Life in The Universe 3rd Edition Bennett Test Bank

Life in the Universe 3rd Edition Bennett
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Test Bank for Life in the Universe, Third Edition
Chapter 7: Searching for Life in Our Solar System
1. If life does indeed exist elsewhere in our solar system it will most likely take the form of
A) human beings
B) plants
C) birds
D) microbes or other simple life
2. Habitability generally refers to an environment capable of sustaining

A) human life
B) plant life
C) microbial life only
D) any kind of life
3. The necessary elements of life should

A) only be found on the Earth and Mars
B) be widespread in the solar system but not elsewhere in our Milky Way galaxy
C) be widespread throughout the universe
D) be widespread in our Milky Way galaxy but not in other galaxies
4. Given that organic molecules need to react in order to produce life, this suggests we
should search for worlds in the solar system that have
A) either an atmosphere, or a surface or subsurface liquid medium such as water, or
both.
B) organic molecules on their surfaces
C) an atmosphere
D) rocky surfaces
5. 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) 1/10th
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Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.
6. The planet Neptune receives approximately 1/900th the sunlight received by the Earth.
Given this, how many times further from the Sun is Neptune compared to the Earth?
A) 900x
B) 30x
C) 300x
D) 90x
7. Photosynthetic life existing on a planet much farther from the Sun than the Earth would
most likely
A) be larger than photosynthetic life on Earth but less efficient at collecting solar
radiation
B) be identical to photosynthetic life on Earth
C) be larger than photosynthetic life on Earth or more efficient at collecting solar
radiation
D) be smaller than photosynthetic life on Earth or less efficient at collecting solar
radiation
8. Since chemically based life requires biological molecules to come into contact with each
other, this will require a planet with
A) a strong magnetic field
B) a liquid on its surface
C) either an atmosphere to mix gases or a liquid medium on or below the surface
D) a large moon
9. Which of the following makes water an ideal solvent for life?

A) water remains liquid over a wide and high range of temperatures
B) ice is less dense than water so when a body of water is cooled, only the surface
freezes
C) water is a polar molecule, making it an excellent solvent
D) all of the above
10. Which one of the following properties is unique to water?

A) it has a high heat capacity
B) it is a good solvent
C) it is a liquid over a wide temperature range
D) it expands on freezing
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11. What happens to the rate of most chemical reactions as the temperature decreases?
A) the rate of reaction drops rapidly
B) the rate of reaction drops only slightly
C) the rate of reaction increases rapidly
D) the rate of reaction stays the same
12. Even though ethane (C2H6) has a liquid temperature range almost as wide as water, it is
not as good a biological solvent as water because it is a liquid at
A) much higher temperatures which would result in the breakdown of fragile
biological molecules
B) very high pressures that are unlikely to be found elsewhere
C) very low pressures that are unlikely to be found elsewhere
D) much lower temperatures which would result in extremely slow metabolic
reactions
13. Molecules like water in which electrons are distributed unevenly within the molecule
are referred to as
A) bipolar
B) ionic
C) charged
D) polar
14. The strong forces of attraction that exist between water molecules and are responsible
for many of its unique properties as a solvent are called
A) dispersion forces
B) ionic bonds
C) hydrogen bonds
D) covalent bonds
15. If we place living cells in a nonpolar solvent like methane or ethane,

A) their membranes will thicken, preventing molecular transport across the membrane
B) they will rapidly explode due to pressure caused by the solvent building up inside
the cell
C) their membranes will most likely dissolve as cell membranes are also nonpolar
D) they will function in much the same way as they do in water
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16. Which of the following is NOT a basic requirement for chemically based life?
A) a liquid medium to transport biological molecules
B) a source of molecules from which to build living cells
C) oxygen from photosynthesis
D) a source of energy to fuel metabolism
17. In searching for life in the solar system, which basic requirement of life is the most
fundamental and the one we always look for?
A) the presence of organic matter
B) the presence of an energy source
C) the presence of liquid water
D) the presence of oxygen
18. 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
19. Mercury and the Moon are probably the least-habitable bodies in the solar system
because they
A) are unlikely to have liquids anywhere
B) have never had carbon compounds on their surfaces
C) do not have atmospheres containing oxygen
D) do not receive any sunlight
20. Mercury and the Moon do not have atmospheres because

