Looking down on the Earth from above the North Pole, the Earth appears to rotate a) clockwise $b) counterclockwise c) not at all Which of the following statements help explain why summer days tend to be hotter than winter days? I. The day is longer. II. The Earth's surface receives more light per unit area. III. The light is coming directly from the Sun. IV. There is no snow to cool the Earth. a) I b) III $c) I, II d) I, IV e) II, III From the standpoint of an astronaut looking down on the Earth, which of the following statements help explain why the northern hemisphere is hotter during its summer? I. More light falls on the Earth. II. More light falls on the northern hemisphere. III. The Earth is closer to the Sun. IV. The Earth generates more heat via radioactivity. a) I $b) II c) IV d) I, III What would the days and seasons be like if the Earth still rotated at the same speed, but the Earth's axis was tilted nearly 90 degrees on its side instead of 23 degrees? a) The days and seasons would be half a year long. b) The days would be the same length, but the seasons would be half a year long. c) There can be no seasons in this situation, but days would always be 24 hours long. $d) The days and seasons have the same lengths as ours, but the seasons would have more extreme temperature changes. Assume that the Sun rises at 6:00 AM. At what time does the Third Quarter Moon rise? a) 9:00 AM b) 12:00 Noon c) 9:00 PM $d) 12:00 Midnight When the moon is in its last quarter, when does it rise and set? a) sunrise, sunset b) sunset, sunrise $c) midnight, noon d) noon, midnight Why don't lunar eclipses happen at every full moon? $a) The Moon's orbit doesn't always take it through the Earth's shadow. b) The Moon's orbit sometimes takes it far enough away that the Earth's shadow has disappeared. c) The moon's orbit is not circular. d) The moon cannot be full AND pass through the Earth's shadow. An observer on Earth sees a total lunar eclipse. If someone else is standing on the side of the Moon facing the Earth at the same time, they would the a) Earth's night side, not eclipsing the Sun. b) Earth's day side, not eclipsing the Sun. c) Earth partially eclipsing the Sun. $d) Earth completely eclipsing the Sun. An observer on Earth sees a total solar eclipse. If someone else is standing on the side of the Moon facing the Earth at the same time, what would they see? a) The Earth's night side. b) The Earth's day side, which becomes completely dark. $c) The Earth's day side gets a dark spot that moves across it. d) The Earth's day side, which doesn't change in brightness. Under which circumstance might there be a lunar eclipse every month? a) If the moon were smaller compared to the earth $b) If the moon's orbit was in the ecliptic c) If the earth's orbit were in the ecliptic d) If the earth's axis was not inclined to the ecliptic In order for a solar eclipse to occur, the moon must be: a) high in the sky b) near first or last quarter $c) near new moon d) near full moon e) over another country What change in the moon might enable us to see its entire surface from Earth? a) If the moon was always full. b) If its axis of rotation were tipped slightly. $c) If it did not rotate. d) If its orbit were in the ecliptic. The earth bulges at the equator compared to the poles (6378 versus 6335 km). What's a possible explanation? a) The earth is squashing under its own weight. b) Tidal stretching from the moon's pull. $c) The rapid rotation of the earth. d) Tectonic plate motion stops at the equator. With the earth slightly larger around the equator than through the poles, if a person weights 100 lbs at the equator, what might be their weight at the pole? a) 37 lbs b) 99 lbs c) 100 lbs $d) 101 lbs e) 137 lbs The main reason Earth's atmosphere stays warm is heat from a) volcanos $b) solar radiation c) the greenhouse effect d) continental drift e) the hot core of the earth The earth's core is molten due to a) solar heating b) large scale meteoroid bombardment c) radioactivity d) heat left over from the earth's formation. $e) both d. and e. The Earth's magnetic dynamo is caused by a combination of convection in its molten core and a) the Earth's orbit around the Sun $b) the Earth's rotation c) lunar tidal action d) the aurora borealis Particles from the sun interact with the earth's ionosphere to produce $a) the aurora borealis b) dangerous ultraviolet radiation c) hydrogen and helium d) protons and electrons The largest