Question 1

Explain how the early Earth's atmosphere must have been very different from the atmosphere we are breathing now?

Accepted Answer

The atmosphere had to change from a carbon dioxide dominated one with a trace of oxygen to a nitrogen-oxygen dominated one with a trace of carbon dioxide. This evolution is the product of plants and oceans absorbing carbon dioxide and photosynthesis releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, plus decaying plants releasing nitrogen. As life on Earth flourished, the amount of free oxygen increased in the atmosphere until today about 20% of the atmosphere is oxygen.

Question 2

A comparison of asteroids and terrestrial planets would reveal that both are

Accepted Answer

A)  made primarily of gases. 
B)  relatively rocky and small. 
C)  composed of chunks of ice surrounded by solid material. 
D)  located beyond the effect of solar heat and wind. 
E)  large and dense, compared to the Jovian planets. 
A)  made primarily of gases. 
B)  relatively rocky and small. 
C)  composed of chunks of ice surrounded by solid material. 
D)  located beyond the effect of solar heat and wind. 
E)  large and dense, compared to the Jovian planets. B

Question 3

What are some health hazards of long space trips?

Accepted Answer

A)  Astronauts can develop skin cancer from direct UV-rays. 
B)  Unidentified microbes create a possible danger of infection. 
C)  Weight gain is common because of the high calorie foods. 
D)  Bone mass is lost increasing the chance of breaks. 
E)  Blindness and deafness. 
A)  Astronauts can develop skin cancer from direct UV-rays. 
B)  Unidentified microbes create a possible danger of infection. 
C)  Weight gain is common because of the high calorie foods. 
D)  Bone mass is lost increasing the chance of breaks. 
E)  Blindness and deafness. D

Question 4

From where in the solar system are comets thought to come from?

Accepted Answer

They probably come from the Oo

Question 5

Describe the size, shape, composition, temperature, and pressure of Earth's inner core.

Accepted Answer

The inner core is a spherical body about

Question 6

Which of the following characteristics does the Earth share with all other bodies in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

A)  formed from matter ejected by the Sun 
B)  move in circular orbits 
C)  similar chemical composition 
D)  equally dense 
E)  gravitationally bound to the Sun 
A)  formed from matter ejected by the Sun 
B)  move in circular orbits 
C)  similar chemical composition 
D)  equally dense 
E)  gravitationally bound to the Sun

Question 7

The birth of a solar system would look like

Accepted Answer

A)  a huge explosion of rocks and fire. 
B)  a meteor shower. 
C)  thick dust clouds circling a new star. 
D)  a thickening Jovian plane. 
E)  nothing we could ever see or imagine. 
A)  a huge explosion of rocks and fire. 
B)  a meteor shower. 
C)  thick dust clouds circling a new star. 
D)  a thickening Jovian plane. 
E)  nothing we could ever see or imagine.

Question 8

Scientists study meteorites

Accepted Answer

A)  because they contain the material from which the solar system was made. 
B)  to find out more about how and when the Earth was created. 
C)  to find out more about other parts of the solar system. 
D)  for all the above reasons. 
E)  Scientists cannot study meteorites because they burn up when they hit the Earth's atmosphere. 
A)  because they contain the material from which the solar system was made. 
B)  to find out more about how and when the Earth was created. 
C)  to find out more about other parts of the solar system. 
D)  for all the above reasons. 
E)  Scientists cannot study meteorites because they burn up when they hit the Earth's atmosphere.

Question 9

Even though Saturn's size is about eight Earth diameters, your weight (by Earth's standards) would be about the same if you stood on Saturn's 'surface.' What does this suggest about the composition of the ringed planet?

Accepted Answer

Although much larger in volume

Question 10

The Earth's layered composition is a consequence of

Accepted Answer

A)  the great bombardment. 
B)  differentiation of materials. 
C)  isolation. 
D)  condensation currents. 
E)  plate tectonics. 
A)  the great bombardment. 
B)  differentiation of materials. 
C)  isolation. 
D)  condensation currents. 
E)  plate tectonics.

Question 11

The inner core at the center of the Earth

Accepted Answer

A)  contains the heaviest elements of the Earth's mass. 
B)  is made from rocks similar to those on the Earth's surface. 
C)  contains a mixture of solids, liquids, and gases. 
D)  is under low pressure, but at a very high temperature. 
E)  is solid, but is not the same composition as the surface of the Earth. 
A)  contains the heaviest elements of the Earth's mass. 
B)  is made from rocks similar to those on the Earth's surface. 
C)  contains a mixture of solids, liquids, and gases. 
D)  is under low pressure, but at a very high temperature. 
E)  is solid, but is not the same composition as the surface of the Earth.

Question 12

How can meteor showers be predicted?

Accepted Answer

A)  Meteors follow the jet stream in the upper atmosphere. 
B)  Meteors are in known orbits around the Sun. 
C)  Meteors rise in the east and set in the west. 
D)  Telescopes on satellites detect meteors months in advance of their entry into the Earth's atmosphere. 
E)  Calculations made by the Divine Calculator have been used to produce meteor shower schedules. 
A)  Meteors follow the jet stream in the upper atmosphere. 
B)  Meteors are in known orbits around the Sun. 
C)  Meteors rise in the east and set in the west. 
D)  Telescopes on satellites detect meteors months in advance of their entry into the Earth's atmosphere. 
E)  Calculations made by the Divine Calculator have been used to produce meteor shower schedules.

