ASTRO (Science) MIDTERM EXAM
QUIZBANK CORRECTLY ANSWERED A+
GRADED.
When we look at the sun do we see an emission line spectrum or an absorption
line spectrum?
Sun has an absorption line spectrum because it is not a solid object, most of light
you see comes from the layer called the photosphere, and that light passes through
outer layers of the sun, which are colder than that the photosphere layer, so they
absorb photons, so there's an absorption line spectrum.
In general, the term extraterrestrial life refers to ________.
a. intelligent civilizations around other stars
b. life on worlds that orbit stars other than our Sun
c. life that exists anywhere besides a planet, such as on moons or freely
floating in space
d. life on worlds other than Earth
D
Which of the following best describes how scientists today view the
possibility of extraterrestrial life?
a. We have scientific reasons to think that extraterrestrial life is possible,
but no confirmed evidence that life exists.
b. We cannot completely rule out life beyond Earth, but so far we have
no evidence that any other world has conditions on which life of any
kind could survive.
c. There could be life on other planets in our solar system, but not on
planets around other stars.
d. It is a near-certainty that life exists on many worlds beyond Earth.
A
What do we mean when we talk about a geocentric view of the universe?
a. The modern view of the universe in which Earth is just one planet
,among billions of stars and billions of galaxies.
b. The idea that Earth is the only planet with life in the universe
c. The belief that Earth is the most important planet in the universe
d. The ancient idea that Earth resided at the center of the universe
D
An extrasolar planet is ________.
a. a planet other than Earth
b. a planet that is not in the Milky Way Galaxy
c. a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun
d. a planet that is larger than the Sun
C
5. A habitable world is ________.
a. a world that has life of some kind
b. a world on which humans could survive
c. a world that is small and rocky like the Earth
d. a world that has environmental conditions under which life could in
principle survive
e. a world that has oceans like the Earth
D
Current evidence indicates that, relative to Earth's age, life on Earth arose
________.
a. quite recently in Earth's history
b. fairly early in Earth's history
c. almost instantaneously upon Earth's formation
d. about midway through Earth's history
B
Which of the following is considered to be necessary for a world to be
habitable?
a. an oxygen atmosphere
b. a liquid, such as liquid water
c. H2O, in any form
d. a thick, dense atmosphere, of any composition
,B
What do scientists mean by SETI?
a. The search for life around other stars
b. The Search for Everything There Is in the universe
c. The search for life on other planets in our solar system
d. The search for civilizations that live beyond Earth
D
If we sent one of our current spacecraft to a nearby star (besides the Sun),
the trip would take about ________.
a. 1000 years
b. 100,000 years
c. a century
d. a decade
B
What is astrobiology?
a. The study of life found on other worlds
b. The study of the potential for life elsewhere in the universe, but not
including the study of any life on Earth
c. The search for alien civilizations
d. The study of life on Earth and of the possibility of life beyond Earth
e. The study of the lives of stars
D
In what way do planets move through our sky differently than the stars?
a. The planets move across our sky from west to east each night,
whereas the stars go from east to west.
b. Each night, all planets and stars move across the sky but planets move
across our sky faster than the stars.
c. Over a few weeks, we see planets move relative to the stars, but we do
not see the stars move relative to one another.
d. The planets move across our sky each night, but the stars do not.
C
, The ancient Greeks get a lot of attention for their contributions to science
because ________.
a. they were the first people known to try to explain nature with models
based on reason and mathematics, without resort to the supernatural
b. they were the first people to realize that Earth is a planet orbiting the
Sun
c. the books of every other culture were lost in the destruction of the
library of Alexandria
d. they were the first ancient culture to keep written records of their
astronomical observations
A
Who was Ptolemy?
a. He developed a model of the universe that placed Earth as a planet
orbiting the Sun, rather than at the center of the universe.
b. He was the first person to create a model in which a round Earth lay at
the center of a celestial sphere.
c. He was the first person to propose that Earth is round.
d. He developed a detailed geocentric model that remained in use for
more than a thousand years.
D
What is stellar parallax?
a. It is the change in the set of constellations that we see at different
times of year in the evening sky.
b. It describes the fact that stars are actually moving relative to one
another, even though to our eyes the stars appear fixed in the
constellations.
c. It is the slight back-and-forth shifting of a star's position relative to
more distant stars that occurs over the course of a year.
d. It is the daily rise and set of the stars.
C
What was the ancient Greek perspective on extraterrestrial life?
a. Nearly all ancient Greeks assumed that other worlds, some inhabited
with life, existed beyond Earth.
b. Nearly all ancient Greeks concluded that no life could exist anywhere
QUIZBANK CORRECTLY ANSWERED A+
GRADED.
