Question 1

How similar are humans and chimpanzees genetically?

Accepted Answer

A)  very different, having only approximately 25% of DNA sequences in common 
B)  very similar indeed, having approximately 98% of DNA sequences in common 
C)  fairly similar indeed, having approximately 60% of DNA sequences in common 
D)  unique, having no DNA sequences in common 
A)  very different, having only approximately 25% of DNA sequences in common 
B)  very similar indeed, having approximately 98% of DNA sequences in common 
C)  fairly similar indeed, having approximately 60% of DNA sequences in common 
D)  unique, having no DNA sequences in common

Question 2

The possibility of life being transferred from another planet like Mars largely depends on whether that life can survive

Accepted Answer

A)  being lasted from the parent planet 
B)  inside the meteorite with very little water present 
C)  long enough in space to make the journey to Earth 
D)  the impact onto the Earth's surface 
A)  being lasted from the parent planet 
B)  inside the meteorite with very little water present 
C)  long enough in space to make the journey to Earth 
D)  the impact onto the Earth's surface

Question 3

The first self-replicating molecule was probably

Accepted Answer

A)  a simple carbohydrate 
B)  DNA 
C)  a simple protein 
D)  RNA 
A)  a simple carbohydrate 
B)  DNA 
C)  a simple protein 
D)  RNA

Question 4

For microbes to survive the journey in a meteorite from another solar system body to the Earth they would have to survive the

Accepted Answer

A)  impact that blasted the rock off of the surface of its home world 
B)  high energy particles and radiation in space 
C)  entry through our atmosphere 
D)  all of these 
A)  impact that blasted the rock off of the surface of its home world 
B)  high energy particles and radiation in space 
C)  entry through our atmosphere 
D)  all of these

Question 5

The "bottom-up" approach to creating artificial life starts

Accepted Answer

A)  with simple bacteria and attempts to add DNA sequences to them to make them more complex 
B)  with advanced robots and attempts to make them able to reproduce 
C)  in the laboratory with the raw ingredients of life, and seeks to reproduce life in much the same way that it presumably originated billions of years ago 
D)  with existing organisms and genetically strips them down, then tries to rebuild them into new species 
A)  with simple bacteria and attempts to add DNA sequences to them to make them more complex 
B)  with advanced robots and attempts to make them able to reproduce 
C)  in the laboratory with the raw ingredients of life, and seeks to reproduce life in much the same way that it presumably originated billions of years ago 
D)  with existing organisms and genetically strips them down, then tries to rebuild them into new species

Question 6

Why can studies of carbon isotopes be used to detect the presence of past biological activity in rocks?

Accepted Answer

A)  living organisms absorb only the most common carbon isotope 
B)  living organisms remove all carbon from rocks 
C)  living organisms absorb certain carbon isotopes more easily than others 
D)  carbon isotopes are found only in living organisms 
A)  living organisms absorb only the most common carbon isotope 
B)  living organisms remove all carbon from rocks 
C)  living organisms absorb certain carbon isotopes more easily than others 
D)  carbon isotopes are found only in living organisms

Question 7

Where did the asteroid that is believed responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs hit the surface of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  in Siberia in Russia 
B)  in the desert in Arizona 
C)  in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 
D)  in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico 
A)  in Siberia in Russia 
B)  in the desert in Arizona 
C)  in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 
D)  in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico

Question 8

In 2014, when scientists used a laser to simulate the conditions generated when a large impact hits a mixture of prebiotic molecules, they were able to produce

Accepted Answer

A)  all 20 amino acids used in life 
B)  all four DNA bases used in life 
C)  complex carbohydrates 
D)  simple proteins 
A)  all 20 amino acids used in life 
B)  all four DNA bases used in life 
C)  complex carbohydrates 
D)  simple proteins

Question 9

Life probably did not originate on the land surface because

Accepted Answer

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 
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

Question 10

Aerobic organisms first started building up oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere around

