Which list contains the four inner planets?

Which list contains the four inner planets?

• A. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
• B. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
• C. Mercury, Earth, Pluto, Mars
• D. Venus, Earth, Mars, Neptune

Answer: (A)

The four inner planets are the four planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. That list is the set that matches exactly the four rocky, closer-to-the-Sun worlds, so it’s the best fit for “the four inner planets.” Think about it this way: the other options mix in planets that are farther out or include Pluto, which isn’t classified as one of the planets anymore. Outer planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are much farther from the Sun and are gas or ice giants, not rocky like the inner planets. Pluto, while once considered a planet, is now treated as a dwarf planet. So they don’t represent the four inner planets.

The four inner planets are the four planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. That list is the set that matches exactly the four rocky, closer-to-the-Sun worlds, so it’s the best fit for “the four inner planets.”

Think about it this way: the other options mix in planets that are farther out or include Pluto, which isn’t classified as one of the planets anymore. Outer planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are much farther from the Sun and are gas or ice giants, not rocky like the inner planets. Pluto, while once considered a planet, is now treated as a dwarf planet. So they don’t represent the four inner planets.