Venus

1. Venus is often called a twin planet to Earth because

a. Venus has the same atmospheric composition as Earth

b. the mass and diameter of Venus are close to those of Earth*

c. conditions on Venus could support life as we know it

d. the temperature of Venus is almost the same as on Earth

e. Venus has a single natural satellite like the Earth

2. Radar was used to discover that Venus' rotation is

a. rapid and direct

b. rapid and retrograde

c. slow and retrograde*

d. slow and direct

e. zero (it does not rotate).

3. Why do we think that there have been significant external effects on the rotation of Venus?

a. Its rotation is very rapid.

b. Its rotation is in 1:1 resonance with the orbital period.

c. Clouds move with a speed near 300 km/sec.

d. Its rotation is retrograde.*

e. None of the above.

4. If observers from another planet tried to gauge the rotation of the Earth by watching the clouds, what would they find?

a. The Earth rotates once in 24 h.

b. The Earth rotates once in 23 h 56 m.

c. The Earth rotates once in 24 h 3 m because the clouds move east at 70 miles/h.

d. Different rotation rates after observing only a short time.*

e. None of the above.

5. Measurements of the magnetic field of Venus reveal that the

a. planet has a large iron core.

b. interior of the planet is molten.

c. planet has no detectable magnetic field. *

d. planet rotates backwards.

e. magnetic field is responsible for large auroral displays (northern lights) on Venus

6. Venus' atmospheric chemical composition is mostly

a. nitrogen

b. carbon dioxide*

c. oxygen

d. water vapor

e. hydrogen

7. We are able to study the surface of Venus by bouncing ___ off the surface.

a. x-rays

b. ultraviolet radiation

c. visual radiation

d. infrared radiation

e. radio waves.*

8. If indeed the Earth has the same total amount of carbon dioxide as Venus, why is such a small amount found in the atmosphere?

a. the statement is false -- Venus and the Earth do NOT have the same total amount of carbon dioxide

b. the statement is false -- the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the Earth is the same as for Venus' atmosphere

c. the high temperature of Venus excites the carbon dioxide more than does the lower temperature on Earth

d. the plants on Earth have decreased the amount of carbon dioxide to where it is today

e. the Earth's lower temperature allows the carbon dioxide to be held in the oceans and rocks.*

9. The pressure of Venus' atmosphere on the surface is

a. 0.1 that of the Earth's atmospheric pressure

b. the same as the Earth's atmospheric pressure

c. 10 times the Earth's atmospheric pressure

d. 100 times the Earth's atmospheric pressure*

e. too large to measure.

10. Which of the following is important in producing the greenhouse effect?

a. slow rotation

b. carbon dioxide*

c. strong magnetic field

d. rapid rotation

e. oxygen

11. Suppose a planet had an atmosphere that was opaque in the visible but transparent in the infrared. What would surface conditions be like?

a. Cold and dark.

b. Hot and dark.*

c. Cold and bright (sunny).

d. Hot and bright (sunny).

e. None of the above.

12. Some scientists have argued that if the Earth had been slightly closer to the Sun, it would have developed an atmosphere and surface conditions like Venus. Which of the following reasons would they give for an explanation.

a. The surface of Venus is hot and being closer to the Sun would naturally make it hotter.

b. If the Earth was closer to the Sun, then it would be too close for water to accrete and make it the "water planet."

c. Being closer to the Sun, water on Earth would not condense, CO₂ could not dissolve and then form rocks, and the atmosphere would be dense and the surface hot.*

d. Being closer to the Sun should have no effect on the Earth and it could not turn out like Venus.

e. None of the above.

13. Compared with the surface, Venus' upper clouds rotate

a. with the same speed as the surface

b. more rapidly and in the same direction as rotation*

c. more rapidly and in the opposite direction to the rotation

d. more slowly and in the opposite direction to the rotation

e. more slowly and in the same direction as rotation.

14. What features of Venus can be studied using radar?

a. Cloud structure.

b. Sulfuric acid rain.

c. Polar caps.

d. All of the above.

e. None of the above.*

15. The surface of Venus is best characterized as

a. rolling plains, covering about 65% of the planet*

b. rugged, highland-type regions covering about 75% of the surface

c. mare (lowlands) covering more than half of the surface

d. rolling plains covering about 10% of the surface

e. a and b.

16. The geology of Venus appears to be dominated by

a. volcanism.*

b. plate tectonics.

c. erosion by flowing water.

d. impact cratering.

e. strip mining.

17. Which of the following was observed by Venus Pioneer orbiter?

a. Rolling plains covering 60% of the surface.

b. Two continents.

c. A volcanic region.

d. All of the above.*

e. None of the above.

18. Coronae on Venus are believed to be

a. impact craters.

b. caused by rising convection currents in the interior of Venus. *

c. the result of plate tectonics.

d. located only in the polar regions of Venus.

e. much older than the highlands such as Ishtar Terra.

19. One hypothesis suggested to explain the uniform age of the surface of Venus is that

a. Venus' surface is 4 billion years old and has not been affected by flooding or slow evolution.

b. Venus' surface is made of rocks that are much harder than Earth's and thus last longer.

c. Venus periodically goes through a catastrophic melting of the entire surface. *

d. Venus' clouds protect it from meteorites so that very few impacts occur to change its surface.

e. dust storms deposit large amount of dust on the surface making it appear of uniform age.

20. The Magellan spacecraft

a. imaged the surface of Venus using visible light

b. imaged the surface of Venus using infrared radiation

c. imaged the surface of Venus using ultraviolet radiation

d. imaged the surface of Venus using radar*

e. none of these

21. The Magellan spacecraft produced images of which of the following

a. Volcanoes

b. Lava flows

c. Craters

d. Tectonic features

e. All of these*

22. The results from the Magellan spacecraft indicate that Venus

a. has a surface like the Moon

b. has a surface like the Earth

c. has a surface like Mercury

d. has had a relatively active geological history*

e. has had a relatively inactive geological history