenhouse effect would weaken.
B)   Carbonate materials would form in the oceans more slowly, the atmospheric CO₂ content would increase, and the greenhouse effect would strengthen.
C)   Carbonate materials would form in the oceans more rapidly, the atmospheric CO₂ content would decrease, and the greenhouse effect would strengthen.
D)   There would be a runaway greenhouse effect, with the Earth becoming ever hotter until the oceans evaporated (as may have happened on Venus) .
E)   The ice caps would melt and cool the Earth back to its normal temperature.F) A) and B)
G) B) and D)

Question 3

Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   Burning fuel warms the planet.
B)   Burning releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
C)   Burning depletes the amount of ozone, thereby warming the planet.
D)   Burning produces infrared light, which is then trapped by existing greenhouse gases.
E)   All of the above are true.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C) B

Question 4

What type of stresses broke Earth's lithosphere into plates?

Accepted Answer

A)   impacts of asteroids and planetesimals
B)   internal temperature changes that caused the crust to expand and stretch
C)   the circulation of convection cells in the mantle, which dragged against the lithosphere
D)   cooling and contracting of the planet's interior, which caused the mantle and lithosphere to be compressed
E)   volcanism, which produced heavy volcanoes that bent and cracked the lithosphereF) B) and C)
G) A) and B) C

Question 5

How deep is an impact crater compared to its width?

Accepted Answer

A)   1-10%
B)   10-20%
C)   30-40%
D)   50-100%
E)   100-200%F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 6

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the internal structure of a planet?

Accepted Answer

A)   its composition
B)   its size
C)   its magnetic field
D)   its massE) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 7

Given the current emission rate of carbon dioxide, how much will the average Earth's temperature increase in the next century?

Accepted Answer

A)   0°C
B)   0-3°C
C)   3-5°C
D)   5-7°C
E)   7-10°CF) C) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 8

Briefly explain why Mercury, Venus, and the Moon do not have significant erosion. Relate erosional activity to planetary size and distance from the Sun.

Accepted Answer

Both Mercury and the Moon have negligibl...

Question 9

What do we mean by a runaway greenhouse effect?

Accepted Answer

A)   A greenhouse effect that keeps getting stronger until all of a planet's greenhouse gases are in its atmosphere
B)   A greenhouse effect that starts on a planet but later disappears as gases are lost to space
C)   A greenhouse effect that heats a planet so much that its surface rock melts
D)   A process that heats a planet like a greenhouse effect, but that involves a completely different mechanism of heating that doesn't actually involve greenhouse gasesE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 10

Describe the three sources of internal heat of the terrestrial planets.

Accepted Answer

Accretion is heat generated by the agglo...

Question 11

Which of the following planets has the least substantial atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)   Venus
B)   Earth
C)   Mars
D)   Neptune
E)   MercuryF) B) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 12

If the polar ice decreases, what would happen, and why?

Accepted Answer

A)   Warming, because more sunlight is reflected
B)   Cooling, because more sunlight is reflected
C)   Cooling, because melted ice cools things off
D)   Warming, because more sunlight is absorbedE) B) and C)
F) A) and C)

Question 13

The choices below describe four hypothetical planets. Which one's surface would you expect to be most crowded with impact craters? (Assume the planets orbit a star just like the Sun and that they are all the same age as the planets in our solar system.)

Accepted Answer

A)   Size: same as the Moon. Distance from Sun: same as Mars. Rotation rate: once every 10 days.
B)   Size: twice as big as Earth. Distance from Sun: same as Mercury. Rotation rate: once every 6 months.
C)   Size: same as Mars. Distance from Sun: same as Earth. Rotation rate: once every 18 hours.
D)   Size: same as Venus. Distance from Sun: same as Mars. Rotation rate: once every 25 hours.E) B) and C)
F) All of the above

Question 14

Which two geological processes appear to have been most important in shaping the present surface of Venus?

Accepted Answer

A)   impacts and volcanoes
B)   impacts and tectonics
C)   tectonics and erosion
D)   volcanoes and tectonics
E)   volcanoes and erosionF) A) and B)
G) A) and E)

Question 15

Suppose Earth's atmosphere had no greenhouse gases. Then Earth's average surface temperature would be

Accepted Answer

A)   -16°C, which is well below freezing.
B)   0°C, or about the freezing point for water.
C)   10°C or about 5°C cooler than it is now.
D)   15°C, or about the same as it is now.
E)   20°C, or about 5°C warmer than it is now.F) C) and E)
G) All of the above

Question 16

The Gaia Hypothesis: The Gaia hypothesis, due to James Lovelock, maintains that the Earth-- its atmosphere, the oceans, the land, and life, represents a complex interacting system that will always seek to maintain a life-supporting environment. Discuss the operation of the Earth's carbon dioxide cycle and how it might relate to the Gaia hypothesis. The Gaia hypothesis is still quite controversial. Perform some research (either in your library or on reputable internet reference sites) and summarize in a few paragraphs the arguments for and against Gaia.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Gaia Hypothesis: The Gaia hypothesis, due...

