the property of Mercury that makes its temperature variations greater than those of any other planet is primarily
A its lack of atmosphere.
B its closeness to the sun.
C its small size.
D the carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.
E the statement is false; Mercury is so close to the sun that it is always hot.
Mercury might be expected to have a magnetic field because of its
A slow rotation
B high surface temperature
C high density
D spin-orbit coupling
both the moon and Mercury have very large temperature variations between day and night. the main reason for this large variation is
A small mass.
B rocky composition.
C distance from the sun.
D lack of atmosphere.
E lack of surface water.
Mercury differs from the moon in that:
A it has a substantial magnetic field.
B it has a heavily cratered surface.
C it rotates at the same rate as it revolves.
D it has a dense atmosphere.
Mercury looks like what other object in the inner solar system?
A Venus
B Earth
C Earth's moon
D Mars
Mercury is difficult to see from Earth primarily because
A it is such a small planet
B it is very faint
C it always appears near the sun
D the orbit is highly elliptical
Mercury has prominent and extensive scarps -- another word for
A cliffs
B valleys
C mountains
D volcanos
judging from the appearances of the moon, Earth, and Mercury, plus knowledge of the interiors of these objects, we might conclude that
A Mercury and the moon have changed little since their formation, while the Earth is still evolving.
B both Mercury and the Earth are now actively evolving, but the moon is dead.
C all three objects are in a state of constant evolutionary change.
D the present surface features of all three objects may be considered permanent.
Mercury's surface
A is the hottest in the solar system.
B is shaped by erosion.
C contains large amounts of iron oxide (rust).
D looks like the moon's.
Mercury's rotational period was determined by
A optical observations of surface features
B radar probing
C Galileo
D Kepler
what can we say about the atmosphere of Mercury?
A its atmosphere is so sparse we can hardly call it an atmosphere.
B its atmosphere is thin but significant and is mostly nitrogen.
C its atmosphere is about as dense as that of the Earth but it is mostly co2.
D we don't know enough about Mercury to say anything about a possible atmosphere.
based on our knowledge of the bulk density of Mercury and comparing it to the Earth, which of the following is probably the best description of Mercury's core?
A hot, molten, made of rocky materials.
B hot, molten in part, made of metals.
C cool and solid, made of metals.
D cool and solid, made of rocks.
which of the following statements, comparing Mercury with the moon, is false
A Mercury's craters are more widely separated with less extensive ejecta blankets
B the moon's craters show more extensive rays and ejecta than Mercury's craters
C Mercury's volcanos are more active than those on the moon
D the moon's scarps are smaller than those on Mercury
Mercury is not expected to have magnetic field because of its
A slow rotation
B high surface temperature
C high density
D spin-orbit coupling
comparing the evolution of the moon and Mercury, we can infer that the evolutionary processes
A were much the same for both planets.
B caused the moon to evolve far more than Mercury.
C caused Mercury to evolve far more than the moon.
D never operated long enough to have much of an effect.
which planet most resembles the moon in visible surface features and atmosphere?
A Mercury
B Mars
C Uranus
D Venus
which of the following is true of our observations of Mercury?
A cosmonauts have landed on its surface.
B robot spacecraft have landed on its surface.
C a robot spacecraft has only performed a "flyby" of the planet.
D only Earth based observations have been made of Mercury.
of the terrestrial planets, ______ has the greatest day tonight temperature variations because it has ______
A Mercury, no atmosphere.
B Mars, a thin atmosphere.
C Venus, thick atmosphere.
D Earth, large oceans.
which of the following statements is true?
A Mercury is larger and more massive than the moon, but its density is less than the moon's density.
B Mercury is larger and more massive than the moon, but its density is the same as the moon's density.
C Mercury is larger, more massive and denser than the moon.
D none of the statements above is true.
Mercury's atmosphere is
A dominated by carbon dioxide.
B almost nonexistent.
C half ammonia, half methane.
D very turbulent.
scarps on Mercury are probably due to
A volcanic activity
B ejecta from craters
C crustal cooling and shrinking
D space debris
which of the following statements about Mercury's rotation is true?
A rotation period = revolution period
B planet does not rotate
C planet rotates 3 times for every 2 revolutions
D planet revolves 3 times for every 2 rotations
the scarps on Mercury are probably due to which of the following?
