Exoplanetary Science Pre-Test
Questions
Course Introduction
Exoplanetary Science explores the discovery, characterization, and understanding of planets beyond our solar system. The course covers detection techniques such as transit photometry and radial velocity, and examines the physical and chemical properties of exoplanets, including their atmospheres, internal structures, and potential habitability.
Students learn about the formation and evolution of exoplanetary systems, the diversity of planetary types, and methods used to analyze observational data from both groundand space-based telescopes. The course also addresses current research trends and the search for life in the universe, encouraging critical evaluation of scientific literature and mission data.
Recommended Textbook
Life in the Universe 4th Edition by Jeffrey O. Bennett
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13 Chapters
1172 Verified Questions
1172 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1023 Page 2
Chapter 1: A Universe of Life
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28 Verified Questions
28 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20263
Sample Questions
Q1) The ancient view of an Earth-centered geocentric universe suggested that life elsewhere should be
A) common
B) rare
C) this view gives us no clue of the likelihood of life elsewhere
D) at the center of another, parallel universe
Answer: B
Q2) Beneath the surface of which moon of Jupiter is there the strongest evidence for the existence of a subsurface ocean of liquid water?
A) Io
B) Callisto
C) Europa
D) Ganymede
Answer: C
Q3) The scientific discipline of astrobiology is
A) one of the oldest branches of science
B) a relatively young branch of science
C) a similar age to other fundamental disciplines like physics and chemistry
D) a hypothetical branch of science which has yet to be established
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: The Science of Life in the Universe
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73 Verified Questions
73 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20264
Sample Questions
Q1) Scientists always try to
A) be as subjective as possible
B) be as objective as possible
C) disagree with the current paradigm of the time
D) agree with the current paradigm of the time
Answer: B
Q2) Scientific models supported by a large, compelling body of evidence are referred to as
A) facts
B) ideas
C) theories
D) hypotheses
Answer: C
Q3) In science, an unexpected change in a series of measurements is referred to as
A) a deviation
B) bias
C) an error
D) an uncertainty
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Universal Context of Life
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123 Verified Questions
123 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20265
Sample Questions
Q1) If we compress the entire history of the universe into one year, the Earth formed
A) in early February
B) in early September
C) in late December
D) in late September
Answer: B
Q2) Which of the following is an organic molecule?
A) N H
B) B O
C) C H
D) H O
Answer: C
Q3) What kind of energy does gasoline possess?
A) mechanical
B) kinetic
C) potential
D) radiative
Answer: C
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Page 5
Chapter 4: The Habitability of Earth
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149 Verified Questions
149 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20266
Sample Questions
Q1) If originally there were X atoms of radioactive isotope present and now there are only X/2 atoms, how many half-lives have elapsed?
A) 3
B) 1
C) 4
D) 2
Q2) A fossil is found in a layer of strata above one layer dated at 2 million years. From this we can deduce the age of the fossil to be
A) we can tell nothing about the fossil's age from this data
B) younger than 2 million years
C) between 2 and 3 million years old
D) older than 3 million years
Q3) If originally there were X atoms of radioactive isotope present and now there are only X/16 atoms, how many half-lives have elapsed?
A) 4
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
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6
Chapter 5: The Nature of Life on Earth
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120 Verified Questions
120 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20267
Sample Questions
Q1) In the scientific method, natural selection is classified as a A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) model
D) principle
Q2) More than 96% of the mass of living cells are made of
A) carbon and hydrogen
B) carbon
C) carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen
D) hydrogen and oxygen
Q3) What is the main factor that drives Darwinian evolution?
A) the competition for finite resources
B) the need to have sex
C) the ability of an organism to harness the energy of the Sun
D) the size of an organism
Q4) A section of DNA that corresponds to a particular protein is known as a
A) codon
B) chromosome
C) gene
D) genome
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Chapter 6: The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth
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130 Verified Questions
130 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20268
Sample Questions
Q1) Compared to life today the rate of diversification in early organism was probably
A) exactly the same as it is today
B) much slower than it is today
C) much faster than it is today
D) just slightly slower than it is today
Q2) Microfossils found in northwestern Australia in 2011 appear to have been
A) photoheterotrophs
B) chemoheterotrophs
C) photoautotrophs
D) chemoautotrophs
Q3) The point in time at which oxygen started to build up in the Earth's atmosphere is referred to as the
A) great oxidation event
B) great oxygen crisis
C) great oxygenation event
D) great photosynthetic event
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8
Chapter 7: Searching for Life in Our Solar System
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20269
Sample Questions
Q1) The planet Saturn is approximately 10 times farther away from the Sun than the Earth is. Given this, how much sunlight does it receive compared to the Earth?
A) 1/1,000th
B) 1/10,000th
C) 1/100th
D) 1/10
Q2) Which kind of robotic space mission enables us to determine the chemical composition of a planet's surface and atmosphere remotely?
