ASTR 1141- Introductory Astronomy final exam
prep questions and answers covered form Ch. 1-
13 Thompson Rivers University
,Which three branches of science are most important in our study of life in the universe? - --
astronomy, planetary science, and biology
Extraterrestrial life is defined to be - --any kind of life found beyond the Earth
The fact that the life on Earth seems to have appeared quite rapidly suggests that life - --can
arise on most habitable worlds
Among the other planets, probably the most likely place to find evidence for life either now or
in the past is on - --Mars
Beneath the surface of which moon of Jupiter is there the strongest evidence for the existence
of a subsurface ocean of liquid water? - --Europa
The ancient view of an Earth-centered geocentric universe suggested that life elsewhere should
be - --rare
Why is Mars considered to be a potentially habitable world? - --We have evidence that liquid
water existed on its surface in the past.
According to modern astronomy, which of the following statements is true? - --The same
physical laws operate throughout the universe as operate on Earth.
Evidence indicates that life arose relatively early in Earth's history. What can we infer from this
fact? - --It suggests, but does not prove, that life emerged easily and quickly on Earth.
,Astronomy has shown us that the Earth - --is just one planet orbiting an ordinary star in a vast
universe
The discovery of extrasolar planets indicates that planets around other stars are - --common
A habitable world is defined to be one that - --has conditions suitable for life
Which of the following statements best explains why the scientific search for extraterrestrial life
generally focuses on looking for life that is at least somewhat like life on Earth? - --This is the
only type of life that we can be confident we would recognize as life.
Which of the following best explains why scientists generally think that no advanced civilization
has ever lived on any other world in our solar system? - --We have photographed all the planets
and large moons with enough resolution to be confident no advanced civilization has ever
existed on any of them.
Which of the following statements is most likely to be true, based on discoveries of extrasolar
planets made to date? - --planets are common around stars.
The following facts are all true. Which one does not by itself offer evidence for the idea that life
could be common in the universe? - --we humans exist here on Earth.
The photos show planets of our solar system. Although these photos show what the planets
really look like, it is important to keep in mind which of the following? - --Although all the
photos are the same size, the actual planets vary greatly in size.
Today, the research known as SETI is conducted primarily by ________. - --scanning the skies to
search for signals from alien civilizations
, Based on current evidence, which of the following worlds of our solar system is most likely to
have a deep, subsurface ocean of liquid water? - --Europa
Based on the way scientists view the study of astrobiology, "failing" to find life on other worlds
would represent ________. - --an important lesson that would help us understand the
conditions that made life on Earth possible
In the heliocentric (Sun-centered) model, apparent retrograde motion is due to - --relative
motion between the Earth and another planet in its orbit
Stellar parallax is the apparent - --shift in position of nearby stars as the Earth moves around
the Sun
Tycho Brahe - --made detailed measurements of the motions of the planets in the sky
Johannes Kepler - --showed that the orbits of the planets were ellipses and not circles
Copernicus - --revived Aristarchus's suggestion of a Sun-centered solar system and described it
mathematically
The observations of sunspots on the Sun and craters on the Moon by Galileo contradicted the
commonly held belief that the universe was - --perfect
Suppose you want to observe the apparent retrograde motion of Mars. How long will you need
to see it? - --many months
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