The Terrestrial Planets - Quiz 8

1. .Why does Mercury have so many craters and the Earth so few?

A).. Mercury is far more volcanically active than the Earth.
B)..Mercury is much more massive than the Earth and therefore attracted more impacting bodies.
C).. The Sun has heated Mercury's surface to the boiling point of rock and the resulting bubbles left craters
D).. Erosion and plate tectonic activity have destroyed most of the craters on the Earth.
E)..Mercury's iron core and its resulting strong magnetic field have attracted impacting bodies.

2. Which body in the inner Solar System has the densest atmosphere?

3. Why is Venus's surface hotter than Mercury's?

A)... Venus rotates more slowly, so it "bakes" more in the Sun's heat
B)...Clouds in Mercury's atmosphere reflect sunlight back into space and keep its surface cool.
C)... Carbon dioxide in Venus's atmosphere traps heat radiating from its surface thereby making it warmer.
D)... Venus is closer to the Sun.
E)...Venus's rapid rotation generates strong winds that heat the ground by friction as they blow.

4. What are the Venusian clouds made of?

5. .Mercury's average density is about 1.5 times larger than the Moon's even though the two bodies have similar radii. What does this suggest about Mercury's composition?

A)... Mercury's interior is much richer in iron than the Moon's.
B)...Mercury contains proportionately far more rock than the Moon.
C)... Mercury's greater mass has prevented its gravitational attraction from compressing it as much as the Moon is compressed.
D)... Mercury must have a uranium core.
E)...Mercury must have a liquid water core.

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