Deck 2: The Science of Life in the Universe

Question 1

The geocentric model of the Greeks consisted of a

A) flat Earth at the center of the universe surrounded by a dome-shaped sky
B) flat Earth at the center of the universe surrounded by a celestial sphere
C) spherical Earth at the center of the universe surrounded by a dome-shaped sky
D) spherical Earth at the center of the universe surrounded by a celestial sphere

Answer 1

spherical Earth at the center of the universe surrounded by a celestial sphere

Question 2

The Greek approach to understanding the universe relied mostly on

A) observations
B) experiments
C) thought and intuition
D) preconceived ideas

Answer 2

thought and intuition

Question 3

Which of the following was NOT a contribution made by the Greeks in the development of modern science?

A) The willingness to challenging new ideas
B) The use of mathematics to explore new ideas
C) The willingness to discard ideas if they didn't work
D) The willingness to prove preconceived ideas

Answer 3

The willingness to prove preconceived ideas

Question 4

Careful observations of the sky by ancient cultures served the practical purpose of

A) keeping track of time
B) improving night vision
C) religious worship
D) keeping track of the changing position of the Earth around the Sun

Question 5

In science, conceptual representations of observed phenomena are referred to as

A) facts
B) hypotheses
C) models
D) beliefs

Question 6

The origins of Greek science can be traced back to the philosopher

A) Plato
B) Thales
C) Aristotle
D) Anaximander

Question 7

The Ptolemaic model has planets moving in

A) elliptical orbits about the Sun
B) a simple circle about the Earth
C) a simple circle about the Sun
D) small circles, the centers of which move in a larger circle about the Earth

Question 8

Which of the following is not a planet visible to the naked eye?

A) Saturn
B) Neptune
C) Mercury
D) Jupiter

Question 9

Apparent retrograde motion occurs when a planet appears to

A) be stationary with respect to background stars
B) move eastward with respect to background stars
C) move due north with respect to background stars
D) move westward with respect to background stars

Question 10

The first detailed astronomical observations were made by the

A) Mayans
B) Egyptians
C) Chinese
D) Babylonians

Question 11

Most ancient cultures believed that the Earth was

A) spherical and moving through space
B) flat and moving through space
C) spherical and motionless
D) flat and motionless

Question 12

The astronomical object in our sky which plays the most fundamental role in our lives is the

A) Sun
B) Moon
C) nearest star
D) most massive planet in our solar system, Jupiter

Question 13

The possibility of extraterrestrial life was first considered

A) after the invention of the telescope
B) only during the past few decades
C) thousands of years ago during ancient times
D) at the turn of the 20th century

Question 14

The astronomical object in our sky which is directly connected to the tides is the

A) Sun
B) Moon
C) nearest star
D) most massive planet in our solar system, Jupiter

Question 15

In the Ptolemaic model, retrograde motion is due to

A) relative motion between the Earth and another planet in its orbit
B) the Earth reversing the direction of its orbit about the Sun
C) a planet moving backwards in its smaller circular circle, the center of which moves in a larger circular orbit around the Earth
D) a planet reversing the direction of its orbit about the Sun

Question 16

Historical evidence suggests that the methods of modern science were originated by the

A) Mayans
B) Egyptians
C) Greeks
D) Babylonians

Question 17

Most of the time, planets are observed to

A) be stationary with respect to background stars
B) move eastward with respect to background stars
C) move due south with respect to background stars
D) move westward with respect to background stars

Question 18

The first ancient civilization able to predict eclipses were the

A) Mayans
B) Egyptians
C) Chinese
D) Babylonians

Question 19

The seven days of the week are related to the

A) Sun, Moon and five naked eye planets
B) seven brightest stars in the sky
C) seven planets known at the end of the 19ᵗʰ century
D) seven most prominent constellations that the Sun, Moon and planets pass through

Question 20

The circular shape of the Earth's shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse suggested to the Greeks that the Earth was

A) cylindrical in shape
B) at the center of the Universe
C) flat
D) spherical in shape

