Ch 7 Adaptive Quiz

Question 1

Earth’s atmosphere was not always nitrogen-rich and oxygen-rich, the way it is now. What were the primary constituents of Earth’s atmosphere prior to the atmosphere today during the first 300 million years or so of its existence?

Answer 1

carbon dioxide and water vapour

Question 2

The greenhouse effect occurs because:

Answer 2

some gases absorb infrared radiation.

Question 3

If astronomers found a planet with a large concentration of _____ gas in its atmosphere, its presence would be a good indicator that some form of life exists on that world.

Answer 3

oxygen

Question 4

If astronomers were looking for certain compounds in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, which compound would MOST likely indicate the presence of life on that planet?

Answer 4

oxygen

Question 5

Which of these would NOT be a result if Earth’s interior had cooled significantly since its formation?

Answer 5

Earth’s atmosphere would be much thicker than currently.

Question 6

The majority of the mountains seen on the Moon were created by:

Answer 6

major impacts early in the Moon’s history.

Question 7

A _____ is a lava floodplain covering the floor of an ancient asteroid impact basin.

Answer 7

mare

Question 8

What would astronomers expect to be true of the Moon if the capture theory of formation had been correct?

Answer 8

The composition of the Moon should be significantly different from that of Earth in terms of chemistry and density.

Question 9

Which of these is a problem that astronomers have with the giant impact theory for the creation of the Moon?

Answer 9

The Moon should have a measurable mix of content from both Earth and Theia, which likely would have formed elsewhere in the solar system.

Question 10

Why are the rocks that the Apollo astronauts found on the Moon so much older than typical rocks found on the surface of Earth?

Answer 10

The surface of the Moon has not undergone the same tectonic activities that generate new crust on Earth.

Question 11

If astronomers observe a crater on the Moon with bright ejecta only visible radiating from the eastern side of a crater, what could they conclude about the formation of this crater?

Answer 11

This is a relatively young crater created by a meteoroid impacting from the west of the impact site at a shallow angle.

Question 12

Astronomers have calculated that the rate at which the Moon is moving away from Earth is approximately 3.8 _____ per year.

Answer 12

centimetres

Question 13

The synchronous rotation of the Moon can be explained by _____ forces that Earth exerted on the Moon when it was still molten and orbiting much closer to Earth.

Answer 13

tidal

Question 14

If the tidal forces that Earth exerted on the Moon helped to put it into a synchronous rotation, why haven’t the tidal forces that the Moon exerts on the oceans put Earth into a synchronous rotation as well?

Answer 14

They are in the process of putting Earth in a synchronous rotation, but the process will take billions of years

Question 15

For what percentage of one complete lunar cycle is ANY part of the far side of the Moon visible from Earth?

Answer 15

almost none of the time

Question 16

The Apollo astronauts deposited certain _____ on the surface of the Moon that allowed astronomers back on Earth to get accurate measurements on the distance between Earth and the Moon over an extended period of time to see how that distance changed.

Answer 16

reflectors

Question 17

The rotation of Earth is slowing due to the energy it loses to friction during the tides and it slows down by about one-thousandth of a second each century. How much longer will a day on Earth be 1 billion years from now?

Answer 17

3 hours longer