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1. If the sun were twice as massive, its pull on the moon would be:
A. unchanged B. twice as much C. half as much D. four times as much
2. If the distance between two massive objects is doubled, what happens to the gravitational force between
these objects?
A. It doubles B. It quadruples C. It decreases by factor of 2 D. It decreases by factor of 4
3. Which pulls harder gravitationally: a fly on an elephant, or an elephant on a fly?
A. fly on elephant B. elephant on fly C. they’re equal D. there is no force between them
4. Now let’s say they collide; is the force of collision larger on the fly or on the elephant?
A. fly B. elephant C. they’re equal D. there is no collision force
5. Which of Newton’s laws tells you the answer to the previous question?
A. 1st Law B. 2nd Law C. 3rd Law D. Law of Universal Gravitation
6. When you’re riding the subway and the train comes to a stop or starts moving from rest, you feel a
particular “pull.” Which of Newton’s laws is this an excellent example of?
A. 1st Law B. 2nd Law C. 3rd Law D. Law of Universal Gravitation
7. Every cat on campus is attracted to every other cat on campus, and this attraction grows as the cats
grow in size! Which of Newton’s laws tells us this weird but true fact?
A. 1st Law B. 2nd Law C. 3rd Law D. Law of Universal Gravitation
8. How would your weight on the moon compare to your weight on Earth?
A. Smaller on the moon B. Larger on the moon C. The same D. Impossible to determine
9. In his third law, Johannes Kepler expressed a connection between a planet’s average orbiting distance
from the sun and what other quantity?
A. Its mass B. Its period of rotation C. The curvature of its orbit D. Gravitational force

10. Water on earth most likely originated from what source?
A. Single-celled organisms B. Meteorites C. Solar radiation D. Dinosaur spit
11. What are the two most abundant gases in the earth’s atmosphere?
A. Nitrogen and oxygen B. Oxygen and carbon monoxide C. Water vapor and methane
D. Methane and hydrogen
12. The deepest hole in the earth doesn’t even come close to getting into the core. What’s the main tool
scientists use to learn about the composition of the inside of the earth?
A. Nanoprobes B. Seismic (earthquake) waves C. Surface rocks D. Magnetic field lines
13. Scientists think the entire earth may have “melted” at some point. What is the evidence for this?
A. Subduction B. Differentiation C. Rifting D. Precession
14. What causes plate tectonics?
A. Magnetic fields B. Earthquakes C. Volcanoes D. Convection currents
15. While there is to true “end” to our atmosphere, the generally agreed-upon border between earth’s
atmosphere and the rest of space is called:
A. the sound barrier B. the Van Allen belt C. the Karman line D. the Fermi surface
16. Which of these is the main reason Jupiter appears so bright?
A. Its particular distance from the sun B. Its large size C. Its smooth surface D. Its weather
17. Which planet was discovered purely using mathematics?
A. Mars B. Venus C. Uranus D. Neptune
18. Which planet is, on average, the warmest?
A. Mercury B. Venus C. Earth D. Mars
19. Which planet is, on average, the coldest?
A. Jupiter B. Saturn C. Uranus D. Neptune
20. Which two planets have rotation axes that point in different directions from the rest of the planets in
our solar system?
A. Neptune and Mars B. Uranus and Saturn C. Mercury and Jupiter D. Venus and Uranus