Question

With an average surface temperature of about 737 K, _______ is the hottest planet.

a. Earth
b. Mercury
c. Mars
d. Venus

Answer 1

I believe it is Venus since it is the closest planet to the sun with an atmosphere.  While Mercury may be the answer, I think Venus is more probable since the atmosphere traps a tremendous amount of heat--however, I may be wrong.  Although, this problem could be easily google searched.

Answer 2

Venus is, on average, even hotter than Mercury. The reason is because Mercury is tidally locked, so the side opposite the sun is quite cold. Venus has a dense heat-trapping atmosphere, and thus its average surface temperature is quite high.