Which of the following planets of our solar system has least mass?
- A.Neptune
- B.Jupiter
- C.Mars
- D.Mercury
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, Mercury. Mercury is both the smallest and the least massive of the eight planets, with only about 5.5 per cent of the mass of the Earth.
Mercury is also the planet closest to the Sun and the fastest, taking about 88 days to go round it. It has no moon and almost no atmosphere, so its temperature swings widely between day and night. Mars, the red planet, has about a tenth of the Earth's mass, roughly twice that of Mercury. The four inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are rocky and small, while the four outer planets are giants of gas and ice.
Option A is wrong because Neptune, an ice giant, has about 17 times the mass of the Earth. Option B is wrong because Jupiter is the most massive planet, about 318 times the Earth. Option C is wrong because Mars, though small, is still about twice as massive as Mercury.
Exam tip: smallest and lightest planet Mercury; largest and heaviest Jupiter; Mercury and Venus have no moons.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following pairs of old names and new names of islands in India is/are correctly matched ? 1. Ross Island : Shaheed Dweep 2. Neil Island : Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep 3. Havelock Island : Swaraj Dweep Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1,2 and 3
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 and 2 only
- D.3 only
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Havelock Island was renamed Swaraj Dweep, but the names given for Ross Island and Neil Island have been swapped. On 30 December 2018 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced new names for three islands of the Andaman and Nicobar group at Port Blair.
Read the full explanation →According to the Forest Survey Report, 2021, area-wise which one of the following States has the largest forest cover in India?
- A.Odisha
- B.Madhya Pradesh
- C.Arunachal Pradesh
- D.Chhattisgarh
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The India State of Forest Report 2021 placed Madhya Pradesh first in India by total forest cover in area. The report is prepared every two years by the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, using satellite data.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following countries does not share its territorial boundary with Ukraine ?
- A.Poland
- B.Romania
- C.Lithuania
- D.Belarus
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Lithuania lies on the Baltic Sea to the north of Belarus, and Belarus separates it completely from Ukraine.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following Indian States account for the maximum deposits of Bauxite and Chromite?
- A.Andhra Pradesh
- B.Madhya Pradesh
- C.Jharkhand
- D.Odisha
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Odisha holds the largest share of India's bauxite reserves and almost all of its chromite, making it the leading state for both minerals.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following Himalayan rivers does NOT originate from across the Himalayas?
- A.Indus
- B.Satluj
- C.Ganga
- D.Brahmaputra
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The Ganga rises on the Indian side of the Great Himalaya, at the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand, while the Indus, the Satluj and the Brahmaputra all rise beyond the Himalaya in Tibet.
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