Question 1

SETI's Allen Telescope Array is designed to search ________ for signs of intelligent life.

Accepted Answer

A)  more than a thousand stars 
B)  more than a million stars 
C)  galaxies in the Local Group 
D)  the 100 closest spiral galaxies 
A)  more than a thousand stars 
B)  more than a million stars 
C)  galaxies in the Local Group 
D)  the 100 closest spiral galaxies B

Question 2

Terrestrial life is carbon-based and requires ________ as its solvent.

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon 
B)  DNA 
C)  hydrogen 
D)  liquid water 
A)  carbon 
B)  DNA 
C)  hydrogen 
D)  liquid water D

Question 3

Name three main dangers (one human and two astrophysical)that threaten the continued existence of human life on Earth.

Accepted Answer

Some examples include:
(1)The Sun evolving to become a red giant and burning away Earth's atmosphere.
(2)A large asteroid or comet hitting Earth,although some life,even if it were in primitive form,might survive even a large collision.
(3)Human overpopulation and overuse of natural resources.
(4)Carbon emission leading to global warming.
(5)Global nuclear war.

Question 4

Make an argument in support of the following statement: "The earliest forms of life on Earth must have been extremophiles."

Accepted Answer

Extremophiles can survive in subfreezing

Question 5

Which one of the following is NOT one of the three categories of terrestrial life based on its DNA characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A)  bacteria 
B)  Eukarya 
C)  Archaea 
D)  fungi 
A)  bacteria 
B)  Eukarya 
C)  Archaea 
D)  fungi

Question 6

Evidence for lakes of hydrocarbons,such as methane,has been discovered on:

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars. 
B)  Mercury. 
C)  Titan. 
D)  Venus. 
A)  Mars. 
B)  Mercury. 
C)  Titan. 
D)  Venus.

Question 7

Why is it unlikely that we will ever contact extraterrestrial life? Choose the most correct answer.

Accepted Answer

A)  Aliens have already contacted us. 
B)  Life is unlikely to exist elsewhere in the universe. 
C)  Our technology does not allow us to pick up signals. 
D)  Space is very big. 
A)  Aliens have already contacted us. 
B)  Life is unlikely to exist elsewhere in the universe. 
C)  Our technology does not allow us to pick up signals. 
D)  Space is very big.

Question 8

What determines whether or not a specific mutation is passed on to future generations?

Accepted Answer

Mutations can be either good o

Question 9

If we model the history of Earth as a single day,at what time would the first human civilizations appear?

Accepted Answer

A)  0.2 seconds before midnight 
B)  2 minutes before midnight 
C)  10:00 P.M. 
D)  6:00 P.M. 
A)  0.2 seconds before midnight 
B)  2 minutes before midnight 
C)  10:00 P.M. 
D)  6:00 P.M.

Question 10

Explain the roles of mutations and heredity in biological evolution.

Accepted Answer

A mutation is a change in genetic code.S

Question 11

Scientists have shown that ammonia and methane,mixed together with hydrogen,carbon dioxide,or nitrogen,can produce some of the amino acids essential for life.What else is necessary in this process and why?

Accepted Answer

The missing ingredie

Question 12

What is the goal of SETI?

Accepted Answer

A)  to communicate with alien life 
B)  to discover alien life of any form 
C)  to discover extraterrestrial civilizations 
D)  to protect Earth from aliens 
A)  to communicate with alien life 
B)  to discover alien life of any form 
C)  to discover extraterrestrial civilizations 
D)  to protect Earth from aliens

Question 13

The habitable zone around a star depends most on its:

Accepted Answer

A)  mass and age. 
B)  radius and distance. 
C)  color and distance. 
D)  luminosity and velocity. 
A)  mass and age. 
B)  radius and distance. 
C)  color and distance. 
D)  luminosity and velocity.

Question 14

As the Sun evolves into a red giant,what will happen to the location of the habitable zone in our Solar System?

Accepted Answer

A)  move away from the Sun 
B)  move closer to the Sun 
C)  remain in its current position 
D)  We have no way of predicting. 
A)  move away from the Sun 
B)  move closer to the Sun 
C)  remain in its current position 
D)  We have no way of predicting.

Question 15

All terrestrial life is ________-based.

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon 
B)  hydrogen 
C)  nitrogen 
D)  oxygen 
A)  carbon 
B)  hydrogen 
C)  nitrogen 
D)  oxygen

Question 16

Carbon forms the backbone of our DNA because:

Accepted Answer

A)  it is the most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen and helium. 
B)  it reacts easily with oxygen. 
C)  it remains solid even at high temperatures. 
D)  a carbon atom can bond with up to four atoms at a time. 
A)  it is the most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen and helium. 
B)  it reacts easily with oxygen. 
C)  it remains solid even at high temperatures. 
D)  a carbon atom can bond with up to four atoms at a time.

