Question 1

What three classes of stars are most likely to house life like ours? Why?

Accepted Answer

F, G, and K are all similar en

Question 2

We have found Titan's surface to have perfect living conditions for earthlike life.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The Drake equation now tells us that the number of technological civilizations in our Galaxyat this time is:

Accepted Answer

A) only our own. 
B) five to ten at most. 
C) perhaps 3,000. 
D) millions. 
E) not known; insufficient data to compute. 
A) only our own. 
B) five to ten at most. 
C) perhaps 3,000. 
D) millions. 
E) not known; insufficient data to compute.

Question 4

Compare the Copernican principle with the assumptions of mediocrity.

Accepted Answer

Both assume we are nothing spe

Question 5

The water hole is a region around Sun-like stars where liquid water can exist on the surfacesof terrestrial planets.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Organic molecules are:

Accepted Answer

A) living cells. 
B) carbon-based. 
C) silicon-based. 
D) found only on Earth. 
E) not found outside our solar system. 
A) living cells. 
B) carbon-based. 
C) silicon-based. 
D) found only on Earth. 
E) not found outside our solar system.

Question 7

Elliptical galaxies, with older stars, will be more likely to have evolved intelligences than thestars close to us in the Milky Way.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Comets were likely a major agent in bringing both water and organic molecules to the surfaceof the early Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

What evidence did probes to Mars find that makes it a prime candidate for life?

Accepted Answer

Water ice at the pole, photogr

Question 10

Which class of stars probably has too small a habitable zone for life to arise?

Accepted Answer

Class M stars are to

Question 11

Assuming the conditions ripe for life and intelligence abound in the Galaxy, what factorlimits the number of galactic civilizations?

Accepted Answer

A) the lack of metals for technology 
B) the number of supernova explosions 
C) the expansion of the Universe 
D) the average survival time of the civilizations 
E) the speed of technological development 
A) the lack of metals for technology 
B) the number of supernova explosions 
C) the expansion of the Universe 
D) the average survival time of the civilizations 
E) the speed of technological development

Question 12

An experiment similar to the Miller-Urey Experiment was more recently done by NASAusing an icy mixture of water, methanol, ammonia and carbon monoxide. The mixture wasexposed to ultraviolet radiation. The results of this experiment were that no amino acids or DNAwas formed, but complex organic molecules were observed. The purpose of this experiment wasto determine whether:

Accepted Answer

A) DNA could form from amino acids. 
B) DNA could form from ultraviolet radiation. 
C) ultraviolet radiation could create amino acids. 
D) amino acids could form in the harsh vacuum of outer space. 
E) amino acids could form from water, methanol, ammonia and carbon monoxide. 
A) DNA could form from amino acids. 
B) DNA could form from ultraviolet radiation. 
C) ultraviolet radiation could create amino acids. 
D) amino acids could form in the harsh vacuum of outer space. 
E) amino acids could form from water, methanol, ammonia and carbon monoxide.

Question 13

Europa is the most promising of the bodies in the outer solar system for life in its salty seas.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which of these does Mars NOT have to help its case of past or present life?

Accepted Answer

A) occasional water flows, and past records of much larger ones 
B) a protective ozone layer 
C) carbon dioxide to provide some greenhouse warming 
D) a favorable distance from the Sun 
E) rover discoveries of sedimentary rocks and carbonates on the surface of Mars 
A) occasional water flows, and past records of much larger ones 
B) a protective ozone layer 
C) carbon dioxide to provide some greenhouse warming 
D) a favorable distance from the Sun 
E) rover discoveries of sedimentary rocks and carbonates on the surface of Mars

Question 15

Why does detection of abundant free oxygen in an atmosphere suggest life is present? Does itsabsence prove life could not be present?

Accepted Answer

Oxygen is highly reactive, and unless qu

Question 16

How is a technical civilization defined?

Accepted Answer

A) a civilization that can avoid self-destruction for long periods 
B) a civilization that can communicate over interstellar distances 
C) a civilization that has the ability to store and process information 
D) a civilization that has developed interplanetary space travel 
E) a civilization that can construct tools out of raw materials 
A) a civilization that can avoid self-destruction for long periods 
B) a civilization that can communicate over interstellar distances 
C) a civilization that has the ability to store and process information 
D) a civilization that has developed interplanetary space travel 
E) a civilization that can construct tools out of raw materials

Question 17

Choose the list that is correct in order of size from largest to smallest.

Accepted Answer

A) amino acids, genes, carbon dioxide, DNA 
B) genes, amino acids, DNA, carbon dioxide 
C) carbon dioxide, amino acids, genes, DNA 
D) DNA, genes, amino acids, carbon dioxide 
E) DNA, genes, carbon dioxide, amino acids 
A) amino acids, genes, carbon dioxide, DNA 
B) genes, amino acids, DNA, carbon dioxide 
C) carbon dioxide, amino acids, genes, DNA 
D) DNA, genes, amino acids, carbon dioxide 
E) DNA, genes, carbon dioxide, amino acids

Question 18

What other recent hypotheses would corroborate the hypothesis that life on Earth originatedin space? (Choose all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

A) amino acids forming DNA 
B) meteorites containing amino acids 
C) cometary impacts as the source of water on Earth 
D) early aerobic organisms created the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere 
E) the fossil record showing how biological organisms on Earth have changed over time 
A) amino acids forming DNA 
B) meteorites containing amino acids 
C) cometary impacts as the source of water on Earth 
D) early aerobic organisms created the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere 
E) the fossil record showing how biological organisms on Earth have changed over time

Question 19

In addition to Mars, which jovian moon shows some promise of life, with a surface not thatdifferent from the Arctic Ocean?

Accepted Answer

A) Titan 
B) Miranda 
C) Europa 
D) Io 
E) Triton 
A) Titan 
B) Miranda 
C) Europa 
D) Io 
E) Triton

Question 20

Conducted in 1953, the ________ experiments were designed to show what types of complexmolecules might have formed in the Earth's primitive environment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Conducted in 1953, the ________ experiments were...

Exam 28: Life in the Universe: Are We Alone

What three classes of stars are most likely to house life like ours? Why?

We have found Titan's surface to have perfect living conditions for earthlike life.

The Drake equation now tells us that the number of technological civilizations in our Galaxyat this time is:

Compare the Copernican principle with the assumptions of mediocrity.

The water hole is a region around Sun-like stars where liquid water can exist on the surfacesof terrestrial planets.

Organic molecules are:

Elliptical galaxies, with older stars, will be more likely to have evolved intelligences than thestars close to us in the Milky Way.

Comets were likely a major agent in bringing both water and organic molecules to the surfaceof the early Earth.

What evidence did probes to Mars find that makes it a prime candidate for life?

Which class of stars probably has too small a habitable zone for life to arise?

Assuming the conditions ripe for life and intelligence abound in the Galaxy, what factorlimits the number of galactic civilizations?

Europa is the most promising of the bodies in the outer solar system for life in its salty seas.

Which of these does Mars NOT have to help its case of past or present life?

Why does detection of abundant free oxygen in an atmosphere suggest life is present? Does itsabsence prove life could not be present?

How is a technical civilization defined?

Choose the list that is correct in order of size from largest to smallest.

What other recent hypotheses would corroborate the hypothesis that life on Earth originatedin space? (Choose all that apply.)

In addition to Mars, which jovian moon shows some promise of life, with a surface not thatdifferent from the Arctic Ocean?

Conducted in 1953, the ________ experiments were designed to show what types of complexmolecules might have formed in the Earth's primitive environment.

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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