Lesson on Earth's Atmosphere

Astro Review: Earth as a Planet

• Earth's atmosphere is similar to a jacket for our planet. It surrounds our planet, keeps us warm, gives us oxygen to breathe, and it is where our weather happens.

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The Earth's Atmosphere

Multiple Choice

Oxygen is about ____ of the atmosphere

• 21%

• 2%

• 78%

• 0.04%

Multiple Choice

Which gas makes up 78% of our atmosphere?

• oxygen

• Carbon dioxide

• nitrogen

• argon

Multiple Choice

Which layer of the atmosphere does all weather occur?

• exosphere

• troposphere

• mesosphere

• thermosphere

Multiple Choice

Which layer of the atmosphere helps us by burning up incoming meteors?

• exosphere

• troposphere

• mesosphere

• thermosphere

Multiple Choice

Which layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?

• troposphere

• thermosphere

• methosphere

• stratosphere

Multiple Choice

A compound made of three oxygen atoms is called

• acid rain

• smog

• ozone

• carbon dioxide

Multiple Select

Based on the chart, which layers of the atmosphere have a temperature that decreases as the altitude increases? Check all that apply.

• troposphere

• stratosphere

• mesosphere

• thermosphere

Multiple Choice

Which layer of the atmosphere do we live in?

• tropsophere

• stratosphere

• mesosphere

• thermosphere

Multiple Choice

As you go higher in the troposphere, the temperature _______________.

• decreases
• increases
• stays the same
• gets very hot

Multiple Choice

What is the function of the ozone layer?

• to allow UV rays to get to Earth
• to block UV rays from getting to Earth
• To keep oxygen in
• to allow meteors to get to Earth

Multiple Choice

Which layer is the outermost layer?

• troposphere
• thermosphere
• exosphere
• mesosphere

Multiple Choice

How did scientists determine where the layers of the atmosphere are divided?

• a change in elements

• a change in compounds

• a change in temperature

• a change in ozone

Microbial life forms have been discovered on Earth that can survive and even thrive at extremes of high and low temperature and pressure, and in conditions of acidity, salinity, alkalinity, and concentrations of heavy metals that would have been regarded as lethal just a few years ago.

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Life, Chemical Evolution and Climate Change

Multiple Choice

One of the accepted scientific theories describing the origin of life on Earth is known as chemical evolution. According to this theory, which of the following events would need to occur first for life to evolve?

• onset of photosynthesis

• origin of genetic material

• Synthesis of organic molecules

• formation of the plasma membrane

Multiple Choice

Which types of organisms developed first due to the early environmental conditions on Earth?

• prokaryotic and aerobic

• prokaryotic and anaerobic

• eukaryotic and aerobic

• eukaryotic and anaerobic

Multiple Choice

The diagram below shows a proposed theory of the origin of eukaryotic cells, called endosymbiosis.

Which of the following explains why cells that contained mitochondria-like organelles had an evolutionary advantage?

• They were able to photosynthesize

• They had more DNA

• They were able to make more use of available energy

• They were immune to bacterial invasion.

Multiple Choice

Cells without a nucleus are said to be _____________________.

• Eukaryotic
• Prokaryotic

Multiple Choice

What gas was necessary for complex (eukaryotic) life to evolve?

• Carbon dioxide
• Oxygen
• Dihydrogen monoxide
• Methane

Multiple Choice

Which type of cell came first?

• Eukaryotic
• Prokaryotic
• Plant
• Both Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cells evolved around the same time

Multiple Choice

A field of science that deals with the study of the coevolution of life and our planet.

• Astrophysics

• Astrobiology

• Genomics

• Biochemistry

Multiple Choice

The study of genetic code that is shared by all life on Earth.

• Genetics

• Genomics

• Astrobiology

• Biotechnology

Open Ended

Explain what is greenhouse effect. What causes greenhouse effect. Is greenhouse effect beneficial to life?