NSC314 midterm 2 certification Verified Practice
Questions with A+ Answers | Final Exam Guide
FOR 2025/2026 (the most recent quizzes)
For the existence of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, we can thank - Cyanobacteria
Does Venus have any place where we may find liquid water today? - Yes, in high-altitude
clouds
Which of the following are possible causes of mass extinction events? (You may select more
than one answer) - -Asteroid or comet impacts
-Disappearance of the magnetic field
-Nearby supernovae or gamma-ray bursts
-Unusually high volcanism
-Climate change
-Thinning of the ozone layer
The New Horizons mission will fly past Pluto in 2015. Why would it have been much more
expensive to make the mission a Pluto orbiter rather than a flyby? - The spacecraft would
have needed to carry far more fuel with it.
Earth's frozen lakes and seas often have liquid water beneath their ice surfaces primarily
because - Ice floats and provides insulation to the water below
How might pre-cells have helped facilitate the origin of life? (You may select more than one
option.) - -They would have kept enzymes that aid in RNA replication close to the RNA
molecules.
-They would have aided in molecular natural selection.
-They would have kept RNA molecules isolated from the outside environment.
-They would have kept molecules concentrated, increasing the rate of reactions among then
Put the following events explaining a possible origin of life in the correct order from start to
finish. - -Naturally forming Organic molecules are the building blocks of life.
-Clay minerals catalyze production of RNA and membranes that form pre-cells
, -Molecular natural selection favors efficient, self- replicating RNA molecules
-True living cells with RNA genome give rise to "RNA world"
-DNA evolves from RNA and biological evolution
Which statement best described current scientific thought concerning the possibility that life
migrated to Earth from elsewhere? - It is possible that life migrated to Earth from Venus
or Mars, but unlikely that it migrated from a planet around another star
Which of the following is not an advantage of water over methane, ethane, and ammonia as a
potential liquid medium for life? - Water is the only one that melts from solid to liquid
form as the temperature increases.
How often does an asteroid with a diameter of 1 meter impact Earth? - Every year
Put the following major events in the history of evolution on Earth in the correct order from the
origin of life to present day - -Early microbial evolution
-Evolution of Eukarya
-Cambrian Explosion
-Colonization of land
Why do the solar system's many small bodies, such as asteroids, comets, and small moons,
seem unlikely as potential homes to life? - They are too cold inside to have liquid water
Which of the following is a likely benefit of creating artificial life in the laboratory? - We
could potentially build organisms that could produce fuels or human use
Which of the following explains why Venus is so much hotter than Earth? (not just a little
warmer, 100s of degrees warmer on average) - Venus's atmospheric contains far more
carbon dioxide than Earth's
Why was the rise of oxygen so important to the evolution of life on Earth? - Oxygen
allows more energetic cellular metabolism
Based on current evidence, the elements needed for life are found - Throughout the
universe
Which of the following is a possible contributing factor for the timing of the Cambrian
Explosion? - -Organisms became sufficiently genetically complex
-Earth thawed out from the snowball earth episode
Questions with A+ Answers | Final Exam Guide
FOR 2025/2026 (the most recent quizzes)
For the existence of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, we can thank - Cyanobacteria
Does Venus have any place where we may find liquid water today? - Yes, in high-altitude
clouds
Which of the following are possible causes of mass extinction events? (You may select more
than one answer) - -Asteroid or comet impacts
-Disappearance of the magnetic field
-Nearby supernovae or gamma-ray bursts
-Unusually high volcanism
-Climate change
-Thinning of the ozone layer
The New Horizons mission will fly past Pluto in 2015. Why would it have been much more
expensive to make the mission a Pluto orbiter rather than a flyby? - The spacecraft would
have needed to carry far more fuel with it.
Earth's frozen lakes and seas often have liquid water beneath their ice surfaces primarily
because - Ice floats and provides insulation to the water below
How might pre-cells have helped facilitate the origin of life? (You may select more than one
option.) - -They would have kept enzymes that aid in RNA replication close to the RNA
molecules.
-They would have aided in molecular natural selection.
-They would have kept RNA molecules isolated from the outside environment.
-They would have kept molecules concentrated, increasing the rate of reactions among then
Put the following events explaining a possible origin of life in the correct order from start to
finish. - -Naturally forming Organic molecules are the building blocks of life.
-Clay minerals catalyze production of RNA and membranes that form pre-cells
, -Molecular natural selection favors efficient, self- replicating RNA molecules
-True living cells with RNA genome give rise to "RNA world"
-DNA evolves from RNA and biological evolution
Which statement best described current scientific thought concerning the possibility that life
migrated to Earth from elsewhere? - It is possible that life migrated to Earth from Venus
or Mars, but unlikely that it migrated from a planet around another star
Which of the following is not an advantage of water over methane, ethane, and ammonia as a
potential liquid medium for life? - Water is the only one that melts from solid to liquid
form as the temperature increases.
How often does an asteroid with a diameter of 1 meter impact Earth? - Every year
Put the following major events in the history of evolution on Earth in the correct order from the
origin of life to present day - -Early microbial evolution
-Evolution of Eukarya
-Cambrian Explosion
-Colonization of land
Why do the solar system's many small bodies, such as asteroids, comets, and small moons,
seem unlikely as potential homes to life? - They are too cold inside to have liquid water
Which of the following is a likely benefit of creating artificial life in the laboratory? - We
could potentially build organisms that could produce fuels or human use
Which of the following explains why Venus is so much hotter than Earth? (not just a little
warmer, 100s of degrees warmer on average) - Venus's atmospheric contains far more
carbon dioxide than Earth's
Why was the rise of oxygen so important to the evolution of life on Earth? - Oxygen
allows more energetic cellular metabolism
Based on current evidence, the elements needed for life are found - Throughout the
universe
Which of the following is a possible contributing factor for the timing of the Cambrian
Explosion? - -Organisms became sufficiently genetically complex
-Earth thawed out from the snowball earth episode
