SS7 Benchmark 1 Review (2018)

In Big History, “thresholds " refer to…

• Moments in the history of the Universe when something entirely

  new and more complex develops

• Perfect or "just right" conditions needed to bring about more

  complex things in the Universe

• Times in the Earth's history when large numbers of species have died off, either abruptly or over long periods of time

• Changing the tools used to measure time, space and size

According to David Christian, “complex” things in the universe

• Are more abundant and widespread than simple things in the universe

• Are characterized by emergent properties and precise arrangement of parts

• Generally have very few bits and pieces, with little variety among them

• Require less work and less energy to construct than simple things do

Which of the following statements best describes what makes Big History different from other origin stories?

• Big History is a modern, scientific origin story based on the best information available from multiple disciplines.

• The Big History story is fixed and unchanging, with answers to every question humans have about the Universe.

• Big History only addresses questions about humans and their place in the Universe.

• Big History uses videos and a really cool website.

When scholars make conjectures, they are:

• gathering and analyzing information.

• making a thoughtful guess or hypothesis.

• asking questions to guide their research.

• posing a theory supported by evidence.

When you decide to believe a claim based on information you can observe and verify, you are using _______________.

• evidence

• intuition

• logic

• authority

Which question is answered by the paragraph above?

• What is the theory of inflation?

• How did the universe come into existence?

• Why are scientists building the Simons Observatory?

• What is the cosmic microwave background (CMB)?

Select the sentence from the section "Building A $40 Million Observatory" that BEST explains why the Simons Observatory is being built.

• The project will cost about $40 million to build.

• The observatory will be located in a desert in South America.

• He thinks that the new Simons Observatory will help scientists get a better look at the CMB.

• “What this Simons grant allows us to do is make a huge leap forward,” Devlin says.

Which answer choice BEST summarizes the section "See If There Are Better Ideas"?

• Scientists are excited to use the Simons Observatory to look at stars in the night sky.

• Some scientists believe in the theory of inflation, while others are looking for different theories.

• Ancient gravitational waves have not been seen yet, so scientists have concluded that they do not exist.

• Paul Steinhardt came up with the idea of inflation, and he still believes it is the best theory to explain how the universe began.

According to the Big Bang theory, which of these graphs best represents the relationship between time and the size of the universe from the beginning of the universe to the present?

• Graph 1

• Graph 2

• Graph 3

• Graph 4

Which of these statements about the Scientific Revolution in Europe is accurate?

• The existence of natural laws was rejected

• Scientists questioned traditional beliefs about the universe

• New ideas supported the geocentric theory of Ptolemy

• The Bible was used to justify new scientific findings