Answered

Which of these is the most basic factor controlling why an outer-solar-system planetary body like Pluto is much colder than an inner-solar-system body like Mercury?

O The main thing that controls a planetary body's surface temperature is the rate at which it rotates.
O Distance from the Sun doesn't matter much, since the main thing controlling a body's surface temperature is its internal composition.
O Planetary bodies are heated by the radiant energy of the Sun, which gets weaker with distance.
O The most important factor for the surface temperatures of planetary bodies is the speed at which they orbit the Sun.