Question 21

Johannes Kepler

A) developed a theory of gravity to explain the motions of the planets
B) obtained the first observational evidence suggesting the Earth moved about the Sun
C) made detailed measurements of the motions of the planets in the sky
D) showed that the orbits of the planets were ellipses and not circles

Question 22

One fundamental consequence of the Copernican model which many people had difficulty accepting at the time it was proposed was that the Earth

A) must be moving through space
B) was rotating on its axis
C) must be stationary in space
D) must be smaller than the Sun

Question 23

According to Kepler's Second Law of planetary motion, a planet moves fastest in its orbit when it is

A) undergoing retrograde motion
B) in between perihelion and aphelion
C) at perihelion
D) at aphelion

Question 24

Stellar parallax provides concrete proof that the

A) Earth rotates on its axis
B) Earth is roughly spherical
C) Earth moves around the Sun
D) Moon moves around the Earth

Question 25

Kepler's First Law of planetary motion states that

A) an imaginary line joining the Sun and planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times
B) the further a planet is from the Sun, the faster it moves in its orbit
C) the orbits of planets are ellipses
D) the further a planet is from the Sun, the slower it moves in its orbit

Question 26

Even though the heliocentric model of Copernicus had many advantages over the Ptolemaic model, it suffered from the assumption that the

A) planets moved in ellipses about the Sun
B) planets moved in perfect circles about the Sun
C) planets moved in perfect circles about the Earth
D) Earth was not rotating on its axis

Question 27

Galileo Galilei

A) developed a theory of gravity to explain the motions of the planets
B) obtained the first observational evidence suggesting the Earth moved about the Sun
C) showed that the orbits of the planets were ellipses and not circles
D) made detailed measurements of the motions of the planets in the sky

Question 28

Tycho Brahe

A) developed a theory of gravity to explain the motions of the planets
B) obtained the first observational evidence suggesting the Earth moved about the Sun
C) showed that the orbits of the planets were ellipses and not circles
D) made detailed measurements of the motions of the planets in the sky

Question 29

The astronomical unit (AU) is defined to be equal to the

A) average distance between the Earth and Sun
B) average distance between the Sun and the planet Pluto
C) distance between the Sun and the nearest star
D) diameter of the Earth

Question 30

Kepler's Third Law of planetary motion states that

A) the further a planet is from the Sun, the faster it moves in its orbit
B) an imaginary line joining the Sun and planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times
C) the further a planet is from the Sun, the slower it moves in its orbit
D) the orbits of planets are ellipses

Question 31

A planet is closest to the Sun in its elliptical orbit when it is at

A) perigee
B) aphelion
C) apogee
D) perihelion

Question 32

Which Greek school of thought suggested that life elsewhere in the universe might be common?

A) the Aristotelians
B) the Platonists
C) the stoicists
D) the atomists

Question 33

In the heliocentric (Sun-centered) model, apparent retrograde motion is due to

A) relative motion between the Earth and another planet in its orbit
B) the Earth reversing the direction of its orbit about the Sun
C) a planet moving in a small circle, the center of which moves in a larger circle about the Earth
D) a planet reversing the direction of its orbit about the Sun

Question 34

Which Greek school of thought believed that life on Earth was unique?

A) the Aristotelians
B) the Platonists
C) the stoicists
D) the atomists

Question 35

A planet is furthest from the Sun in its elliptical orbit when it is at

A) apogee
B) aphelion
C) perigee
D) perihelion

Question 36

Stellar parallax is the apparent

A) shift in position of nearby stars as the Earth moves around the Sun
B) westward motion of a planet with respect to the background stars
C) shift in position of nearby stars as the Sun moves about the center of the galaxy
D) shift in position of nearby stars as the Earth rotates on its axis

Question 37

Kepler's Second Law of planetary motion states that

A) an imaginary line joining the Sun and planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times
B) the further a planet is from the Sun, the faster it moves in its orbit
C) the further a planet is from the Sun, the slower it moves in its orbit
D) the orbits of planets are ellipses

