Question 1

The center of mass of the solar system is

Accepted Answer

A)  midway between the Sun and Jupiter 
B)  exactly at the center of the Sun 
C)  just outside the orbit of Mercury 
D)  close to center but not exactly at the center of the Sun 
A)  midway between the Sun and Jupiter 
B)  exactly at the center of the Sun 
C)  just outside the orbit of Mercury 
D)  close to center but not exactly at the center of the Sun

Question 2

The Hertzprung-Russell diagram is a plot of

Accepted Answer

A)  radial velocity against distance 
B)  apparent brightness against time 
C)  luminosity against distance 
D)  luminosity against surface temperature 
A)  radial velocity against distance 
B)  apparent brightness against time 
C)  luminosity against distance 
D)  luminosity against surface temperature

Question 3

Even though K- and M-type stars are suitable for life, why might they not have many habitable planets around them?

Accepted Answer

A)  because their habitable zones are very wide 
B)  because their habitable zones are very narrow 
C)  because their lifetimes are too short 
D)  because they contain too few heavy elements to form planets 
A)  because their habitable zones are very wide 
B)  because their habitable zones are very narrow 
C)  because their lifetimes are too short 
D)  because they contain too few heavy elements to form planets

Question 4

The radial velocity curve of a star with an extrasolar planet is a plot of radial velocity against

Accepted Answer

A)  luminosity 
B)  brightness 
C)  distance 
D)  time 
A)  luminosity 
B)  brightness 
C)  distance 
D)  time

Question 5

On the Hertzprung-Russell diagram, most stars are found

Accepted Answer

A)  on the main sequence 
B)  in the red giant region 
C)  in the white dwarf region 
D)  in the supergiant region 
A)  on the main sequence 
B)  in the red giant region 
C)  in the white dwarf region 
D)  in the supergiant region

Question 6

Which type of stable planetary orbit would be best in a wide binary system?

Accepted Answer

A)  a large elliptical orbit around both components 
B)  a large circular orbit around both components 
C)  a "figure-of-eight" orbit around both components 
D)  an orbit close to one of the components 
A)  a large elliptical orbit around both components 
B)  a large circular orbit around both components 
C)  a "figure-of-eight" orbit around both components 
D)  an orbit close to one of the components

Question 7

O-type stars

Accepted Answer

A)  have lifetimes long enough for advanced life to evolve 
B)  have lifetimes long enough for planets to form and for life to appear, but not long enough for advanced life 
C)  do not contain enough heavy elements to form planets 
D)  have lifetimes too short for planet formation 
A)  have lifetimes long enough for advanced life to evolve 
B)  have lifetimes long enough for planets to form and for life to appear, but not long enough for advanced life 
C)  do not contain enough heavy elements to form planets 
D)  have lifetimes too short for planet formation

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the most common type of extrasolar planet discovered to date?

Accepted Answer

A)  cool Jovian 
B)  super terrestrial 
C)  cool terrestrial 
D)  hot Jovian 
A)  cool Jovian 
B)  super terrestrial 
C)  cool terrestrial 
D)  hot Jovian

Question 9

Most of the extrasolar planets detected by the Doppler technique are found

Accepted Answer

A)  at about the same distance as the Earth is from the Sun 
B)  very close to their parent stars 
C)  at about the same distance as the planet Jupiter is from the Sun 
D)  very far from their parent stars 
A)  at about the same distance as the Earth is from the Sun 
B)  very close to their parent stars 
C)  at about the same distance as the planet Jupiter is from the Sun 
D)  very far from their parent stars

Question 10

Why might it be difficult for Earth-like planets to form around Sun-like stars in the outer parts of the disk of our galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A)  there would be insufficient amounts of heavy elements 
B)  the stars would be packed together too densely for planets to be stable 
C)  any stars would be sucked into the central supermassive black hole 
D)  there would be too much harmful radiation 
A)  there would be insufficient amounts of heavy elements 
B)  the stars would be packed together too densely for planets to be stable 
C)  any stars would be sucked into the central supermassive black hole 
D)  there would be too much harmful radiation

Question 11

Brown dwarfs have

Accepted Answer

A)  very narrow habitable zones 
B)  no habitable zones 
C)  very wide habitable zones 
D)  habitable zones similar to the Sun 
A)  very narrow habitable zones 
B)  no habitable zones 
C)  very wide habitable zones 
D)  habitable zones similar to the Sun

Question 12

If a star has an extrasolar planet, the wavelength of its radial velocity curve is related to the planet's

Accepted Answer

A)  orbital shape 
B)  radius 
C)  mass 
D)  orbital period 
A)  orbital shape 
B)  radius 
C)  mass 
D)  orbital period

Question 13

The Rare Earth Hypothesis suggests that

Accepted Answer

A)  the circumstances that have allowed life on the Earth to appear and develop may be so that it is unlikely to have occurred anywhere else 
B)  Earth and life on it were created by some omnipotent being 
C)  the orbits of any Earth-like planets around other stars would have been disrupted by inward migration of Jovian planets 
D)  Earth-like planets are unlikely to have formed around any other stars 
A)  the circumstances that have allowed life on the Earth to appear and develop may be so that it is unlikely to have occurred anywhere else 
B)  Earth and life on it were created by some omnipotent being 
C)  the orbits of any Earth-like planets around other stars would have been disrupted by inward migration of Jovian planets 
D)  Earth-like planets are unlikely to have formed around any other stars