scale changes on the surface of the earth are the result of a) glaciation b) erosion by wind and water c) man-made pollutants $d) continental drift e) comets and asteroids There is very little atmosphere on the moon because a) dry rocks on the moon absorbed its own atmosphere b) it was blown away by meteor bombardment $c) its low mass and high temperature allowed most gases to escape d) the gravitational tidal forces from the earth stripped it away The moon a) always points the same face toward the sun b) does not rotate c) rotates at the same rate as the earth - once per day $d) rotates on its axis with the same period as its revolution about the earth Which theory of lunar origin below lost support when the Apollo landings showed there to be similar abundances of isotopes of oxygen on both the earth and moon? a) fission theory $b) capture theory c) formation together from the same gas cloud d) the dairy theory Place the statements concerning lunar formation below in chronological order from the time of formation: 1 coalesced from orbiting debris 2 cooling of interior 3 mare formed 4 surface melting by heavy bombardment $a) 1,4,3,2 b) 3,2,4,1 c) 1,2,3,4 d) 4,3,2,1 e) 2,3,4,1 The lunar mare were formed primarily by a) melting and solidification followed by impacts b) volcanism $c) impact followed by volcanism d) volcanism followed by impact Why are some crater walls are sharp and steep, while others are more rounded? a) different volcanos make different craters $b) age differences c) size differences among the impact bodies d) composition differences among the impact bodies e) seismic activity on the moon Very early in the history of the earth, the most common gas in was probably a) nitrogen b) methane $c) hydrogen d) water e) carbon dioxide The earth is thought to have formed from $a) consolidation (fusion of small rock-like bodies) b) the collapse of a single gas cloud c) gas ejected from the sun in a massive solar flare d) a disk of gas orbiting the sun The greenhouse effect is caused mostly by a) pesticides b) depletion of the ozone layer $c) carbon dioxide in the atmosphere d) strong magnetic field e) the aurora borealis During a single night, the Moon a) moves from west to east across the sky $b) moves from east to west across the sky c) appears to hover in the sky above a given location on Earth If the Moon was third quarter last Saturday, what phase will it be this Saturday? a) waning crescent b) waxing gibbous c) At or very near first quarter $d) At or very near new e) Any of the above, depending upon other factors. If you observe the Moon rising in the east as the Sun is setting in the west, then you know that the phase of the Moon must be a) new b) first quarter $c) full d) third (or last) quarter e) Any of the above, depending on other factors In which case(s) can the Earth, Sun, and Moon be in a straight line? a) Full Moon only b) First quarter and Third (or last) quarter c) New Moon only $d) Both full and new Moon e) This can happen at any phase of the Moon If we see a first quarter moon today, what will people on the other side of the Earth see later today? a) new Moon $b) first-quarter Moon c) full Moon. d) third-quarter Moon e) Any of the above, depending upon the time of night. Earth doesn't experience an eclipse of the Sun every month because a) sometimes the Moon is too far away. b) the Moon always keeps its same side toward the Earth. $c) the Moon's orbit is not in the same plane as the Earth's orbit. d) you have to be in the right place to see a solar eclipse. A friend exclaims that a few months ago she saw the full moon overhead at noon. Is this possible? a) Yes, because a full moon is caused when the moon is fully lit by the Sun, which can only happen at noon. b) Yes, but only if she was approximately 45 degrees from zero latitude. $c) No, the full moon is never overhead at noon. The fact that the Earth has undergone differentiation suggests that the Earth's interior a) has always been solid b) must not have a core c) causes the continents to move $d) was once liquid Earthquakes are an important tool for scientists because their vibrations a) influence the Earth's orbit about the Sun $b) allow the study of the Earth's internal structure c) inform us of the mass of the Earth d) are used to predict the future of plate tectonics Heating of the earth's surface by the sun is an example of transfer of energy by a) conduction b) convection $c) radiation d) pollution