Astronomy current events question: nitrate molecules on Mars

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2015
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Nancy Neal-Jones, William Steigerwald



, "NASA's Curiosity Rover Finds Biologically Useful Nitrogen on Mars" (March 24, 2015)
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/mars-nitrogen/index.html

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity discovered that Mars had conditions habitable for life in its past, based on gases analyzed from:
(A) polar cap dry ice.
(B) heating up soil samples.
(C) a recent dust storm.
(D) melting permafrost.
(E) volcanic vents.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 10 students
(B) : 33 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 4 students
(E) : 1 student