1. Categorizing moons by geological activity is helpful because
a. comparing them reveals underlying physical processes.
b. geological activity levels drop with distance from the Sun.
c. geological activity determines the size and composition of
the moons.
d. most moons are very similar to each other.
2. The discovery of the Galilean moons was seen as supporting
evidence for the Copernican system because it showed that
a. Jupiter orbits the Sun.
b. Jupiter does not orbit Earth.
c. some objects do not orbit Earth.
d. the Sun is the center of the Solar System.
3. Rank these moons in terms of the density of impact craters
you would expect to observe on the surface.
a. Callisto, a moon that probably has never been active
b. Titan, a possibly active moon
c. Io, a definitely active moon
d. Ganymede, a formerly active moon
4. Moons of outer planets may provide a home for life because
a. some have liquid water.
b. some have organic molecules.
c. some have an interior source of energy.
d. all of the above
5. Gravitational interactions with moons produce
a. fine structure within rings.
b. short-lived rings.
c. smoothed-out rings.
d. rings with spokes.
6. The length of time a ring persists is most comparable to
a. a human lifetime.
b. the lifetime of a tree.
c. a geological era.
d. a planet’s age.
7. Saturn’s bright rings are located within the Roche limit of
Saturn. This fact supports the theory that these rings (select
all that apply)
a. formed of moons torn apart by tidal stresses.
b. formed at the same time that Saturn formed.
c. are relatively recent.
d. are temporary.
8. The story of the F Ring of Saturn is an example of
a. an unexplained phenomenon.
b. media bias.
c. the self-correcting nature of science.
d. a violation of causality.
9. If a moon revolves opposite to the planet’s rotation, it probably
a. was captured after the planet formed.
b. had its orbit altered by a collision.
c. has a different composition than other moons have.
d. formed very recently in the Solar System’s history.