Question 1

How does Drake define a technological civilization?

Accepted Answer

A) one that can get into space 
B) one that can communicate over interstellar distances 
C) one that has a written language 
D) one that can construct metal tools 
E) one that can have the intelligence not to destroy itself 
A) one that can get into space 
B) one that can communicate over interstellar distances 
C) one that has a written language 
D) one that can construct metal tools 
E) one that can have the intelligence not to destroy itself B

Question 2

To date, our serious searches for extraterrestrial life have been done almost entirely:

Accepted Answer

A) in Roswell and Gulf Breeze. 
B) with radio telescopes. 
C) with optical telescopes looking for nuclear tests. 
D) with microwaves in the giant molecular clouds. 
E) with infrared telescopes looking for greenhouse gases. 
A) in Roswell and Gulf Breeze. 
B) with radio telescopes. 
C) with optical telescopes looking for nuclear tests. 
D) with microwaves in the giant molecular clouds. 
E) with infrared telescopes looking for greenhouse gases. B

Question 3

Why do jovian planets with highly eccentric orbits indicate that it is unlikely that a star has ahabitable terrestrial planet?

Accepted Answer

The large jovian planets with eccentric orbits would destabilize the orbits of terrestrialplanets in the inner solar system, resulting in ejection of the terrestrial planet or conditions tooextreme or variable on the terrestrial planet for life to develop.

Question 4

Of all the chemical elements, the one most crucial to the complexity of life is:

Accepted Answer

A) hydrogen. 
B) oxygen. 
C) sulfur. 
D) carbon. 
E) nitrogen. 
A) hydrogen. 
B) oxygen. 
C) sulfur. 
D) carbon. 
E) nitrogen.

Question 5

Of the terrestrial planets, Mars seems to be most promising to exobiologists.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Organic molecules can only be made by living things.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What is the "water hole"? Why is it so promising to radio astronomers?

Accepted Answer

The "water hole" is the region of the ra

Question 8

The famed meteorite with carbonate rocks and possible microfossils came from:

Accepted Answer

A) Venus. 
B) the Moon. 
C) Mars. 
D) Europa. 
E) Comet Halley. 
A) Venus. 
B) the Moon. 
C) Mars. 
D) Europa. 
E) Comet Halley.

Question 9

An experiment was done where a "primordial soup" of water, methane, carbon dioxide andammonia was electrified. Following this, the material was found to contain many of the aminoacids found in all living things on Earth. The purpose of this experiment was to:

Accepted Answer

A) determine whether DNA could have formed from electrolysis. 
B) determine whether DNA could have formed from amino acids. 
C) determine whether DNA could have formed from water and methane. 
D) determine whether amino acids could have formed naturally on Earth. 
E) determine whether amino acids could have formed from water, methane, carbon dioxide andammonia. 
A) determine whether DNA could have formed from electrolysis. 
B) determine whether DNA could have formed from amino acids. 
C) determine whether DNA could have formed from water and methane. 
D) determine whether amino acids could have formed naturally on Earth. 
E) determine whether amino acids could have formed from water, methane, carbon dioxide andammonia.

Question 10

Which type of molecules, vital to our life, was found in Murchison and similar carbonaceouschondrites?

Accepted Answer

A) amino acids 
B) DNA 
C) lipids 
D) sugars 
E) vitamins 
A) amino acids 
B) DNA 
C) lipids 
D) sugars 
E) vitamins

Question 11

The first step in cosmic evolution is:

Accepted Answer

A) particulate evolution. 
B) stellar evolution. 
C) chemical evolution. 
D) biological evolution. 
E) cultural evolution. 
A) particulate evolution. 
B) stellar evolution. 
C) chemical evolution. 
D) biological evolution. 
E) cultural evolution.

Question 12

Life emerged on Earth about a billion years after the solar system formed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The ________ habitable zone is set by the activity of the nucleus on the inside, and the rate ofstar formation and proper chemistry on the outside.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________ habitable zone is set by...

