Question 1

Most meteorites are

Accepted Answer

A) carbon-rich and primitive. 
B) rocky and primitive. 
C) carbon-rich and processed. 
D) rocky and processed. 
E) iron-rich and processed. 
A) carbon-rich and primitive. 
B) rocky and primitive. 
C) carbon-rich and processed. 
D) rocky and processed. 
E) iron-rich and processed. B

Question 2

What do we mean by a primitive meteorite?

Accepted Answer

A) a meteorite that is essentially unchanged since it first condensed and accreted in the solar nebula some 4.6 billion years ago 
B) a meteorite that was discovered by primitive people 
C) a type of meteorite that is usually made mostly of high-density metals 
D) a meteorite that fell to Earth at least 4 billion years ago 
A) a meteorite that is essentially unchanged since it first condensed and accreted in the solar nebula some 4.6 billion years ago 
B) a meteorite that was discovered by primitive people 
C) a type of meteorite that is usually made mostly of high-density metals 
D) a meteorite that fell to Earth at least 4 billion years ago A

Question 3

Which of the following is not a piece of evidence supporting the idea that an impact caused the mass extinction that occurred 65 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

A) Fossilized dinosaur bones contain fragments of rock from the impact. 
B) Unusually large abundances of iridium and other rare metals are found in a layer of clay that dates to 65 million years ago. 
C) A large impact crater along the coast of Mexico dates to 65 million years ago. 
D) Grains of quartz formed under high pressure are found in a layer of clay that dates to 65 million years ago. 
A) Fossilized dinosaur bones contain fragments of rock from the impact. 
B) Unusually large abundances of iridium and other rare metals are found in a layer of clay that dates to 65 million years ago. 
C) A large impact crater along the coast of Mexico dates to 65 million years ago. 
D) Grains of quartz formed under high pressure are found in a layer of clay that dates to 65 million years ago. A

Question 4

Gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps)are caused by

Accepted Answer

A) tidal forces from the Sun. 
B) tidal forces from Jupiter. 
C) the competing gravitational tugs of Mars and Jupiter. 
D) orbital resonances with Jupiter. 
A) tidal forces from the Sun. 
B) tidal forces from Jupiter. 
C) the competing gravitational tugs of Mars and Jupiter. 
D) orbital resonances with Jupiter.

Question 5

In the asteroid impact theory of the extinction of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago,the dinosaurs (and over half of all the other species on Earth at that time)died off largely because

Accepted Answer

A) of injuries suffered from direct hits of pieces of the asteroid or comet. 
B) dust injected into the stratosphere from the impact absorbed visible light from the Sun,causing global temperatures to plummet. 
C) radiation from iridium in the asteroid caused the dinosaurs to die of cancer. 
D) the impact caused massive earthquakes and volcanic activity worldwide. 
E) dust settled on the leaves of plants,making them inedible,so the animals died of starvation. 
A) of injuries suffered from direct hits of pieces of the asteroid or comet. 
B) dust injected into the stratosphere from the impact absorbed visible light from the Sun,causing global temperatures to plummet. 
C) radiation from iridium in the asteroid caused the dinosaurs to die of cancer. 
D) the impact caused massive earthquakes and volcanic activity worldwide. 
E) dust settled on the leaves of plants,making them inedible,so the animals died of starvation.

Question 6

Suppose unlike Chelyabinsk,the next major asteroid impact we experience is more devastating.Why might this be?

Accepted Answer

A) The asteroid is larger in size. 
B) It has a more vertical trajectory,and is therefore less likely to break up in the atmosphere due to friction. 
C) It hit water,which will cause a world-wide tsunami. 
D) Both A and B 
A) The asteroid is larger in size. 
B) It has a more vertical trajectory,and is therefore less likely to break up in the atmosphere due to friction. 
C) It hit water,which will cause a world-wide tsunami. 
D) Both A and B

Question 7

If the hypothesis tracing the extinction of the dinosaurs to an impact is correct,the dinosaurs died off largely because

Accepted Answer

A) of injuries suffered from direct hits of pieces of the asteroid or comet. 
B) radiation from iridium in the asteroid caused the dinosaurs to die of cancer. 
C) of global climate effects initiated by dust and smoke that entered the atmosphere after the impact. 
D) the impact caused massive earthquakes worldwide. 
A) of injuries suffered from direct hits of pieces of the asteroid or comet. 
B) radiation from iridium in the asteroid caused the dinosaurs to die of cancer. 
C) of global climate effects initiated by dust and smoke that entered the atmosphere after the impact. 
D) the impact caused massive earthquakes worldwide.

Question 8

Describe some ways in which a meteorite can be distinguished from a terrestrial rock.

Accepted Answer

Meteorites are usually covered with a da

Question 9

Among discovered meteorites,we have found some with all the following origins except

Accepted Answer

A) being a fragment from the surface of Mars. 
B) being a fragment from the surface of the Moon. 
C) being a fragment from Comet Halley. 
D) being a fragment of a shattered asteroid. 
A) being a fragment from the surface of Mars. 
B) being a fragment from the surface of the Moon. 
C) being a fragment from Comet Halley. 
D) being a fragment of a shattered asteroid.