Accepted Answer

A)  4.6 billion years ago 
B)  3.5 billion years ago 
C)  4.0 billion years ago 
D)  2.5 billion years ago 
A)  4.6 billion years ago 
B)  3.5 billion years ago 
C)  4.0 billion years ago 
D)  2.5 billion years ago

Question 11

One theory for the origin of life suggests that life formed spontaneously from increasingly complex chemical reactions on the Earth. This is referred to as

Accepted Answer

A)  intelligent design 
B)  naturism 
C)  panspermia 
D)  chemical evolution 
A)  intelligent design 
B)  naturism 
C)  panspermia 
D)  chemical evolution

Question 12

The point in time at which oxygen started to build up in the Earth's atmosphere is referred to as the

Accepted Answer

A)  great oxidation event 
B)  great oxygen crisis 
C)  great oxygenation event 
D)  great photosynthetic event 
A)  great oxidation event 
B)  great oxygen crisis 
C)  great oxygenation event 
D)  great photosynthetic event

Question 13

The colonization of land by plants appears to have begun about

Accepted Answer

A)  542 million years ago 
B)  360 million years ago 
C)  65 million years ago 
D)  475 million years ago 
A)  542 million years ago 
B)  360 million years ago 
C)  65 million years ago 
D)  475 million years ago

Question 14

The most severe mass extinction during the past 500 million years occurred at the end of which geological period?

Accepted Answer

A)  Devonian 
B)  Triassic 
C)  Permian 
D)  Cretaceous 
A)  Devonian 
B)  Triassic 
C)  Permian 
D)  Cretaceous

Question 15

Which of the following was an important source of prebiotic molecules (e.g., amino acids) on the early Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  molecules produced on the surface by impacts 
B)  molecules produced by chemical reactions near deep-sea ocean vents 
C)  molecules transported to the surface by impacts 
D)  all of these 
A)  molecules produced on the surface by impacts 
B)  molecules produced by chemical reactions near deep-sea ocean vents 
C)  molecules transported to the surface by impacts 
D)  all of these

Question 16

Once oxygen started to be manufactured by cyanobacteria, why did it take so long to build up to significant levels?

Accepted Answer

A)  initially most of the oxygen escaped into space 
B)  oxidation of surface rock and ocean minerals occurred 
C)  initially most of the oxygen produced dissolved in the oceans 
D)  initially most of the oxygen was converted into water by reaction with hydrogen 
A)  initially most of the oxygen escaped into space 
B)  oxidation of surface rock and ocean minerals occurred 
C)  initially most of the oxygen produced dissolved in the oceans 
D)  initially most of the oxygen was converted into water by reaction with hydrogen

Question 17

If we eventually find life on Mars, we could tell if panspermia may have occurred between Mars and Earth if

Accepted Answer

A)  the biochemistry of Martian life is very different than life on Earth 
B)  the biochemistry of Martian life is very similar to life on Earth 
C)  Martian life shows evidence for natural selection 
D)  Martian life is cellular 
A)  the biochemistry of Martian life is very different than life on Earth 
B)  the biochemistry of Martian life is very similar to life on Earth 
C)  Martian life shows evidence for natural selection 
D)  Martian life is cellular

Question 18

In order for organic molecules to have formed on the early Earth, what do we know could not have been present in the atmosphere in significant quantities?

Accepted Answer

A)  oxygen (O₂) 
B)  nitrogen (N₂) 
C)  carbon dioxide (CO₂) 
D)  argon (Ar) 
A)  oxygen (O₂) 
B)  nitrogen (N₂) 
C)  carbon dioxide (CO₂) 
D)  argon (Ar)

Question 19

Why do we think that DNA was probably NOT the first self-replicating molecule?

Accepted Answer

A)  it is able to replicate using carbohydrates rather than proteins 
B)  it is far to complex to have been the first self-replicating molecule 
C)  it is able to replicate at high temperatures found near deep ocean vents 
D)  laboratory have shown that it is able to catalyze its own replication 
A)  it is able to replicate using carbohydrates rather than proteins 
B)  it is far to complex to have been the first self-replicating molecule 
C)  it is able to replicate at high temperatures found near deep ocean vents 
D)  laboratory have shown that it is able to catalyze its own replication

Question 20

Microfossils found in northwestern Australia in 2011 appears to have used compounds based on which element for metabolism?

