Space Science
Pre-Test Questions
Course Introduction
Space Science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the physical universe beyond Earth's atmosphere, including the study of celestial objects, phenomena, and the underlying principles governing them. This course delves into topics such as the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies, planetary science, cosmology, the solar system, space exploration technologies, and the search for extraterrestrial life. By examining recent discoveries and advancements, students will gain an understanding of the scientific methods used to investigate space, the history and impact of space missions, and the ongoing quest to comprehend our place in the cosmos.
Recommended Textbook
Life in the Universe 3rd Edition by Jeffrey O. Bennett
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12 Chapters
1027 Verified Questions
1027 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3825 Page 2
Chapter 2: The Science of Life in the Universe
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76322
Sample Questions
Q1) A scientist tries to determine why a particular car is getting a much lower gas mileage than claimed by the manufacturer by systematically designing experiments to test possible causes for the problem. This is an example of A) discovery science
B) nonscience
C) hypothesis-driven science
D) pseudoscience
Answer: C
Q2) Occam's Razor states that if we have two models that agree equally well with observations, we choose the one that A) is simplest
B) is most complex
C) has been around the longest D) is accepted by most scientists
Answer: A
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3
Chapter 3: The Universal Context of Life
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Thermal radiation from hot, dense objects produces
A) a continuous spectrum
B) an emission line spectrum
C) an absorption line spectrum
D) a broad line spectrum
Answer: A
Q2) Which of the following do the atoms <sup>14</sup>C and <sup>14</sup>N have in common?
A) total number of protons and neutrons
B) number of electrons
C) number of neutrons
D) number of protons
Answer: A
Q3) How many neutrons are in an isotope of uranium-235 if uranium has an atomic mass number of 92?
A) 143
B) 235
C) 92
D) 327
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: The Habitability of Earth
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135 Verified Questions
135 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76320
Sample Questions
Q1) When a metamorphic rock is eroded and then becomes deposited at the bottom of an ocean it turns into
A) a meteorite
B) an igneous rock
C) a sedimentary rock
D) another metamorphic rock
Q2) The radioactive isotope <sup>7</sup>Be (atomic number 4) decays to the isotope <sup>7</sup>Li (atomic number 3). What type of radioactive decay is this?
A) electron capture
B) beta decay
C) electron ionization
D) alpha decay
Q3) The radioactive isotope <sup>226</sup>Ra (atomic number 88) decays to the isotope <sup>222</sup>Rn (atomic number 86). What type of radioactive decay is this?
A) beta decay
B) electron ionization
C) electron capture
D) alpha decay
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5
Chapter 5: The Nature of Life on Earth
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76319
Sample Questions
Q1) The resistance of bacteria to certain antibiotics is a current example of A) natural variety
B) artificial selection
C) un-natural selection
D) natural selection
Q2) Human beings are examples of
A) multicellular eukaryotes
B) unicellular prokaryotes
C) unicellular eukaryotes
D) multicellular prokaryotes
Q3) The basic biological structures of life on Earth are called A) cells
B) bacteria
C) molecules
D) atoms
Q4) Chemists refer to molecules containing carbon atoms as A) carbonic
B) organic
C) carbonaceous
D) inorganic
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Chapter 6: The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth
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110 Verified Questions
110 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76318
Sample Questions
Q1) By studying the "Tree of Life" scientists have been able to deduce that life on Earth most likely
A) was planted on the Earth by an advanced civilization
B) originated close to deep-sea volcanic vents
C) originated in shallow ponds on the Earth's surface
D) was transported from another planet by meteorites
Q2) The layered colonies of microbes found in western Australia that resemble some of the Earth's earliest living organisms are called
A) living stromatolites
B) microfossils
C) zircons
D) protocorals
Q3) Life probably did not originate on the land surface because
A) impacts would have destroyed any life that appeared
B) water was not plentiful on land
C) there was no ozone layer to shield out harmful UV rays
D) organic materials were not present on the land
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7
Chapter 7: Searching for Life in Our Solar System
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56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) Mars may have been more Earth-like in the past because
A) its atmosphere was thicker
B) it was rotating more rapidly
C) the Sun was dimmer, putting out less solar radiation
D) it was not as close to the Sun
Q3) The search for life in the solar system is essentially a search for A) organic molecules
B) liquid water
C) molecular oxygen
D) energy sources
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Chapter 8: Mars
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Why is the possible contamination of the Earth by Martian microbes in a future sample return mission not considered to be a significant problem?
