Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Some examples include the following:
(1)

Question 2

If a mutation occurred and spawned a population B that had a 25 percent higher chance of reproducing than the original population A, in how many generations would B make up 90 percent of the total population?

Accepted Answer

A)  10 
B)  16 
C)  20 
D)  24 
E)  32 
A)  10 
B)  16 
C)  20 
D)  24 
E)  32

Question 3

The habitable zone for a 1M $\odot$  star ranges from 0.7 to 1.4 AU from the star.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Based on what we know about the evolution of life on Earth, which of the planets below would be most likely to contain an advanced civilization?

Accepted Answer

A)  Planet A 
B)  Planet B 
C)  Planet C 
D)  Planet D 
E)  Planet E 
A)  Planet A 
B)  Planet B 
C)  Planet C 
D)  Planet D 
E)  Planet E

Question 5

A value of N = 0.1 for the Drake equation signifies that:

Accepted Answer

A)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors intelligent life 
B)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors life of some kind 
C)  one out of every 10 galaxies in our universe harbors intelligent life 
D)  one out of every 10 galaxies in our universe harbors life of some kind 
E)  approximately one intelligent civilization in the universe is created every 10 billion years. 
A)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors intelligent life 
B)  one out of every 10 solar systems in our galaxy harbors life of some kind 
C)  one out of every 10 galaxies in our universe harbors intelligent life 
D)  one out of every 10 galaxies in our universe harbors life of some kind 
E)  approximately one intelligent civilization in the universe is created every 10 billion years.

Question 6

In which of the following locations has life NOT been found on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  near deep-oceans hydrothermal vents 
B)  in extremely dry deserts 
C)  in Arctic ice 
D)  in hot sulfur springs 
E)  None of the above. Life has been found in all of these locations. 
A)  near deep-oceans hydrothermal vents 
B)  in extremely dry deserts 
C)  in Arctic ice 
D)  in hot sulfur springs 
E)  None of the above. Life has been found in all of these locations.

Question 7

Describe the experiment depicted below. What was the goal of the experiment? Was the experiment a success?

Accepted Answer

This image shows the Urey-Miller experim

Question 8

If you wanted to find intelligent life in the universe, what spectral types of stars would you study and why?

Accepted Answer

It took approximately 4.5 bill

Question 9

Which of the following sketches could describe the evolutionary tree of life on Earth? In each diagram, time increases as you move upward, and each branch represents a different species.

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  E 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
E)  E

Question 10

If future exploration of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn discovered primitive life forms, it would ___________ the probability of finding an advanced civilization somewhere else in the Milky Way because ___________.

Accepted Answer

A)  increase; it shows that life can exist in environments which are very different from those found on Earth 
B)  increase; it would show that life can survive travel through space after leaving the Earth 
C)  not affect; primitive life forms have nothing to do with the existence of advanced civilizations 
D)  decrease; it would show that primitive life forms outside the Earth cannot evolve into more complex species 
E)  decrease; it would show that primitive life forms are far more common than advanced ones 
A)  increase; it shows that life can exist in environments which are very different from those found on Earth 
B)  increase; it would show that life can survive travel through space after leaving the Earth 
C)  not affect; primitive life forms have nothing to do with the existence of advanced civilizations 
D)  decrease; it would show that primitive life forms outside the Earth cannot evolve into more complex species 
E)  decrease; it would show that primitive life forms are far more common than advanced ones

Question 11

In 1952, chemists Harold Urey and Stanley Miller mixed ammonia, methane, and hydrogen; in a closed container; zapped it with electrical sparks and found that:

Accepted Answer

A)  they could induce cold fusion to occur 
B)  they could not induce any amino acids to form 
C)  single-celled microorganisms had been spontaneously created 
D)  they had created many of the amino acids contained in DNA 
E)  they created life in a test tube 
A)  they could induce cold fusion to occur 
B)  they could not induce any amino acids to form 
C)  single-celled microorganisms had been spontaneously created 
D)  they had created many of the amino acids contained in DNA 
E)  they created life in a test tube

Question 12

Which one of the following is NOT one of the six chemical elements commonly found in living organisms?

Accepted Answer

A)  helium 
B)  hydrogen 
C)  oxygen 
D)  phosphorus 
E)  nitrogen 
A)  helium 
B)  hydrogen 
C)  oxygen 
D)  phosphorus 
E)  nitrogen

Question 13

Terrestrial life utilizes 20 different acids that are composed of only four different chemical elements.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

According to the theory of evolution, chemical reactions resulting in the mutation of a molecule are a natural and inevitable occurrence.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

The four main chemicals of which most life forms on Earth are composed are hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and calcium.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Imagine if you built a time machine and successfully traveled 2 billion years backward in time. What would happen?