Question 38

The semi-major axis, a, of an elliptical planetary orbit is equal to the

A) width of the ellipse
B) distance between the planet and the Sun at perihelion
C) average distance between the planet and the Sun
D) distance between the planets and the Sun at aphelion

Question 39

The first person to suggest that the Earth moved around the Sun was

A) Aristarchus
B) Newton
C) Copernicus
D) Galileo

Question 40

Copernicus

A) provided strong observational evidence that the Earth moved about the Sun
B) proved that the orbital shapes of the planets were ellipses and not circles
C) was the first person to suggest the Earth moved around the Sun
D) revived Aristarchus's suggestion of a Sun-centered solar system and described it mathematically

Question 41

A scientist intuitively believes that a higher power must be present in the universe. However, she can provide no experimental data to support her belief. This is an example of

A) pseudoscience
B) hypothesis-driven science
C) nonscience
D) discovery science

Question 42

What is the relationship between Newton's three laws and Kepler's three laws?

A) Newton's laws can be derived from Kepler's laws
B) Newton's laws and Kepler's laws are identical
C) Kepler's laws are general and apply to any motion, while Newton's laws apply only to planetary motion in the solar system
D) Newton's laws are general and apply to any motion, while Kepler's laws apply only to planetary motion in the solar system

Question 43

The discovery of four moons in orbit about Jupiter by Galileo suggested that

A) the Earth moved about Jupiter
B) the Earth moved about the Sun
C) Jupiter moved about the Sun
D) bodies could stay in orbit about a moving Jupiter

Question 44

Galileo discovered that Venus goes through a cycle of phases like the Moon. This suggested that

A) Venus moved about the Sun
B) Venus moved about the Earth
C) the Sun moved about the Earth
D) the Earth moved about the Sun

Question 45

In the scientific method, what immediately follows a prediction?

A) a hypothesis
B) an observation
C) a question
D) a test

Question 46

Occam's Razor states that if we have two models that agree equally well with observations, we choose the one that

A) is simplest
B) is most complex
C) has been around the longest
D) is accepted by most scientists

Question 47

A person claims to have been abducted by aliens and subjected to painful medical procedures that left scarring. However, he refuses to allow interested scientists to study his scars. This is an example of

A) hypothesis-driven science
B) discovery science
C) nonscience
D) pseudoscience

Question 48

A scientific model is considered valid if it is consistent with

A) a single observation by an individual scientist
B) the opinions of experts in the field
C) repeated observations made by an individual scientist
D) independent observations made by different scientists

Question 49

Newton's 3ʳᵈ Law of Motion states that

A) action and reaction are equal and opposite
B) force equals mass times acceleration
C) an object moves at a constant velocity unless a force acts
D) the force of gravity decreases with increasing distance

Question 50

Newton's 1ˢᵗ Law of Motion states that

A) action and reaction are equal and opposite
B) force equals mass times acceleration
C) an object moves at a constant velocity unless a force acts
D) the force of gravity decreases with increasing distance

Question 51

The discovery of a supernova by Tycho Brahe in 1572 contradicted the commonly held belief that the universe was

A) unchanging
B) spherical
C) infinite
D) perfect

Question 52

A scientist tries to determine why a particular car is getting a much lower gas mileage than claimed by the manufacturer by systematically designing experiments to test possible causes for the problem. This is an example of

A) discovery science
B) nonscience
C) hypothesis-driven science
D) pseudoscience

Question 53

In the scientific method a hypothesis is another name for

A) an observation
B) an educated guess
C) a test
D) a theory

Question 54

Asteroid 13681 Monty Python has an orbit with a semi-major axis, a, of 2.99 AU. According to Kepler's 3ʳᵈ Law, what is its orbital period?

A) 2.08 years
B) 2.99 years
C) 6.34 years
D) 5.17 years

Question 55

The recently dwarf planet Eris has an orbital period about the Sun, P, of 557 years. According to Kepler's 3ʳᵈ Law, what is the semi-major axis, a, of its orbit?

