Question 1

What is the name for the radio frequency window astronomers use to search for extraterrestrial communication?

Accepted Answer

A)  Drake window 
B)  Phoenix waves 
C)  SETI window 
D)  water hole 
E)  OH hole 
A)  Drake window 
B)  Phoenix waves 
C)  SETI window 
D)  water hole 
E)  OH hole

Question 2

The physical bases of life on Earth are oxygen and water.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Which telescope did astronomers use in 1974 to send an anticoded message to globular cluster M13?

Accepted Answer

A)  HST 
B)  Keck 
C)  Arecibo 
D)  Chandra 
E)  Kepler 
A)  HST 
B)  Keck 
C)  Arecibo 
D)  Chandra 
E)  Kepler

Question 4

Which is the process that explains how life adapts itself to a changing environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  biological evolution 
B)  environmental duplication 
C)  biological transformation 
D)  natural selection 
E)  genetic reproduction 
A)  biological evolution 
B)  environmental duplication 
C)  biological transformation 
D)  natural selection 
E)  genetic reproduction

Question 5

Which type of main-sequence star(s) is a good candidate for searching Earth-like planets with life?

Accepted Answer

A)  O and B 
B)  G and K 
C)  A and F 
D)  white dwarfs 
E)  binary stars 
A)  O and B 
B)  G and K 
C)  A and F 
D)  white dwarfs 
E)  binary stars

Question 6

One theory for the origin of life proposed that reproducing molecules may have arrived here from space.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

What is a key limitation to traveling outside our Solar System in search for life?

Accepted Answer

A)  We have the wrong type of fuel source to power a spacecraft. 
B)  We lack spacecraft that can escape Earth's gravity. 
C)  We lack a decent place to send spacecraft outside of our Solar System. 
D)  We have no way to communicate with an alien civilization. 
E)  We have not yet been able to develop the technology to travel far distances. 
A)  We have the wrong type of fuel source to power a spacecraft. 
B)  We lack spacecraft that can escape Earth's gravity. 
C)  We lack a decent place to send spacecraft outside of our Solar System. 
D)  We have no way to communicate with an alien civilization. 
E)  We have not yet been able to develop the technology to travel far distances.

Question 8

Stromatolites are rock-like columns composed of layers of fossilized ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  bones and tissue 
B)  fungi and planets 
C)  extremophile protists 
D)  photosynthetic algae 
E)  single-celled organisms 
A)  bones and tissue 
B)  fungi and planets 
C)  extremophile protists 
D)  photosynthetic algae 
E)  single-celled organisms

Question 9

What do the radio pulses within the anticoded message sent in 1974 represent?

Accepted Answer

A)  all the letters in the alphabet 
B)  dots and dashes, like Morse code 
C)  binary numbers, ones and zeroes 
D)  Music, notes and measures 
E)  the numbers one through ten 
A)  all the letters in the alphabet 
B)  dots and dashes, like Morse code 
C)  binary numbers, ones and zeroes 
D)  Music, notes and measures 
E)  the numbers one through ten

Question 10

The formula proposed for determining the number of technological civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy with which we might communicate, is known as the _______________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The formula proposed for determining the number...

Question 11

Examine the accompanying figure. Which wavelength range is representative of the noise from Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  a 
B)  b 
C)  c 
D)  d 
E)  e 
A)  a 
B)  b 
C)  c 
D)  d 
E)  e

Question 12

Which celestial body is the most likely candidate for life to emerge and evolve?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars 
B)  Io 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Venus 
E)  Europa 
A)  Mars 
B)  Io 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  Venus 
E)  Europa

Question 13

Aside from Earth, Venus is the most likely place for life to exist in the Solar System.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Life began in the sea.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

The chemical recipes of life are stored within each cell as information in _______________ molecules that resemble a ladder with rungs, composed of chemical bases.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The chemical recipes of life are stored...

Question 16

About 540 million years ago, a sudden increase in biological complexity occurred, known as the _______________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of About 540 million years ago, a sudden...

Question 17

What would a civilization within 60 light-years away be able to detect from Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  our first TV transmissions 
B)  our cellular phone transmissions 
C)  our production of machines that create noise 
D)  our excessive carbon emissions 
E)  our wireless Internet transmissions 
A)  our first TV transmissions 
B)  our cellular phone transmissions 
C)  our production of machines that create noise 
D)  our excessive carbon emissions 
E)  our wireless Internet transmissions

Question 18

The elements that we are all made of are common everywhere in the observable Universe.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

In Miller and Urey's experiment, what did they use to simulate the atmosphere in a sealed, glass container to produce amino acids and organic molecules?

Accepted Answer

A)  volcanic ash 
B)  electric arc 
C)  water vapor 
D)  liquid helium 
E)  nitrogen gas 
A)  volcanic ash 
B)  electric arc 
C)  water vapor 
D)  liquid helium 
E)  nitrogen gas

Question 20

Examine the accompanying figure. Which portion of the radio window astronomers use to search for extraterrestrial communication?

Accepted Answer

A)  a 
B)  b 
C)  c 
D)  d 
E)  e 
A)  a 
B)  b 
C)  c 
D)  d 
E)  e

Exam 26: Astrobiology

What is the name for the radio frequency window astronomers use to search for extraterrestrial communication?

The physical bases of life on Earth are oxygen and water.

Which telescope did astronomers use in 1974 to send an anticoded message to globular cluster M13?

Which is the process that explains how life adapts itself to a changing environment?

Which type of main-sequence star(s) is a good candidate for searching Earth-like planets with life?

One theory for the origin of life proposed that reproducing molecules may have arrived here from space.

What is a key limitation to traveling outside our Solar System in search for life?

Stromatolites are rock-like columns composed of layers of fossilized ____.

What do the radio pulses within the anticoded message sent in 1974 represent?

The formula proposed for determining the number of technological civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy with which we might communicate, is known as the _______________.

Examine the accompanying figure. Which wavelength range is representative of the noise from Earth's atmosphere?

Which celestial body is the most likely candidate for life to emerge and evolve?

Aside from Earth, Venus is the most likely place for life to exist in the Solar System.

Life began in the sea.

The chemical recipes of life are stored within each cell as information in _______________ molecules that resemble a ladder with rungs, composed of chemical bases.

About 540 million years ago, a sudden increase in biological complexity occurred, known as the _______________.

What would a civilization within 60 light-years away be able to detect from Earth?

The elements that we are all made of are common everywhere in the observable Universe.

In Miller and Urey's experiment, what did they use to simulate the atmosphere in a sealed, glass container to produce amino acids and organic molecules?

Examine the accompanying figure. Which portion of the radio window astronomers use to search for extraterrestrial communication?

Here and Now

A Users Guide to the Sky

Moon Phases and Eclipses

Origins of Modern Astronomy

Gravity

Light and Telescopes

Atoms and Spectra

The Sun

The Family of Stars

The Interstellar Medium

Formation and Structure of Stars

Stellar Evolution

Deaths of Stars

Neutron Stars and Black Holes

The Milky Way Galaxy

Galaxies

Supermassive Black Holes and Active Galaxies

Modern Cosmology

Origin of the Solar System and Extrasolar Planets

Earth the Active Planet

The Moon and Mercury

Venus and Mars

Jupiter and Saturn

Uranus Neptune Pluto and the Kuiper Belt

Meteorites Asteroids and Comets

Filters