Question 1

The number of impact craters on the slopes of Tharsis volcanoes suggests that they have been inactive

Accepted Answer

A)  since Mars formed 4.6 billion years ago 
B)  for at least a billion years 
C)  for at least tens of millions of years 
D)  only for the last few hundred years 
A)  since Mars formed 4.6 billion years ago 
B)  for at least a billion years 
C)  for at least tens of millions of years 
D)  only for the last few hundred years

Question 2

The English author H. G. Wells is famous for writing which book about Mars in 1898?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Martian Chronicles 
B)  Mars as the Abode of Life 
C)  The War of the Worlds 
D)  The Sands of Mars 
A)  The Martian Chronicles 
B)  Mars as the Abode of Life 
C)  The War of the Worlds 
D)  The Sands of Mars

Question 3

Other astronomers were skeptical about Percival Lowell's claims of Martian canals because

Accepted Answer

A)  it did not seem possible for his telescope to see the surface through its thick atmosphere 
B)  they discovered that Lowell suffered from poor vision 
C)  they were able to prove that Lowell's telescope was faulty 
D)  when they pointed their own telescopes toward Mars they couldn't see them 
A)  it did not seem possible for his telescope to see the surface through its thick atmosphere 
B)  they discovered that Lowell suffered from poor vision 
C)  they were able to prove that Lowell's telescope was faulty 
D)  when they pointed their own telescopes toward Mars they couldn't see them

Question 4

The Northern hemisphere of Mars is at

Accepted Answer

A)  a higher than average elevation and is covered with impact craters 
B)  a higher than average elevation and is relatively smooth 
C)  an average elevation and is covered with impact craters 
D)  a lower than average elevation and is relatively smooth 
A)  a higher than average elevation and is covered with impact craters 
B)  a higher than average elevation and is relatively smooth 
C)  an average elevation and is covered with impact craters 
D)  a lower than average elevation and is relatively smooth

Question 5

Why is the claim of fossilized life in the Martian meteorite ALH84001 controversial?

Accepted Answer

A)  it is doubtful that the rock actually came from Mars 
B)  the proposed fossilized organisms in no way resemble any kind of life found on Earth 
C)  the rock is too young to have fossilized life within it 
D)  there are many possible non-biological explanations for the observed evidence 
A)  it is doubtful that the rock actually came from Mars 
B)  the proposed fossilized organisms in no way resemble any kind of life found on Earth 
C)  the rock is too young to have fossilized life within it 
D)  there are many possible non-biological explanations for the observed evidence

Question 6

The gullies seen on Mars may not be due to recent small-scale water flows, but instead may be due to

Accepted Answer

A)  marsquakes 
B)  landslides 
C)  dust storms 
D)  rain 
A)  marsquakes 
B)  landslides 
C)  dust storms 
D)  rain

Question 7

The discovery of opaline and hydrated sulfate minerals on Mars by the rover Spirit suggests that Mars once had

Accepted Answer

A)  a sulfur-rich atmosphere 
B)  vast oceans of water 
C)  simple microbial life 
D)  volcanically heated thermal hot springs 
A)  a sulfur-rich atmosphere 
B)  vast oceans of water 
C)  simple microbial life 
D)  volcanically heated thermal hot springs

Question 8

What field of science are the experiments on the two Mars Exploration Rovers most closely related to?