Accepted Answer

A)  sulfur 
B)  oxygen 
C)  nitrogen 
D)  carbon 
A)  sulfur 
B)  oxygen 
C)  nitrogen 
D)  carbon

How similar are humans and chimpanzees genetically?

The possibility of life being transferred from another planet like Mars largely depends on whether that life can survive

The first self-replicating molecule was probably

For microbes to survive the journey in a meteorite from another solar system body to the Earth they would have to survive the

The "bottom-up" approach to creating artificial life starts

Why can studies of carbon isotopes be used to detect the presence of past biological activity in rocks?

Where did the asteroid that is believed responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs hit the surface of the Earth?

In 2014, when scientists used a laser to simulate the conditions generated when a large impact hits a mixture of prebiotic molecules, they were able to produce

Life probably did not originate on the land surface because

Aerobic organisms first started building up oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere around

One theory for the origin of life suggests that life formed spontaneously from increasingly complex chemical reactions on the Earth. This is referred to as

The point in time at which oxygen started to build up in the Earth's atmosphere is referred to as the

The colonization of land by plants appears to have begun about

The most severe mass extinction during the past 500 million years occurred at the end of which geological period?

Which of the following was an important source of prebiotic molecules (e.g., amino acids) on the early Earth?

Once oxygen started to be manufactured by cyanobacteria, why did it take so long to build up to significant levels?

If we eventually find life on Mars, we could tell if panspermia may have occurred between Mars and Earth if

In order for organic molecules to have formed on the early Earth, what do we know could not have been present in the atmosphere in significant quantities?

Why do we think that DNA was probably NOT the first self-replicating molecule?

Microfossils found in northwestern Australia in 2011 appears to have used compounds based on which element for metabolism?

A Universe of Life

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

Extrasolar Planets: Their Nature and Potential Habitability

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

Filters

Exam 6: The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth

How similar are humans and chimpanzees genetically?

The possibility of life being transferred from another planet like Mars largely depends on whether that life can survive

The first self-replicating molecule was probably

For microbes to survive the journey in a meteorite from another solar system body to the Earth they would have to survive the

The "bottom-up" approach to creating artificial life starts

Why can studies of carbon isotopes be used to detect the presence of past biological activity in rocks?

Where did the asteroid that is believed responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs hit the surface of the Earth?

In 2014, when scientists used a laser to simulate the conditions generated when a large impact hits a mixture of prebiotic molecules, they were able to produce

Life probably did not originate on the land surface because

Aerobic organisms first started building up oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere around

One theory for the origin of life suggests that life formed spontaneously from increasingly complex chemical reactions on the Earth. This is referred to as

The point in time at which oxygen started to build up in the Earth's atmosphere is referred to as the

The colonization of land by plants appears to have begun about

The most severe mass extinction during the past 500 million years occurred at the end of which geological period?

Which of the following was an important source of prebiotic molecules (e.g., amino acids) on the early Earth?

Once oxygen started to be manufactured by cyanobacteria, why did it take so long to build up to significant levels?

If we eventually find life on Mars, we could tell if panspermia may have occurred between Mars and Earth if

In order for organic molecules to have formed on the early Earth, what do we know could not have been present in the atmosphere in significant quantities?

Why do we think that DNA was probably NOT the first self-replicating molecule?

Microfossils found in northwestern Australia in 2011 appears to have used compounds based on which element for metabolism?

A Universe of Life

The Science of Life in the Universe

The Universal Context of Life

The Habitability of Earth

The Nature of Life on Earth

Searching for Life in Our Solar System

Mars

Life on Jovian Moons

The Nature and Evolution of Habitability

Extrasolar Planets: Their Nature and Potential Habitability

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar Travel and the Fermi Paradox

Filters