Download Exam 1 from 2002 for your review

Astriobiology 1st Exam - 1
Name: Short Answers
HNRS 228 Spring 2002
Examination #1
Multiple Choice Questions (1 point each; total 15 points):
1.
You have 4 grams of a radioactive element with a half-life of two years. How
many grams of the original element remain after four years.
A
B
C
D
E
2.
How would you estimate the distance in a light year?
A
B
C
D
E
3.
Multiply the speed of light in meters per second by 60
Multiply the speed of light in meters per second by 3600
Multiply the speed of light in meters per second by 24
Multiply the speed of light in meters per second times the number of
seconds in a year to get the number of meters in a light year
This is a trick question, a light year isn't a measure of distance
What is an Astronomical Unit?
A
B
C
D
E
4.
4 grams
3 grams
2 grams
1 grams
0.5 grams
The distance to the nearest star
The average distance from the Earth to the Moon
The average distance from the Earth to the Sun
A measure of time that light travels
A generic term for any large distance
The center of the universe, the site of the big bang,
A
B
C
D
E
Could be located if we could find a galaxy which is not moving
Is located in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius
Is not at any one location
Is the one point in the universe everything is moving away from
Was destroyed by the original explosion
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 2
5.
The Miller-Urey experiment demonstrated that
A
B
C
D
E
Life did not evolve on Earth, rather it came from somewhere else
Primordial soup plus energy can produce organic compounds
Life must have originated in deep ocean vents
Primordial atmosphere had the constituents as the current atmosphere
Life can be produced in a test tube.
6.
What happens when a solar nebula collapses?
A
It flattens out
B
It spins faster
C
It heats up
D
All of the above
E
None of the above
7.
Using the proper phase diagram from those provided, what phase would carbon
dioxide be at a temperature of -56.4oC and an atmospheric pressure equivalent to
that of Earth's at sea level?
A
B
C
D
E
The carbon dioxide would exist as a liquid
The carbon dioxide would exist as a gas
The carbon dioxide would exist as a solid
The carbon dioxide could be in any phase, solid, liquid or gas
The carbon dioxide could be either in a gas or solid phase
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 3
8.
Earth possesses few visible craters and the moon possesses many. This is because
A
B
C
D
E
9.
Which of the following concepts are hallmarks of science (i.e. part of the
scientific method)?
A
B
C
D
E
10.
Science is driven by observations and a belief that the world is inherently
understandable
Science progresses through the creation and testing of models designed to
explain our observations
A scientific model is testable
All of the above are hallmarks of science
None of the above is a valid hallmark of science.
Extinction events in geological history are characterized by several common
features. Which of the following is NOT common to major extinction events?
A
B
C
D
11.
Earth formed later than the moon and, therefore hasn't encountered as
many meteoroids
The Moon doesn't have an atmosphere that could burn up meteorites
before impacting
Erosion and plate tectonics have slowly removed evidence of past
cratering on Earth
A, B and C
Only B and C above
Recovery of species number and diversity
Large number of taxa or species lost
Geological time period for extinction event measured in fewer than a
million years
None of the above
Protons and neutrons, both known as nucleons are made up of what particles?
A
B
C
D
E
Muons
Positrons
Electrons
Quarks
Neutrinos
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 4
12.
At which layer of the Earth (using the diagram below) do you find plate tectonics?
A
B
C
D
E
13.
The following is a definition of life: “Systems possessing the ability of
maintaining form and function through __________________ processes in the
face of a changing environment, resulting in homeostasis.” The missing term is
which of the following?
A
B
C
D
E
14.
Deregulatory
Positive Feedback
Negative Feedback
Overarching
None of the above.
The production of ATP via aerobic and anaerobic respiration involves the
chemical breakdown of the following?
A
B
C
D
E
15.
None of the above
Catabolic enzymes
Anabolic enzymes
Carbohydrates
Esters
All of the above
The valence electrons of the carbon atom are _________?
A
B
C
D
E
6
5
2
3
4
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 5
Short Answer Questions (1 point each; total of 10 points):
16.
Rocks that are formed from the cooled magma or lava from a volcano are called
igneous rocks.
17.
Microbes that inhabit unusually “hostile” environments due to either chemical or
physical features are called extremophiles.
18.
Rocks that are a changing combination of the other two kinds of rocks and are
changed due to pressures, physical and chemical are called metamorphic rocks.
19.
There are a number of significant revolutions in the sciences. One of the most
important was the Copernican revolution which proposed that the sun was the
center of our solar system.
20.
Radioactive dating is a type of absolute dating.
21.
The different layers of the sedimentary rock provide a type of relative dating.
22.
The group of organisms that have cellular structure characterized by nuclei and
multiple organelles are called eukaryotes.
23.
Water dissociates to produce ions that are either positively charged (H+) or
negatively charged (OH-). The resulting concentration of H+ and OH- in solution
is extremely important in the biochemistry of cells and the evolution of life on
Earth. The scale to describe this concentration of H+ and OH- in solution is
called the pH scale.
24.
At standard temperature and pressure on the surface of the Earth, water is a liquid
in the range of 0 to 100 0C.
25.
The hypothesis that life came to earth by a process of interplanetary transport via
meteors is called panspermia.
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 6
Three Short Essay Questions (10 points each; 30 points total; half page response):
26.
Select one of the following and develop your response.
A.
Define, describe and discuss the theory about the origins of our universe
from the Big Bang.
B.
Define, describe and discuss the theory about the origins of our sun and
planetary system from a gaseous nebula.
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 7
27.
Select one of the following and develop your response.
A.
Describe at least three different ways that scientists can search for life on
planets in our solar system.
B.
Describe at least three different chemical techniques used in searching for
indicators of possible life on a planet in our solar system.
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 8
28.
Select one of the following and develop your response.
A.
Describe the Miller-Urey experiment and explain the significance of the
investigation in our understanding of astrobiology.
B.
Explain the mechanism underlying how enzymes operate in living
systems.
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 9
Three Longer Essay Questions (20 points each, total of 60 points; full page
response):
29.
Select one of the following and develop your response.
A.
Define and describe the science of astrobiology. Discuss its goals and its
methods.
B.
Describe why scientists believe that life could exist on other worlds in our
solar system, while also believing that we are unlikely to find intelligent
life in our solar system.
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 10
30.
Select one of the following and develop your response.
A.
Describe the role of water as a medium in which life might have evolved.
B.
Explain how major “quantum” changes have affected the evolution of life
on Earth.
Astriobiology 1st Exam - 11
31.
Select one of the following and develop your response.
A.
Discuss the processes by which evolution explains the early origin of life
on Earth. This question calls for a discussion of the processes not the
evidence in support of the early evolution of life on Earth.
B.
Explain the hypothesis that early forms of life existed in an “RNA World”.