Question 14

The radio signals from Earth are greater than from the Sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

For which of these forms of life is it hardest to apply present criteria for life, based on itsbehavior when isolated?

Accepted Answer

A) a bacterial spore 
B) a plant seed 
C) a virus 
D) a fungus spore 
E) a slime mold 
A) a bacterial spore 
B) a plant seed 
C) a virus 
D) a fungus spore 
E) a slime mold

Question 16

As yet, no human probe has completely left our solar system and gone into interstellar space.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Which of these technological advances would make it harder for extraterrestrial life to findus?

Accepted Answer

A) FM radio 
B) color television 
C) the Global Positioning Satellite Network 
D) cable TV 
E) geosynchronous satellites 
A) FM radio 
B) color television 
C) the Global Positioning Satellite Network 
D) cable TV 
E) geosynchronous satellites

Question 18

The simplest life forms appeared on Earth when it was how old?

Accepted Answer

A) five million years 
B) one billion years 
C) 2.5 billion years 
D) 3.5 billion years 
E) 4.5 billion years 
A) five million years 
B) one billion years 
C) 2.5 billion years 
D) 3.5 billion years 
E) 4.5 billion years

Question 19

Define "intelligent civilization" according to Drake.

Accepted Answer

Drake defined a technological

Question 20

The book discussed two different "zones of habitability"; describe and compare them.

Accepted Answer

For stars, their zones would lie close e

Exam 28: Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

How does Drake define a technological civilization?

To date, our serious searches for extraterrestrial life have been done almost entirely:

Why do jovian planets with highly eccentric orbits indicate that it is unlikely that a star has ahabitable terrestrial planet?

Of all the chemical elements, the one most crucial to the complexity of life is:

Of the terrestrial planets, Mars seems to be most promising to exobiologists.

Organic molecules can only be made by living things.

What is the "water hole"? Why is it so promising to radio astronomers?

The famed meteorite with carbonate rocks and possible microfossils came from:

An experiment was done where a "primordial soup" of water, methane, carbon dioxide andammonia was electrified. Following this, the material was found to contain many of the aminoacids found in all living things on Earth. The purpose of this experiment was to:

Which type of molecules, vital to our life, was found in Murchison and similar carbonaceouschondrites?

The first step in cosmic evolution is:

Life emerged on Earth about a billion years after the solar system formed.

The ________ habitable zone is set by the activity of the nucleus on the inside, and the rate ofstar formation and proper chemistry on the outside.

The radio signals from Earth are greater than from the Sun.

For which of these forms of life is it hardest to apply present criteria for life, based on itsbehavior when isolated?

As yet, no human probe has completely left our solar system and gone into interstellar space.

Which of these technological advances would make it harder for extraterrestrial life to findus?

The simplest life forms appeared on Earth when it was how old?

Define "intelligent civilization" according to Drake.

The book discussed two different "zones of habitability"; describe and compare them.

Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

Radiation: Information From the Cosmos

Spectroscopy: the Inner Workings of Atoms

Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

The Solar System: Comparative Planetology and Formation Models

Earth: Our Home in Space

The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

Venus: Earths Sister Planet

Mars: a Near Miss for Life

Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

Exoplanets: Planetary Systems Beyond Our Own

The Sun: Our Parent Star

The Stars: Giants, Dwarfs, and the Main Sequence

The Interstellar Medium: Gas and Dust Among the Stars

Star Formation: a Traumatic Birth

Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of a Star

Stellar Explosions: Novae, Supernovae, and the Formation of the Elements

Neutron Stars and Black Holes: Strange States of Matter

The Milky Way Galaxy: a Spiral in Space

Galaxies: Building Blocks of the Universe

Galaxies and Dark Matter: The Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos

Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Fate of the Universe

The Early Universe: Toward the Beginning of Time

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