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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Vesto Slipher's work at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona led him to discover that distant stars are moving away from us, with the farthest stars moving the fastest, suggesting that the universe is:

2. According to Einstein's theories, what is the nature of space?

3. What is the average distance between asteroids found in the inner solar system between Mars and Jupiter?

4. According to the Reverend William Buckland, the biblical reference to "in the beginning" with regards to the formation of Earth could refer to:

5. After noticing an unusual phenomenon with uranium salts and a photographic plate, Henri Becquerel asked one of his graduate students to investigate the matter. Who was this student?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the three basic layers of Earth, namely, the crust, mantle, and core.

2. How close did asteroids come to Earth in 1991 and 1993?

3. What happened when, in 1896, Henri Becquerel accidentally left a packet of uranium salts on top of a wrapped photographic plate?

4. Describe some of the theories regarding what might have caused the Big Bang.

5. Who is the Reverend Robert Evans, and what is he known for?

6. Why is the term "dinosaurian" a misnomer?

7. Summarize what the author says about why it took so long to discover that Pluto has a moon.

8. Why does Bryson consider Pluto to be an oddity?

9. Describe inner solar system asteroids.

10. Who was Bob Christiansen, and how did he determine that Yellowstone is a supervolcano?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is continental drift? How did this concept emerge within the scientific community? How long did it take for this idea to gain acceptance? What evidence pointed to the reality of continental drift?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the events that led to the discovery of Pluto and later of its moon. Then, describe the debate that went on regarding whether Pluto is a true planet.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the theory that life on Earth was "seeded" from outer space. How was it "seeded"? Where did it come from? How does this theory compare to other theories about the origin of life on our planet?

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