Question 17

What makes us think that Mars must once have had an atmosphere that was warmer and had higher surface pressure?

Accepted Answer

A)   The atmosphere is too cold and thin for liquid water today, yet we see evidence that water flowed on the surface in the past.
B)   We think it for purely theoretical reasons, based on calculations showing that the Sun has brightened with time.
C)   The presence of inactive volcanoes on Mars tells us that there must once have been a lot of outgassing, and hence a thicker atmosphere.
D)   The fact that parts of Mars have a lot of craters tell us that Mars must once have been much warmer.E) A) and D)
F) C) and D)

Question 18

Which of the following worlds have the thinnest lithospheres?

Accepted Answer

A)   Earth and the Moon
B)   Venus and the Moon
C)   Mercury and Venus
D)   Earth and Mars
E)   Earth and VenusF) B) and C)
G) A) and B)

Question 19

Recent evidence suggests that Mars once had a global magnetic field. Assuming this is true, which of the following could explain why Mars today lacks a global magnetic field like that of Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   Mars's interior has cooled so much its molten core layer no longer undergoes convection.
B)   Mars rotates much slower than the Earth.
C)   The Martian core is made of rock, while Earth's core is made of metal.
D)   Mars is too far from the Sun to have a global magnetic field.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C) A

Question 20

Why is Mars so much colder than the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   Because Mars has a little less gravity than the Earth
B)   Because Mars has a much thinner, more diffuse atmosphere
C)   Because the albedo of Mars is higher than the Earth
D)   Because Mars is farther from the SunE) A) and C)
F) B) and C)

Exam 7: Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Which two factors are critical to the existence of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) cycle on Earth?

Correct Answer
verified

If the Earth were to warm up a bit, what would happen?

Correct Answer
verified

Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Correct Answer
verified
B

What type of stresses broke Earth's lithosphere into plates?

Correct Answer
verified
C

How deep is an impact crater compared to its width?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the internal structure of a planet?

Correct Answer
verified

Given the current emission rate of carbon dioxide, how much will the average Earth's temperature increase in the next century?

Correct Answer
verified

Briefly explain why Mercury, Venus, and the Moon do not have significant erosion. Relate erosional activity to planetary size and distance from the Sun.

Correct Answer
verified
Both Mercury and the Moon have negligibl...
View Answer

What do we mean by a runaway greenhouse effect?

Correct Answer
verified

Describe the three sources of internal heat of the terrestrial planets.

Correct Answer
verified
Accretion is heat generated by the agglo...
View Answer

Which of the following planets has the least substantial atmosphere?

Correct Answer
verified

If the polar ice decreases, what would happen, and why?

Correct Answer
verified

The choices below describe four hypothetical planets. Which one's surface would you expect to be most crowded with impact craters? (Assume the planets orbit a star just like the Sun and that they are all the same age as the planets in our solar system.)

Correct Answer
verified

Which two geological processes appear to have been most important in shaping the present surface of Venus?

Correct Answer
verified

Suppose Earth's atmosphere had no greenhouse gases. Then Earth's average surface temperature would be

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

What makes us think that Mars must once have had an atmosphere that was warmer and had higher surface pressure?

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following worlds have the thinnest lithospheres?

Correct Answer
verified

Recent evidence suggests that Mars once had a global magnetic field. Assuming this is true, which of the following could explain why Mars today lacks a global magnetic field like that of Earth?

Correct Answer
verified
A

Why is Mars so much colder than the Earth?

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 7: Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Which two factors are critical to the existence of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) cycle on Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the Earth were to warm up a bit, what would happen?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why does the burning of fossil fuels increase the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

What type of stresses broke Earth's lithosphere into plates?

Correct AnswerverifiedC

How deep is an impact crater compared to its width?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following has virtually no effect on the internal structure of a planet?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Given the current emission rate of carbon dioxide, how much will the average Earth's temperature increase in the next century?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Briefly explain why Mercury, Venus, and the Moon do not have significant erosion. Relate erosional activity to planetary size and distance from the Sun.

Correct AnswerverifiedBoth Mercury and the Moon have negligibl...View AnswerShow Answer

What do we mean by a runaway greenhouse effect?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Describe the three sources of internal heat of the terrestrial planets.

Correct AnswerverifiedAccretion is heat generated by the agglo...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following planets has the least substantial atmosphere?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the polar ice decreases, what would happen, and why?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The choices below describe four hypothetical planets. Which one's surface would you expect to be most crowded with impact craters? (Assume the planets orbit a star just like the Sun and that they are all the same age as the planets in our solar system.)

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which two geological processes appear to have been most important in shaping the present surface of Venus?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Suppose Earth's atmosphere had no greenhouse gases. Then Earth's average surface temperature would be

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What makes us think that Mars must once have had an atmosphere that was warmer and had higher surface pressure?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following worlds have the thinnest lithospheres?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Recent evidence suggests that Mars once had a global magnetic field. Assuming this is true, which of the following could explain why Mars today lacks a global magnetic field like that of Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedA

Why is Mars so much colder than the Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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B

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C

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Both Mercury and the Moon have negligibl...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

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verified
Accretion is heat generated by the agglo...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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A

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