Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

For stars,their zones would lie close en

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The last 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 4

What important molecules of life did Miller and Urey brew up?

Accepted Answer

A)  RNA 
B)  fatty acids 
C)  lean acids 
D)  amino acids 
E)  antacids 
A)  RNA 
B)  fatty acids 
C)  lean acids 
D)  amino acids 
E)  antacids

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Oxygen is highly reactive,and unless qui

Question 6

What is meant by the "habitable zone"?

Accepted Answer

A)  the zone where water can be a liquid around the center of the Galaxy 
B)  the region around each star where terrestrial planets could have liquid water on their surfaces 
C)  the zone in which terrestrial-sized planets could form around each star 
D)  the region in dense atmospheres like Jupiter's that water droplets could form 
E)  the regions near the poles of Mercury where liquid water might exist 
A)  the zone where water can be a liquid around the center of the Galaxy 
B)  the region around each star where terrestrial planets could have liquid water on their surfaces 
C)  the zone in which terrestrial-sized planets could form around each star 
D)  the region in dense atmospheres like Jupiter's that water droplets could form 
E)  the regions near the poles of Mercury where liquid water might exist

Question 7

Compare the Copernican principle with the assumptions of mediocrity.

Accepted Answer

Both assume we are nothing spe

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

Would N be higher or lower in an elliptical galaxy? Explain.

Accepted Answer

Much lower,for star formation ceased lon

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

Life is thought to be unlikely in subsurface oceans,such as those in Europa,because sunlight does not reach these oceans.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

What unusual discovery was made about the Murchison Meteorite?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is from Mars. 
B)  It contains iron. 
C)  It contains living cells. 
D)  It contains amino acids. 
E)  It is the largest known meteorite. 
A)  It is from Mars. 
B)  It contains iron. 
C)  It contains living cells. 
D)  It contains amino acids. 
E)  It is the largest known meteorite.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

During which step in cosmic evolution were the chemical bases for life created?

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 15

As a radio source,the period of "pulsar Earth" is:

Accepted Answer

A)  30 minutes. 
B)  23 hours, 56 minutes. 
C)  24 hours. 
D)  29.5 days. 
E)  365.25 days. 
A)  30 minutes. 
B)  23 hours, 56 minutes. 
C)  24 hours. 
D)  29.5 days. 
E)  365.25 days.

Question 16

Of the billions of possible combinations of atoms into organic molecules,only about 1500 actually occur.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

What is an organic molecule based on? Why?

Accepted Answer

Carbon atoms.They can form the

Question 18

Of the planetary systems that may exist in our galaxy,what fraction may contain a habitable planet?

Accepted Answer

A)  almost all 
B)  about half 
C)  about a tenth 
D)  only 1 in 50 
E)  less than 1 in 100 
A)  almost all 
B)  about half 
C)  about a tenth 
D)  only 1 in 50 
E)  less than 1 in 100

Question 19

The first probe carrying mankind's message to alien civilizations was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Sputnik I. 
B)  Mariner 4. 
C)  Pioneer 10. 
D)  Voyager I. 
E)  New Horizons. 
A)  Sputnik I. 
B)  Mariner 4. 
C)  Pioneer 10. 
D)  Voyager I. 
E)  New Horizons.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 28: Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?

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

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

The last step in cosmic evolution is:

What important molecules of life did Miller and Urey brew up?

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

What is meant by the "habitable zone"?

Compare the Copernican principle with the assumptions of mediocrity.

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

Would N be higher or lower in an elliptical galaxy? Explain.

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

Life is thought to be unlikely in subsurface oceans,such as those in Europa,because sunlight does not reach these oceans.

What unusual discovery was made about the Murchison Meteorite?

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

During which step in cosmic evolution were the chemical bases for life created?

As a radio source,the period of "pulsar Earth" is:

Of the billions of possible combinations of atoms into organic molecules,only about 1500 actually occur.

What is an organic molecule based on? Why?

Of the planetary systems that may exist in our galaxy,what fraction may contain a habitable planet?

The first probe carrying mankind's message to alien civilizations was:

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

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: Earth's 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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