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Quiz Chapter 13: Meteoroid, Asteroid, Comet

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

Question 1 of 10Score: 0

Which atmospheric layer protects Earth by burning up the majority of small incoming meteoroids?

Full Question List & Answer Key

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

1. Which atmospheric layer protects Earth by burning up the majority of small incoming meteoroids?

  1. Troposphere
  2. Stratosphere
  3. Mesosphere
  4. Exosphere
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Answer: C

Most meteoroids disintegrate due to intense atmospheric friction within the mesosphere (50 to 85 km above Earth's surface).

2. Which celestial body is often described as a 'dirty snowball' due to its composition?

  1. Asteroid
  2. Meteoroid
  3. Comet
  4. Dwarf planet Ceres
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Answer: C

Comets are colloquially termed 'dirty snowballs' because they consist of frozen ice mixed with cosmic dust and dirt.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Why do meteor showers occur periodically on Earth?

  1. Earth passes through trails of dust debris left behind by comets in its orbital path
  2. The Moon ejects volcanic rocks towards Earth at set dates
  3. Solar flares blast heavy metal ions into Earth's polar region
  4. Satellites burn up simultaneously in orbit
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Answer: A

Meteor showers occur when Earth intersects the orbital stream of dust particles left behind along a comet's historical trail.

7. What force causes asteroids to occasionally shift out of the Asteroid Belt onto potential Earth-collision trajectories?

  1. Solar radiation pressure
  2. Gravitational perturbations from massive planets like Jupiter
  3. Magnetic repulsion from solar flares
  4. Frictional drag against cosmic interstellar dust
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Answer: B

Jupiter's massive gravitational pull causes orbital resonances that can nudge asteroids out of the main belt into Earth-crossing orbits.

8. 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.

9. In which direction does a comet's tail ALWAYS point as it orbits near the Sun?

  1. Directly toward the Sun
  2. Directly away from the Sun
  3. Perpendicular to its orbital path
  4. In the exact direction of its forward travel
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Answer: B

Solar wind and radiation pressure push gas and dust particles away from the Sun, making the comet's tail always point directly away from the Sun.

10. 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.

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