Question 10

An icy leftover planetesimal orbiting the Sun is

Accepted Answer

A) a comet. 
B) a meteor. 
C) an asteroid. 
D) a meteorite. 
E) possibly any of the above 
A) a comet. 
B) a meteor. 
C) an asteroid. 
D) a meteorite. 
E) possibly any of the above

Question 11

Which is closest to the average distance between asteroids in the asteroid belt?

Accepted Answer

A) 1 thousand km 
B) 10 thousand km 
C) 100 thousand km 
D) 1 million km 
E) 10 million km 
A) 1 thousand km 
B) 10 thousand km 
C) 100 thousand km 
D) 1 million km 
E) 10 million km

Question 12

A typical shooting star in a meteor shower is caused by a ________ entering Earth's atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A) boulder-size particle from an asteroid 
B) boulder-size particle from a comet 
C) pea-size particle from an asteroid 
D) pea-size particle from a comet 
E) microscopic particle of interstellar dust 
A) boulder-size particle from an asteroid 
B) boulder-size particle from a comet 
C) pea-size particle from an asteroid 
D) pea-size particle from a comet 
E) microscopic particle of interstellar dust

Question 13

Pluto's gravity affects the orbit of Uranus,and this fact was used to discover Pluto.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

What was the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact?

Accepted Answer

A) the 1994 impact of a chain of comet fragments into Jupiter 
B) the impact thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs 
C) the impact that created the Moon's largest crater 
D) the ninth impact witnessed by astronomers in modern times 
A) the 1994 impact of a chain of comet fragments into Jupiter 
B) the impact thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs 
C) the impact that created the Moon's largest crater 
D) the ninth impact witnessed by astronomers in modern times

Question 15

Which of the following statements about comets and asteroids is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Only asteroids collide with Earth. 
B) Comets are balls of ice and dust. 
C) Most of the trillions of comets in our solar system have tails. 
D) All asteroids lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. 
E) There are about 1 million known asteroids in the solar system. 
A) Only asteroids collide with Earth. 
B) Comets are balls of ice and dust. 
C) Most of the trillions of comets in our solar system have tails. 
D) All asteroids lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. 
E) There are about 1 million known asteroids in the solar system.

Question 16

How can we determine an asteroid's reflectivity?

Accepted Answer

A) by determining its mass 
B) by comparing its infrared thermal emission to its visible-light reflection 
C) by seeing how dark or light it looks in telescopic images 
D) by determining how far from the Sun it is 
E) by determining its size 
A) by determining its mass 
B) by comparing its infrared thermal emission to its visible-light reflection 
C) by seeing how dark or light it looks in telescopic images 
D) by determining how far from the Sun it is 
E) by determining its size

Question 17

What is Charon?

Accepted Answer

A) the largest known Kuiper belt comet 
B) the largest known asteroid 
C) the largest of Pluto's five moons 
D) a captured moon of Neptune 
A) the largest known Kuiper belt comet 
B) the largest known asteroid 
C) the largest of Pluto's five moons 
D) a captured moon of Neptune

Question 18

Which statement is not thought to be true of all comets in our solar system?

Accepted Answer

A) Comets always have tails. 
B) All comets are icy in composition. 
C) All comets orbit the Sun. 
D) All comets are leftover planetesimals that originally condensed beyond the frost line in the solar nebula. 
A) Comets always have tails. 
B) All comets are icy in composition. 
C) All comets orbit the Sun. 
D) All comets are leftover planetesimals that originally condensed beyond the frost line in the solar nebula.

Question 19

A typical meteor is created by a particle about the size of a

Accepted Answer

A) baseball. 
B) pea. 
C) car. 
D) basketball. 
A) baseball. 
B) pea. 
C) car. 
D) basketball.

Question 20

What evidence do we have of geological activity on asteroids in the past?

Accepted Answer

Processed meteorites and large

Exam 12: Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Most meteorites are

What do we mean by a primitive meteorite?

Which of the following is not a piece of evidence supporting the idea that an impact caused the mass extinction that occurred 65 million years ago?

Gaps in the asteroid belt (often called Kirkwood gaps)are caused by

In the asteroid impact theory of the extinction of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago,the dinosaurs (and over half of all the other species on Earth at that time)died off largely because

Suppose unlike Chelyabinsk,the next major asteroid impact we experience is more devastating.Why might this be?

If the hypothesis tracing the extinction of the dinosaurs to an impact is correct,the dinosaurs died off largely because

Describe some ways in which a meteorite can be distinguished from a terrestrial rock.

Among discovered meteorites,we have found some with all the following origins except

An icy leftover planetesimal orbiting the Sun is

Which is closest to the average distance between asteroids in the asteroid belt?

A typical shooting star in a meteor shower is caused by a ________ entering Earth's atmosphere.

Pluto's gravity affects the orbit of Uranus,and this fact was used to discover Pluto.

What was the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact?

Which of the following statements about comets and asteroids is true?

How can we determine an asteroid's reflectivity?

What is Charon?

Which statement is not thought to be true of all comets in our solar system?

A typical meteor is created by a particle about the size of a

What evidence do we have of geological activity on asteroids in the past?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Our Planetary System

Formation of the Solar System

Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet Systems

Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Birth

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

Galaxies and the Foundations of Modern Cosmology

Galaxy Evolution

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Life in the Universe

Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

Space and Time

Spacetime and Gravity

Building Blocks of the Universe

Filters