Question 14

If our solar system hadn't formed with a Jupiter-sized planet,

Accepted Answer

A)  the Sun would have been more massive, with a lifetime too short for life to evolve 
B)  the Earth would have never formed 
C)  the rate of impacts on the Earth may have been much higher, possibly preventing the appearance of life 
D)  the rate of impacts on the Earth may have been much lower, enabling the appearance of life much earlier 
A)  the Sun would have been more massive, with a lifetime too short for life to evolve 
B)  the Earth would have never formed 
C)  the rate of impacts on the Earth may have been much higher, possibly preventing the appearance of life 
D)  the rate of impacts on the Earth may have been much lower, enabling the appearance of life much earlier

Question 15

Many of the extrasolar planetary systems discovered to date are

Accepted Answer

A)  very different than our own solar system having terrestrial-size planets far from their parent stars 
B)  very similar to our own solar system with terrestrial-size planets close to their parent stars and Jovian-size planets far from their parent stars 
C)  identical to our own solar system with the same number and types of planets 
D)  very different than our own solar system having Jovian-size planets close to their parent stars 
A)  very different than our own solar system having terrestrial-size planets far from their parent stars 
B)  very similar to our own solar system with terrestrial-size planets close to their parent stars and Jovian-size planets far from their parent stars 
C)  identical to our own solar system with the same number and types of planets 
D)  very different than our own solar system having Jovian-size planets close to their parent stars

Question 16

The third planet discovered around the star Gliese 876 is designated as

Accepted Answer

A)  Gliese876c 
B)  3 Gliese876 
C)  Gliese876d 
D)  Gamma Gliese 876 
A)  Gliese876c 
B)  3 Gliese876 
C)  Gliese876d 
D)  Gamma Gliese 876

Question 17

The decrease in brightness observed when a transiting exoplanet passes in front of its parent star is a measure of the exoplanet's

Accepted Answer

A)  mass 
B)  temperature 
C)  size 
D)  chemical composition 
A)  mass 
B)  temperature 
C)  size 
D)  chemical composition

Question 18

By monitoring the changing brightness of a terrestrial exoplanet directly we could, in principle, determine the

Accepted Answer

A)  ratio of ocean to land and weather patterns 
B)  population of any advanced civilization on its surface 
C)  size of the exoplanet 
D)  density of the exoplanet 
A)  ratio of ocean to land and weather patterns 
B)  population of any advanced civilization on its surface 
C)  size of the exoplanet 
D)  density of the exoplanet

Question 19

Which is the following is the spectra sequence in order of increasing temperature:

Accepted Answer

A)  MKGFAOB 
B)  OBFAKGM 
C)  FGBAKMA 
D)  OBAFGKM 
A)  MKGFAOB 
B)  OBFAKGM 
C)  FGBAKMA 
D)  OBAFGKM

Question 20

When we measure the mass of a planet using the Doppler shift method, we know that it is mass

Accepted Answer

A)  could well be smaller 
B)  could be larger or smaller 
C)  is exactly as measured 
D)  could well be larger 
A)  could well be smaller 
B)  could be larger or smaller 
C)  is exactly as measured 
D)  could well be larger

The center of mass of the solar system is

The Hertzprung-Russell diagram is a plot of

Even though K- and M-type stars are suitable for life, why might they not have many habitable planets around them?

The radial velocity curve of a star with an extrasolar planet is a plot of radial velocity against

On the Hertzprung-Russell diagram, most stars are found

Which type of stable planetary orbit would be best in a wide binary system?

O-type stars

Which of the following best describes the most common type of extrasolar planet discovered to date?

Most of the extrasolar planets detected by the Doppler technique are found

Why might it be difficult for Earth-like planets to form around Sun-like stars in the outer parts of the disk of our galaxy?

Brown dwarfs have

If a star has an extrasolar planet, the wavelength of its radial velocity curve is related to the planet's

The Rare Earth Hypothesis suggests that

If our solar system hadn't formed with a Jupiter-sized planet,

Many of the extrasolar planetary systems discovered to date are

The third planet discovered around the star Gliese 876 is designated as

The decrease in brightness observed when a transiting exoplanet passes in front of its parent star is a measure of the exoplanet's

By monitoring the changing brightness of a terrestrial exoplanet directly we could, in principle, determine the

Which is the following is the spectra sequence in order of increasing temperature:

When we measure the mass of a planet using the Doppler shift method, we know that it is mass

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

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Exam 11: Habitability Outside the Solar System

The center of mass of the solar system is

The Hertzprung-Russell diagram is a plot of

Even though K- and M-type stars are suitable for life, why might they not have many habitable planets around them?

The radial velocity curve of a star with an extrasolar planet is a plot of radial velocity against

On the Hertzprung-Russell diagram, most stars are found

Which type of stable planetary orbit would be best in a wide binary system?

O-type stars

Which of the following best describes the most common type of extrasolar planet discovered to date?

Most of the extrasolar planets detected by the Doppler technique are found

Why might it be difficult for Earth-like planets to form around Sun-like stars in the outer parts of the disk of our galaxy?

Brown dwarfs have

If a star has an extrasolar planet, the wavelength of its radial velocity curve is related to the planet's

The Rare Earth Hypothesis suggests that

If our solar system hadn't formed with a Jupiter-sized planet,

Many of the extrasolar planetary systems discovered to date are

The third planet discovered around the star Gliese 876 is designated as

The decrease in brightness observed when a transiting exoplanet passes in front of its parent star is a measure of the exoplanet's

By monitoring the changing brightness of a terrestrial exoplanet directly we could, in principle, determine the

Which is the following is the spectra sequence in order of increasing temperature:

When we measure the mass of a planet using the Doppler shift method, we know that it is mass

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

Filters