Question 17

Describe what is meant by "galactic habitable zone."

Accepted Answer

Stars that are situated too far from the

Question 18

Based on what you know of Earth's evolution,what percentage of Earth-like planets in a star cluster with an age of 2 billion years has intelligent life?

Accepted Answer

A)  0 percent 
B)  10 percent 
C)  30 percent 
D)  50 percent 
A)  0 percent 
B)  10 percent 
C)  30 percent 
D)  50 percent

Question 19

Given the following information,what would be the number of intelligent civilizations in our galaxy? If all stars formed planets; each planet has an 0.1 percent chance of supporting life; every time conditions are right,life develops; and only 0.001 percent of the time,intelligent life develops surviving indefinitely.

Accepted Answer

The Drake equation says the number of in

Question 20

What is SETI,what is its main objective,and how does it plan to achieve its objective?

Accepted Answer

SETI is the Search for Extraterrestrial

SETI's Allen Telescope Array is designed to search ________ for signs of intelligent life.

Terrestrial life is carbon-based and requires ________ as its solvent.

Name three main dangers (one human and two astrophysical)that threaten the continued existence of human life on Earth.

Make an argument in support of the following statement: "The earliest forms of life on Earth must have been extremophiles."

Which one of the following is NOT one of the three categories of terrestrial life based on its DNA characteristics?

Evidence for lakes of hydrocarbons,such as methane,has been discovered on:

Why is it unlikely that we will ever contact extraterrestrial life? Choose the most correct answer.

What determines whether or not a specific mutation is passed on to future generations?

If we model the history of Earth as a single day,at what time would the first human civilizations appear?

Explain the roles of mutations and heredity in biological evolution.

Scientists have shown that ammonia and methane,mixed together with hydrogen,carbon dioxide,or nitrogen,can produce some of the amino acids essential for life.What else is necessary in this process and why?

What is the goal of SETI?

The habitable zone around a star depends most on its:

As the Sun evolves into a red giant,what will happen to the location of the habitable zone in our Solar System?

All terrestrial life is ________-based.

Carbon forms the backbone of our DNA because:

Describe what is meant by "galactic habitable zone."

Based on what you know of Earth's evolution,what percentage of Earth-like planets in a star cluster with an age of 2 billion years has intelligent life?

What is SETI,what is its main objective,and how does it plan to achieve its objective?

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, earth, and Mars

The Giant Planets

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Our Star: the Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Measuring Galaxies

Our Galaxy: the Milky Way

The Evolution of the Universe

Formation of Structure

Filters

Exam 18: Life in the Universe

SETI's Allen Telescope Array is designed to search ________ for signs of intelligent life.

Terrestrial life is carbon-based and requires ________ as its solvent.

Name three main dangers (one human and two astrophysical)that threaten the continued existence of human life on Earth.

Make an argument in support of the following statement: "The earliest forms of life on Earth must have been extremophiles."

Which one of the following is NOT one of the three categories of terrestrial life based on its DNA characteristics?

Evidence for lakes of hydrocarbons,such as methane,has been discovered on:

Why is it unlikely that we will ever contact extraterrestrial life? Choose the most correct answer.

What determines whether or not a specific mutation is passed on to future generations?

If we model the history of Earth as a single day,at what time would the first human civilizations appear?

Explain the roles of mutations and heredity in biological evolution.

Scientists have shown that ammonia and methane,mixed together with hydrogen,carbon dioxide,or nitrogen,can produce some of the amino acids essential for life.What else is necessary in this process and why?

What is the goal of SETI?

The habitable zone around a star depends most on its:

As the Sun evolves into a red giant,what will happen to the location of the habitable zone in our Solar System?

All terrestrial life is ________-based.

Carbon forms the backbone of our DNA because:

Describe what is meant by "galactic habitable zone."

Based on what you know of Earth's evolution,what percentage of Earth-like planets in a star cluster with an age of 2 billion years has intelligent life?

What is SETI,what is its main objective,and how does it plan to achieve its objective?

Thinking Like an Astronomer

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth and the Moon

Laws of Motion

Light and Telescopes

The Formation of Stars and Planets

Terrestrial Worlds in the Inner Solar System

Atmospheres of Venus, earth, and Mars

The Giant Planets

Small Bodies of the Solar System

Measuring the Stars

Our Star: the Sun

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Measuring Galaxies

Our Galaxy: the Milky Way

The Evolution of the Universe

Formation of Structure

Filters