Name:
Per.:
Chapter 25.3
1.
Date:
Inner Solar System Quiz
List the inner planets. (1 pt)
Closest to sun 


Farthest from Sun
_______________ , _______________ , ______________, _____________
2.
List 3 things inner planets have in common with one another. (1pt)
Name that Planet! Directions: Read each description and write down the name of the inner
planet that best fits that description. (0.5 pts each)
3. Geologically dead planet that has not changed its
appearance for billions of years. There is no volcanic
activity or weather!
4. Hottest inner planet – Temperatures are 900 F (It’s
hot all of the time here!)
5. Only planet with liquid water on its surface
6. Smallest inner planet
7. Cold, frozen planet with ice caps, extinct volcanoes,
canyons, and dust storms
8. Planet that is 1 AU from the sun
9. Planet with extreme temperature changes
Temperatures vary from very hot to very cold.
10. The “red” planet – with rusty red soil
11. Planet known as Earth’s “twin” because it is similar in
size and mass (but not really like Earth)
12. Planet with a THICK atmosphere of heat – trapping
gases and high atmospheric pressure
13. Planet with a nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere
14. The most explored inner planet (not Earth)
15. Has 2 small (puny) moons – Phobos & Diemos
16. Has no atmosphere at all.
Directions: Match the atmosphere description to the planet. (1 pt each)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer Choices:
It has a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide.
It has an atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen.
It has no atmosphere
It has a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide.
17.
Which choice above describes Mars? _________ (a? b? c? or d?)
18.
Which choice describes Earth?
_________ (a? b? c? or d?)
True or False? If false, correct the statement.
19.
_________________ On Venus, a day is longer than a year.
20.
_________________ Oxygen is a heat-trapping gas (green house gas)
21.
_________________ The surface of Mercury is always changing due to weather.
22.
_________________ A geologically dead planet has active volcanoes.
23.
_________________ Craters are the main feature on Mercury.
24.
_________________ Most of the water on Mars is frozen.
25.
_________________ Asteroids are space rocks between Earth and Mars.
Answer the following questions with complete sentences.
26. Compare Earth’s moon to Mercury. How are they similar? (4 pts)
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
27.
Compare and contrast Earth to Mars. How are they similar? How are
they different? (6 pts)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
28. Select ONE of the questions below to answer. Support your answer with
details. (4 pts)
A. If Earth and Venus both have active volcanoes – why doesn’t Earth have a
thick carbon dioxide atmosphere like Venus? (Remember we talked about
plants)
OR
B. What challenges would an astronaut face on Venus?
OR
C. Give an example of a greenhouse gas. How does it affect the temperatures
on a planet.