Earth's Early Atmosphere and Origins

What did Earth's early atmosphere contain little or none of?

• Oxygen

• Carbon dioxide

• Water vapor

• Nitrogen

Which gases were the principal components of Earth's early atmosphere?

• Carbon dioxide, water vapor, and nitrogen

• Oxygen, carbon dioxide, and methane

• Nitrogen, oxygen, and argon

• Hydrogen, helium, and methane

Which of the following was present in lesser amounts in Earth's early atmosphere?

• Carbon monoxide

• Oxygen

• Argon

• Methane

Why is the Miller and Urey experiment significant in the study of life's origins?

• It demonstrated that organic compounds could form from simpler chemicals

• It proved that life came from outer space

• It showed that oxygen was necessary for life

• It discovered new elements in the atmosphere

What does "The RNA world" hypothesis propose about the origin of life?

• RNA existed by itself before DNA.

• DNA existed before RNA.

• Proteins existed before RNA and DNA.

• Life began with complex multicellular organisms.

According to the text, what happened to Earth when it was young?

• It was struck by one or more huge objects and the entire globe melted.

• It was covered in ice.

• It was completely dry.

• It was already full of life.

Why is the collision of cosmic debris important in the context of Earth’s origins?

• It explains how Earth was formed.

• It describes how mountains were created.

• It shows how animals evolved.

• It explains the formation of the moon.

Why was the formation of solid rocks significant in Earth’s history?

• It allowed water to condense and fall as rain

• It caused the extinction of dinosaurs

• It led to the formation of mountains only

• It created deserts

What does the diagram in the image illustrate?

• The process of simulating early Earth conditions to form organic molecules

• The process of photosynthesis in plants

• The structure of a cell

• The water cycle in nature

According to the graphs, what is the main component of gases released by volcanoes?

• Water Vapor

• Nitrogen

• Oxygen

• Carbon Dioxide