Question 1

How large was the asteroid that hit the Earth 65 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  50 meters 
B)  100 kilometers 
C)  10-15 kilometers 
D)  1-2 kilometers 
A)  50 meters 
B)  100 kilometers 
C)  10-15 kilometers 
D)  1-2 kilometers

Question 2

Why is the chemical evolution model preferred by scientists over other theories for the origin of life on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  it is the theory that best fits the available data 
B)  because we have been able to create Life in the laboratory 
C)  because it was written down in ancient scriptures 
D)  because the other theories have been shown to be incorrect 
A)  it is the theory that best fits the available data 
B)  because we have been able to create Life in the laboratory 
C)  because it was written down in ancient scriptures 
D)  because the other theories have been shown to be incorrect

Question 3

What was the last geological period in Earth's history during which the dinosaurs lived?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Cretaceous Period 
B)  The Tertiary Period 
C)  The Triassic Period 
D)  The Carboniferous Period 
A)  The Cretaceous Period 
B)  The Tertiary Period 
C)  The Triassic Period 
D)  The Carboniferous Period

Question 4

One theory for the origin of life suggests that life was transported to Earth in meteorites. This is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  naturism 
B)  intelligent design 
C)  panspermia 
D)  chemical evolution 
A)  naturism 
B)  intelligent design 
C)  panspermia 
D)  chemical evolution

Question 5

The very first living organisms on the Earth were probably

Accepted Answer

A)  chemoheterotrophs 
B)  photoautotrophs 
C)  photoheterotrophs 
D)  chemoautotrophs 
A)  chemoheterotrophs 
B)  photoautotrophs 
C)  photoheterotrophs 
D)  chemoautotrophs

Question 6

Stromatolites are

Accepted Answer

A)  fossils of the first organisms to introduce oxygen into the atmosphere 
B)  fossils of the first multicellular organisms 
C)  layers of sediment that once contained colonies of ancient microbes 
D)  fossils of the first eukaryotes 
A)  fossils of the first organisms to introduce oxygen into the atmosphere 
B)  fossils of the first multicellular organisms 
C)  layers of sediment that once contained colonies of ancient microbes 
D)  fossils of the first eukaryotes

Question 7

The possibility of life being transferred from another planet like Mars largely depends on whether that life can survive

Accepted Answer

A)  being lasted from the parent planet 
B)  inside the meteorite with very little water present 
C)  long enough in space to make the journey to Earth 
D)  the impact onto the Earth's surface 
A)  being lasted from the parent planet 
B)  inside the meteorite with very little water present 
C)  long enough in space to make the journey to Earth 
D)  the impact onto the Earth's surface

Question 8

Based on current scientific evidence, what is the likelihood that life on Earth was transported to Earth in meteorites?

Accepted Answer

A)  impossible 
B)  very likely 
C)  certain 
D)  possible 
A)  impossible 
B)  very likely 
C)  certain 
D)  possible

Question 9

How similar are humans and chimpanzees genetically?

Accepted Answer

A)  very different, having only approximately 25% of DNA sequences in common 
B)  very similar indeed, having approximately 98% of DNA sequences in common 
C)  fairly similar indeed, having approximately 60% of DNA sequences in common 
D)  unique, having no DNA sequences in common 
A)  very different, having only approximately 25% of DNA sequences in common 
B)  very similar indeed, having approximately 98% of DNA sequences in common 
C)  fairly similar indeed, having approximately 60% of DNA sequences in common 
D)  unique, having no DNA sequences in common

Question 10

Approximately how long ago did the dinosaurs suddenly become extinct?

Accepted Answer

A)  6 million years ago 
B)  65 million years ago 
C)  245 million years ago 
D)  10,000 years ago 
A)  6 million years ago 
B)  65 million years ago 
C)  245 million years ago 
D)  10,000 years ago

Question 11

Humans

Accepted Answer

A)  and primates evolved from a common ancestor 
B)  and primates evolved directly from dinosaurs 
C)  and primates evolved directly from birds 
D)  evolved directly from modern primates 
A)  and primates evolved from a common ancestor 
B)  and primates evolved directly from dinosaurs 
C)  and primates evolved directly from birds 
D)  evolved directly from modern primates

Question 12

Carbon-13, with an atomic number of 6 and a mass number of 13 has

Accepted Answer

A)  6 protons, 6 electrons, and 13 neutrons 
B)  6 protons, 7 electrons, and 7 neutrons 
C)  7 protons, 7 electrons, and 6 neutrons 
D)  6 protons, 6 electrons, and 7 neutrons 
A)  6 protons, 6 electrons, and 13 neutrons 
B)  6 protons, 7 electrons, and 7 neutrons 
C)  7 protons, 7 electrons, and 6 neutrons 
D)  6 protons, 6 electrons, and 7 neutrons

Question 13

Recent evidence that supports the controversial claim based on carbon isotope ratios of biological activity in 3.85 billion year old rocks from Greenland includes the discovery of

Accepted Answer

A)  isotopes other than carbon that also show ratios consistent with biological activity 
B)  microfossils within the rocks 
C)  DNA within the rocks 
D)  oxygen gas trapped within the rocks 
A)  isotopes other than carbon that also show ratios consistent with biological activity 
B)  microfossils within the rocks 
C)  DNA within the rocks 
D)  oxygen gas trapped within the rocks

Question 14

Based on current scientific evidence, what is the likelihood that life on Earth formed spontaneously from increasingly complex chemical reactions?

