Question 1

What evidence do we have that life arose quickly?

Accepted Answer

Because of the period of heavy bombardme...

Question 2

Which of the following is considered by biologists to be a likely place where life first arose on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  on meteorites that landed on Earth
B)  on land surfaces that got moderately heavy rainfall
C)  in hot water near undersea volcanoes
D)  deep undergroundE) A) and B)
F) None of the above

Question 3

Why didn't oxygen begin to accumulate in the atmosphere until approximately 1.5 billion years after life appeared on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  Early forms of animal life consumed the oxygen.
B)  Early forms of plant life consumed oxygen.
C)  All the oxygen produced by life went into making the ozone layer.
D)  Oxygen produced by life was removed from the atmosphere by oxidation reactions with surface rocks.
E)  Oxygen produced by life was removed from the atmosphere by dissolving in the ocean.F) D) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 4

"Super-Earths" may be habitable at distances much greater from their star than
Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Although antimatter is an interesting theoretical idea,there is no evidence that it actually exists.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Which of the following causes mutations in living organisms?

Accepted Answer

A)  natural selection
B)  a changing environment
C)  reproduction
D)  ultraviolet light and toxic chemicals
E)  the greenhouse effectF) C) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 7

In 1974,a radio message was sent out from the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico.How far has it gotten,approximately?

Accepted Answer

A)  just beyond our Solar System
B)  not even to the nearest stars
C)  just a miniscule fraction of the distance across the Milky Way
D)  almost to the center of the Milky Way
E)  beyond the Milky Way,to the Andromeda galaxyF) A) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 8

If we develop spacecraft that can take humans to nearby solar systems at a few percent of the speed of light,how long would it be before we could conceivably populate all habitable planets in the entire Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

A)  a few hundred thousand years
B)  a few million years
C)  a few hundreds of millions of years
D)  a few billion years
E)  We could never colonize the galaxy unless we had ships that could travel very close to the speed of light.F) B) and C)
G) A) and D)

Question 9

At present,what is the primary way that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is carried out?

Accepted Answer

A)  by searching for planets around distant stars
B)  by using large X-ray telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations
C)  by using radio telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations
D)  by analyzing high-resolution images of nearby stars in search of evidence of structures that could not have developed naturally
E)  by seeking access to the secret records and alien corpses kept at Area 51F) A) and B)
G) B) and E)

Question 10

Even if Martian meteorites contained life,the life could not possibly have survived the journey from Mars to Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Einstein's theory of relativity tells us that travelers who make a high-speed trip to a distant star and back will

Accepted Answer

A)  age more than people who stay behind on Earth.
B)  have more fun than people who stay behind on Earth.
C)  age less than people who stay behind on Earth.
D)  never be able to make the trip within their lifetimes.E) None of the above
F) All of the above

Question 12

It is possible that there are moons within habitable zones that have habitable surfaces in other solar systems.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

In the equation: Number of Civilizations =Np × flife × fcivilization × fnow
What do we mean by fnow?

Accepted Answer

A)  the fraction of planets with civilizations on which the civilizations exist now
B)  the fraction of time since the Big Bang represented by the present era
C)  the fraction of all species ever to exist that we currently are aware of
D)  the fraction of planets in the galaxy on which a civilization could theoretically develop now
E)  the fraction of civilizations in the universe that currently are sending messages to usF) B) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 14

We are unlikely to find fossil evidence of life from more than 3.5 billion years ago because there is no way life existed before then.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Which of the following statements about matter-antimatter engines is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Matter-antimatter engines would be great in theory,but to date we have no evidence that antimatter even exists.
B)  Matter-antimatter reactions represent the most efficient possible reactions in terms of energy release.
C)  Spacecraft powered by matter-antimatter engines could probably reach speeds of more than half the speed of light.
D)  One of the major challenges to developing matter-antimatter engines is finding a way to store antimatter after it is produced.E) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 16

Looking for an Earth-size planet around a nearby star (besides the Sun) is like looking for a pinhead located

Accepted Answer

A)  across the street.
B)  thousands of kilometers away.
C)  across the length of a football field.
D)  a few hundred kilometers away.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 17

If the carbon isotope evidence does indicate life 3.85 billion years ago,it suggests that life must have been widespread at that point.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The Kepler mission searches for Earth-like planets by looking for the dip in the brightness of a star as such a planet transited across it.Why does this technique actually miss the vast majority of planets?

Accepted Answer

By searching for transits,Kepler can onl...

Question 19

The Sun's habitable zone

Accepted Answer

A)  extends from some place a little beyond the orbit of Venus to some place near the orbit of Mars.
B)  consists only of Earth,since Earth is the only planet known to be inhabited.
C)  extends from the orbit of Earth to the orbit of Jupiter.
D)  extends from just beyond the orbit of Mercury to just beyond Earth's orbit.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 20

How does the Kepler mission plan to detect Earth-like planets around other stars?

Accepted Answer

A)  by measuring the Doppler shift in spectral lines as the central star is tugged to and fro by the planet
B)  by observing the slight dip in brightness of the central star as the planet transits
C)  by directly imaging the planet
D)  by observing the spectrum of the planet
E)  by measuring the slight shift in position of the central star as it is tugged to and fro by the planetF) C) and E)
G) A) and D)

Exam 24: Life in the Universe

In 1974,a radio message was sent out from the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico.How far has it gotten,approximately?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following causes mutations in living organisms?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about matter-antimatter engines is not true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What evidence do we have that life arose quickly?

Correct AnswerverifiedBecause of the period of heavy bombardme...View AnswerShow Answer

If we develop spacecraft that can take humans to nearby solar systems at a few percent of the speed of light,how long would it be before we could conceivably populate all habitable planets in the entire Milky Way?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Sun's habitable zone

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

It is possible that there are moons within habitable zones that have habitable surfaces in other solar systems.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Kepler mission searches for Earth-like planets by looking for the dip in the brightness of a star as such a planet transited across it.Why does this technique actually miss the vast majority of planets?

Correct AnswerverifiedBy searching for transits,Kepler can onl...View AnswerShow Answer

Why didn't oxygen begin to accumulate in the atmosphere until approximately 1.5 billion years after life appeared on Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

We are unlikely to find fossil evidence of life from more than 3.5 billion years ago because there is no way life existed before then.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How does the Kepler mission plan to detect Earth-like planets around other stars?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Although antimatter is an interesting theoretical idea,there is no evidence that it actually exists.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the equation: Number of Civilizations =Np × flife × fcivilization × fnow What do we mean by fnow?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Einstein's theory of relativity tells us that travelers who make a high-speed trip to a distant star and back will

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Even if Martian meteorites contained life,the life could not possibly have survived the journey from Mars to Earth.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If the carbon isotope evidence does indicate life 3.85 billion years ago,it suggests that life must have been widespread at that point.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Looking for an Earth-size planet around a nearby star (besides the Sun) is like looking for a pinhead located

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

"Super-Earths" may be habitable at distances much greater from their star than Earth.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

At present,what is the primary way that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is carried out?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is considered by biologists to be a likely place where life first arose on Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Because of the period of heavy bombardme...
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By searching for transits,Kepler can onl...
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