Question 13

What new astronomical information resulted from the impact of the comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter in 1994?

Accepted Answer

A)  effect of hydrogen bombs on Jupiter's atmosphere 
B)  composition of atmosphere beneath the planet's surface 
C)  the number of volcanoes located within 100 km of the impact 
D)  amount of water in Jupiter's atmosphere 
E)  mineral analysis of Jupiter's core 
A)  effect of hydrogen bombs on Jupiter's atmosphere 
B)  composition of atmosphere beneath the planet's surface 
C)  the number of volcanoes located within 100 km of the impact 
D)  amount of water in Jupiter's atmosphere 
E)  mineral analysis of Jupiter's core

Question 14

Describe how the scientific process led to the discovery of Pluto.

Accepted Answer

As more modern telescopes developed and

Question 15

Why do scientists think there may have been life on Mars?

Accepted Answer

Evidence of water locked beneath the sur

Question 16

An astronaut standing on Mars and attempting to look at Jupiter would have to look through the intervening

Accepted Answer

A)  Oort Cloud. 
B)  rings of Saturn. 
C)  asteroid belt. 
D)  moon Triton. 
E)  Sun's bright corona. 
A)  Oort Cloud. 
B)  rings of Saturn. 
C)  asteroid belt. 
D)  moon Triton. 
E)  Sun's bright corona.

Question 17

According to the nebular hypothesis, the solar system began as

Accepted Answer

A)  a rapidly rotating sun. 
B)  a cloud of dust and gas. 
C)  a cloud containing approximately equal amounts of all naturally occurring elements. 
D)  two comets that collided with a tremendous impact. 
E)  a vast area of totally empty space. 
A)  a rapidly rotating sun. 
B)  a cloud of dust and gas. 
C)  a cloud containing approximately equal amounts of all naturally occurring elements. 
D)  two comets that collided with a tremendous impact. 
E)  a vast area of totally empty space.

Question 18

What peculiar physical and chemical characteristics does the impact collision hypothesis for the origin of Earth's Moon explain?

Accepted Answer

This hypothesis accounts for the present

Question 19

The composition of the Earth's Moon is most like

Accepted Answer

A)  Mars. 
B)  the Earth's crustal material. 
C)  an asteroid. 
D)  the Earth's mantle. 
E)  a comet. 
A)  Mars. 
B)  the Earth's crustal material. 
C)  an asteroid. 
D)  the Earth's mantle. 
E)  a comet.

Question 20

What is the density of the Moon and to what part of Earth is this density comparable?

Accepted Answer

The density is 3.7 g

Exam 16: Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the Only Planet With Life

Explain how the early Earth's atmosphere must have been very different from the atmosphere we are breathing now?

A comparison of asteroids and terrestrial planets would reveal that both are

What are some health hazards of long space trips?

From where in the solar system are comets thought to come from?

Describe the size, shape, composition, temperature, and pressure of Earth's inner core.

Which of the following characteristics does the Earth share with all other bodies in the solar system?

The birth of a solar system would look like

Scientists study meteorites

Even though Saturn's size is about eight Earth diameters, your weight (by Earth's standards) would be about the same if you stood on Saturn's 'surface.' What does this suggest about the composition of the ringed planet?

The Earth's layered composition is a consequence of

The inner core at the center of the Earth

How can meteor showers be predicted?

What new astronomical information resulted from the impact of the comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter in 1994?

Describe how the scientific process led to the discovery of Pluto.

Why do scientists think there may have been life on Mars?

An astronaut standing on Mars and attempting to look at Jupiter would have to look through the intervening

According to the nebular hypothesis, the solar system began as

What peculiar physical and chemical characteristics does the impact collision hypothesis for the origin of Earth's Moon explain?

The composition of the Earth's Moon is most like

What is the density of the Moon and to what part of Earth is this density comparable?

Science: a Way of Knowing: How Do You Know What You Know

The Ordered Universe: Why Do Planets Appear to Wander Slowly Across the Sky

Energy: Why Must Animals Eat to Stay Alive

Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why Is It Easier to Make an Omelet From an Egg Than to Make an Egg From an Omelet

Electricity and Magnetism: What Is Lightning

Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What Is Color

Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a Human Ever Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light, at Warp Speed

The Atom: Why Are There so Many Different Materials in the World

Quantum Mechanics: How Can the Electron Behave Like Both a Particle and a Wave

Atoms in Combination: the Chemical Bond: How Does Blood Clot

Materials and Their Properties: How Have Computers Gotten so Much Faster

The Nucleus of the Atom: How Do Scientists Determine the Age of the Oldest Human Fossils

The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How Can Antimatter Be Used to Probe the Human Brain

The Stars: How Much Longer Can the Sun Sustain Life on Earth

Cosmology: Will the Universe End

Plate Tectonics: Can We Predict Destructive Earthquakes

Earths Many Cycles: Will We Ever Run Out of Fresh Water

Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are Human Activities Affecting the Global Environment

Strategies of Life: What Is Life

The Living Cell: What Is the Smallest Living Thing

Molecules of Life: What Constitutes a Healthy Diet

Classical and Modern Genetics: Why Do Offspring Resemble Their Parents

The New Science of Life: Can We Cure Cancer

Evolution: How Did Life Emerge on the Ancient Earth

Filters