A meteoric bombardment.
B collapsed lava tubes.
C global shrinkage.
D liquid water flow.
Mercury must have a dense core because
A its mean density is similar to Earth's.
B it has a magnetic field.
C it is heavily cratered.
D (a) and (b).
E (a) and (c).
the surface of Mercury is more like that of ______ while its interior is more like that of ______.
A the moon, Jupiter
B Mars, Venus
C the moon, the Earth
D Mars, the Earth
the fact that Mercury has a magnetic field suggests that
A it has some atmosphere.
B it rotates very quickly compared to the Earth.
C it is oblate.
D it has a metallic core.
the long scarps on Mercury's surface were probably caused by
A the impacts of large bodies on the surface.
B shrinkage of the crust and/or core.
C chains of volcanic eruptions.
D lava flows over large basin areas.
E none of the above.
from the discovery of Mercury's magnetic field astronomers conclude
A Mercury is uniform throughout the interior
B Mercury has a very small solid core
C Mercury has a molten core
D nothing about the interior of Mercury
based on our knowledge of the average density of Mercury, which of the following is probably the best description of Mercury's core?
A hot, molten, made of rock-like material
B hot, molten, made of metallic material
C cool, made of rock-like material
D cool, made of metallic material
if we visited Mercury and visited caloris basin we might expect to find
A solidified lavas.
B breccias.
C a dusty regolith.
D all of these.
Mercury has no (or very little) atmosphere because
A it is small
B it is close to the sun
C both (a) and (b)
D neither (a) nor (b)
Mercury's rotation period was determined from Earth-based observations by
A visual observations of the motion of surface features across the planet
B Doppler shift observations of radar signals
C theoretical calculations of the spin-orbit coupling
D using Kepler's third law with its satellite
Mercury has a high surface temperature because of its
A strong greenhouse effect
B proximity to the sun
C eccentric orbit
D rapid rotation
what evidence leads astronomers to believe that Mercury's surface has remained virtually unaltered for billions of years?
A it has no atmosphere
B it has no magnetic field
C its surface is covered with craters
D it has only a few volcanos and no continental drift
the scarps on Mercury were caused by
A volcanic activity
B continental drift
C expansion of the surface due to intense solar heating
D shrinking of the surface after cooling of the interior
Mercury is similar to the moon except that Mercury
A has no prominent maria
B has a weaker magnetic field than the moon
C has a thick atmosphere
D has a smaller density than the moon
the central core of Mercury is probably composed of
A iron
B rocks of relatively low density
C molten rock
D ices of h2o and ch4
the best estimate for the time of production of most craters on both Mercury and the moon is
A about half-way into the lives of these planetary bodies, or about 2.3billion years after planet formation
B very early in the lives of these planetary bodies, or within the first 100 million years after planet formation
C during the first 700 million years after planet formation
D relatively recently, or about 4 billion years after planet formation
the density of Mercury is
A greater than the Earth's because Mercury has lost more of its volatile gas
B less than the Earth because Mercury is smaller
C not yet known because no landings on Mercury have taken place
D 3.4 gm/cm3
early in its history, as Mercury cooled and solidified, its crust wrinkled forming many long cliffs that astronomers call
A impact basins
B albedos
C caloris
D scarps
the relation between Mercury's spin and orbital period is an example of resonance because
A Mercury keeps the same face to the sun at all times
B the same spot on Mercury always faces the sun at perihelion
C the planet rotates three times in every two trips around the sun
D all wrong. resonance involves a planet and its satellite, and Mercury has no satellites
in comparing the physical properties of the moon and Mercury, the most striking difference is
A in the surface features, especially the craters.
B bulk density; the moon is much lower.
C materials that make up the surface layers.
D size; Mercury is much larger.
E atmosphere; Mercury's is much more substantial.
the long scarps running across Mercury's surface were probably caused by
A tremendous impacts of large bodies on Mercury's surface.
B shrinkage of the crust or core.
C volcanic chains.
D lava flows.
what can we say about the high density core of Mercury?
A in size it is about like the core of the moon.
B it is larger in size than that of any other terrestrial planet.
C it occupies a greater percentage of its volume than that of any other terrestrial planet.
D we don't know anything about the core of Mercury.
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