A) their surfaces are so cold that any atmospheric gases freeze out onto their surfaces
B) charged particles from the Sun have stripped away their atmospheres
C) they are rotating too rapidly, causing their atmospheres to be thrown out into space
D) their gravities are too weak to prevent atmospheric gases escaping into space
21. Water is present on the Moon in the form of

A) liquid water present just beneath the surface
B) ice in polar craters
C) vapor in the atmosphere
D) oceans of liquid water on the surface
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22. Which spacecraft crashed into and thereby confirmed the presence of water ice in a
crater close to the south pole of the Moon in 2009?
A) Lunar Prospector
B) Chandrayaan-1
C) LCROSS
D) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
23. Which spacecraft used radar to detect evidence for at least 600 million tons of water ice
near the Moon's north pole in 2009?
A) Lunar Prospector
B) Chandrayaan-1
C) LCROSS
D) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
24. The planet Venus is often referred to as the Earth's “sister planet” because
A) it is almost the same size and density
B) it looks like the Earth through a telescope
C) its atmosphere has the same composition
D) its surface is very similar
25. Based on its distance from the Sun, we would expect the surface of Venus to be
A) much hotter than the Earth such that liquid water would only exist as a vapor in the
atmosphere
B) much colder than the Earth such that liquid water would freeze
C) hotter than the Earth but not so hot that liquid water could not exist
D) at the same temperature as the Earth with oceans of liquid water
26. The surface of Venus is much hotter than the Earth because it
A) has no magnetic field
B) has a very thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide
C) has a much higher rate of volcanic activity
D) is closer to the Sun
27. How does the surface temperature and atmospheric pressure on Venus compare with the
Earth?
A) higher temperatures and pressures
B) lower temperatures but higher pressures
C) lower temperatures and pressures
D) higher temperatures but lower pressures
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28. Most of the carbon dioxide on the Earth

A) is dissolved in the oceans, forming carbonate rocks
B) has frozen out in the polar regions
C) has escaped into space
D) is still present in the atmosphere
29. Most of the carbon dioxide on Venus

A) has frozen out in the polar regions
B) is dissolved in oceans of liquid water, forming carbonate rocks
C) is still present in the atmosphere
D) has escaped into space
30. Venus may have been more Earth-like in the past because
A) it was rotating more rapidly
B) the Sun was dimmer, emitting less solar radiation
C) it was not as close to the Sun
D) its atmosphere was thinner
31. Although extremely unlikely, if life exists on Venus today, it will most likely be found
A) at the center of the planet where liquid iron exists
B) just beneath the surface, where it would be cooler
C) on the surface where plenty of heat is present to drive metabolism
D) floating high in the atmosphere where droplets of liquid water exist
32. If life exists on Mars today, it will most likely be found

A) on the surface
B) at the center of the planet
C) beneath the surface
D) floating high in the atmosphere
33. 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
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34. The biggest obstacle to life being present in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn is the
A) absence of liquid water in their atmospheres
B) high levels of solar radiation that would destroy any biological molecules
C) strong vertical wind speeds that would rapidly carry organisms into the hot interior
where they would be destroyed
D) very low temperatures at the tops of the clouds where water would not be liquid
35. In order for life to survive in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn it would have to
A) be high in the atmosphere where it could collect solar radiation
B) be at the center, close to the rocky core where a rocky surface exists
C) be large and buoyant, allowing it to maintain a stable altitude in the atmosphere
D) float on the surface of the layer of liquid metallic hydrogen
36. If life exists in Uranus and Neptune, it will most likely be found
A) in the oceans of liquid ices beneath the surface
B) floating on the surface of a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen
C) high in the atmosphere where it could collect solar radiation
D) at the center, close to the rocky core where a rocky surface exists
37. Some Jovian moons may have liquid water

A) beneath their surfaces
B) at their centers
C) on their surfaces
D) in their atmospheres
38. Europa may have a subsurface ocean of liquid water due to

