Practice Test

Please solve the following questions. This is not a real exam, it will not be graded, and you do not need to submit your solutions to anyone. The questions are simply intended to help you practice for the real exam.

These questions will not appear in the exam itself. Students who don't genuinely attempt to solve the questions on their own, and only memorize the solutions, will have a very hard time in the actual exam!

This sample exam is online, but the real exam will be given in person, at a time and place indicated on the course website.

THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL EXAM!
THIS IS JUST A PRACTICE EXAM!
THE REAL EXAM IS IN PERSON!

If you need any clarifications for these questions, you can ask for them on the course Teams channel.

Question 1

Is the most dense planet in the solar system also the most massive?

No.
Yes.
Depends how the mass is measured.

Question 2

The giant planets are...

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Uranus and Neptune.

Question 3

What is the fastest human-made spacecraft?

Juno.
The Parker Solar Probe.
DART.

Question 4

Which planets in the solar system do not have moons?

Mercury and Venus.
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Question 5

Which of the following planets has been explored the least by spacecraft?

Neptune.
Mars.
Jupiter.

Question 6

When should we expect the most sunspots?

During a solar maximum.
Halfway between a solar maximum and minimum.
During a solar minimum.

Question 7

Where in the solar system have humans visited in person?

Only Earth.
Earth and the Moon.
Earth, the Moon, and Mars.

Question 8

What was the purpose of the Cassini-Huygens mission?

To explore Saturn.
To explore Jupiter.
To explore Neptune.

Question 9

What was the purpose of the DART mission?

To change the path of a moon that was a dangerous threat to Earth.
To change the path of an asteroid that was a dangerous threat to Earth.
To change the path of an asteroid that was not a threat to Earth.

Question 10

Which planet has the largest orbital eccentricity?

Venus.
Mercury.
Mars.

Question 11

Is the smallest planet in the solar system also the least massive?

Depends how the size is measured.
Yes.
No.

Question 12

What was the purpose of the MESSENGER mission?

To explore Venus.
To explore Mercury.
To explore Mars.

Question 13

How is a dwarf planet defined by the IAU?

An object that is in direct orbit around the Sun, rounded by its own gravity, and clears its neighborhood.
An object that is in direct orbit around the Sun and rounded by its own gravity, but does not clear its neighborhood.
An object that is in direct orbit around the Sun, but not rounded by its own gravity and does not clears its neighborhood.

Question 14

How close to the Sun will the Parker Solar Probe get?

7 million km.
0.7 million km.
43.5 million km.

Question 15

Which state of matter is the Sun in?

Solid.
Plasma.
Liquid.

Question 16

Which planets in the solar system do not have rings?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Jupiter and Saturn.

Question 17

What is the purpose of the planned Artemis III mission?

A crewed mission to fly to the Moon but not land on it.
A crewed mission to fly to the Moon and land on it.
An uncrewed mission to fly to the Moon but not land on it.

Question 18

The last astronauts to walk on the Moon were from...

Apollo 10
Apollo 11
Apollo 17

Question 19

When was planet Earth created?

Several thousand years ago.
Several million years ago.
Several billion years ago.

Question 20

I have 800 g of a radioactive material with a half-life of 4 months. How much mass will remain from the original material after 1 year?

100 g.
700 g.
200 g.

Question 21

So far, spacecraft sent by humans have explored...

Only planets.
Only planets and moons.
The Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

Question 22

I have 800 g of a radioactive material with a half-life of 6 months. How much mass will remain from the original material after 1 year?

200 g.
700 g.
100 g.

Question 23

The inner planets are...

Mercury and Venus.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Question 24

What are Trans-Neptunian objects?

Planet-like objects beyond the orbit of Neptune.
Planet-like objects similar to Neptune.
Another name for dwarf planets.

Question 25

Which of the following layers of the Sun is the highest?

The photosphere.
The chromosphere.
The corona.