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Quiz Chapter 13: Meteoroid, Asteroid, Comet

10 questions · Form 2 Science Bab 13: Meteoroid, Asteroid, Comet

10 questions · plays in fullscreen

Full Question List & Answer Key

Prefer reading to quizzing? All 10 questions are listed below with the answer and explanation under each one.

1. Roughly how often does Halley's Comet become visible from Earth?

  1. Every 10 to 12 years
  2. Every 75 to 76 years
  3. Every 150 years
  4. Every 1,000 years
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Answer: B

Halley's Comet has a famous periodic orbit that brings it past Earth approximately once every 75 to 76 years.

2. Which component of a comet is its solid, frozen center?

  1. Coma
  2. Dust tail
  3. Ion tail
  4. Nucleus
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Answer: D

The core or central solid part of a comet, consisting of ice, rock, and frozen gases, is called the nucleus.

3. Where do most long-period comets originate from in the distant reaches of the Solar System?

  1. The Asteroid Belt
  2. Earth's thermosphere
  3. The Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt
  4. The core of Jupiter
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Answer: C

Comets originate from distant outer icy regions of the Solar System: the Kuiper Belt and the spherical Oort Cloud.

4. Where is the primary Asteroid Belt located in our Solar System?

  1. Between Earth and Mars
  2. Between Mars and Jupiter
  3. Between Jupiter and Saturn
  4. Beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt
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Answer: B

The Asteroid Belt is located in the region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

5. What causes a meteor to glow intensely as it moves through Earth's atmosphere?

  1. Nuclear reactions in the meteoroid core
  2. Extreme friction between the meteoroid and atmospheric gas molecules
  3. Reflection of bright moonlight
  4. Chemical reaction with greenhouse gases
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Answer: B

Moving at extreme speeds, friction between the meteoroid and air molecules converts kinetic energy into high heat, causing gas and rock particles to glow.

6. What global climatic catastrophe can result from a massive asteroid impact on Earth?

  1. Instant global sea level rise by 500 meters
  2. A massive dust cloud blocking sunlight, causing a global cooling impact winter
  3. Complete loss of Earth's gravitational force
  4. Permanent stoppage of Earth's rotation
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Answer: B

A giant impact ejects billions of tons of pulverized dust and ash into the stratosphere, blocking sunlight, stopping photosynthesis, and triggering an impact winter.

7. What is another common term used by astronomers for asteroids?

  1. Shooting stars
  2. Minor planets
  3. Dirty snowballs
  4. Exoplanets
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Answer: B

Asteroids are often referred to as minor planets or planetoids because they are rocky bodies orbiting the Sun that are smaller than major planets.

8. What is a meteoroid called after it enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up, creating a streak of light?

  1. Meteorite
  2. Meteor
  3. Asteroid
  4. Comet
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Answer: B

When a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere and burns due to air friction, the visible streak of light produced is called a meteor.

9. What feature is formed on Earth's crust when a large meteorite strikes the ground at hypervelocity?

  1. Volcanic caldera
  2. Impact crater
  3. Coral reef
  4. Tectonic rift valley
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Answer: B

Hypervelocity meteorite collisions blast away surface rock, excavating a bowl-shaped impact crater.

10. What primary materials compose a comet?

  1. Molten iron and nickel alloy
  2. Frozen gases, ice, dust, and rocky material
  3. Pure liquid hydrogen
  4. Dense uranium mineral rock
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Answer: B

Comets are composed of frozen gases (water ice, methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide), dust, and rocky debris.

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