A) sample return
B) lander/probe
C) orbiter
D) flyby
Q3) Most of the detailed information about the planets in our solar system comes from
A) telescopic observations from Earth
B) robotic spacecraft
C) human visits
D) meteorites
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Chapter 8: Mars
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104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20270
Sample Questions
Q1) Results from the Phoenix lander and Curiosity rover suggest that the positive result from the Viking Labeled Release experiment was probably due to
A) the destruction of organic molecules by oxygen released when perchlorates in the soil decomposed on heating
B) terrestrial contamination from the robotic arm which took the samples
C) a malfunction in the experiment
D) high levels of radioactivity in the soil
Q2) Which of the following did NOT contribute to the thinning of the Martian atmosphere during its early history?
A) the photodissociation of water molecules by ultraviolet light in the atmosphere
B) the stripping of the atmosphere by solar wind particles from the Sun
C) the consumption of carbon dioxide by photosynthetic bacteria
D) atmospheric gases being blasted into space by large impacts
Q3) Where is probably the best place to find life on Mars today?
A) inside craters that used to be filled with water
B) in the Mariner Valley
C) in the residual polar caps
D) in geologically active areas like Tharsis where subsurface water may exist
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Chapter 9: Life on Jovian Moons
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20271
Sample Questions
Q1) The Jovian moons Io, Europa, Callisto and Triton are
A) larger than Pluto but smaller than Mercury
B) smaller than Pluto
C) about the same size as Pluto
D) larger than Pluto but smaller than the Moon
Q2) Chemical disequilibrium inevitably exists near deep-sea volcanic vents, because A) there are unequal concentrations of minerals and water
B) the high-temperature vent water causes water molecules to break down into hydrogen and oxygen
C) mixing between the high-temperature vent water and the surrounding low-temperature ocean water creates conditions in which minerals and water will undergo chemical reactions
D) the high pressures existing at the ocean floor cause chemical reactions between minerals and water
Q3) When the Huygens probe touched down on Titan, it landed
A) in a vast ocean of liquid methane
B) on a solid surface of frozen water and methane ices that resembled a streambed C) in a shallow pool of liquid methane
D) on the slopes of an icy volcano covered with water and methane ice
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Page 11
Chapter 10: The Nature and Evolution of Habitability
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65 Verified Questions
65 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20272
Sample Questions
Q1) What is the definition of a star's habitable zone?
A) the range of distances from the star where planets with life have been detected
B) the range of distances from the star where rocky planets can form
C) the range of distances from the star where organic molecules can be stable on the surface of a suitable planet
D) the range of distances from the star where liquid water can be stable on the surface of a suitable planet
Q2) The range of distances that has remained habitable for the entire duration of the Sun's lifetime is referred to as the
A) continuously habitable zone
B) habitable zone of consistency
C) zone of water stability
D) permanently habitable zone
Q3) As global warming raises the moisture content in our atmosphere, storms will
A) become less numerous and less severe
B) disappear all together
C) become less numerous but more severe
D) become more numerous and severe
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12
Chapter 11: Extrasolar Planets: Their Nature and Potential
Habitability
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20273
Sample Questions
Q1) The wavelengths of radiation from a star that is moving toward us
A) can be longer or shorter depending on the distance to the star
B) are shorter than if the star were not moving
C) are longer than if the star were not moving
D) are the same as if the star were not moving
Q2) The intrinsic brightness of a star is referred to as its A) radiance
B) luminosity
C) surface temperature
D) apparent brightness
Q3) Imagine we have a planet identical to Jupiter around another star, with the exception that its orbit is much closer. How would its density compare to Jupiter?
A) it would be slightly higher
B) it would be much higher
C) it would be lower
D) it would be the same
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Chapter 12: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
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75 Verified Questions
75 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20274
Sample Questions
Q1) Any reply to a detected SETI signal should A) be decided upon by the group of scientists who first detected the signal
B) be decided upon by the government of the country who first detected the signal C) be sent immediately as a signal is received
D) represent a consensus of the Earth's population
Q2) An organism with an Encephalization Quotient (EQ) of 4 is expected to be of
A) above-average intelligence
B) average intelligence
C) the lowest possible intelligence
D) below-average intelligence
Q3) The Inner Galactic Plane Survey conducted with the Allen Telescope Array in northern California is an example of a A) sky survey
B) targeted search
C) intentional search
D) random sweep
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14
Chapter 13: Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox
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65 Verified Questions
65 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20275
Sample Questions
Q1) Nuclear fission is the process by which
A) a number of smaller nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus with the release of energy
B) electrons are rearranged inside an atom, releasing energy
C) an electron is ejected from the nucleus of an atom, releasing energy
D) large nuclei break up into smaller nuclei with the release of energy
Q2) Particles of matter and antimatter have the
A) same charge and mass
B) same charge but different mass
C) different charge and mass
D) same mass but opposite charge
Q3) Consider a spacecraft that travels round-trip to the zeta reticuli star system (distance 39.5 light-years) at 99% of the speed of light. If the round-trip travel time as measured from Earth is 79.8 years, how much time would pass for passengers on the spacecraft?
A) 39.9 years
B) 79.8 years
C) 22.6 years
D) 11.3 years
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Page 15