Accepted Answer

A)  physics 
B)  biology 
C)  geology 
D)  astronomy 
A)  physics 
B)  biology 
C)  geology 
D)  astronomy

Question 9

During winter, the northern polar cap of Mars is made of

Accepted Answer

A)  a layer of carbon dioxide ice 
B)  a layer of water ice 
C)  carbon dioxide ice overlaying water ice 
D)  water ice overlaying carbon dioxide ice 
A)  a layer of carbon dioxide ice 
B)  a layer of water ice 
C)  carbon dioxide ice overlaying water ice 
D)  water ice overlaying carbon dioxide ice

Question 10

Due to its elliptical orbit, Mars is farther from the Sun on average during summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This means Northern Summer on Mars will be

Accepted Answer

A)  long and mild 
B)  short and hot 
C)  long and hot 
D)  short and mild 
A)  long and mild 
B)  short and hot 
C)  long and hot 
D)  short and mild

Question 11

Due to its elliptical orbit, Mars is farther from the Sun on average during winter in the Southern Hemisphere. This means Southern Winter on Mars will be

Accepted Answer

A)  long and mild 
B)  short and hot 
C)  long and cold 
D)  short and mild 
A)  long and mild 
B)  short and hot 
C)  long and cold 
D)  short and mild

Question 12

The Lowell Observatory, built by Percival Lowell to study Mars and still in operation today, is located in

Accepted Answer

A)  Sunspot, New Mexico 
B)  Flagstaff, Arizona 
C)  Mount Wilson, California 
D)  Amherst, Massachusetts 
A)  Sunspot, New Mexico 
B)  Flagstaff, Arizona 
C)  Mount Wilson, California 
D)  Amherst, Massachusetts

Question 13

The first astronomer to claim to see linear features on the surface of Mars was

Accepted Answer

A)  Angelo Secchi 
B)  Percival Lowell 
C)  Giovanni Schiaparelli 
D)  William Herschel 
A)  Angelo Secchi 
B)  Percival Lowell 
C)  Giovanni Schiaparelli 
D)  William Herschel

Question 14

The large water erosion features on Mars appear to be

Accepted Answer

A)  less than 1 million years old 
B)  less than 2 billion years old 
C)  more than 4 billion years old 
D)  at least 2-3 billion years old 
A)  less than 1 million years old 
B)  less than 2 billion years old 
C)  more than 4 billion years old 
D)  at least 2-3 billion years old

Question 15

Which was the only biology experiment on the Viking landers which gave a positive result?

Accepted Answer

A)  Labeled Release 
B)  Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer 
C)  Carbon Assimilation 
D)  Gas Exchange 
A)  Labeled Release 
B)  Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer 
C)  Carbon Assimilation 
D)  Gas Exchange

Question 16

At the Mars Pathfinder landing site, the surrounding rocks are scattered and stacked against each other. This suggests that the spacecraft landed in

Accepted Answer

A)  an ancient floodplain 
B)  the debris from a giant impact 
C)  an area which had been subjected to wind erosion 
D)  an area of explosive volcanic activity 
A)  an ancient floodplain 
B)  the debris from a giant impact 
C)  an area which had been subjected to wind erosion 
D)  an area of explosive volcanic activity

Question 17

The process of making an uninhabitable planet like Mars habitable and suitable for humans is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  bioforming 
B)  bioadaptation 
C)  terra-restructuring 
D)  terraforming 
A)  bioforming 
B)  bioadaptation 
C)  terra-restructuring 
D)  terraforming

Question 18

In the Tharsis region of Mars we find

Accepted Answer

A)  a huge impact basin 
B)  heavily cratered highlands 
C)  smooth rolling plains 
D)  huge shield volcanoes like Olympus Mons 
A)  a huge impact basin 
B)  heavily cratered highlands 
C)  smooth rolling plains 
D)  huge shield volcanoes like Olympus Mons

Question 19

The Tharsis region of Mars was most likely formed

Accepted Answer

A)  from sediment that piled up due to past water erosion 
B)  by plate tectonics 
C)  by a plume of molten mantle material rising to the surface forming a giant bulge in the Martian crust 
D)  from compressions in the Martian crust as the planet cooled and contracted 
A)  from sediment that piled up due to past water erosion 
B)  by plate tectonics 
C)  by a plume of molten mantle material rising to the surface forming a giant bulge in the Martian crust 
D)  from compressions in the Martian crust as the planet cooled and contracted

Question 20

Why must lander probes on Mars be sterilized before launch?

