Version C

Write your name at the top of this quiz as well as on your answer sheet, and hand them both in at the end of the quiz. WRITE YOUR VERSION ON YOUR ANSWER SHEET. Feel free to write or draw on the quiz.

SELECT THE BEST ANSWER TO EACH PROBLEM.

1. The strong force is responsible for:
a) the attraction between an electron and a proton.
b) holding the nuclei of atoms together.
c) the attraction between the Earth and the Moon.
d) holding the stars in star clusters together.
e) the attraction between a positively-charged ion and a negatively-charged ion in an ionic bond.

b) holding the nuclei of atoms together.

2. In 1970, Thomas Cech and Sidney Altman discovered ribozymes. These are:
a) RNA molecules that act as catalysts.
b) DNA molecules that act as catalysts.
c) proteins that act as catalysts.
d) amino acids that act as catalysts.
e) spherical balls of carbohydrates, which may resemble the first cells.

a) RNA molecules that act as catalysts.

3. The molecule shown on the right is an amino acid molecule. The `R' in this diagram stands for:
a) a ribose sugar molecule.
b) a deoxyribose sugar molecule.
c) either guanine, cytosine, adenine, or thymine.
d) either thymine or uracil.
e) a side group; this differs from amino acid to amino acid.

e) a side group; this differs from amino acid to amino acid.

4. Opportunity is:
a) The spacecraft on its way to Pluto right now.
b) The spacecraft that just passed Mercury earlier this year.
c) The name of the big crack on the surface of Mars.
d) One of the rovers on Mars.
e) A spacecraft that visited Jupiter and Saturn, and now is about 100 A.U. from the sun, leaving the solar system.

d) One of the rovers on Mars.

5. The NH₂ group in an amino acid is called the:
a) the carboxyl group.
b) the peptide group.
c) the acid group.
d) the amine group.
e) the uracil group.

d) the amine group.

6. Who conducted the 1950's experiment that created amino acids from methane, ammonia, and water?
a) Marineris and Uracil.
b) Alanine and Codon.
c) Peptide and Occam.
d) Miller and Urey.
e) Cech and Altman.

d) Miller and Urey.

7. Life here on Earth is carbon-based. It has been suggested that in some forms of extraterrestrial life, another element might play the same role that carbon plays in life on Earth. What is this other element?
a) silicon.
b) nitrogen.
c) argon.
d) helium.
e) boron.

a) silicon.

8. Life on Earth uses how many different amino acids?
a) two.
b) five.
c) twenty.
d) seven thousand.
e) 3 billion.

c) twenty.

9. The tallest mountain on Mars is called:
a) Marineris Mons.
b) Maria Mons.
c) Olympus Mons.
d) Uracil Mons.
e) Urey Mons.

c) Olympus Mons.

10. Which of the following are seen on Venus?
a) A huge crack in the surface, 3000 miles long and deeper than the Grand Canyon.
b) Dry river beds.
c) Pancake domes.
d) Ice caps.
e) A huge number of craters, many more than on Mercury.

c) Pancake domes.

11. In a DNA molecule, a sequence of three bases that gets translated to a particular amino acid is called:
a) a nucleotide.
b) a peptide group.
c) a ribozyme.
d) a codon.
e) a gene.

d) a codon.

12. A transfer RNA molecule:
a) combines with proteins to make ribosomes.
b) is an exact copy of a long section of a DNA molecule, with possibly hundreds of bases, except with uracil and ribose sugar.
c) is a very small molecule with three bases, that transports a single amino acid molecule.
d) always contains an amine group and a carboxyl group.
e) is part of a protein; proteins are chains of transfer RNA molecules.

c) is a very small molecule with three bases, that transports a single amino acid molecule.

13. In a DNA molecule, phosphorus makes 5 molecular bonds (that is, it shares five pairs of electrons with other atoms). What other element can do this?
a) hydrogen.
b) carbon.
c) arsenic.
d) helium.
e) argon.

c) arsenic.

14. In addition to water ice, what other substance contributes to the polar caps of Mars?
a) molecular hydrogen ice.
b) sulfur dioxide ice.
c) ammonia ice.
d) methane ice.
e) carbon dioxide ice.

e) carbon dioxide ice.

15. When a peptide bond is made between two amino acids, linking the amine group of one to the carboxyl group of the other, which molecule is created as a side product?
a) CH₄.
b) NH₃.
c) H₂.
d) H₂O.
e) none.

d) H₂O.

16. In an RNA molecule compared to a DNA molecule, thymine is replaced by:
a) uracil.
b) urey.
c) carboxyl.
d) amine.
e) silicon.

a) uracil.

17. Which of the following features are seen on the surface of Mars?
a) Sand dunes.
b) Channel-like features, probably created by flowing water.
c) Craters.
d) A big crack in the surface.
e) All of the above.

e) All of the above.

18. For a left-handed amino acid, if you hold a model of the amino acid with the hydrogen on the alpha carbon closest to you, and move your eyes clockwise around the alpha carbon, what is the order you will see the various groups that are attached to the alpha carbon?
a) carboxyl group, side group, amine group.
b) carboxyl group, amine group, side group.
c) amine group, side group, carboxyl group.
d) side group, carboxyl group, amine group.
e) it depends upon the amino acid.

a) carboxyl group, side group, amine group.

19. The idea that Earth life originated somewhere else in the Universe, and then was brought to Earth in a primitive form by intelligent beings, is called:
a) Occam's Razor.
b) The Latent Life hypothesis.
c) The Peptide hypothesis for the origin of life.
d) The Ancient Race hypothesis.
e) The Seeding of the Universe hypothesis.

e) The Seeding of the Universe hypothesis.

20. The heat capacity of a substance is:
a) the amount of energy needed to add an extra proton to the nucleus of an atom.
b) the amount of energy one gets if all of the substance is converted into pure energy, with no matter left behind.
c) the amount of energy needed to convert it from a solid to a liquid.
d) the amount of heat needed to convert a liquid to a gas.
e) the amount of heat needed to increase its temperature by a given amount.

e) the amount of heat needed to increase its temperature by a given amount.