Question 1

One piece of evidence that supports the Big Bang Theory is

Accepted Answer

A)  the confirmation of the prediction that the universe is made of approximately three-fourths hydrogen and one-fourth helium by mass 
B)  that the universe is mostly made of dark energy 
C)  the detection of dark matter in the halos of galaxies 
D)  the fact that the universe has a finite age

Question 2

Which of the following materials present in the solar system had the highest condensation temperatures?

Accepted Answer

A)  metals 
B)  rocks 
C)  hydrogen and helium gases 
D)  hydrogen compounds like water, methane, and ammonia

Question 3

The larger moons of the Jovian planets

Accepted Answer

A)  were probably formed from spinning disks of gas that surrounded the planets 
B)  are most likely gravitationally captured asteroids and comets 
C)  formed when large planetesimals collided with them 
D)  were spun out from their parent planets due to their rapid rotation

Question 4

The interstellar cloud that formed our solar system rotated more rapidly as it collapsed due to the law of conservation of

Accepted Answer

A)  energy 
B)  mass 
C)  volume 
D)  angular momentum

Question 5

Compared to its neutral atom, an ion has the same number of

Accepted Answer

A)  protons and neutrons 
B)  protons but a different number of neutrons 
C)  protons but a different number of electrons 
D)  neutrons but a different number of protons

Question 6

The process by which molecules condense from a gas directly into a solid is called

Accepted Answer

A)  deposition 
B)  condensation 
C)  sublimation 
D)  gassification

Question 7

According to the nebular theory for the formation of the solar system,

Accepted Answer

A)  planets should be rotating in the same direction as they orbit the Sun 
B)  planets can be rotating in any random direction compared to the direction they orbit the Sun 
C)  planets should be rotating in the opposite direction to the direction they orbit the Sun 
D)  no prediction is made as to the directions of rotations of the planets

Question 8

Atoms are held together by

Accepted Answer

A)  the electrostatic force of attraction between the protons in the nucleus and the surrounding electrons 
B)  the combined electrostatic force of attraction between the protons and neutrons in the nucleus and the surrounding electrons 
C)  the force of gravitational attraction between the protons in the nucleus and the surrounding electrons 
D)  the electrostatic force of attraction between the neutrons in the nucleus and the surrounding electrons

Question 9

Most asteroids tend to reside in the asteroid belt due to the gravitation influence of

Accepted Answer

A)  the Sun 
B)  Mars 
C)  Jupiter 
D)  nearby stars

Question 10

Approximately how many stars are there in the Milky Way galaxy?

Accepted Answer

A)  a few hundred million 
B)  a few hundred thousand 
C)  a hundred billion 
D)  a trillion

Question 11

How many neutrons are in an isotope of uranium-235 if uranium has an atomic mass number of 92?

Accepted Answer

A)  143 
B)  235 
C)  92 
D)  327

Question 12

The Voyager 2 probe is currently traveling away from the Sun at a speed of approximately 50,000 km/h. At this speed, how long would it take for Voyager 2 to travel to the nearest solar-type star, Tau Ceti, which 11.9 light years from Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  12 million years 
B)  260 thousand years 
C)  12 thousand years 
D)  520 thousand years

Question 13

The light-year is defined to be the

Accepted Answer

A)  time it takes light to travel from the Sun to the Earth 
B)  time it takes for light to travel from the nearest star to the Earth 
C)  distance light travels in one year 
D)  average distance between the Earth and the nearest star

Question 14

Jupiter's moon Ganymede and Saturn's moon Titan are

Accepted Answer

A)  a similar size to the Earth 
B)  larger than the planet Mercury 
C)  smaller than the Earth's moon 
D)  larger than the Earth

Question 15

Measurement of the position of the peak in an object's thermal spectrum is a measure of its

Accepted Answer

A)  chemical composition 
B)  temperature 
C)  mass 
D)  distance

Question 16

The Oort cloud comets were probably

Accepted Answer

A)  captured from interstellar space by the Sun 
B)  once moons of the outer jovian planets Uranus and Neptune 
C)  formed when comets that passed close to one of the jovian planets were flung out into the outer reaches of the solar system 
D)  blasted from dwarf planets like Pluto and Eris

Question 17

Due to the vast scale of the universe, when we observe a star in the night sky, we are seeing it

Accepted Answer

A)  not as it is now, but as it will be in the future 
B)  as it was at the moment the universe formed 
C)  as it is right now 
D)  not as it is now, but as it was in the past

Question 18

According to current astronomical data, approximately how old is the universe?

Accepted Answer

A)  65 million years 
B)  6000 years 
C)  4.6 billion years 
D)  14 billion years

Question 19

An alternative to the nebular theory for the formation of the solar system suggests that the planets formed from blobs of gas that had been gravitationally pulled out of the Sun during the near-collision with another star. This idea is referred to as the

Accepted Answer

A)  fragmentation hypothesis 
B)  collision-ejection hypothesis 
C)  encounter hypothesis 
D)  tidal distortion hypothesis

Question 20

The nuclei of radioactive isotopes can sometimes give off

Accepted Answer

A)  visible radiation 
B)  UV rays 
C)  gamma rays 
D)  X-rays

Exam 3: The Universal Context of Life