Question

1. Which of the following is a common way in which genes in a population change?

A) injury

B) aging

C) sexual reproduction

D) natural selection

2. The Drake equation estimates the:

A) number of planets hosting life in the Milky Way.

B) number of technologically advanced civilizations in the Milky Way.

C) likelihood of observing a signature of life around a star.

D) likelihood of observing a radio signal from an extraterrestrial civilization.

3. Of the following, which is the most UNCERTAIN factor in the Drake equation?

A) the average number of planets around a star

B) the average fraction of planets inside a star’s habitable zone

C) the average lifetime of a star

D) the fraction of life-bearing planets on which intelligence evolves

4. Which of the following have been shown experimentally to be easy to produce in an environment similar to early Earth?

A) self-replicating molecules

B) proteins

C) amino acids

D) RNA

Answer 1

1] Natural Selection is a way in which genes in a population change and the species evolves according to the surroundings. [D]

2] The Drake Equation estimates the odds of finding an intelligent lifeform somewhere out in the Milky Way. [B]

3] The fraction of life-bearing planets on which intelligence evolves and the average lifetime of such civilizations is the most uncertain factor in the Drake's equation [D]

4] Amino acids have been shown experimentally to be easy to produce in a environment similar to early Earth [Miller-Urey experiment] (C).