Accepted Answer

A)  You would see dinosaurs roaming Earth. 
B)  You would see numerous multicellular species on Earth. 
C)  You probably would be killed by the ongoing heavy bombardment of Earth. 
D)  You would die due to lack of oxygen. 
E)  You would be floating in space because Earth hadn't formed yet. 
A)  You would see dinosaurs roaming Earth. 
B)  You would see numerous multicellular species on Earth. 
C)  You probably would be killed by the ongoing heavy bombardment of Earth. 
D)  You would die due to lack of oxygen. 
E)  You would be floating in space because Earth hadn't formed yet.

Question 17

The image below is of an Australian shoreline. Which of the following forms of early life on Earth does it depict?

Accepted Answer

A)  stromatolites 
B)  cyanobacteria 
C)  eukaryotes 
D)  meteorites 
E)  fungi 
A)  stromatolites 
B)  cyanobacteria 
C)  eukaryotes 
D)  meteorites 
E)  fungi

Question 18

The Drake equation estimates the number of solar systems in our galaxy today that may harbor life.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Which of these occurred approximately 500 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

A)  the extinction of the dinosaurs 
B)  the Cambrian explosion 
C)  The Moon was formed. 
D)  the rise of mammals 
E)  the birth of the first humans 
A)  the extinction of the dinosaurs 
B)  the Cambrian explosion 
C)  The Moon was formed. 
D)  the rise of mammals 
E)  the birth of the first humans

Question 20

If we model the history of the universe as a single day, at what time would the dinosaurs be wiped out by a large asteroid?

Accepted Answer

A)  5:20:00 P.M. 
B)  11:00:00 P.M. 
C)  11:35:00 P.M. 
D)  11:53:10 P.M. 
E)  11:59:25 P.M. 
A)  5:20:00 P.M. 
B)  11:00:00 P.M. 
C)  11:35:00 P.M. 
D)  11:53:10 P.M. 
E)  11:59:25 P.M.

Exam 24: Life

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

If a mutation occurred and spawned a population B that had a 25 percent higher chance of reproducing than the original population A, in how many generations would B make up 90 percent of the total population?

The habitable zone for a 1M ⊙\odot⊙ star ranges from 0.7 to 1.4 AU from the star.

Based on what we know about the evolution of life on Earth, which of the planets below would be most likely to contain an advanced civilization?

A value of N = 0.1 for the Drake equation signifies that:

In which of the following locations has life NOT been found on Earth?

Describe the experiment depicted below. What was the goal of the experiment? Was the experiment a success?

If you wanted to find intelligent life in the universe, what spectral types of stars would you study and why?

Which of the following sketches could describe the evolutionary tree of life on Earth? In each diagram, time increases as you move upward, and each branch represents a different species.

If future exploration of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn discovered primitive life forms, it would ___________ the probability of finding an advanced civilization somewhere else in the Milky Way because ___________.

In 1952, chemists Harold Urey and Stanley Miller mixed ammonia, methane, and hydrogen; in a closed container; zapped it with electrical sparks and found that:

Which one of the following is NOT one of the six chemical elements commonly found in living organisms?

Terrestrial life utilizes 20 different acids that are composed of only four different chemical elements.

According to the theory of evolution, chemical reactions resulting in the mutation of a molecule are a natural and inevitable occurrence.

The four main chemicals of which most life forms on Earth are composed are hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and calcium.

Imagine if you built a time machine and successfully traveled 2 billion years backward in time. What would happen?

The image below is of an Australian shoreline. Which of the following forms of early life on Earth does it depict?

The Drake equation estimates the number of solar systems in our galaxy today that may harbor life.

Which of these occurred approximately 500 million years ago?

If we model the history of the universe as a single day, at what time would the dinosaurs be wiped out by a large asteroid?

Why Learn Astronomy

Patterns in the Skymotions of Earth

Motion of Astronomical Bodies

Gravity and Orbits

Light

The Tools of the Astronomer

The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems

The Terrestrial Planets and Earths Moon

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets

Worlds of Gas and Liquid the Giant Planets

Planetary Adornmentsmoons and Rings

Dwarf Planets and Small Solar System Bodies

Taking the Measure of Stars

Our Starthe Sun

Star Formation and the Interstellar Medium

Evolution of Low-Mass Stars

Evolution of High-Mass Stars

Relativity and Black Holes

The Expanding Universe

Galaxies

The Milky Waya Normal Spiral Galaxy

Modern Cosmology

Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Filters

The habitable zone for a 1M _$\odot$ star ranges from 0.7 to 1.4 AU from the star.

If future exploration of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn discovered primitive life forms, it would _ the probability of finding an advanced civilization somewhere else in the Milky Way because _.