Question 1

A value of N =0.1 for the Drake equation signifies that

Accepted Answer

A)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors intelligent life. 
B)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors life of some kind. 
C)  one out of every 10 Milky-way sized galaxies in our universe harbors intelligent life. 
D)  one out of every 10 Milky-way sized galaxies in our universe harbors life of some kind. 
E)  approximately one intelligent civilization in the universe is created every 10 billion years. 
A)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors intelligent life. 
B)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors life of some kind. 
C)  one out of every 10 Milky-way sized galaxies in our universe harbors intelligent life. 
D)  one out of every 10 Milky-way sized galaxies in our universe harbors life of some kind. 
E)  approximately one intelligent civilization in the universe is created every 10 billion years.

Question 2

People argue against the possibility of time travel by saying, "If humans will eventually be able to travel back in time, then where are all the tourists from the future?" This idea is similar to
The ________, only applied to time travel instead of alien space travel.

Accepted Answer

A)  Drake equation 
B)  cosmological principle 
C)  Fermi paradox 
D)  Urey-Miller experiment 
E)  evolutionary tree of life 
A)  Drake equation 
B)  cosmological principle 
C)  Fermi paradox 
D)  Urey-Miller experiment 
E)  evolutionary tree of life

Question 3

Adding hydrogen sulfide to the "primitive atmosphere" simulated in the Urey-Miller experiment simulated what process?

Accepted Answer

A)  volcanic eruptions 
B)  atmospheric turbulence 
C)  asteroid and comet impacts 
D)  the passage of time 
E)  pollution due to human activity 
A)  volcanic eruptions 
B)  atmospheric turbulence 
C)  asteroid and comet impacts 
D)  the passage of time 
E)  pollution due to human activity

Question 4

Discuss one possibility considered by scientists to explain the migration of life from sea to land during the epoch preceding the Cambrian era.

Accepted Answer

(1)The "Snowball Earth" scenario propose

Question 5

What are the basic requirements for life, based on the Earth-bound template we have available?

Accepted Answer

Life-forms can arise and develop if ther

Question 6

What determines whether a specific mutation is passed on to future generations?

Accepted Answer

Mutations can be either good or bad for

Question 7

The atomic elements that make up the structure of the amino acids are

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. 
B)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. 
C)  sodium, chlorine, calcium, copper, zinc, and potassium. 
D)  zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, and carbon. 
E)  hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. 
A)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. 
B)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. 
C)  sodium, chlorine, calcium, copper, zinc, and potassium. 
D)  zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, and carbon. 
E)  hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

Question 8

The figure below is a photograph of the surface of Mars.In this image, we see rounded bits of gravel, which are evidence for

Accepted Answer

A)  tectonic activity. 
B)  intelligent life-forms having ground down the rocks. 
C)  bacterial life having once lived in the surface of the gravel particles. 
D)  liquid having flowed on the surface in the past. 
E)  intense winds that could only occur in a thicker atmosphere. 
A)  tectonic activity. 
B)  intelligent life-forms having ground down the rocks. 
C)  bacterial life having once lived in the surface of the gravel particles. 
D)  liquid having flowed on the surface in the past. 
E)  intense winds that could only occur in a thicker atmosphere.

Question 9

Currently the number of confirmed exoplanets is around

Accepted Answer

A)  a dozen. 
B)  2 million. 
C)  a few thousand. 
D)  a few hundred. 
E)  50,000. 
A)  a dozen. 
B)  2 million. 
C)  a few thousand. 
D)  a few hundred. 
E)  50,000.

Question 10

At approximately what fraction of the Earth's current age did the first humans branch out from chimpanzees?

Accepted Answer

A)  > 99% 
B)  98% 
C)  90% 
D)  20% 
E)  5% 
A)  > 99% 
B)  98% 
C)  90% 
D)  20% 
E)  5%

Question 11

Can more than one planet be found in the same habitable zone around a single star?

Accepted Answer

A)  No, habitable zones are too small for more than one planet. 
B)  No, two planet orbits would not be stable inside the same habitable zone. 
C)  No, habitable zones are defined on a per-planet basis. 
D)  Yes, in theory, but this has not yet been observed. 
E)  Yes, and this has been observed. 
A)  No, habitable zones are too small for more than one planet. 
B)  No, two planet orbits would not be stable inside the same habitable zone. 
C)  No, habitable zones are defined on a per-planet basis. 
D)  Yes, in theory, but this has not yet been observed. 
E)  Yes, and this has been observed.

Question 12

Which of the following bodies of the Solar System shows the poorest evidence of water?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mercury 
B)  Europa 
C)  Enceladus 
D)  Titan 
E)  Mars 
A)  Mercury 
B)  Europa 
C)  Enceladus 
D)  Titan 
E)  Mars

Question 13

The most abundant elements manufactured by stars through nuclear reactions are

Accepted Answer

A)  iron, silicon, carbon, and sulfur. 
B)  helium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. 
C)  zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, and carbon. 
D)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. 
E)  carbon, iron, lithium, and argon. 
A)  iron, silicon, carbon, and sulfur. 
B)  helium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. 
C)  zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, and carbon. 
D)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. 
E)  carbon, iron, lithium, and argon.