Accepted Answer

A)  very likely 
B)  certain 
C)  impossible 
D)  very unlikely 
A)  very likely 
B)  certain 
C)  impossible 
D)  very unlikely

Question 15

What happened at the start of the Cambrian Period?

Accepted Answer

A)  the first oxygen-producing bacteria appeared 
B)  the first dinosaurs appeared 
C)  early humans first appeared 
D)  an explosion of genetic diversity appeared, leading to the appearance of the first animals 
A)  the first oxygen-producing bacteria appeared 
B)  the first dinosaurs appeared 
C)  early humans first appeared 
D)  an explosion of genetic diversity appeared, leading to the appearance of the first animals

Question 16

The relationship between organelles and their host cells can best be described as

Accepted Answer

A)  viral 
B)  sexual 
C)  symbiotic 
D)  parasitic 
A)  viral 
B)  sexual 
C)  symbiotic 
D)  parasitic

Question 17

Where did the asteroid that is believed responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs hit the surface of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  in Siberia in Russia 
B)  in the desert in Arizona 
C)  in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 
D)  in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico 
A)  in Siberia in Russia 
B)  in the desert in Arizona 
C)  in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 
D)  in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico

Question 18

Aerobic organisms first started building up oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere around

Accepted Answer

A)  4.6 billion years ago 
B)  3.5 billion years ago 
C)  4.0 billion years ago 
D)  2.4 billion years ago 
A)  4.6 billion years ago 
B)  3.5 billion years ago 
C)  4.0 billion years ago 
D)  2.4 billion years ago

Question 19

The "bottom-up" approach to creating artificial life starts

Accepted Answer

A)  with simple bacteria and attempts to add DNA sequences to them to make them more complex 
B)  with advanced robots and attempts to make them able to reproduce 
C)  in the laboratory with the raw ingredients of life, and seeks to reproduce life in much the same way that it presumably originated billions of years ago 
D)  with existing organisms and genetically strips them down, then tries to rebuild them into new species 
A)  with simple bacteria and attempts to add DNA sequences to them to make them more complex 
B)  with advanced robots and attempts to make them able to reproduce 
C)  in the laboratory with the raw ingredients of life, and seeks to reproduce life in much the same way that it presumably originated billions of years ago 
D)  with existing organisms and genetically strips them down, then tries to rebuild them into new species

Question 20

If the conditions required for substantial amounts of oxygen to build up in a planetary atmosphere are quite rare, then life on other worlds

Accepted Answer

A)  will probably not be present 
B)  will progress much more rapidly because there would be less oxidation 
C)  will progress at a similar rate as that on the Earth, except that it will remain anaerobic 
D)  may still be common but may never be able to evolve past microscopic forms 
A)  will probably not be present 
B)  will progress much more rapidly because there would be less oxidation 
C)  will progress at a similar rate as that on the Earth, except that it will remain anaerobic 
D)  may still be common but may never be able to evolve past microscopic forms

How large was the asteroid that hit the Earth 65 million years ago?

Why is the chemical evolution model preferred by scientists over other theories for the origin of life on Earth?

What was the last geological period in Earth's history during which the dinosaurs lived?

One theory for the origin of life suggests that life was transported to Earth in meteorites. This is referred to as

The very first living organisms on the Earth were probably

Stromatolites are

The possibility of life being transferred from another planet like Mars largely depends on whether that life can survive

Based on current scientific evidence, what is the likelihood that life on Earth was transported to Earth in meteorites?

How similar are humans and chimpanzees genetically?

Approximately how long ago did the dinosaurs suddenly become extinct?

Humans

Carbon-13, with an atomic number of 6 and a mass number of 13 has

Recent evidence that supports the controversial claim based on carbon isotope ratios of biological activity in 3.85 billion year old rocks from Greenland includes the discovery of

Based on current scientific evidence, what is the likelihood that life on Earth formed spontaneously from increasingly complex chemical reactions?

What happened at the start of the Cambrian Period?

The relationship between organelles and their host cells can best be described as

Where did the asteroid that is believed responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs hit the surface of the Earth?

Aerobic organisms first started building up oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere around

The "bottom-up" approach to creating artificial life starts

If the conditions required for substantial amounts of oxygen to build up in a planetary atmosphere are quite rare, then life on other worlds

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

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

Exam 6: The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth

How large was the asteroid that hit the Earth 65 million years ago?

Why is the chemical evolution model preferred by scientists over other theories for the origin of life on Earth?

What was the last geological period in Earth's history during which the dinosaurs lived?

One theory for the origin of life suggests that life was transported to Earth in meteorites. This is referred to as

The very first living organisms on the Earth were probably

Stromatolites are

The possibility of life being transferred from another planet like Mars largely depends on whether that life can survive

Based on current scientific evidence, what is the likelihood that life on Earth was transported to Earth in meteorites?

How similar are humans and chimpanzees genetically?

Approximately how long ago did the dinosaurs suddenly become extinct?

Humans

Carbon-13, with an atomic number of 6 and a mass number of 13 has

Recent evidence that supports the controversial claim based on carbon isotope ratios of biological activity in 3.85 billion year old rocks from Greenland includes the discovery of

Based on current scientific evidence, what is the likelihood that life on Earth formed spontaneously from increasingly complex chemical reactions?

What happened at the start of the Cambrian Period?

The relationship between organelles and their host cells can best be described as

Where did the asteroid that is believed responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs hit the surface of the Earth?

Aerobic organisms first started building up oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere around

The "bottom-up" approach to creating artificial life starts

If the conditions required for substantial amounts of oxygen to build up in a planetary atmosphere are quite rare, then life on other worlds

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

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