A) 55.7 AU
B) 38.4 AU
C) 72.1 AU
D) 67.7 AU

Question 56

The observations of sunspots on the Sun and craters on the Moon by Galileo contradicted the commonly held belief that the universe was

A) spherical
B) unchanging
C) infinite
D) perfect

Question 57

If a scientific model generates a prediction that is not confirmed experimentally,

A) the experimental data must be modified to be consistent with the model
B) it must be initially revised and eventually abandoned if it continues to be inconsistent with experiments
C) it must be assumed that there are errors in the experiment
D) it must immediately be abandoned

Question 58

Modern science attempts to seek explanations for phenomena that are based on

A) new subjective laws that are yet to be confirmed experimentally
B) intuitive expectations
C) the views of leading scientists
D) the known laws of nature

Question 59

Newton's 2ⁿᵈ Law of Motion states that

A) action and reaction are equal and opposite
B) force equals mass times acceleration
C) an object moves at a constant velocity unless a force acts
D) the force of gravity decreases with increasing distance

Question 60

An astronomer surveying the sky toward a random region of the sky finds, by chance, the most distant galaxy ever detected. This is an example of

A) nonscience
B) discovery science
C) hypothesis-driven science
D) pseudoscience

Question 61

The general pattern of thought that is accepted by the majority of scientists at a particular point in time is referred to as a

A) methodology
B) theory
C) paradigm
D) consensus

Question 62

Which of the following observations is explained by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity but not Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation?

A) how gravity acts at a distance
B) planets periodically undergo apparent retrograde motion
C) all objects fall to Earth at the same rate
D) planets move faster in their orbits when they are closer to the Sun

Question 63

In science, an unexpected change in a series of measurements is referred to as

A) a deviation
B) bias
C) an error
D) an uncertainty

Question 64

In science, the tendency of an experiment to produce a particular result is referred to as

A) a deviation
B) bias
C) an error
D) an uncertainty

Question 65

In science, the difference between a measured value and its true value referred to as

A) a deviation
B) bias
C) an error
D) an uncertainty

Question 66

Two asteroids are found at the same distance from the Sun. However, one asteroid is twice as massive the other. According to Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation the force of gravity exerted by the Sun and the more massive asteroid is

A) twice as large as the force exerted on the less massive asteroid
B) four times as large as the force exerted on the less massive asteroid
C) half as large as the force exerted on the less massive asteroid
D) exactly the same as the force exerted on the less massive asteroid

Question 67

What was one of the first observations that hinted at limitations in Newton's theory of gravity?

A) deviations in the motion of the planet Uranus in the sky
B) deviations in the motion of the planet Mercury in the sky
C) shifts in position of stars close to the Sun during solar eclipses
D) failure to explain why all objects fall at the same rate in a gravitational field

Question 68

In science, a range of possible values resulting from a measurement is referred to as

A) a deviation
B) bias
C) an error
D) an uncertainty

Question 69

Scientific models supported by a large, compelling body of evidence are referred to as

A) facts
B) ideas
C) theories
D) hypotheses

Question 70

Scientists always try to

A) be as subjective as possible
B) be as objective as possible
C) disagree with the current paradigm of the time
D) agree with the current paradigm of the time

Question 71

Two asteroids have identical masses. However, one asteroid is twice as far from the Sun than the other. According to Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation the force of gravity exerted by the Sun on the more distant asteroid is

A) the same size as the force exerted on the closer asteroid
B) one-quarter of the size of the force exerted on the closer asteroid
C) twice as large as the force exerted on the closer asteroid
D) one-half of the size of the force exerted on the closer asteroid

Question 72

How are Newton's and Einstein's theories of gravity related?

A) Newton's theory applies only to planetary motion while Einstein's theory applies only to black holes
B) Einstein's theory is an approximation of Newton's theory
C) the two theories are identical
D) Newton's theory is an approximation of Einstein's theory

Question 73

In Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, gravity is explained as

A) action at a distance
B) the curvature of spacetime
C) a basic component of the atom
D) a force-carrying particle called the graviton