When we look at the sun do we see an emission line spectrum or an absorption
line spectrum?
Sun has an absorption line spectrum because it is not a solid object, most of light
you see comes from the layer called the photosphere, and that light passes through
outer layers of the sun, which are colder than that the photosphere layer, so they
absorb photons, so there's an absorption line spectrum.
In general, the term extraterrestrial life refers to ________.
a. intelligent civilizations around other stars
b. life on worlds that orbit stars other than our Sun
c. life that exists anywhere besides a planet, such as on moons or freely
floating in space
d. life on worlds other than Earth
D
Which of the following best describes how scientists today view the
possibility of extraterrestrial life?
a. We have scientific reasons to think that extraterrestrial life is possible,
but no confirmed evidence that life exists.
b. We cannot completely rule out life beyond Earth, but so far we have
no evidence that any other world has conditions on which life of any
kind could survive.
c. There could be life on other planets in our solar system, but not on
planets around other stars.
d. It is a near-certainty that life exists on many worlds beyond Earth.
A
What do we mean when we talk about a geocentric view of the universe?
a. The modern view of the universe in which Earth is just one planet
,among billions of stars and billions of galaxies.
b. The idea that Earth is the only planet with life in the universe
c. The belief that Earth is the most important planet in the universe
d. The ancient idea that Earth resided at the center of the universe
D
An extrasolar planet is ________.
a. a planet other than Earth
b. a planet that is not in the Milky Way Galaxy
c. a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun
d. a planet that is larger than the Sun
C
5. A habitable world is ________.
a. a world that has life of some kind
b. a world on which humans could survive
c. a world that is small and rocky like the Earth
d. a world that has environmental conditions under which life could in
principle survive
e. a world that has oceans like the Earth
D
Current evidence indicates that, relative to Earth's age, life on Earth arose
________.
a. quite recently in Earth's history
b. fairly early in Earth's history
c. almost instantaneously upon Earth's formation
d. about midway through Earth's history
B
Which of the following is considered to be necessary for a world to be
habitable?
a. an oxygen atmosphere
b. a liquid, such as liquid water
c. H2O, in any form
d. a thick, dense atmosphere, of any composition
,B
What do scientists mean by SETI?
a. The search for life around other stars
b. The Search for Everything There Is in the universe
c. The search for life on other planets in our solar system
d. The search for civilizations that live beyond Earth
D
If we sent one of our current spacecraft to a nearby star (besides the Sun),
the trip would take about ________.
a. 1000 years
b. 100,000 years
c. a century
d. a decade
B
What is astrobiology?
a. The study of life found on other worlds
b. The study of the potential for life elsewhere in the universe, but not
including the study of any life on Earth
c. The search for alien civilizations
d. The study of life on Earth and of the possibility of life beyond Earth
e. The study of the lives of stars
D
In what way do planets move through our sky differently than the stars?
a. The planets move across our sky from west to east each night,
whereas the stars go from east to west.
b. Each night, all planets and stars move across the sky but planets move
across our sky faster than the stars.
c. Over a few weeks, we see planets move relative to the stars, but we do
not see the stars move relative to one another.
d. The planets move across our sky each night, but the stars do not.
C
, The ancient Greeks get a lot of attention for their contributions to science
because ________.
a. they were the first people known to try to explain nature with models
based on reason and mathematics, without resort to the supernatural
b. they were the first people to realize that Earth is a planet orbiting the
Sun
c. the books of every other culture were lost in the destruction of the
library of Alexandria
d. they were the first ancient culture to keep written records of their
astronomical observations
A
Who was Ptolemy?
a. He developed a model of the universe that placed Earth as a planet
orbiting the Sun, rather than at the center of the universe.
b. He was the first person to create a model in which a round Earth lay at
the center of a celestial sphere.
c. He was the first person to propose that Earth is round.
d. He developed a detailed geocentric model that remained in use for
more than a thousand years.
D
What is stellar parallax?
a. It is the change in the set of constellations that we see at different
times of year in the evening sky.
b. It describes the fact that stars are actually moving relative to one
another, even though to our eyes the stars appear fixed in the
constellations.
c. It is the slight back-and-forth shifting of a star's position relative to
more distant stars that occurs over the course of a year.
d. It is the daily rise and set of the stars.
C
What was the ancient Greek perspective on extraterrestrial life?
a. Nearly all ancient Greeks assumed that other worlds, some inhabited
with life, existed beyond Earth.
b. Nearly all ancient Greeks concluded that no life could exist anywhere