Question 14

If the Sun were colder and dimmer than it is, the planet closest to the middle of the habitable zone would be

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars. 
B)  Saturn. 
C)  Venus. 
D)  Jupiter. 
E)  Ceres, in the asteroid belt. 
A)  Mars. 
B)  Saturn. 
C)  Venus. 
D)  Jupiter. 
E)  Ceres, in the asteroid belt.

Question 15

Which of the following events is the oldest in the history of life evolution on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  the Cambrian explosion 
B)  the appearance of the first plants on land 
C)  the demise of the dinosaurs 
D)  the branching of primates away from other mammals 
E)  the first human civilizations 
A)  the Cambrian explosion 
B)  the appearance of the first plants on land 
C)  the demise of the dinosaurs 
D)  the branching of primates away from other mammals 
E)  the first human civilizations

Question 16

What are extremophiles, and how do they feature in the history of life on Earth?

Accepted Answer

Extremophiles are organisms (microbes,ba

Question 17

When the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft were launched into space in the 1970s, they were outfitted with messages describing where they came from.Why is it fairly unlikely that an
Alien civilization will use them to find us?

Accepted Answer

A)  The extremely large distances between stars means it will take a very long time before spacecraft reach another planetary system. 
B)  They will rust and fall apart as they get older. 
C)  They will burn up as the Sun's gravity eventually pulls them back in. 
D)  They will likely run into Kuiper Belt objects before they leave the Solar System. 
E)  They are moving so fast through space that they would be very difficult to catch. 
A)  The extremely large distances between stars means it will take a very long time before spacecraft reach another planetary system. 
B)  They will rust and fall apart as they get older. 
C)  They will burn up as the Sun's gravity eventually pulls them back in. 
D)  They will likely run into Kuiper Belt objects before they leave the Solar System. 
E)  They are moving so fast through space that they would be very difficult to catch.

Question 18

Natural selection essentially implies the ability to

Accepted Answer

A)  pass on a genetic code to the next generation. 
B)  avoid interaction with the environment. 
C)  self-replicate. 
D)  adapt to environmental changes. 
E)  avoid genetic mutations. 
A)  pass on a genetic code to the next generation. 
B)  avoid interaction with the environment. 
C)  self-replicate. 
D)  adapt to environmental changes. 
E)  avoid genetic mutations.

Question 19

At approximately what fraction of the Earth's current age did the first plants on land appear?

Accepted Answer

A)  > 99% 
B)  98% 
C)  90% 
D)  20% 
E)  5% 
A)  > 99% 
B)  98% 
C)  90% 
D)  20% 
E)  5%

Question 20

The atomic elements that make up the structure of DNA are

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. 
B)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. 
C)  sodium, chlorine, calcium, copper, zinc, and potassium. 
D)  zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, and carbon. 
E)  hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. 
A)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. 
B)  carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. 
C)  sodium, chlorine, calcium, copper, zinc, and potassium. 
D)  zinc, iodine, iron, calcium, and carbon. 
E)  hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

Exam 24: Life

A value of N =0.1 for the Drake equation signifies that

People argue against the possibility of time travel by saying, "If humans will eventually be able to travel back in time, then where are all the tourists from the future?" This idea is similar to The ________, only applied to time travel instead of alien space travel.

Adding hydrogen sulfide to the "primitive atmosphere" simulated in the Urey-Miller experiment simulated what process?

Discuss one possibility considered by scientists to explain the migration of life from sea to land during the epoch preceding the Cambrian era.

What are the basic requirements for life, based on the Earth-bound template we have available?

What determines whether a specific mutation is passed on to future generations?

The atomic elements that make up the structure of the amino acids are

The figure below is a photograph of the surface of Mars.In this image, we see rounded bits of gravel, which are evidence for

Currently the number of confirmed exoplanets is around

At approximately what fraction of the Earth's current age did the first humans branch out from chimpanzees?

Can more than one planet be found in the same habitable zone around a single star?

Which of the following bodies of the Solar System shows the poorest evidence of water?

The most abundant elements manufactured by stars through nuclear reactions are

If the Sun were colder and dimmer than it is, the planet closest to the middle of the habitable zone would be

Which of the following events is the oldest in the history of life evolution on Earth?

What are extremophiles, and how do they feature in the history of life on Earth?

When the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft were launched into space in the 1970s, they were outfitted with messages describing where they came from.Why is it fairly unlikely that an Alien civilization will use them to find us?

Natural selection essentially implies the ability to

At approximately what fraction of the Earth's current age did the first plants on land appear?

The atomic elements that make up the structure of DNA are

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Formation of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquidthe Giant Planets

Planetary Moons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

The Expanding Universe

Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Filters