Accepted Answer

A)  to prevent terrestrial microbes hitching a ride on the probe and contaminating the Martian surface 
B)  to prevent terrestrial microbes destroying the electronics in the probe during its passage to Mars 
C)  to prevent Martian dust from building up on the probe on the surface 
D)  to prevent Martian microbes from contaminating the lander probe 
A)  to prevent terrestrial microbes hitching a ride on the probe and contaminating the Martian surface 
B)  to prevent terrestrial microbes destroying the electronics in the probe during its passage to Mars 
C)  to prevent Martian dust from building up on the probe on the surface 
D)  to prevent Martian microbes from contaminating the lander probe

The number of impact craters on the slopes of Tharsis volcanoes suggests that they have been inactive

The English author H. G. Wells is famous for writing which book about Mars in 1898?

Other astronomers were skeptical about Percival Lowell's claims of Martian canals because

The Northern hemisphere of Mars is at

Why is the claim of fossilized life in the Martian meteorite ALH84001 controversial?

The gullies seen on Mars may not be due to recent small-scale water flows, but instead may be due to

The discovery of opaline and hydrated sulfate minerals on Mars by the rover Spirit suggests that Mars once had

What field of science are the experiments on the two Mars Exploration Rovers most closely related to?

During winter, the northern polar cap of Mars is made of

Due to its elliptical orbit, Mars is farther from the Sun on average during summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This means Northern Summer on Mars will be

Due to its elliptical orbit, Mars is farther from the Sun on average during winter in the Southern Hemisphere. This means Southern Winter on Mars will be

The Lowell Observatory, built by Percival Lowell to study Mars and still in operation today, is located in

The first astronomer to claim to see linear features on the surface of Mars was

The large water erosion features on Mars appear to be

Which was the only biology experiment on the Viking landers which gave a positive result?

At the Mars Pathfinder landing site, the surrounding rocks are scattered and stacked against each other. This suggests that the spacecraft landed in

The process of making an uninhabitable planet like Mars habitable and suitable for humans is referred to as

In the Tharsis region of Mars we find

The Tharsis region of Mars was most likely formed

Why must lander probes on Mars be sterilized before launch?

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

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

Habitability Outside the Solar System

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

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Exam 8: Mars

The number of impact craters on the slopes of Tharsis volcanoes suggests that they have been inactive

The English author H. G. Wells is famous for writing which book about Mars in 1898?

Other astronomers were skeptical about Percival Lowell's claims of Martian canals because

The Northern hemisphere of Mars is at

Why is the claim of fossilized life in the Martian meteorite ALH84001 controversial?

The gullies seen on Mars may not be due to recent small-scale water flows, but instead may be due to

The discovery of opaline and hydrated sulfate minerals on Mars by the rover Spirit suggests that Mars once had

What field of science are the experiments on the two Mars Exploration Rovers most closely related to?

During winter, the northern polar cap of Mars is made of

Due to its elliptical orbit, Mars is farther from the Sun on average during summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This means Northern Summer on Mars will be

Due to its elliptical orbit, Mars is farther from the Sun on average during winter in the Southern Hemisphere. This means Southern Winter on Mars will be

The Lowell Observatory, built by Percival Lowell to study Mars and still in operation today, is located in

The first astronomer to claim to see linear features on the surface of Mars was

The large water erosion features on Mars appear to be

Which was the only biology experiment on the Viking landers which gave a positive result?

At the Mars Pathfinder landing site, the surrounding rocks are scattered and stacked against each other. This suggests that the spacecraft landed in

The process of making an uninhabitable planet like Mars habitable and suitable for humans is referred to as

In the Tharsis region of Mars we find

The Tharsis region of Mars was most likely formed

Why must lander probes on Mars be sterilized before launch?

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

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

Habitability Outside the Solar System

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

Filters