Terrestrial planets are characterized by which description?

• A. Small, rocky and iron-rich near the Sun
• B. Large, gas-rich worlds far from the Sun
• C. Icy bodies with low densities
• D. Cold, distant planets

Answer: (A)

Terrestrial planets are the small, rocky worlds that orbit closer to the Sun and have relatively high densities from iron-rich cores. Their solid surfaces and compact sizes come from forming inside the frost line where rocky and metallic materials condense, unlike the giant planets that form farther out and accrete thick hydrogen–helium envelopes. The other descriptions describe icy, distant, or gas-rich bodies, which do not match the rocky inner planets. So the description that best fits terrestrial planets is small, rocky and iron-rich near the Sun.