A) the insulating properties of its icy surface
B) tidal heating from Jupiter and the other Galilean moons
C) internal heat left over from its formation
D) tidal heating from the Sun
39. An extrasolar planet in the HD 4308 system orbits its parent star at a distance of 17.1
million kilometers and takes 15.56 Earth days to complete one orbit. Given this and
assuming that planet has a negligible mass compared to the parent star, what is the mass
of the parent star?
A) 3.25 ×1030 kg
B) 2.00 × 1030 kg
C) 1.25 × 1030 kg
D) 1.64 × 1030 kg
Page 7
40. Small bodies like asteroids and comets are unlikely to harbor life because they
A) are constantly colliding with each other, sterilizing any life that may be present
B) have not had liquid water inside them for extended periods now or in the past
C) do not contain any organic molecules
D) are so far from the Sun that any water would be permanently frozen
41. 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
42. Which kind of robotic space mission enables us to take a quick look at a planet?
A) sample return
B) flyby
C) orbiter
D) lander/probe
43. Which kind of robotic space mission enables us to study a planet for an extended period
of time?
A) lander/probe
B) sample return
C) flyby
D) orbiter
44. 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
45. Which kind of robotic space mission enables us to determine the chemical composition
of a solar system body in a laboratory?
A) sample return
B) flyby
C) lander/probe
D) orbiter
Page 8
46. A common way a robotic spacecraft can be accelerated and have its trajectory changed
without the use of any fuel is via
A) a gravitational assist from another spacecraft
B) radiation pressure from the Sun
C) the ejection of mass from the probe
D) a gravitational assist from another planet
47. A technique that uses a planetary atmosphere to slow down an orbiting spacecraft and
place it in a circular orbit is called
A) a gravitational assist
B) aerobraking
C) orbital insertion
D) hydrodynamic deceleration
48. Voyager 1 and 2 were examples of which kind of space mission?

A) flyby
B) orbiter
C) sample return
D) lander/probe
49. Which of the following planets has not yet been studied with an orbiter
A) Saturn
B) Mars
C) Uranus
D) Venus
50. Which spacecraft is currently on its way to Pluto?

A) Voyager 2
B) New Horizons
C) Messenger
D) Cassini
51. What kind of spacecraft is used in the Messenger mission to Mercury?

A) lander/probe
B) flyby
C) sample return
D) orbiter
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52. The Huygens probe was an example of which kind of spacecraft?

A) orbiter
B) sample return
C) lander
D) flyby
53. The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are examples of which kind of
spacecraft?
A) flybys
B) sample return
C) landers
D) orbiters
54. The Cassini mission is currently in orbit around which planet?

A) Eros
B) Jupiter
C) Saturn
D) Mars
55. Stardust was an example of which kind of mission?

A) lander
B) flyby
C) sample return
D) orbiter
56. The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, touched down on the surface of
Mars using
A) balloons
B) rockets
C) parachutes
D) airbags
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Answer Key -- Chapter 7: Searching for Life in Our Solar System
1. D
2. D
3. C
4. A
5. C
6. B
7. C
8. C
9. D
10. D
11. A
12. D
13. D
14. C
15. C
16. C
17. C
18. B
19. A
20. D
21. B
22. C
23. B
24. A
25. C
26. B
27. A
28. A
29. C
30. B
31. D
32. C
33. A
34. C
35. C
36. A
37. A
38. B
39. D
40. B
41. A
42. B
43. D
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44. B
45. A
46. D
47. B
48. A
49. C
50. B
51. D
52. C
53. C
54. C
55. C
56. D
Page 12

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Life in the Universe 3rd Edition Bennett

Chapter 7: Searching for Life in Our Solar System

2. Habitability generally refers to an environment capable of sustaining

3. The necessary elements of life should

9. Which of the following makes water an ideal solvent for life?

10. Which one of the following properties is unique to water?

15. If we place living cells in a nonpolar solvent like methane or ethane,

20. Mercury and the Moon do not have atmospheres because

21. Water is present on the Moon in the form of

28. Most of the carbon dioxide on the Earth

29. Most of the carbon dioxide on Venus

32. If life exists on Mars today, it will most likely be found

37. Some Jovian moons may have liquid water

38. Europa may have a subsurface ocean of liquid water due to

48. Voyager 1 and 2 were examples of which kind of space mission?

50. Which spacecraft is currently on its way to Pluto?

51. What kind of spacecraft is used in the Messenger mission to Mercury?

52. The Huygens probe was an example of which kind of spacecraft?

54. The Cassini mission is currently in orbit around which planet?

55. Stardust was an example of which kind of mission?

Answer Key -- Chapter 7: Searching for Life in Our Solar System

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