A) Martian microbes will certainly be destroyed by terrestrial microbes
B) any Martian microbes will be destroyed by high-energy particles and radiation on their trip back to Earth
C) Martian microbes will be rapidly destroyed by oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere
D) Martian microbes are likely to be quite different than terrestrial microbes and, hence, will probably not be able to affect life on Earth
Q2) What field of science are the experiments on the two Mars Exploration Rovers most closely related to?
A) physics
B) biology
C) geology
D) astronomy
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Chapter 9: Life on Jovian Moons
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54 Verified Questions
54 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76315
Sample Questions
Q1) Triton's retrograde orbit is consistent with it having A) been spun out from a rapidly rotating Neptune
B) been captured by Neptune's gravity
C) undergone a massive impact
D) formed from a rotating disk of gas and dust around Neptune
Q2) Most of the key energy-generating chemical reactions used by life on Earth are
A) rearrangement reactions
B) redox reactions
C) decomposition reactions
D) combination reactions
Q3) Io has an elliptical orbit because
A) of its rapid rotation
B) of its synchronous rotation
C) of the strong gravitational influence of Jupiter
D) of orbital resonances with Europa and Ganymede
Q4) In chemistry, reduction occurs when a substance
A) accepts electrons
B) loses electrons
C) rearranges its electrons internally
D) breaks into its constituent atoms
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Chapter 10: The Nature and Evolution of Habitability
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/76314
Sample Questions
Q1) Most of the carbon dioxide on the Earth
A) is locked up in carbonate rocks in its crust or is dissolved in the oceans
B) is trapped beneath the surface of the planet in gaseous form
C) has escaped into space
D) is located in its atmosphere
Q2) A star less luminous than our Sun will have a habitable zone that is
A) narrower and closer to the star than the habitable zone of the Sun
B) wider and closer to the star than the habitable zone of the Sun
C) narrower and farther from the star than the habitable zone of the Sun
D) wider and farther from the star than the habitable zone of the Sun
Q3) Over the past decade, the north polar ice cap has shrunk by approximately
A) 50 %
B) 1 %
C) 20 %
D) 5 %
Q4) Unlike the Earth, Venus does not have a protective magnetic field because A) of its proximity to the Sun
B) of its slow rotation
C) it lacks a partially molten iron core
D) there is less magnetized iron on its surface
Page 11
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Chapter 11: Habitability Outside the Solar System
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) O-type stars
A) have lifetimes long enough for advanced life to evolve
B) have lifetimes long enough for planets to form and for life to appear, but not long enough for advanced life
C) do not contain enough heavy elements to form planets
D) have lifetimes too short for planet formation
Q2) If we are eventually able to detect Earth-like extrasolar planets directly, they will be seen very
A) close to their parent stars and will be very dim in comparison
B) far from their parent stars and will be very dim in comparison
C) far from their parent stars and will be bright in comparison
D) close to their parent stars and will be bright in comparison
Q3) All stars on the main sequence
A) are in the process of forming
B) are mature stars that are fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores
C) are dead stars
D) have exhausted their nuclear fuel and are in the process of dying
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Page 12
Chapter 12: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
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76 Verified Questions
76 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sending signals at optical wavelengths might be a viable alternative to radio wavelengths
A) only between civilizations around solar-type stars whose eyes have evolved to see such radiation
B) over relatively short distances where absorption by interstellar matter would not be a problem
C) as long as the light transmitted is a different color than the light given off by the parent star
D) over all distances as long as the intensity of the signal is strong enough
Q2) The technique of taking data with a SETI instrument placed on a radio telescope that is also used for other astronomical research is referred to as
A) parallel processing
B) piggybanking
C) straddling
D) piggybacking
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13
Chapter 13: Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox
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66 Verified Questions
66 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A solar sail could conceivably be accelerated out into space using A) light reflected from the Earth
B) starlight from the Milky Way
C) a giant wind machine constructed in orbit around the Earth
D) a powerful laser on Earth
Q2) The observed slowing down of time predicted by Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity for an object traveling close to the speed of light is referred to as
A) time dilation
B) time expansion
C) a time warp
D) time contraction
Q3) Which type of spacecraft does not need to carry any fuel?
A) nuclear rockets
B) ion engines
C) solar sails
D) chemical rockets
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