Astronomy current events question: detecting rocky exoplanets?

Astronomy 210L, fall semester 2019
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!)

News release, "Liquifying a Rocky Exoplanet" (October 9, 2019)
unibe.ch/news/media_news/media_relations_e/media_releases/2019/medienmitteilungen_2019/liquifying_a_rocky_exoplanet/index_eng.html

Researchers propose that Earth-like exoplanets would be easiest to observe while they are:
(A) hot and molten.
(B) covered with oceans.
(C) able to capture moons.
(D) undergoing an ice age.
(E) establishing a greenhouse effect.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 70178, 70186
(A) : 24 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 4 students